Ring Protect is a paid monthly service that stores your Ring camera footage in the cloud and lets you review it later
Ring Protect is not free. You pay Amazon a monthly fee — either $3 per month for one camera or $10 per month for unlimited cameras at the same address — and in return your video gets saved to Amazon's servers for 60 days. Without the subscription, your Ring camera records video but does not store it anywhere you can watch later. The subscription also includes 24/7 professional monitoring if you have a Ring Alarm system, though that is a separate product you have to buy first.
The subscription is optional. You can own a Ring camera and use it to see live video on your phone whenever you want, but you will not be able to rewind and watch what happened while you were away. Many people use Ring cameras without any subscription at all — they just check the live feed when they think something might be happening. The subscription is for people who want a record of what their camera saw, even if they were not watching at the time.
Key Takeaways
- Ring Protect costs $3 per month for one camera or $10 per month for all cameras at your address, and stores 60 days of video.
- Without the subscription, your Ring camera shows live video but does not save anything for you to watch later.
- You can cancel the subscription at any time through your Ring app or Amazon account — there is no contract or penalty.
- Ring Protect also includes professional monitoring for Ring Alarm systems, but only if you have purchased an Alarm separately.
- Video is stored on Amazon servers, not on your camera or a local device, so you need internet to access it.
What video storage actually means
When you pay for Ring Protect, Amazon stores the video your camera records on its servers. You can then open the Ring app on your phone or computer and scroll back through the past 60 days to watch any moment. If your camera records a package delivery, a visitor, or motion in your driveway, that video stays saved for two months. After 60 days, it is deleted automatically.
This is different from live view. Live view is free — you can open the Ring app right now and see what your camera sees at this exact moment, whether or not you have a subscription. But live view only shows you what is happening right now. Once you close the app, that moment is gone. Subscription storage lets you go back and watch it later.
The storage happens on Amazon's cloud servers, not on your camera or in your home. Your camera sends the video over your internet connection to Amazon, where it sits until the 60 days are up. If your internet goes down, the camera stops recording. If Amazon's servers go down, you cannot access your video until they come back up, but the video itself is not lost.
How much it costs and what you get for each plan
| Plan | Monthly Cost | What It Covers | Video Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (1 camera) | $3 | One Ring camera | 60 days |
| Plus (unlimited cameras) | $10 | All Ring cameras at your address | 60 days |
| Pro (with Alarm monitoring) | $10 to $20 | All cameras plus 24/7 professional monitoring for Ring Alarm | 60 days |
The $3 plan covers one camera only. If you add a second Ring camera to your account, you either pay $3 more per month (for a second $3 subscription) or switch to the $10 unlimited plan, which covers as many cameras as you want at the same address. Most people with more than one camera find the $10 plan cheaper.
The Pro plan, which includes professional monitoring for a Ring Alarm system, costs between $10 and $20 per month depending on your location and what monitoring services you choose. Professional monitoring means that if your alarm goes off, a monitoring center is notified and can contact emergency services on your behalf. This requires you to own a Ring Alarm system separately — the subscription alone does not give you an alarm.
How to start and stop the subscription
You set up Ring Protect through the Ring app or through your Amazon account. When you first set up a Ring camera, the app will offer you the subscription option. You can also add it later by opening the Ring app, going to your camera settings, and selecting the subscription plan you want. Amazon will ask for a payment method — a credit card or debit card linked to your Amazon account.
The subscription renews automatically every month on the same date you signed up. You will see the charge on your credit card statement each month. If you want to stop paying, you can cancel through the Ring app under your subscription settings, or through your Amazon account under subscriptions and memberships. Cancellation takes effect immediately — you will not be charged again, but you will lose access to stored video at the end of that billing period.
There is no penalty for canceling. You do not have to give notice or explain why. If you cancel on the 15th of the month and your subscription renews on the 20th, you will not be charged on the 20th. If you cancel and then change your mind, you can sign up again at any time.
What happens to your video if you cancel
When your subscription ends, you lose access to all stored video. Any footage that was saved during your subscription period is deleted. You cannot download it or save it somewhere else after the subscription ends — you have to do that while you are still subscribed if you want to keep it.
If you cancel and then restart the subscription later, you start with a blank slate. The old video is gone. Your new subscription will store new video going forward for another 60 days from the restart date.
Ring Protect versus other ways to store video
Some Ring cameras come with a battery backup or a wired power connection, and some people use a separate local storage device — a hard drive or network storage box in their home — to save video instead of using Ring Protect. Local storage is a one-time purchase rather than a monthly fee, but it requires you to set up and maintain the hardware yourself, and you can only access the video when you are on your home network (or through a VPN if you know how to set that up).
Ring Protect is simpler because Amazon handles all the storage and you can access your video from anywhere on your phone. But it costs money every month and you are trusting Amazon with your video. Local storage costs more upfront but no monthly fee, and the video never leaves your home. Neither option is right for everyone — it depends on whether you want simplicity and remote access, or lower long-term cost and privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Ring Protect to use my Ring camera?
No. Your camera will record and send live video to your phone without any subscription. You just will not be able to watch what happened in the past — only what is happening right now. Many people use Ring cameras without a subscription and only check the live feed when they expect something to happen.
Can I download my video before my subscription ends?
Yes. While you have an active subscription, you can download individual video clips through the Ring app and save them to your phone or computer. Once the subscription ends, you cannot access the stored video at all, so download anything you want to keep before you cancel.
What if my internet goes out?
Your camera will stop recording if it loses internet connection. Once your internet is back, it will start recording again. Any video recorded while the internet was down is lost — it was never sent to Amazon's servers, so there is nothing to store.
Can I pause my subscription instead of canceling?
Ring does not offer a pause option. You can cancel and restart whenever you want, but there is no way to temporarily suspend the subscription while keeping your video. If you restart after canceling, your old video is deleted and you start fresh.
Does Ring Protect work with all Ring cameras?
Ring Protect works with all Ring camera models — Ring Doorbell, Ring Stick Up Cam, Ring Floodlight Cam, and others. The subscription covers whichever cameras you own, up to the limit of your plan (one camera for the $3 plan, unlimited for the $10 plan).