Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
AOSU vs Cove
AOSU vs Cove: the differences
| Compare | AOSU ReviewVisitVisit |  Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99 | $0Lower |
| Monitoring per month | $0Lower | $20.10 to $39.90 |
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Alarm, Camera, Smoke alarm, Video doorbellCovers more |
| Professional monitoring | No | YesHas it |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 60 daysHigher |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99Lower | $30 |
| Top resolution | 4k | 2k |
| Recording retention | 120 daysHigher | 30 days |
| End-to-end encryption | No | Not confirmed |
| Free features | Live view, motion alerts, event notifications, 2-way talk, detection zones, PTZ and siren control; kits record locally on the 32GB aosuBase with no plan, free Standard aosuProtect+ plan gives live mode only | Not confirmed |
| Monitoring countries | Not confirmed | United States |
Same on both: Minimum contract (0 months), Local storage (Yes), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Cove scores higher overall: 9.1 vs 9.0.
- Price is lower at Cove: $0 vs $35.99.
- Monitoring per month is lower at AOSU: $0 vs $20.10 to $39.90.
- Products: only Cove offers Alarm, Smoke alarm.
- Professional monitoring: only Cove.
- Cloud plan per month is lower at AOSU: $4.99 vs $30.
- Recording retention is higher at AOSU: 120 days vs 30 days.
- Support channels: only AOSU offers Community.
- Support channels: only Cove offers Chat.
- Money-back period is higher at Cove: 60 days vs 30 days.
Our verdict on each
AOSU
AOSU suits homeowners who want cheap cameras, a video doorbell and no subscription at all. Kits sit at $35.99 with $0 monitoring and no contract. The catch is that end to end encryption is not offered and cloud video needs a paid plan.
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 | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1HigherKits start at $35.99 with $0 monitoring and 0 months contract, plus a free Standard aosuProtect+ plan. | 8.9Hardware is listed at $0, monitoring fees run $20.10 to $39.90 a month and contract months are 0 months. |
| Offer | 9.1Covers camera and video doorbell with 4k video, battery, solar and wired options and alexa, google and smartthings voice assistant support. | 9.3HigherProduct types span alarm, camera and smoke alarm, so alarms, cameras, a video doorbell and smoke alarms come from one maker. |
| Trust | 8.5Backed by email, phone and help centre and a 30 days return window, with 120 days of cloud retention. | 9.0HigherFounded in 2018, run by Cove Smart, LLC in US, with a 60 day money back window. |
Feature by feature
| Products | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | No | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke alarm | No | Yes |
Licences and countries
| Country | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | United States |
Available in 1 country for both. Additional countries for AOSU: 27.
Positions in our rankings
| Ranking | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 2 of 83 | 13 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 2 of 53 | 12 of 53 |
| Video doorbells | 2 of 54 | 13 of 54 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy, MonitoredCovers more |
| Power source | Battery, Solar, Wired | Battery, Solar, Wired |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google, Smartthings | Not confirmed |
| Legal entity | HONG KONG GLAZERO INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO., LIMITED | Cove Smart, LLC |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | United States |
| Founded | 2021 | 2018Lower |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre, Community | Chat, Email, Help centre, Phone |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | AOSU | Cove | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99below the median | $0lowest quarter | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | $0at the median | $20.10 to $39.90highest quarter | $0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99above the median | $30highest quarter | $3 |
| Recording retention | 120 dayshighest quarter | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
AOSU
Pros
- Kits record to the bundled aosuBase with no plan, so $0 monitoring works as a long term setup
- Cloud retention runs 120 days, with $35.99 hardware and a $4.99 cloud plan on top if you want remote records
- Local storage is supported, so footage can stay on the aosuBase instead of the cloud
Cons
- Professional monitoring is a no, so alerts are not escalated by anyone
- Cloud video needs a paid plan beyond the free Standard aosuProtect+ tier, which gives live mode only
- $0 monitoring still leaves the paid $4.99 plan for playback history
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
AOSU
Who it suits
- Homeowners who want cameras and a video doorbell on camera and video doorbell from one maker
- Renters and self installers, since installation is not required
- People who keep footage local and want to avoid a subscription
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs end to end encryption on cloud footage
- Households that want professional monitoring rather than self managed alerts
- Buyers who want a premium sensor at the £36.98 level rather than $35.99 value hardware
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
AOSU
Current offer
Free trial
aosuProtect+ cloud storage 30-day free trial: 30 days
Offered at the start of a paid aosuProtect+ subscription; requires a linked aosu device and payment details; charged after the trial
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | AOSU | Cove |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Yes | No |
| Belgium | Yes | No |
| Bulgaria | Yes | No |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Croatia | Yes | No |
| Cyprus | Yes | No |
| Czechia | Yes | No |
| Finland | Yes | No |
8 of 28 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
AOSU
What does AOSU cost to start, and what is the monthly cost after that?+
Kits are priced at $35.99, and $0 is the monthly monitoring charge, so local recording runs without a subscription. Cloud playback is the only recurring line, at $4.99 a month. The free Standard aosuProtect+ plan gives live mode only, so cloud history is what you pay for.
Do I have to sign a contract with AOSU?+
The contract length is 0 months, so nothing ties you in beyond the hardware purchase. There is no minimum term and no early exit fee to think about. If you later want cloud playback, $4.99 a month is a rolling plan you can stop at any time.
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.