Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Lorex vs ULTRALOQ
Where Lorex and ULTRALOQ differ
| Compare |  Lorex |  ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99Lower | $69.99 |
| Products | Camera, Smart lock, Video doorbellCovers more | Camera, Smart lock |
| Cloud plan per month | $5.99 | $0Lower |
| Free features | local recording, live view, playback and alerts without plan | Free cloud recording on rolling 7-day basis with AI analysis |
| Recording retention | 60 daysHigher | 7 days |
| End-to-end encryption | Not confirmed | No |
Same on both: Monitoring per month ($0), Minimum contract (0 months), Professional monitoring (No), Local storage (Yes), Money-back period (30 days), Top resolution (4k), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Lorex scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.0.
- Price is lower at Lorex: $29.99 vs $69.99.
- Products: only Lorex offers Video doorbell.
- Cloud plan per month is lower at ULTRALOQ: $0 vs $5.99.
- Recording retention is higher at Lorex: 60 days vs 7 days.
- Support channels: only Lorex offers Email, Chat.
- Support channels: only ULTRALOQ offers Community.
- Power source: only Lorex offers Solar.
- Ecosystems: only ULTRALOQ offers Smartthings.
Our verdict on each
Lorex
Lorex suits households that want cameras, video doorbells and smart locks from the same brand, with local recording, live view, playback and alerts working before any plan is bought. Entry hardware starts at $29.99, and the Lorex Connect cloud plan is $5.99 a month on top of that.
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 | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1No contract term at 0 months, a monitoring charge of $0, and cloud extras at $5.99. | 9.3HigherMonitoring at $0 and a cloud plan at $0 a month, with 0 months contract months, so running costs never rise. |
| Offer | 9.2HigherThe range spans camera, smart lock and video doorbell, and the core camera features work before any cloud plan is bought. | 8.8Matters for hardware: battery, wired and poe power options, Matter certified devices, and smart locks sold alongside cameras at $69.99. |
| Trust | 9.3HigherTrading since 1991 as Lorex Technology Inc., with a 30 days return window. | 9.1Backed by 5 years of warranty, a 30 day money back window, and phone plus help centre lines on phone, help centre and community. |
By the numbers
| Fact | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | $69.99 |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 30 days |
| Cloud plan per month | $5.99 | $0 |
| Recording retention | 60 days | 7 days |
Licences and countries
| Country | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Canada | United States |
Positions in our rankings
| Ranking | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 9 of 83 | 16 of 83 |
| Security cameras without a subscription | 9 of 53 | 14 of 53 |
| Smart locks | 7 of 43 | 14 of 43 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Wired, Solar, PoeCovers more | Battery, Wired, Poe |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter, SmartthingsCovers more |
| Legal entity | Lorex Technology Inc. | U-TEC GROUP INC. |
| Headquarters | Canada | United States |
| Founded | 1991 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centre | Phone, Help centre, Community |
Smart home devices
| Fact | Lorex | 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 | Lorex | ULTRALOQ | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99below 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 | $5.99highest quarter | $0below the median | $3 |
| Recording retention | 60 daysabove the median | 7 dayslowest quarter | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Lorex
Pros
- Local recording, live view, playback and alerts all work with no plan, and local storage is supported, so footage can stay on a drive the buyer owns.
- Cameras, video doorbells and smart locks come from the same brand, and installation is not required, so a homeowner can cover a front door and garden without hiring an installer.
- Cameras reach 4k and run on battery, wired and solar options, covering outdoor and off-grid spots.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so an alarm travels no further than the owner's own devices and the DIY approach is the only route.
- Cloud video is kept for 60 days, so anything that must stay retrievable longer has to sit on local storage.
- Entry hardware at $29.99 is above The Home Security Superstore at $13.95 and Annke at $19.99, so the ticket at the till is the weak spot.
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
Lorex
Who it suits
- Households that want footage kept on their own drive rather than rented cloud space.
- Renters and owners fitting cameras, a video doorbell and a smart lock without tradesmen.
- Buyers who read the running cost before the ticket, since Lorex carries no contract term.
Who should look elsewhere
- Households after a professionally monitored alarm, since Lorex does not offer professional monitoring and a monitored brand fits that need better.
- Shoppers on the smallest budget, because entry hardware at $29.99 sits above The Home Security Superstore at $13.95.
- Buyers who want cloud features folded into the hardware price, because the Lorex Connect plan is $5.99 a month on top.
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.
Country by country
| Country | Lorex | ULTRALOQ |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Yes | No |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Mexico | Yes | No |
| United Kingdom | Yes | No |
| United States | Yes | No |
Questions about each
Lorex
What does Lorex cost to get started?+
Entry hardware starts at $29.99 for a camera, and the range also covers video doorbells and smart locks, so the same brand can cover a whole front door. Nothing recurring is due at the point of sale, and the purchase carries no contract, so the hardware price is the whole commitment at checkout.
Is there a monthly subscription?+
The Lorex Connect cloud plan is $5.99 a month and is the only recurring charge. The monthly monitoring cost is $0, so hardware already paid for adds no monitoring bill, and the cloud plan stays optional rather than required for core use.
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.