Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Annke vs Cove
Where Annke and Cove differ
| Compare |  Annke |  Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $0Lower |
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Alarm, Camera, Smoke alarm, Video doorbellCovers more |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 60 daysHigher |
| Top resolution | 4k | 2k |
| Monitoring per month | Not confirmed | $20.10 to $39.90 |
| Minimum contract | Not confirmed | 0 months |
| Professional monitoring | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Cloud plan per month | Not confirmed | $30 |
| Free features | Local SD card storage without monthly fees | Not confirmed |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Monitoring countries | Not confirmed | United States |
Same on both: Local storage (Yes), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Annke scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.1.
- Price is lower at Cove: $0 vs $19.99.
- Products: only Cove offers Alarm, Smoke alarm.
- Money-back period is higher at Cove: 60 days vs 30 days.
- Annke is available in 51 more countries.
- Power source: only Annke offers Poe.
Our verdict on each
Annke
Annke is a straightforward way to cover a house with cameras and video doorbells without a subscription line, and the entry figure of $19.99 sits below Aqara. It suits homeowners who want card storage and Alexa voice control more than a full alarm system.
Cove
Cove suits US homeowners who want a single system covering cameras, a video doorbell and smoke alarms without a fixed contract term. Hardware is listed at $0, while adding professional monitoring runs the monthly fee to $20.10 to $39.90, so the outlay depends on whether you want an alarm answered day or night.
Score breakdown
| Area | Annke | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.7HigherEntry price of $19.99 sits below the £36.98 listed by Aqara, and the cost score of 9.7 reflects that. | 8.9Hardware is listed at $0, monitoring fees run $20.10 to $39.90 a month and contract months are 0 months. |
| Offer | 9.2The range spans camera and video doorbell with 4k at the top and card recording as standard, for an offer score of 9.2. | 9.3HigherProduct types span alarm, camera and smoke alarm, so alarms, cameras, a video doorbell and smoke alarms come from one maker. |
| Trust | 9.1HigherSold by ANNKE INNOVATION (HK) CO., LIMITED with support on email, chat and phone; the trust score is 9.1. | 9.0Founded in 2018, run by Cove Smart, LLC in US, with a 60 day money back window. |
Side by side, item by item
| Products | Annke | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | No | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke alarm | No | Yes |
How they place
| Ranking | Annke | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 32 of 83 | 13 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 15 of 53 | 12 of 53 |
| Video doorbells | 22 of 54 | 13 of 54 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Annke | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Not confirmed | Diy, Monitored |
| Power source | Battery, Wired, Solar, PoeCovers more | Battery, Solar, Wired |
| Ecosystems | Alexa | Not confirmed |
| Legal entity | ANNKE INNOVATION (HK) CO., LIMITED | Cove Smart, LLC |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2018 |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre | Chat, Email, Help centre, Phone |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Annke | Cove | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99lowest quarter | $0lowest quarter | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | Not confirmed | $20.10 to $39.90highest quarter | $0 |
| Minimum contract | Not confirmed | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | Not confirmed | $30highest quarter | $3 |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Annke
Pros
- The entry price of $19.99 is below the £36.98 listed by Aqara, and a little above $13.99.
- Local storage is listed as yes, and card recording comes with no monthly fee, so the running cost stays flat.
- Support runs on email, chat and phone, which is wider than email alone at this price.
Cons
- The starting figure of $19.99 sits above $13.95 and $13.99, so the smallest budgets are served elsewhere.
- The listed ecosystems are alexa, so a Google Home or HomeKit household has nothing here to link to.
- The range covers camera and video doorbell, with no alarm panel or smart lock to add to the same order.
Cove
Pros
- Hardware is listed at $0 on the Cove DIY plan, well under the $19.99 entry price at Annke.
- The monitored plan carries contract months of 0 months, so no minimum term stands in the way of moving provider.
- Local storage is supported and clip retention runs 30 days, so footage does not depend on a subscription alone.
Cons
- Monitoring is not free once you want an alarm answered: fees run $20.10 to $39.90 a month.
- Monitoring covers US, so the professional tier does not stretch beyond a single market.
- Cameras top out at 2k, below the sharpest kits in the category, so higher resolution buyers look elsewhere.
Who each suits
Annke
Who it suits
- Households that want footage kept on a card inside the home: local storage is listed as yes and card recording carries no monthly fee.
- People covering a front door and a garden in a single purchase, since camera and video doorbell handle both jobs.
- Alexa homes, where voice control is the main way the cameras get used; the listed ecosystems are alexa.
Who should look elsewhere
- Tight budgets: JOOAN lists $13.99 and The Home Security Superstore $13.95, each under Annke's $19.99.
- Google Home and Apple HomeKit households: the listed ecosystems are alexa only, so Aqara is worth weighing even at £36.98.
- Shoppers who want a wider basket, such as alarms alongside cameras: Annke's range is camera and video doorbell, so a broader comparison is worth making against Aqara at £36.98.
Cove
Who it suits
- US buyers who want cameras, a video doorbell, an alarm panel and smoke alarms from one maker across alarm, camera and smoke alarm.
- Renters and flat owners who want local storage and 30 days of clips without a fixed term.
- Households that plan ahead, since the money back window is 60 days from the point of purchase.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers outside the US, since Cove's monitoring covers US while Aqara lists cameras at £36.98 in pounds for UK shoppers.
- Shoppers after a single piece rather than a system: The Home Security Superstore lists items from $13.95.
- Camera-only buyers, since Annke lists cameras at $19.99 and Cove adds a cloud plan at $30 a month on top.
Current offers
Country by country
| Country | Annke | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Yes | No |
| Australia | Yes | No |
| Belgium | Yes | No |
| Brazil | Yes | No |
| Bulgaria | Yes | No |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Chile | Yes | No |
| Colombia | Yes | No |
8 of 52 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Annke
How much does Annke cost to get started?+
Hardware starts at $19.99. That is below the £36.98 Aqara lists and a little above the $13.99 and $13.95 shown for JOOAN and The Home Security Superstore. Across the brands ranked here, Annke sits at position 8 of 70 on price, so the entry figure is competitive rather than the cheapest.
Are there monthly fees or a contract to renew?+
No plan sits behind the hardware. Recording runs on an SD card in the camera with no monthly fee, which is the free tier the brand describes. Across the site, monthly monitoring sits at €0 and the typical contract term is 0 months, so there is nothing to renew and the outlay stops at the point of purchase.
Cove
How much does a Cove security system cost to start?+
The Cove DIY plan is listed at $0, so the hardware is free to buy. The costs arrive after that: professional monitoring is $20.10 to $39.90 a month, and cloud storage is $30 a month. Buyers should treat the entry price as the cheap part and budget for those recurring lines.
Is there a contract or minimum term on the Cove monitored plan?+
Contract months are 0 months on the monitored plan, so there is no minimum term to serve. Cove ranks 1 of 60 brands on that measure. Where most monitored alarms lock a household into a term, Cove asks for none here, which keeps switching costs low.