Quick answer: Buy the Wyze Cam v4 if you want the lowest price and do not mind running a power cable. It is a wired 2.5K indoor/outdoor camera with microSD recording and color night vision, and it records with no subscription. Buy the eufy SoloCam S340 if you want no wiring and the sharper picture. It is a solar, battery-powered dual-lens camera (3K wide plus 2K zoom) with 360-degree pan-tilt and built-in storage, also with no monthly fee. Neither supports Apple HomeKit.

Bottom Line

Best overall budget camera
eufy SoloCam S340 solar security camera

Sharper Picture, No Wiring

The eufy SoloCam S340 pairs a 3K wide lens with a 2K telephoto lens and adds pan-tilt tracking, so one camera covers a wide yard and can zoom on detail. It runs on an integrated solar panel and stores video on built-in local storage with no hub and no monthly fee. It costs more up front than the Wyze, but there is nothing to wire and nothing to subscribe to.

Check eufy SoloCam S340 →
Cheapest wired camera
Wyze Cam v4 wired security camera

Lowest Price, Local Recording

The Wyze Cam v4 is a wired 2.5K indoor/outdoor camera with color night vision that records to a microSD card with no subscription. It needs a nearby outlet, but it is one of the least expensive real 2.5K cameras you can buy and it works well as a first camera or an add-on to an Alexa or Google setup.

Check Wyze Cam v4 →

The real split is power and picture, not subscriptions. Both cameras record locally with no required fee. Wyze wins on price and gives you plug-in reliability. eufy wins on resolution, coverage, and going fully wireless with solar. Your outlet situation, your image-quality standards, and your budget decide the winner.

Head-to-Head: Wyze Cam v4 vs eufy SoloCam S340

These are the two cameras most budget shoppers actually cross-shop. Here is how they compare on the specifications that change the buying decision.

Feature Wyze Cam v4 eufy SoloCam S340
Price tier $ $$$
Resolution 2.5K (2560 x 1440) 3K wide + 2K telephoto
Power Wired (needs outlet) Solar + battery (no wiring)
Pan & tilt No (fixed) Yes (360 degrees)
Local storage microSD (up to 256GB) Built-in 8GB (no hub)
Color night vision Yes (spotlight) Yes (spotlight)
On-device AI detection Basic motion; person/vehicle via Cam Plus Human detection on device, no fee
Optional subscription Cam Plus ~$2.99/mo or ~$20/yr None required
Voice assistants Alexa, Google Alexa, Google
Apple HomeKit No No

Price tiers are approximate. $ = under $50, $$ = $50 to 150, $$$ = $150 to 300, $$$$ = over $300. Tap any link for the current Amazon price.

Wyze wins on price and gives you continuous wired recording. eufy wins on sensor quality, coverage, going wireless with solar, and never needing even the optional plan for AI detection. Both store video locally, so neither locks your footage behind a fee.

Video Quality: 2.5K vs Dual-Lens 3K

Edge: eufy, but closer than the price gap suggests.

The Wyze Cam v4 records at 2.5K (2560 by 1440). That is a genuine step above the old 1080p budget standard, and it holds up well for a camera in this price range. It also does color night vision using a pair of spotlight LEDs, so nighttime footage is color rather than grayscale.

The eufy SoloCam S340 goes further with two lenses in one body: a 3K wide-angle lens for the full scene and a 2K telephoto lens for zoomed detail, plus 360-degree pan and tilt so it can follow motion across a yard. For faces and plates at distance, the telephoto lens and higher resolution give eufy the clearer image. It also has color night vision with a built-in spotlight.

If you are mounting one camera to watch a driveway or wide yard, the eufy's dual lens and pan-tilt cover more ground with more detail. If you are watching a doorway, porch, or single indoor room, the Wyze's fixed 2.5K is plenty and costs far less.

Smart Detection and Subscriptions

Edge: eufy for fee-free AI.

The eufy SoloCam S340 runs human detection on the camera itself with no subscription. Add the optional HomeBase S380 and eufy's BionicMind adds familiar-face, vehicle, and pet recognition, but the standalone camera already alerts on people without any fee or cloud dependency.

The Wyze Cam v4 records motion events to its microSD card for free, and you get live view and basic motion alerts with no plan. To unlock person, vehicle, and pet detection plus cloud event clips, Wyze sells Cam Plus at about $2.99 per month or roughly $20 per year per camera. That is inexpensive, but it is a recurring cost that eufy does not ask for.

The practical takeaway: if you want smarter alerts without a bill, eufy gives you person detection out of the box. If you are fine with motion alerts and local clips, Wyze needs nothing extra either, and Cam Plus is there if you decide you want richer AI later.

Storage: Both Are Local, With No Required Fee

Tie on the thing that matters most: no forced subscription.

This is the myth worth clearing up. Both of these cameras record locally and neither forces a monthly fee. The Wyze Cam v4 records to a microSD card (supporting cards up to 256GB), including continuous recording, so your footage lives in the camera. The eufy SoloCam S340 has 8GB of built-in storage and does not require a HomeBase hub to record.

Storage question Wyze Cam v4 eufy SoloCam S340
Records without a subscription Yes (microSD) Yes (built-in)
Extra hardware to record microSD card (a few dollars) None (storage built in)
Optional cloud / expansion Cam Plus cloud clips (paid) HomeBase S380 (optional, one-time)
Recurring cost to keep footage $0 with microSD $0

Price tiers are approximate. $ = under $50, $$ = $50 to 150, $$$ = $150 to 300, $$$$ = over $300. Tap any link for the current Amazon price.

So the old framing of "Wyze is cloud, eufy is local" is wrong for these two models. Both keep footage on-device for free. The difference is that Wyze uses a removable microSD card you supply, while eufy builds storage in and offers a hub if you want to expand it.

Security and Privacy Track Record

These are cameras inside and outside your home, so the company's history with data matters as much as the spec sheet. Both brands have had incidents worth knowing about before you buy.

Wyze: In 2023 and 2024 Wyze disclosed caching problems that briefly let a small number of users see thumbnails, and in some cases event video, from other users' cameras during service outages. Wyze attributed it to a third-party caching library and added safeguards. It is a real reason to use a strong, unique password, enable two-factor authentication, and keep firmware current.

eufy: In 2022 and 2023 security researchers showed that some eufy cameras uploaded certain thumbnails and event data to the cloud even when users believed everything stayed local, contradicting eufy's marketing at the time. eufy revised its claims and tightened its practices. If local-only operation is the reason you are buying eufy, keep firmware updated and review the app's cloud settings.

Neither history is a dealbreaker on its own, and both companies responded. The buyer takeaway is the same for either brand: recording locally reduces exposure, unique passwords and two-factor authentication matter, and firmware updates are not optional on a security camera.

Jacob's read on this matchup

The spec sheets make this look like a video-quality contest. In year two it becomes a power-and-battery contest. The Wyze is wired, so it never dies and never needs a recharge, but you are committed to an outlet and a cable run. The eufy is solar, which is genuinely maintenance-free in a sunny spot, but a north-facing wall or a long gray winter means you will occasionally bring it in to charge. Decide the mounting spot first. If it gets real sun and you hate wiring, the eufy is the one you will still be happy with in two years. If the spot is shaded or you already have an outlet there, the Wyze saves you money and never thinks about its battery. And on both, put your recordings on local storage and turn on two-factor login. That combination is what actually protects you, not the brand name.

Which Camera Should You Choose?

Match the camera to your situation instead of picking a "better" brand.

Lowest price, outlet nearbyWyze Cam v4. A wired 2.5K camera with local microSD recording and color night vision for the least money. Ideal first camera or Alexa/Google add-on.
No wiring, want it fully wirelesseufy SoloCam S340. Solar and battery powered, so you mount it anywhere with sun and forget the cable.
Wide yard or driveway to covereufy SoloCam S340. The dual lens plus 360-degree pan-tilt covers more area and zooms on detail in one unit.
Want AI person alerts with zero feeseufy SoloCam S340. Human detection runs on the camera with no subscription. Wyze needs Cam Plus for that.
Multiple cameras on a tight budgetWyze Cam v4. The lowest per-camera cost, and microSD recording keeps each one subscription-free.
Need Apple HomeKitNeither of these. Look at eufy's specific HomeKit-compatible models or a different HomeKit camera entirely, and verify the exact model before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wyze or eufy better for budget home security?
Both record locally with no required subscription, so the choice is about hardware and use case. The Wyze Cam v4 is the cheaper wired indoor/outdoor camera and the better pick if you want plug-in power and the lowest price. The eufy SoloCam S340 is a wireless solar camera with a sharper dual-lens sensor and pan-tilt tracking, and is the better pick if you want no wiring and higher image quality. Neither requires a monthly fee to record.
Do Wyze cameras require a subscription?
No. The Wyze Cam v4 records continuously and captures event clips to a microSD card with no subscription. A Cam Plus plan (about $2.99 per month or roughly $20 per year per camera) adds cloud event video and richer AI detection such as person, vehicle, and pet, but the camera still works and records locally without it.
Do eufy cameras require a subscription?
No. The eufy SoloCam S340 has built-in local storage and on-device AI, so it records and detects people without any monthly fee and without a HomeBase hub. A HomeBase S380 is optional and adds expandable storage and enhanced recognition, but it is not required to use the camera.
Which has better video quality, Wyze or eufy?
The eufy SoloCam S340 has the higher-resolution sensor. It pairs a 3K wide lens with a 2K telephoto lens and adds 360-degree pan and tilt, while the Wyze Cam v4 is a fixed 2.5K (2560 by 1440) camera. Both offer color night vision. The eufy is sharper at distance and covers more area, but the Wyze is still a clear step above the old 1080p budget standard.
Do Wyze or eufy cameras work with Apple HomeKit?
Neither the Wyze Cam v4 nor the eufy SoloCam S340 supports Apple HomeKit. Both work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Among eufy products, HomeKit support is limited to a few older models such as certain eufyCam 2 units and some indoor cameras, so do not assume any eufy camera has HomeKit. If HomeKit is a requirement, verify the exact model on eufy's HomeKit compatibility list before buying.

Research Notes Behind the Verdict

Wyze and eufy get lumped together as interchangeable budget brands when they actually make different bets on power, storage, and image quality. We pulled current specifications for the Wyze Cam v4 and eufy SoloCam S340 from each manufacturer's own tech-spec pages and product listings, confirmed the Amazon listings and availability, and cross-checked the subscription and HomeKit details against manufacturer support documentation. Subscription pricing reflects Wyze's published Cam Plus rates as of 2026-07-02.

We do not take payment from Wyze, eufy, or any brand mentioned here. If you spot an error, please let us know.

Prices and availability reflect Amazon listings at time of writing. Confirm on the product page before purchase.