Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: Which should you buy?

The Logitech Circle View Doorbell and the Nest Doorbell are some of the best video doorbells that you can buy today. The Nest Doorbell's built-in battery, free three-hour local storage, and support for a broader range of mobile devices make it our pick for most homes. The Nest Doorbell works with or without existing wiring, and since it supports iOS and Android, everyone in your home can access it regardless of phone.

On the other hand, Logitech's doorbell delivers all of the latest HomeKit features, including package detection, activity zones, face recognition, and cloud storage, making it the goto for all-Apple homes. Other highlights include the ability to use your HomePod as a chime and being able to view a live feed on the big screen through an Apple TV — all enabled by the Circle View's deep integration with iOS.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: The breakdown

Being video doorbells, both the Logitech Circle View Doorbell and the Nest Doorbell each keep an eye on your home's front door by providing live views on-demand and by storing recordings of all the happenings within their view. Both doorbells also deliver timely notifications whenever a visitor rings-in, or when someone is lurking around your property.

Despite having similar core functionality, how you interact with the Nest Doorbell and the Logitech Circle View depends heavily on the devices in your home. To get the most out of your doorbell, you need to consider your family's phones, TVs, smart assistants, and computers. If you don't keep these in mind, you may miss out on some showcase features like summoning your doorbell's live feed with a voice command. Before we get too deep into that, though, let's start with the tech specs.

As you can see, there are quite a bit of tech specs to digest, so let's start first with the similarities between the two doorbells. Both the Logitech Circle View and the Nest Doorbell sport all of the video doorbell essentials such as onboard microphones and speakers, infrared night vision, and, of course, weather resistance.

Another similarity is that both doorbells utilize a taller 3:4 aspect ratio. The taller view allows you to see more of the ground area directly in front of your door, perfect for keeping an eye on your deliveries. With smart app integration, both doorbells also notify you of any events within their view, thanks to Wi-Fi networking that doesn't require a smart hub. With the similarities out of the way, let's move over to the key differences.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: Design

Video doorbell design has come a long way over the years, and you can see this in the Logitech Circle View and the Nest Doorbell. Both doorbells feature clean, premium designs that, while a bit bulkier than the traditional doorbell button, still manage to look great on all types of outdoor surfaces. When it comes to finishes, Logitech keeps it simple with a one-size-fits-all approach. At the same time, the Nest Doorbell is available in four different colors: snow, linen, ivory, ash — each sporting neutral hues of their respective colors.

The Nest Doorbell also offers more installation and mounting options over the Circle View. Google's doorbell houses an internal rechargeable battery that allows for wire-free installation pretty much anywhere outside of your door. Without wires, you can slap the Nest Doorbell right on your door's trim to make it easier for your guests to find or off to the side of your porch to give you the perfect angle.

The biggest downside with going with a completely wireless solution like the Nest Doorbell is that you will need to top it off every once in a while. However, the Nest Doorbell's generous six-month battery life makes it somewhat easier to manage. If you do get sick of charging, you always have the option to wire it up. Another thing to consider when going wireless is that you will have to rely on your phone or devices like Google Home or Nest Hub for a chime.

By contrast, the Logitech Circle View Doorbell requires existing doorbell wiring, a transformer, and an indoor chime for installation. While this shouldn't be an issue for most homes, it does introduce some potential compatibility issues, and you should definitely check before purchasing.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: Video and recording

Moving on to video, both the Logitech Circle View and the Nest Doorbell capture and stream HD quality video and support HDR. The Logitech Circle View's 1200x1600 video resolution should provide a slightly better picture than the Nest Doorbell's 960x1280 resolution, but you likely won't see too big of a difference as both are plenty capable.

The Logitech Circle View also offers a wider 160-degree field of view versus 145-degrees on the Nest Doorbell. While it doesn't sound like a huge difference — unlike resolution, every little bit counts when it comes to ensuring that your entire porch is covered, especially with the taller aspect ratio.

Since both doorbells store video up in the cloud, a subscription is required if you want a proper security solution. For anything over the included three hours of local storage, the Nest Doorbell requires the Nest Aware service, starting at $6 a month. Nest Aware stores 30-days of rolling events for an unlimited number of cameras and doorbells at the base tier, and the $12 a month Nest Plus plan doubles it to a total of 60-days.

Although Logitech's doorbell doesn't offer any form of local storage, it does have one trick up its sleeve — iCloud. The Circle View relies on Apple's cloud storage service for recorded video, which means no additional subscription if you already pay for a plan. iCloud plans start at $0.99 a month for a single camera, $2.99 for five cameras, and $9.99 for unlimited cameras. Each plan provides ten days' worth of events in a timeline view in the Home app, and despite requiring a storage plan, videos don't count toward your data allotment — a nice little bonus.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: Smart home integration

How each doorbell integrates with your existing smart home and voice assistants is also something to consider. Since Google makes the Nest Doorbell, it comes with support for both iOS and Android right out of the box. Whether you are on an iPhone or the latest Pixel, you essentially get the same experience: an on-demand live view, video history, and smart alerts.

As you may expect, other Google devices — like the Nest Hub and Chromecast get additional controls and features. Through the Nest Hub, you can view your front door with a simple voice command, and with a Chromecast, you can use your TV as an always-on monitor. Combined with a Nest Aware subscription, the Nest Doorbell gains access to image analysis, which can identify who is at the door or if a package is sitting outside. Image analysis can also filter out nuisance notifications from animals or vehicles.

While not built by Apple, the Logitech Circle View Doorbell is built exclusively for iOS and HomeKit. By going HomeKit-only, the Logitech Circle View leverages all HomeKit Secure Video features available today, such as face recognition, activity zones, and smart notifications, as well as new features introduced alongside yearly OS updates.

Another benefit of its deep HomeKit integration is that the Logitech Circle View Doorbell works across all your Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod, all without any additional setup. With an Apple TV, you can pull up your doorbell's feed at any time, either in a fullscreen view or on top of your content as a floating picture-in-picture window. With a HomePod and image analysis through HomeKit Secure Video, Siri can announce the name of who is at the door, and yep, you can even use the HomePod as an additional chime.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell vs. Nest Doorbell: Which should you buy?

Regardless of which doorbell you choose for your home, the Logitech Circle View Doorbell and the Nest Doorbell offer the best smart home security you can buy today. If you or your household are Apple die-hards and want all things HomeKit, then Logitech's doorbell is a natural choice. The Circle View works with the Home app already on all of your devices, and iCloud storage support means you may be able to skip yet another subscription if you have an existing plan.

If your family uses both Android and iOS devices in your home, or if you need a doorbell that works without existing wiring, then you should go with the Nest Doorbell. Google's doorbell plays nicely with a wider variety of phones so you can share your porch's view or recordings with everyone regardless of device, and the built-in rechargeable battery makes it more accessible than the Circle View.