Which brand should you buy?
Quick verdict
- Battery outdoor cameras that work with solar, such as the C425 or the C630 KIT with its panel included.
- A floodlight camera: the hardwired C710 and the battery C615F KIT pan and tilt, and the C720 has twin floodlights.
- A microSD slot in every camera; Aqara’s G5 Pro uses 32GB of built-in storage instead.
- IP66 outdoors, as on the C120, C310 and C560WS.
- Apple Home on every camera, with HomeKit Secure Video.
- A camera that doubles as a hub: the G2H Pro and G3 are Zigbee 3.0 hubs, the G5 Pro a Zigbee and Thread hub, and the G350 a Zigbee hub and Matter controller.
- Recordings backed up to a NAS, which the G2H Pro, G5 Pro and G350 support.
- Gesture recognition: the Camera Hub G3 recognises gestures, faces and pets on the device, with no plan needed.
At a glance
Recording and subscriptions
Every Tapo camera records to a microSD card, and Tapo Care adds optional cloud storage. Aqara also records locally: the E1, G2H Pro, G3, G100 and G350 take microSD, and the G5 Pro has 32GB of built-in storage plus NAS. The G2H Pro and G350 also back up to a NAS.
Aqara says no plan is needed for microSD recording on the E1 and G100. HomeKit Secure Video needs iCloud+ on the G3, G5 Pro and G350 and an iCloud plan on the G2H Pro, and the G350’s advanced AI features and cloud storage need Aqara’s paid HomeGuardian plan.
Smart home and hubs
Every Aqara camera here lists Apple Home with HomeKit Secure Video, plus Alexa and Google, and the G100, G5 Pro and G350 add SmartThings. The G2H Pro and G3 are also Zigbee 3.0 hubs, the G5 Pro a Zigbee and Thread hub, and the G350 a Zigbee hub and Matter controller.
Every Tapo camera lists Alexa and Google, and models such as the C250 and C710 add SmartThings, but Apple HomeKit is limited to the C225 and C840. For an Apple home, Aqara is the more complete fit.
The range: indoor, outdoor, battery, solar, floodlight
The Aqara cameras in this guide are indoor and wired outdoor models: the E1, G2H Pro, G3 and G350 indoors, and the IP65 G100 and G5 Pro outdoors. The G350 pairs a 4K wide lens with a 2.5K telephoto lens.
Tapo’s range adds battery cameras that work with solar, such as the C425 and C660 KIT, wired outdoor cameras with both Wi-Fi and Ethernet such as the C320WS and C560WS, and floodlights such as the hardwired C710 and C720 and the battery C615F KIT, alongside indoor cameras from the 1080p C100 to the 4K C260.
Model-by-model comparisons
Each of these compares one Tapo model with one Aqara model, with a spec table, pros and cons, and which to buy.
Indoor HomeKitAqara Camera E1 vs Tapo C225Compare →
1080p indoorTapo C100 vs Aqara Camera Hub G2H ProCompare →
Indoor pan-tilt, 2K vs 4KAqara Camera Hub G3 vs Tapo C250Compare →
Indoor pan-tiltTapo C225 vs Aqara Camera Hub G350Compare →
Wired outdoorAqara Camera G100 vs Tapo C120Compare →
Wired outdoor, dual-bandAqara G5 Pro WiFi vs Tapo C560WSCompare →
Battery vs wired outdoorTapo C425 vs Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro WiFiCompare →
Frequently asked questions
Which works with Apple HomeKit?
Every Aqara camera here lists Apple Home with HomeKit Secure Video. Tapo lists Apple HomeKit on the C225 and C840 only.
Do Aqara cameras work with Alexa and Google?
Yes. Aqara lists Alexa and Google for every camera here, alongside Apple Home, and the G100, G5 Pro and G350 add SmartThings. Every Tapo camera lists Alexa and Google too.
Can I record locally?
Yes with both. Every Tapo camera records to microSD. Aqara’s E1, G2H Pro, G3, G100 and G350 take microSD, the G5 Pro records to 32GB of built-in storage, and the G2H Pro, G5 Pro and G350 add NAS backup.