How Much Does Nest Aware Cost?

Nest Aware powers Nest cameras, doorbells, and displays with advanced features like facial recognition, intelligent alerts, extended video history, and more. But how much does this subscription service cost, and what exactly is included?

This guide covers Nest Aware pricing, features, compatible devices, account management, comparisons with competitors, and whether the functionality is worth the ongoing fees. Gain insider insight to make an informed decision for your home.

How Much Does Nest Aware Cost?

Nest Aware subscription costs start at $6 per month or $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour) per year for extended event video history. Upgrading to Nest Aware Plus for $12 (≈48 minutes of continuous work at a $15/hour job)/$120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour) adds 24/7 continuous recording, more storage, and longer event history.

Nest Aware is available in two main tiers:

• Nest Aware - $6 per month or $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour) annually
• Nest Aware Plus - $12 (≈48 minutes of continuous work at a $15/hour job) per month or $120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour) annually

Both plans auto-renew unless canceled. Nest Aware Plus builds on the base Nest Aware plan by adding 24/7 continuous video recording and more storage.

When paying annually, you save around 17% compared to the equivalent monthly pricing. Let's compare what's included at each pricing level.

According to Security.org, the standard Nest Aware plan costs $8 per month or $80 (≈5.3 hours of your workday at a $15/hour wage) annually, while the higher-tier Nest Aware Plus plan is priced at $15 (≈1 hour of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour) per month or $150 (≈1.3 days of continuous work at a $15/hour job) annually. These plans provide features such as extended video history, person detection, and activity zones, with the Plus plan offering 24/7 video history for up to 10 days and event video history for 60 days.

On Android Authority, the same pricing structure is confirmed: $8 per month or $80 (≈5.3 hours of your workday at a $15/hour wage) annually for Nest Aware, and $15 (≈1 hour of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour) per month or $150 (≈1.3 days of continuous work at a $15/hour job) annually for Nest Aware Plus. The article highlights that these subscriptions cover all compatible devices in a household, making them cost-effective for homes with multiple Nest products.

According to Neowin, these prices reflect a recent increase from previous rates of $6 per month or $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour) annually for Nest Aware and $12 (≈48 minutes of continuous work at a $15/hour job) per month or $120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour) annually for Nest Aware Plus. This price adjustment was implemented in November 2023 and marked the first increase since 2019.

On Google Nest Community, existing customers who subscribed before the price hike have been allowed to renew at older rates temporarily, but new subscribers must pay the updated prices. The community also notes that these subscriptions are automatically renewed unless canceled.

How Does It Work?

Nest Aware is a cloud-based subscription service that works with Nest security cameras, video doorbells, and smart displays. Main features enabled by Nest Aware include:

• Motion and sound-activated video clips and alerts
• Facial recognition to distinguish known faces like family and friends
• Continuously recorded and stored video footage (Nest Aware Plus only)
• 10 to 60 days of video event history depending on plan
• Emergency alerts for smoke/CO alarms and breaking glass sounds

With a Nest Aware subscription, compatible Nest devices become much "smarter" by leveraging AI and cloud connectivity to interpret events and differentiate between people, vehicles, animals, packages and other occurrences. Video footage provides visual verification.

Plan Comparison - What's Included?

Here's an overview of what you get with each Nest Aware plan:

Nest Aware ($6/$60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour)):

• 10 days of 24/7 video event history
• Motion and sound alerts
• Facial recognition

Nest Aware Plus ($12 (≈48 minutes of continuous work at a $15/hour job)/$120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour)):

• 60 days of 24/7 video event history
• 24/7 continuous recording
• Motion and sound alerts
• Facial recognition

Both plans cover every Nest camera, doorbell, and display in your home under one subscription cost and can store up to 1,200 hours of recording.

Features and Benefits of Nest Aware

Beyond the basic storage and video history differences, key features you gain with an Aware subscription include:

• Smart Notifications - Get alerts when Nest Cams detect people, vehicles, animals, packages, or familiar faces based on AI recognition. Events are filtered and categorized.
• Emergency Alerts - Sound detection listens for concerning noises like breaking glass, smoke alarms, or CO2 detectors and pushes urgent notifications.
• Video Review - Scroll through days or weeks of activity history to review past events and share noteworthy clips.
• Enhanced Facial Recognition - Nest devices learn faces of family members, friends, frequent visitors and even pets over time for smarter identification.
• Audio Listening - Microphones can detect concerning noises and allow listening in for more context when notable events occur, available on select hardware.

These capabilities make Nest devices much more powerful for home monitoring, security, and awareness when supported by an Aware subscription.

You might also like our articles about the cost of the Ring Doorbell, Vivint Security systems, or home security systems.

What Nest Devices Work with Nest Aware?

Most current-generation Nest products are compatible with Nest Aware, including:

• Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor models
• Nest Doorbell (battery and wired)
• Nest Hub Max display
• Nest Cam with floodlight
• Nest Cam Wired and Wireless
• Nest Hello video doorbell

Both the Google Home app and Nest app allow managing Nest Aware settings and features across registered devices. Check for compatibility before subscribing.

Set Up, Manage or Cancel Your Subscription

It's quick and easy to start or make changes to a Nest Aware plan:

To subscribe - Simply add Nest Aware when setting up a new device in the Google Home app and follow the on-screen prompts to pick a plan and payment method.

To upgrade or downgrade - Go to Settings > Nest Aware in your Google account to pick a new plan and save changes.

To cancel - Visit the Nest Aware subscription page and select 'Cancel subscription'. You can reactivate later if wanted.

Your payment method on file will be charged monthly or annually upon subscription renewal if you don't cancel. Up to 5 cameras can be added per home.

Nest Aware vs. Ring Protect Plans

Ring and Nest offer similar smart home awareness subscriptions. Here's how their pricing shakes out:

Nest Aware:

• Basic: $6/month, $60 (≈4 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour)/year
• Premium: $12 (≈48 minutes of continuous work at a $15/hour job)/month, $120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour)/year

Ring Protect:

• Basic: $3/month, $30 (≈2 hours of labor required at $15/hour)/year
• Premium: $10 (≈40 minutes working at a $15/hour wage)/month

Ring Protect is cheaper for starter plans, but lacks an annual prepay option. Ring also charges extra for professional monitoring services. Both integrate multi-camera video access and smart alerts.

Is Nest Aware Worth it?

For households with multiple Nest cameras, Nest Aware provides tremendous functionality and value. Key perks include:

• Unified access to view and manage all Nest cameras
• Intelligent alert filtering to reduce false alarms
• Facial recognition to identify familiar people and pets
• Video history to review past events and share clips
• Sound detection for emergencies like broken glass

Without Nest Aware, your Nest devices will be far less useful for proactive home monitoring and security. For frequent reviewers and multi-device households, the subscription cost is easily justified to activate the full smart potential of Nest gear.

Conclusion

Nest Aware pricing ranges from $60-$120 (≈1 day working for this purchase at $15/hour) per year to activate advanced AI capabilities for Nest devices like extended video history, facial recognition, sound detection, and more.

For homes with multiple Nest cameras, doorbells, and displays, the functionality gained easily justifies the reasonable subscription cost to amplify convenience, awareness, and control.

But skipping Nest Aware remains a viable option for limited needs. Overall, evaluating your specific requirements will determine if the capabilities warrant the monthly or annual fees.

Answers to Common Questions

What do I get without a Nest Aware subscription?

Without a Nest Aware subscription, Nest cameras and doorbells still provide live streaming and basic motion alerts, but lack facial recognition, extended event video history, sound detection, and integration across multiple Nest devices. The value is limited without the subscription.

What happens if I cancel Nest Aware?

If you cancel your Nest Aware subscription, you lose access to features like facial recognition, auto zooming tracking, sound alerts, and full event video history. Video clips older than 3 hours are also deleted. Your Nest devices still function for live streaming and motion alerts, but lose their "smarts". You can resubscribe in the future to restore full functionality.

Can I share my Nest Aware service with someone else?

No, Nest Aware subscriptions are for single home use only and cannot be shared or transferred from one user to another. The subscription is tied to your personal Google account and Nest devices registered in your home. Anyone wanting intelligent Nest features needs their own separate Nest Aware plan.