The best pet cameras are a great way to keep an eye on your cat or dog. They allow you to check up on your pets remotely, which can be useful if you have pets that suffer from separation anxiety, or simply young, playful pups that you want to check up on when you leave the house.
Pet cameras come in different shapes and sizes, and they can offer you basic or advanced features depending on how much you spend. The more expensive models come with two-way microphones, accompanying apps, vet advice and can even toss treats at the touch of a button on your smartphone.
Any new pet owner will understand the worry of leaving their furry pal at home alone, and a pet camera will go some way to help. But given the number of options out there, how do you choose the right model? There are a number of factors to consider, and we've picked the best cameras below.
Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine.
The best pet cameras
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If you like the sound of the Petcube Bites 2, number two on our list, but want to save cash, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite is cheaper but actually very similar. The main difference is that the former has Alexa built-in, and four microphones, while the latter only has one. The Bites 2 has a sturdier and more durable build, too, being made of aluminum and plastic, while the Lite is all plastic.
On the plus side, the Petcube Bites 2 Lite still offers the same 1080p resolution, 160° wide‑angle view, ability to toss treats, night vision, real-time sound and motion detection, and 4x digital zoom as its pricier cousin, but at a much lower price. So if you're not bothered about built-in Alexa, and are willing to compromise on audio quality, you can save a huge wad of money with the Petcube Bites 2 Lite.
Read more: Petcube Bites 2 Lite review
Pets don't tend to stay still for long, and unlike a static pet camera that you'd have on a shelf or sideboard, the Enabot EBO Air is a robot companion designed to follow your cat or dog around the house.
The EBO Air is an unbelievably loveable little robot companion with a host of cool and fun features to help you interact with your pet while you're away. The camera and video quality are superb, and EBO auto-navigates itself back to its charger when the battery level falls.
This adorable pet camera can keep your pets company and update you on their antics until you get home, but be sure to introduce EBO slowly with nervous cats and dogs to avoid it being chewed – or upsetting them.
Luckily, EBO can take a scratch or two if your pet is playful, and even comes fitted with a laser feature to occupy your cats, as well as night vision for midnight patrols, two-way voice communication, and scheduled reminders.
Read more: Enabot EBO Air review
If you're considering the best pet cameras, the ROLA PetPal stands out as a strong option, offering a blend of engaging features to help you stay connected with your pet. I found it easy to navigate, with impressive camera control allowing for seamless monitoring around the home. The image quality was excellent, though it does come with a slight purple tint.
At $229 (£208), I expected a bit more, particularly in terms of included features. Some core functionalities, like smart alerts and daily pet updates, are locked behind a subscription, which feels unnecessary. Even without these extras, PetPal performs well, so charging extra for such features seems counterintuitive.
Another consideration is the bundled accessories. Currently, the camera comes with a basic storage module, and customers have to purchase additional play or feeder modules separately. It would be ideal if buyers could choose these at the time of purchase, especially since they enhance the "pet" aspect of the device.
Despite these small drawbacks, if you’re willing to invest, the ROLA PetPal is an excellent choice, offering both solid performance and interactive capabilities for pet owners.
Read more: Enabot ROLA PetPal review
The best pet camera for dogs right now is the Furbo 360° Dog Camera, which is an improvement on the original Furbo and packed full of features. It still has a full 1080p Full HD camera with night vision and two-way audio (so you and your pet and both hear each other), plus a system that alerts you via a smartphone notification when it hears barking.
You can also use the smartphone app (available for iOS and Android) to throw treats at your pet, and the all-new Treat Toss allows you to adjust the size of treats size to suit your dog's needs (the OG Furbo had space to store 100, up to 1cm in size).
Key to this product is the 360-degree rotating view, which offers full room coverage should your dog be roaming around – and let's be honest, that's what they do. The Furbo is larger than some alternatives, but thanks to the white and bamboo design it blends into the decor of homes quite nicely. Plus, the size can be helpful if you’re positioning directly on the floor.
The Petcube Pet Camera is the company's simplest smart pet camera. Doing without a treat dispenser makes this model much smaller and more affordable than the Petcube Bites 2, but you still get two-way audio (a microphone and a speaker) so that you can talk to your pet and hear what they're up to.
The camera offers 1080p HD video, with a 110-degree wide-angle view, as well as night vision that is said to work up to 10 meters. Working alongside the free Petcube app, the camera connects to your home Wi-Fi so that you can view and monitor your pet while you're out. The app will also send you notifications when it detects your pet moving around or barking.
The simple design and feature set of the Petcube Cam is what sets it apart in price and size from its competitors. If you don't need the bells and whistles of the Furbo 360 or the Petcube Bites 2, it's a great model for occasional check-ins.
Read more: Petcube Pet Camera review
The SpotCam Mibo operates as it should and provides exactly what the product was intended for, the image quality is good although the HDR is a bit over-processed, and it is pretty easy to use and set up once you figure out the app interface and untangle the poor translations.
Compared to the competition the SpotCam Mibo pet camera is a little underwhelming and should deliver more for the price. The buggy and temperamental app experience to activate the camera plus the eye-sore cable draping out of the device was enough to put me off.
The SpotCam Mibo can definitely make for a great addition to the home for those who are interested in purchasing a pet monitoring or indoor security camera for the first time, but the extra add-ons and cloud storage purchase options are a little excessive, for a mid-tier device, we would expect more features to be included as a standard as opposed to a subscription fee.
Read our full SpotCam Mibo review.
The Nooie Pet Camera 2K has been created for pets and babies. Compact and sleek in design, this 2K camera will follow your pets around the room, automatically senses and tracks movements and can rotate 355° horizontally and 94° vertically. You can also pan and tilt easily with the Nooie App on a smartphone, although users do report this app being quick glitchy and unresponsive at times.
This is a very affordable pet camera compared to the premium options from Furbo and Petcube, but like them, you can talk to your pet with the built-in mic and speaker. It offers many of the same features for a fraction of the price, including night vision, and is the best pet camera on a budget.
Read more: Nooie Cam 360 review
How to choose the best pet camera
Like the best indoor security cameras and the best baby camera monitors, the best pet camera will essentially keep an eye on your precious things – in this case, your pets.
Resolution
As with any type of camera, the resolution is important. You probably don't need 4K or cinematic quality, but Full HD 1080p will make a big difference. (If you're on a budget, 720p HD will do the job, but we'd advise against going lower.)
Movement
Do you want a pet camera that can move, like the robot Enabot EBO Air? This will enable the camera to follow your pet around the house so you can watch it at all times – great if you give your pet the run of the house. On the other hand, some pet cameras offer a 360-degree camera to give you more coverage.
Audio
Do you want two-way audio so that you can talk to your pet through a microphone? This can help you to soothe them with voice commands when you're away.
Storage
Do you need cloud storage for all your images and videos? The premium Petcube and Furbo plans offer storage, but this comes at a cost.
Apps
Most pet cameras will alert you with push notifications if your pet starts barking, which can be helpful if you're in the process of leaving them at home alone. Some apps also allow you to toss treats at the press of a button like the Furbo 360.
With all this in mind, here are the best pet cameras on the market right now, based on video resolution, features, build quality, and price.
