Does Wyze Require a Subscription? (2026)

What’s Free and What Wyze Plans Cost

Checked against Wyze’s plan comparison, its microSD page, and its support article on the Cam Plus price change on October 9, 2026. Wyze also sells Cam Unlimited Pro at $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, with up to 60 days of event video and emergency dispatch.

What It Costs Over Several Years

Spread over a few years, the gap between a memory card and a plan grows every year you keep the camera. Move the slider to see the total for one camera.

Recording for Free With a microSD Card

Wyze’s setup is simple. Insert a microSD card, format it from the camera’s settings in the Wyze app, and turn on “Record to MicroSD Card.” You then pick:

• Continuous recording, which records all the time
• Events Only, which saves clips when the camera detects motion or sound

You play recordings back from the live stream’s timeline or from the Events tab. Wyze says any microSD card will do, and it also sells its own. When we checked, Wyze’s own cards were sold out on its site, so a standard card from another brand is the practical option.

What a Plan Adds

Every paid plan adds cloud video and smarter alerts, per Wyze’s comparison page:

• Cam Plus ($2.99/mo or $29.99/yr, one camera): 14 days of unlimited event videos in the cloud, person, package, and vehicle detection, a multi-camera timeline, and animated alerts
• Cam Unlimited ($9.99/mo or $99.99/yr, unlimited cameras): everything in Cam Plus, plus Friendly Faces facial recognition and Home/Away smart modes
• Cam Unlimited Pro ($19.99/mo or $199.99/yr): up to 60 days of event videos, descriptive alerts, AI video search, and emergency dispatch

The main reason to pay is that a microSD card lives inside the camera. If someone takes the camera, the recordings go with it. Cloud clips don’t.

The 2026 Price Change

Wyze raised the yearly Cam Plus price from $19.99 to $29.99 starting in March 2026, according to its support site. The monthly price stayed at $2.99. If you’re comparing against an older review that quotes $19.99 a year, that number is out of date.

What You Need

A Wyze Cam v4 is the current standard model.

For the card, a “high endurance” microSD is built for nonstop recording, which suits continuous mode better than a standard card.

Amazon prices change often, so confirm the current price before buying.

Who Should NOT Rely on microSD Alone

If your main worry is a break-in, local storage alone is a weak spot: the footage is in the camera, and a thief can take the camera. In that case, Cam Plus is cheap insurance at $2.99 a month. And if you want person and package alerts instead of an alert for every passing car, those are plan features too.

FAQ

Does Wyze require a subscription? No. Wyze cameras work without a plan, and recording to a microSD card is free, in continuous or events-only mode.

How much is Wyze Cam Plus? $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year per camera. The yearly price went up from $19.99 in March 2026.

Can Wyze record without a subscription? Yes, to a microSD card in the camera. Wyze says local storage is completely free.

Is Cam Unlimited worth it? Only if you have several cameras or want facial recognition and Home/Away modes. For one camera, Cam Plus covers cloud clips and smart alerts for less.

Bottom Line

• You want recording with no monthly fee: add a microSD card to any Wyze camera.
• You want backups a thief can’t take, or smarter alerts: Cam Plus at $2.99 a month per camera.
• You have many cameras: Cam Unlimited at $9.99 a month covers all of them.

For other camera brands, see our Blink subscription guide, security cameras without a subscription guide, and Arlo guide.