Arlo Subscription Plans Explained (2026): Secure Plus vs. Premium

If you landed here searching for “Arlo Smart” plans — you’re not alone, but those plans no longer exist. Arlo has completely overhauled its subscription lineup and rebranded everything under Arlo Secure. Prices have also gone up — more than once. This Arlo subscription plan guide cuts through the confusion and tells you exactly what each plan costs, what you actually get, and whether it’s worth paying for in 2026.

What Happened to Arlo Smart?

Arlo Smart was the brand name for Arlo’s paid subscription plans until around 2022–2023, when the company rebranded everything under the Arlo Secure umbrella. The old plan tiers — Basic (free), Add-on ($2.99/camera), Premier, and Elite — were all retired and replaced with a simpler two-tier paid structure.

The rebrand wasn’t just cosmetic. Arlo also significantly upgraded the AI detection features bundled with paid plans, adding person, vehicle, animal, and package detection under what it now calls Arlo Intelligence. The tradeoff: prices have gone up substantially — and Arlo has raised subscription prices multiple times since 2023.

If you’re specifically looking for hands-on camera performance and whether the hardware justifies the cost, check out our
Arlo Pro 6 review — it’s the newest flagship camera in the lineup and the one most closely tied to getting full value from an Arlo Secure subscription.

Does Arlo Still Have a Free Plan?

If you own an older camera like the original Arlo Pro or Arlo Pro 2, you may have been grandfathered into the old free 7-day storage. However, Arlo has been declaring these cameras “end of life” and some users have reported losing their free storage as a result. If you’re relying on legacy free storage, it’s worth checking your app now — it may already be gone.

Bottom line: For anyone buying an Arlo camera today, budget for a subscription. The cameras are designed around the paid plan experience.

Arlo Secure Plan Comparison (2026)

In addition to the Plus and Premium tiers, Arlo has also introduced a new top-tier option with 24/7 continuous video recording. As a result, the table below now covers five columns instead of four, so you can see exactly where the new tier fits.

Arlo Secure Plus — The Core Plan Most Homeowners Need

Arlo Secure Plus is the sweet spot for most homeowners. It unlocks the full Arlo Intelligence AI feature suite — person, vehicle, animal, and package detection — plus facial recognition and named vehicle alerts (so you get a notification that says “Emma’s car is home” instead of just “vehicle detected”). You also get 60 days of cloud video storage, which is genuinely useful for reviewing footage going back two months.

Activity zones are also included — the feature that lets you draw a boundary on your camera’s view and only get alerts for motion inside that area. It’s the single best way to cut down on false alerts from passing cars or swaying trees. The newer Arlo Pro 6 takes full advantage of these AI features with improved processing, making Plus a natural companion to that camera.

Arlo Secure Premium — For Those Who Want Pro Monitoring

Arlo Secure Premium includes everything in the Plus plan, with one major addition: 24/7 professional monitoring. If your cameras detect an intrusion, a trained monitoring agent reviews the alert and can dispatch emergency services on your behalf. Think of it as the difference between a self-monitored camera system and a professionally monitored home security system.

At $29.99/month (or $24.99/month billed annually), Premium makes the most sense if you travel frequently, have a vacation home, or want peace of mind that someone is watching when you’re not checking your phone. For a typical homeowner who checks their app regularly, Plus is likely enough.

New: Secure Premium with 24/7 Continuous Video Recording

Arlo recently introduced a fourth tier that sits above standard Secure Premium: Premium with 24/7 Continuous Video Recording. As the name suggests, this plan records nonstop instead of only capturing motion-triggered clips, which means no gaps in your footage if something happens between detected events.

This tier includes everything in standard Premium, so professional monitoring and emergency dispatch carry over. However, continuous recording is currently limited to up to three cameras per account, even though the rest of the plan covers unlimited cameras for AI detection and motion alerts. If you run a larger multi-camera setup, only your first three cameras get the always-on recording benefit.

The plan is priced at $39.99/month, billed annually, and as of this writing is only available on an annual billing cycle. There’s no monthly-billing option listed for this tier the way there is for Plus and standard Premium.

Is Arlo Secure Worth Paying For?

For most people, yes — with a caveat. If you buy a modern Arlo camera, you have to pay for a subscription to get cloud recordings at all. Without a plan, newer Arlo cameras still support live view, but won’t save any video clips to the cloud. So the real question isn’t “should I pay?” — it’s “which plan makes sense for me?”

One note: Arlo has raised prices several times in recent years, and there’s no sign of that slowing down. If subscription cost is a concern, it’s worth comparing Arlo to cameras with free local storage options — brands like Eufy, Tapo, and Wyze let you record to an SD card without a monthly fee. We cover those in our best home security cameras without a subscription guide.

If you have decided to make the switch, see our how to cancel your Arlo subscription guide for step-by-step instructions covering the website, the Android app, and Apple or Google billing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Arlo Subscription Plans