Swann Security Camera Costs and Pricing

The story of Swann goes from rags to riches. What began as a humble enterprise in a basement1 is now an international business, with cameras and security systems sold in more than 40 countries on six different continents. If you’ve ever been on Swann’s website, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices they offer, from 1080p HD to Super HD 5 MP cameras and everything in between. Now, our experts will break down Swann’s pricing for their equipment as well as any additional monthly fees. We’ll compare Swann to other top security companies on the market and show how it fits into our smart home. Let’s begin!

Swann starter kit pricing

Best Features of Swann

Compared to other security companies, Swann does things a little bit differently. But the good news for your wallet, with their minimalist systems, you won’t have to pay for things like sensors, panic buttons, or really anything aside from cameras and video doorbells. With storage on hard drives, you won’t even necessarily need Wi-Fi to use Swann, and in terms of video quality, Swann’s cameras are top of the line. Plus, they have more security system options than any other company we’ve reviewed, with a huge price range from about $70 for a single camera all the way up to around $2,400 for a 16 camera, 16 channel system. Without any professional monitoring options, you won’t pay any monthly fees for Swann unless you choose to for cloud storage, so all in all, their products are more of the “set it and forget it” variety.

Do I Have To Pay Monthly For Swann?

The short answer? No, you won’t have to pay any monthly fees with Swann. The company sells devices only, so there’s no professional monitoring or cellular backup available. If you’re worried about your cameras going off in a power outage, Swann has a number of wireless options that are dependent on batteries. But for those hardwired cameras, they will not stay on in a power outage.

When it comes to storage, most of the Swann security systems include a one or two TB hard drive, which can hold hundreds of hours of footage. From there, you can choose to back it up onto your own personal cloud storage, which may or may not be paid. The bottom line? With Swann, expect to pay no monthly fees whatsoever!

Swann Equipment Prices

Like we said before, Swann has literally hundreds of different options when it comes to home security. Our chart below shows all of their security system options. Keep in mind that their security systems are extremely minimal, consisting of only cameras and hard drives for storage. Again, there are no motion, entry or glass break sensors, panic buttons, and other devices that you might typically associate with home security.

Equipment Pricing Analysis for Swann

With so many options, you can truly decide how much you want to spend on your security system. There are also individual cameras and video doorbells available if you have a particularly small home. Or, if you have a huge home or business, there are systems available with up to 16 cameras, so basically, you’ve got a lot of choices on your hands.

Price-Wise, How Does Swann Compare?

If you break it down by camera, Swann is definitely at an affordable place in terms of price. Take their most affordable security system, which costs about $200 for two cameras and a hard drive. Indoor/outdoor cameras typically cost around $200 each, so when you consider the fact that this price gets you two cameras plus a hard drive, Swann becomes even more valuable. Of course, having fewer components means that you’ll spend less with Swann in general, plus, we’re not mad about that lack of monthly fees. Overall, it’s hard to find a company with lower prices than Swann. Comparable companies in terms of camera prices include Ring Alarm and SimpliSafe, although both require paying for storage, unlike Swann.

Swann in Our Smart Home

We’re talking smart home security here, so of course, we want to share how Swann fits in our existing smart home. Being the IoT-obsessed people we are, we’re already in the Google and Amazon ecosystems, so how does Swann work with each?

If you use the SAFE by Swann app, your Swann cameras will work with both Google Assistant and Alexa, but if you use the HomeSafe View app, you can use Google Assistant only.

HomeSafe View Google Assistant Action

With the HomeSafe View action2, you can ask HomeSafe View to show you specific cameras on your phone or Nest Hub smart display, which you’ll name in the app, or ask it to stop streaming.

SAFE by Swann Google Assistant Action

If you use the SAFE by Swann app, you’ll be able to do even more with Google Assistant, like have it turn your cameras off and on, ask if they are off and on, as well as show the cameras’ footage on your various devices.

Now, don’t ask us why Swann has multiple Google Assistant actions and apps, as this made the process a bit more complicated than necessary.

If you’re in the Amazon ecosystem like we are, you’ll probably want to command your Swann cameras with Alexa.

Swann Security Alexa Skill

Using Alexa, you can display your footage on either your Echo Show, Echo Spot or even FireTV if you want to see yourself on the big screen. Hollywood, here we come!

Aside from smart home security products, Swann doesn’t offer any additional IoT devices, so we’d recommend getting them from third parties to complete your smart home. Learn more about Swann in our full review of their security system.

Is Swann Worth It?

Swann is definitely worth it for someone that wants extreme DIY home security cameras. You’ll install the cameras yourself and monitor them yourself, and with so many different security systems available (50, to be exact), Swann offers a very wide range of prices ranging from under $100 for a single camera all the way up to thousands for 16 cameras. If you were looking to avoid paying monthly fees for your home’s security, Swann could be a fantastic option for you.