Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs. Ring Video Doorbell Pro: Which is better for your home?

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro is still the best way to get the Ring experience. From the incredibly useful pre-roll video features to the convenience that comes from never charging a battery, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is the single best Ring video doorbell you can buy. Its only real downside is that it has to be hard-wired to power, limiting ownership for renters.

Ring Video Doorbell 3

Ring Video Doorbell 3 is the third-generation wireless doorbell from Ring, and it shows. With features like advanced motion detection and privacy zones that were only available on wired models, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 is an almost-perfect solution for folks looking for a wireless video doorbell.

For several years now, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro has been one of the very best Ring products. Despite requiring a bit more work when setting up (because you have to wire it up), the Ring Video Doorbell Pro still users every single Ring feature without restriction. When the Ring Video Doorbell 3 launched, the substantially higher Ring Video Doorbell Pro price made this a more difficult solution. These days, Ring Video Doorbell Pro offers more features and is $10 cheaper, making it the single-best Ring video doorbell under $200.

Ring also offers some upgrade choices in the form of Ring Video Doorbell 4, a $200 video doorbell that offers pre-roll video and Quick replies — two of the best features of Ring Video Doorbell Pro — all while adding in the convenience of being battery-powered. Meanwhile, Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 retails for $250 and adds in the most accurate motion detection you'll find on any video doorbell — not just ones sold by Ring.

Ring Video Doorbell 3: Easier installation is the key

One of the biggest differences between the Ring Video Doorbell Pro and any wireless Ring Video Doorbell is the installation. The Ring Video Doorbell Pro has to be hard-wired to power, just like a traditional doorbell. That extra work to wire up the Ring Video Doorbell Pro has always, historically, paid off in the number of features available to consumers. Despite the feature difference between Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro, the ease and simplicity of Ring Video Doorbell 3's installation might win the day for some folks.

The key to Ring Video Doorbell 3's advantage, in this case, is the inclusion of advanced motion detection, adjustable motion zones, and privacy zones when compared to previous battery-powered Ring Video Doorbells. That means that, for the first time on a battery-powered Ring Video Doorbell, users can customize specific parts of the video to detect motion and ignore any movement in the rest of the scene. This helps cut down on the number of erroneous notifications — sometimes significantly so — especially if your video doorbell can see cars passing by on the road or if a tree or bush tends to set motion detection off.

Being battery-powered also means the Ring Video Doorbell 3 is the best choice for renters when comparing these two products. That's because renters can easily install the Ring Video Doorbell 3 without having to worry about adding or modifying the wiring by the front door. That's because removable, rechargeable battery powers it.

Ring Video Doorbell Pro: Plenty of advantages for the Pro

As of the Ring Video Doorbell 4 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 launch in 2021, Ring has permanently reduced the price of both Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Surprisingly, Ring Video Doorbell Pro is now priced $10 lower than Ring Video Doorbell 3, making it the best decision if you're looking for a full-featured video doorbell and don't need it to be battery-operated.

Despite being the most capable battery-powered Ring Video Doorbell yet, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 doesn't support pre-roll footage. You'll need to upgrade to the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, Ring Video Doorbell 4, or one of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro doorbells for that feature. Pre-roll means the Ring app can display snapshots taken four seconds before the doorbell button is pressed, which can help deliver a better context to videos when they need to be reviewed later on.

While pre-roll isn't going to be useful in every situation, there are a few times where pre-roll video can really make a difference. One of the best reasons to get the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is not just because of the pre-roll footage, but because the pre-roll footage is much higher quality than what's offered on the more expensive Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus or Ring Video Doorbell 4. On top of that, it's also in color on Ring Video Doorbell Pro, while the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus's pre-roll video is black and white. Ring Video Doorbell 4 has color pre-roll, however.

While the installation is slightly more complicated and likely restricts ownership to just homeowners, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is a more convenient product in the long run. Since it's powered directly by your home's electrical system at all times, you'll never need to worry about maintenance. Unlike the Ring Video Doorbell 3, there's no battery to remove and charge every so often, and you won't need to worry about the occasional performance hiccup that battery-powered cameras can sometimes have, leading to delayed recording after motion is detected.

Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs. Ring Video Doorbell Pro: It really depends on your situation

In closing, the product you choose here is likely going to be determined by whether or not you're able to hard-wire the video doorbell to electricity, especially now that Ring has permanently lowered the price for both products. Homeowners will almost certainly want to select the Ring Video Doorbell Pro if they already have a traditional wired doorbell. It offers more features for less money and won't ever need to be charged since it runs 24/7 using your home's electrical system.

Renters, likewise, should probably choose the Ring Video Doorbell 3. Since it's battery-powered, it doesn't require any wiring and, thus, probably won't irritate your landlord. You'll be missing the pre-roll feature that the Ring Video Doorbell Pro offers but, if that's a super important feature for you, you can always choose Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus or Ring Video Doorbell 4.