Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
AOSU vs ULTRALOQ
What sets them apart
| Compare | AOSU ReviewVisitVisit | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99Lower | $69.99 |
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Camera, Smart lock |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99 | $0Lower |
| 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 | Free cloud recording on rolling 7-day basis with AI analysis |
| Recording retention | 120 daysHigher | 7 days |
Same on both: Monitoring per month ($0), Minimum contract (0 months), Professional monitoring (No), Local storage (Yes), Money-back period (30 days), End-to-end encryption (No), Top resolution (4k), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Price is lower at AOSU: $35.99 vs $69.99.
- Products: only AOSU offers Video doorbell.
- Products: only ULTRALOQ offers Smart lock.
- Cloud plan per month is lower at ULTRALOQ: $0 vs $4.99.
- Recording retention is higher at AOSU: 120 days vs 7 days.
- Support channels: only AOSU offers Email.
- Power source: only AOSU offers Solar.
- Power source: only ULTRALOQ offers Poe.
- Ecosystems: only ULTRALOQ offers Homekit, Matter.
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.
ULTRALOQ
ULTRALOQ suits self-installing homeowners who want cameras and smart locks without a monthly bill. The self-install model, $0 in monitoring, 0 months contract months and $0 for the ULTRALOQ plan mean the running cost never moves once the hardware is bought.
Score breakdown
| Area | AOSU | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1Kits start at $35.99 with $0 monitoring and 0 months contract, plus a free Standard aosuProtect+ plan. | 9.3HigherMonitoring at $0 and a cloud plan at $0 a month, with 0 months contract months, so running costs never rise. |
| Offer | 9.1HigherCovers camera and video doorbell with 4k video, battery, solar and wired options and alexa, google and smartthings voice assistant support. | 8.8Matters for hardware: battery, wired and poe power options, Matter certified devices, and smart locks sold alongside cameras at $69.99. |
| Trust | 8.5Backed by email, phone and help centre and a 30 days return window, with 120 days of cloud retention. | 9.1HigherBacked by 5 years of warranty, a 30 day money back window, and phone plus help centre lines on phone, help centre and community. |
How they place
| Ranking | AOSU | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 2 of 83 | 16 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 2 of 53 | 14 of 53 |
The numbers side by side
| Fact | AOSU | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99 | $69.99 |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99 | $0 |
| Recording retention | 120 days | 7 days |
What we checked
AOSU
- aosulife.com: 20 facts, checked September 30, 2026
ULTRALOQ
- u-tec.com: 19 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | AOSU | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Solar, Wired | Battery, Wired, Poe |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google, Smartthings | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter, SmartthingsCovers more |
| Legal entity | HONG KONG GLAZERO INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO., LIMITED | U-TEC GROUP INC. |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | United States |
| Founded | 2021 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more | Phone, Help centre, Community |
Smart home devices
| Fact | AOSU | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Device types | Not confirmed | Sensor |
| Price from | Not confirmed | $16.99 |
| Protocols | Not confirmed | Matter, Thread, Z wave, Wi fi |
| Matter certified | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Subscription per month | Not confirmed | $0 |
| Warranty | Not confirmed | 5 years |
| Markets | Not confirmed | US, CA, AU |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | AOSU | ULTRALOQ | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99below the median | $69.99at the median | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | $0at the median | $0at the median | $0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99above the median | $0below the median | $3 |
| Recording retention | 120 dayshighest quarter | 7 dayslowest quarter | 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
ULTRALOQ
Pros
- The ULTRALOQ plan includes cloud recording on a rolling basis with AI analysis and costs $0 a month, so the video side is not a paid add on.
- Contract length is 0 months contract months, ranking 1 of 60 brands compared, so nothing ties you in.
- Local storage is listed as yes and the cloud keeps 7 days of recording, so clips can sit on a card as well as in the cloud.
Cons
- End to end encryption is listed as no, so the 7 days of cloud footage sit on the account rather than on stream level encryption.
- Professional monitoring is listed as no, so nothing watches the property or calls anyone out of hours.
- Entry price ranks 35 of 70 brands compared, so ULTRALOQ is a mid pack hardware price rather than the cheapest.
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
ULTRALOQ
Who it suits
- Self installers: the brand is listed as diy and installation required is listed as no.
- Households that want clips kept locally as well as online: local storage is listed as yes, with 7 days held in the cloud.
- Matter households: devices are Matter certified and protocols run to matter, thread and z wave.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for the lowest possible entry figure: The Home Security Superstore lists $13.95 where the ULTRALOQ camera is $69.99.
- Not for UK shopping: Aqara's UK camera shop lists £36.98, and ULTRALOQ ships to US, CA and AU.
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 | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
ULTRALOQ
What does ULTRALOQ cost to run each month?+
The ULTRALOQ plan is $0 a month and monthly monitoring is $0, so the running cost after the hardware is bought stays flat. The camera is $69.99 and 0 months contract months apply, so there is no renewal step and no notice period to serve.
Do I need a subscription for cloud video?+
The cloud recording tier is the plan itself: the ULTRALOQ plan costs $0 a month and holds 7 days of footage on a rolling basis with AI analysis. Local storage is listed as yes, so a card in the camera can keep clips on site with no plan attached.