Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Cove vs Reolink
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Cove | Reolink ReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0Lower | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | $20.10 to $39.90 | $0Lower |
| Products | Alarm, Camera, Smoke alarm, Video doorbellCovers more | Camera, Video doorbell |
| Professional monitoring | YesHas it | No |
| Money-back period | 60 daysHigher | 30 days |
| Minimum contract | 0 months | Not confirmed |
| Cloud plan per month | $30 | Not confirmed |
| Top resolution | 2k | Not confirmed |
| Recording retention | 30 days | Not confirmed |
| Installation required | No | Not confirmed |
| Monitoring countries | United States | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Local storage (Yes).
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Key differences
- Price is lower at Cove: $0 vs $69.99.
- Monitoring per month is lower at Reolink: $0 vs $20.10 to $39.90.
- Products: only Cove offers Alarm, Smoke alarm.
- Professional monitoring: only Cove.
- Support channels: only Cove offers Chat.
- Money-back period is higher at Cove: 60 days vs 30 days.
- Founded is lower at Reolink: 2009 vs 2018.
- Reolink is available in 31 more countries.
- Pricing model: only Cove offers Monitored.
Our verdict on each
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.
Reolink
Reolink suits homeowners and renters who want to install their own cameras and pay no monitoring subscription, since monitoring runs at $0 a month and a turret camera costs $69.99. The catch is that nobody watches the property for you, so no response team is called if a break-in happens while you are away.
Score breakdown
| Area | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.9Hardware is listed at $0, monitoring fees run $20.10 to $39.90 a month and contract months are 0 months. | 9.2HigherMonitoring at $0 a month plus a DIY entry hardware price of $69.99 keeps running ownership cost low. |
| Offer | 9.3HigherProduct types span alarm, camera and smoke alarm, so alarms, cameras, a video doorbell and smoke alarms come from one maker. | 9.0Local storage alongside a camera and video doorbell range gives a usable kit at $69.99 with no subscription attached. |
| Trust | 9.0Founded in 2018, run by Cove Smart, LLC in US, with a 60 day money back window. | 9.1HigherA 30 day money back window and email, help centre and phone support back a hardware-only purchase. |
Which one suits you
Pick Cove if offer, price, products, and professional monitoring matter most.
Pick Reolink if cost and monitoring per month matter most.
Side by side, item by item
| Products | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | Yes | No |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke alarm | Yes | No |
Where each is licensed and available
| Country | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States | Hong Kong |
Available in 1 country for both. Additional countries for Reolink: 31.
How they place
| Ranking | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 13 of 83 | 4 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 12 of 53 | 4 of 53 |
| Video doorbells | 13 of 54 | 4 of 54 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy, MonitoredCovers more | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Solar, Wired | Not confirmed |
| Legal entity | Cove Smart, LLC | Reolink Innovation Limited |
| Headquarters | United States | Hong Kong |
| Founded | 2018 | 2009Lower |
| Support channels | Chat, Email, Help centre, PhoneCovers more | Email, Help centre, Phone |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Cove | Reolink | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0lowest quarter | $69.99at the median | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | $20.10 to $39.90highest quarter | $0at the median | $0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | Not confirmed | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $30highest quarter | Not confirmed | $3 |
| Recording retention | 30 daysat the median | Not confirmed | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
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.
Reolink
Pros
- Monitoring costs $0 a month and local storage is offered, so recordings can stay on hardware in the house rather than on a paid cloud plan.
- The range covers camera and video doorbell, so a camera for the garden and a doorbell for the front can come from the same maker.
- Support runs on email, help centre and phone, giving buyers a phone line, email and a written help centre for self-install problems.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so nothing is watching the property or calling anyone on your behalf while you are away.
- The DIY plan turret camera at $69.99 costs more than $13.95 and $19.99, and Reolink sits at position 35 of 70 on price.
- Product types come down to camera and video doorbell, so a combined alarm panel or a smart lock means looking at another maker.
Who each suits
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.
Reolink
Who it suits
- Renters and homeowners who install their own kit and want recordings kept on storage in the house.
- People who want a camera and a video doorbell from the same maker without adding a monitoring subscription.
- Buyers who want a 30 day window to send back hardware that will not set up.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants a monitoring centre to call out on their behalf, since Reolink offers no professional monitoring and the response side stays with you.
- Buyers on the smallest hardware budget, where $13.95 and $19.99 buy a cheaper entry camera.
- UK shoppers who want the lowest price in sterling, since Aqara lists £36.98.
Current offers
Country by country
| Country | Cove | Reolink |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | No | Yes |
| Austria | No | Yes |
| Belgium | No | Yes |
| Bulgaria | No | Yes |
| Canada | No | Yes |
| Croatia | No | Yes |
| Czechia | No | Yes |
| Denmark | No | Yes |
8 of 32 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
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.
Reolink
Is there a monthly monitoring fee with Reolink?+
Monitoring on the DIY plan runs at $0 a month, so the running cost of the cameras is not what drives the bill. Local storage is offered as well, which means clips can be kept on storage in the house rather than on a paid cloud tier. Reolink also holds position 1 of 51 brands on that measure.
What does a Reolink camera cost to buy?+
The DIY plan is sold as hardware, and entry pricing starts at $69.99 for a turret camera. Because no subscription is attached, that entry figure is the whole purchase cost rather than the opening instalment of something longer. There is no renewal price to budget for, which is the main practical difference from a monitored alarm package.