Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Botslab vs Shelly
Botslab vs Shelly: the differences
| Compare | Botslab ReviewVisitVisit |  Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €33.99Lower | €39.90 |
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Camera, Smart lock |
| Money-back period | 30 daysHigher | 14 days |
| Cloud plan per month | €0Lower | €3.99 |
| Free features | No monthly fee with local storage | Camera live streaming, 5 events of event history, motion events with recordings, smart notifications (Shelly Smart Control standard plan) |
| Top resolution | 4k | 1080p |
| Monitoring per month | €0 | Not confirmed |
| Professional monitoring | No | Not confirmed |
| End-to-end encryption | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Installation required | No | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Minimum contract (0 months), Local storage (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Botslab scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.1.
- Price is lower at Botslab: €33.99 vs €39.90.
- Products: only Botslab offers Video doorbell.
- Products: only Shelly offers Smart lock.
- Cloud plan per month is lower at Botslab: €0 vs €3.99.
- Support channels: only Shelly offers Chat.
- Money-back period is higher at Botslab: 30 days vs 14 days.
- Shelly is available in 27 more countries.
- Power source: only Botslab offers Solar.
- Power source: only Shelly offers Wired.
Our verdict on each
Botslab
Botslab suits households that want cameras and a video doorbell recording to local storage, with monthly monitoring listed at €0 and an entry price of €33.99. The trade-off is that professional monitoring is not part of the package, so anyone wanting an alarm watched by a call centre should look elsewhere.
Shelly
Shelly suits homeowners and renters who want broad smart home kit with no hub to buy first. Device prices start at €12.90, the range covers thermostat, lighting, plug, hub, sensor and blinds work over matter, zigbee and z wave, and local control keeps routines running when the internet drops.
Score breakdown
| Area | Botslab | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4HigherMonitoring is €0 and the contract term is 0 months, with entry hardware at €33.99. | 9.1Entry price €12.90 sits under the €15.36 median for smart thermostat brands here. |
| Offer | 9.1No subscription attaches to local recording, and camera and video doorbell sit in one range at a 4k recording level. | 9.2HigherNo hub required, local control, energy reporting, and cloud extras left to an optional €3.99 plan. |
| Trust | 9.1Run by Smart Network Co. Limited, with support through email, phone and help centre and a 30 days returns window. | 9.1Matter certification, 2 to 5 years cover and 14 days returns, all under Shelly Europe Ltd. |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | Botslab | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 8 of 83 | 14 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 8 of 53 | 13 of 53 |
Licences and countries
| Country | Botslab | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | Bulgaria |
Additional countries for Botslab: 2. Additional countries for Shelly: 29.
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Botslab | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Solar | Battery, Wired |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google | Alexa, Google, Homekit, MatterCovers more |
| Legal entity | Smart Network Co. Limited | Shelly Europe Ltd |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | Bulgaria |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre, Community | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Botslab | Shelly | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €33.99lowest quarter | €39.90below the median | €69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | €0at the median | Not confirmed | €0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 14 dayslowest quarter | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | €0below the median | €3.99at the median | €3.99 |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Botslab
Pros
- Local storage is included and described as carrying no monthly fee, with monitoring listed at €0.
- The contract term is 0 months, so there is no fixed period to cancel and nothing to renew.
- Power options include battery and solar, so outdoor units are not tied to a mains socket.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so alerts are watched by you rather than by a monitoring centre.
- The voice assistant pairing runs to alexa and google, a narrower list than a brand wired into a wider set of ecosystems.
- The range is limited to camera and video doorbell, so anything beyond cameras and a video doorbell has to come from another maker.
Shelly
Pros
- A hub is not required, so plugs, sensors and switches start working without bridge hardware.
- Local control is supported and energy reporting comes as standard, so offline routines and consumption figures arrive together.
- Entry price €12.90 sits below the €15.36 median for smart thermostat brands.
Cons
- Camera video tops out at 1080p, below the higher resolutions common on other security cameras.
- Cloud retention of 30 days needs the Shelly Smart Control premium plan at €3.99 a month.
- The camera runs on battery and wired, so placement decides between wiring and battery changes.
Who each suits
Botslab
Who it suits
- People who want recordings kept on hardware in the home rather than on a paid cloud feed, since monitoring is listed at €0.
- Renters and homeowners who cannot run cabling: installation is not required and power options include battery and solar.
- Households that use alexa and google for voice control and want cameras and a video doorbell in one range.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone shopping purely on entry cost: The Home Security Superstore is listed at $13.95 against the €33.99 Botslab indoor camera.
- Buyers who want to spend more per camera: Aqara is listed at £36.98, above the Botslab entry figure.
- People who want a monitoring centre watching alarms, since Botslab does not offer professional monitoring. Annke is the other brand in this comparison to weigh for that need.
Shelly
Who it suits
- Renters and new buyers who want a hub-free start and automations that keep working offline.
- Households already running Alexa, Google or HomeKit, or planning to settle on Matter later.
- Anyone tracking energy use, since energy reporting is standard across the range.
Who should look elsewhere
- SONOFF, if you want thermostatic radiator valves, since thermostat, trv and lighting includes trv and the Shelly range leaves it out.
- Aqara or Lutron, if the same device mix suits you better from another brand, since hub, sensor and lighting and lighting, blinds and thermostat cover the same categories.
Current offers
Shelly
Current offer
Free trial
3 months free on Shelly Smart Control Premium: 3 months free
Free for 3 months, then EUR 3.99/month (monthly plan) or EUR 35.99/year (yearly plan); offer only available if you have not tried Premium before; cancel anytime
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Botslab | Shelly |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | No | Yes |
| Austria | No | Yes |
| Belgium | No | Yes |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Croatia | No | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | Yes |
| Czechia | No | Yes |
| Denmark | No | Yes |
8 of 31 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Botslab
How much is a Botslab camera to start with?+
An indoor camera lists at €33.99, and that is the only outlay up front. Monthly monitoring is €0 and the cloud plan month is €0, so nothing is added later. The figure is quoted in euros for the European store.
Is there a monthly cloud fee to pay?+
No charge is attached to local recording: the free tier is described as carrying no monthly fee for local storage, and the cloud plan month is €0. Monitoring is also listed at €0, so a local setup runs without a subscription.
Shelly
What does Shelly hardware cost to start with?+
Entry price is €12.90, which covers the cheapest device in the range rather than a bundle. The camera sits higher at €39.90, and the catalogue spans camera and smart lock. Budget for hardware first, then decide whether the cloud extras earn their monthly fee.
Is there a monthly fee or a contract?+
The Shelly Smart Control premium plan costs €3.99 a month, and it is optional rather than required. There is no minimum term, since the contract length is 0 months. The Shelly Smart Control standard plan keeps live streaming, motion event recordings and smart notifications at no cost.