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 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)

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.

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 honest 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Arlo work without a subscription in 2026?

For newer Arlo cameras (Pro 3, Pro 4, Pro 5, Pro 6, Essential, and beyond), no — you need a paid Arlo Secure plan to record and store video clips in the cloud. Without a subscription, these cameras still support live viewing but will not save footage. Older legacy cameras may retain a free 7-day cloud storage tier, but Arlo has been ending support for these as they reach end of life.

What happened to the old Arlo Smart plans?

Arlo retired the Smart plan branding (Basic, Add-on, Premier, Elite) and replaced everything with Arlo Secure. The new plans are tiered as Secure Plus (Single), Secure Plus (Unlimited), and Secure Premium. The rebrand came with expanded AI features through Arlo Intelligence, but also brought several price increases.

Is Arlo Secure Plus worth the price in 2026?

For most homeowners with 2 or more cameras, the Unlimited plan at $17.99/month (billed annually) is worth it — you get 60 days of cloud storage, full AI detection, facial recognition, and activity zones. The value diminishes if you only have one camera, in which case a competitor with free local storage may be a better overall deal.

How much does an Arlo subscription cost per year?

Billed annually: Secure Plus Single runs about $95.88/year ($7.99/mo); Secure Plus Unlimited runs about $215.88/year ($17.99/mo); Secure Premium (with professional monitoring) is about $299.88/year ($24.99/mo). Arlo has raised these prices multiple times — always worth a quick check on Arlo’s website before subscribing.