Lorex vs. Swann Home Security Cameras

Although Amazon is known as the “everything store,” Costco is a runner-up. It seems like there’s nothing you can’t get in this big-box store, from hot dogs to home security cameras. And a lot of Costco’s products are way better than the price tag shows. But, we’ve definitely got a miss from them before whether it was a discounted TV that broke within a year or frozen dumplings that just weren’t as good as the name brand.

But, are the security cameras you can buy at Costco any good? Well, we know Lorex as an industry titan but Swann is a bit less known. So, let’s find out by putting these two camera brands head to head. We’re not just testing one of their cameras either, we set up a whole security camera system in our house to compare the two providers.

Key Similarities

Since Lorex and Swann both sell dozens of different cameras and even more packages, you’re sure to find cameras with nearly identical specs between the two brands. The truth is that there are not many major differences between these brands. Here’s what these best security camera picks have in common.

Video Quality

Both Swann and Lorex have cameras with video resolutions ranging from 1080p HD to 4K and beyond. 1080p HD is the current industry standard, while 4K cameras are a bit more advanced (and expensive). However clear you’d like your video to be, there’s an option for you from either company.

Fields of View

Unfortunately, most Lorex and Swann cameras have pretty narrow fields of view of around 100 degrees; we prefer 120 degrees or more, allowing us to do more with fewer cameras. However, as we said, there are so many options from each company that a range certainly exists. But, none of them offer anywhere close to the 180-degree field of view that we loved while testing the Arlo Ultra 4K.

Zoom

Most Swann and Lorex cameras have digital and not optical zoom. What’s the difference? Well, with digital zoom, you’re only zooming in on the existing image, while with optical zoom, the actual camera moves closer to an object. Optical zoom is much better than digital zoom, but unfortunately, most Lorex and Swann cameras have the latter.

Infrared and Color Night Vision

In the same vein, you can find cameras from Swann and Lorex with infrared night vision, color night vision, or both. Typically, we prefer infrared cameras over cameras with spotlights, as spotlights make cameras very conspicuous. Of course, bright lights on security cameras can deter crime, so it’s really a personal choice.

Audio

Some Lorex cameras have two-way audio (i.e., speakers and microphones), and some do not. The same goes for Swann cameras. We always recommend you get a camera with two-way audio because it lets you talk to the person you’re livestreaming, from yelling at package thieves to greeting guests when you’re not home. In this way, two-way audio helps to protect against home invasions before they happen.

Smart Home Integrations

Some Lorex cameras work with both Alexa and Google Assistant, neither voice assistant, or one or the other, and the same is true for Swann. If you already live in a smart home, choose a camera that works with your existing ecosystem, be it part of an Alexa security system or a security system for Google Home. This way, you won’t have to remember which voice assistant controls what, and you can create convenient home automation with your new security cameras.

Artificial Intelligence

To repeat ourselves, some Lorex and Swann cameras have person detection and some do not. We recommend cameras with person detection so that you’ll only get an alert when it actually matters. On cameras without person detection, we got a ton of false alarms that caused our phones to constantly buzz. Eventually, we stopped even checking our phones when we got a notification even if it was a text from our mom!

Local Storage

Most Lorex and Swann cameras come with local storage through hard drives, micro-SD cards, or hard disk drives. The hard drives are typically 1 or 2 TB, which means that they can hold 500 to 1,000 hours of HD video1. For cameras that don’t need Wi-Fi, local storage means that the camera can record directly onto local storage without connecting to cloud storage.

No Professional Monitoring

Want a security system with no monthly fees? Lorex and Swann don’t offer professional monitoring of any kind; we monitored the cameras through their respective apps. Sure, we didn’t have that additional layer of security, but at least we weren’t signed up for yet another monthly subscription.

DIY Installation

When you choose a Lorex or Swann camera, don’t expect professional installation. Instead, we had to install the cameras ourselves. But, that meant we could save a bit on our home security camera costs. Not sure if you need professional installation or not? Check out our professional vs DIY home security installation comparison.

Wired and Wireless Options

Looking for a hardwired security camera system or wireless home security cameras, maybe even outdoor wireless cameras? Lorex and Swann both offer a ton of reliable wireless home security options. Learn more about how wireless security cameras work and whether wireless security cameras need the internet.

Indoor and Outdoor Options

Both Lorex and Swann offer indoor cameras and outdoor cameras. If you want to install your security cameras outside or even hide your outdoor security cameras, either option would work. They both offer cameras with attached spotlights or floodlights as well. That means your outdoor cameras can double as outdoor lighting too.

Wide Price Ranges

Although both Swann and Lorex have huge price ranges, from under $100 to thousands of dollars for big packages, neither one of them offers the cheapest home security cameras on the market. No, that accolade goes to Wyze, which offers the $19.99 Wyze Cam v2. If budget is a huge concern for you, learn more on our Wyze camera pricing page.

Key Differences

Lorex and Swann’s main differences lie in their apps. Although they have similarly low ratings, the apps’ interfaces differ significantly.

Apps

Both Swann and Lorex have different apps for different cameras, which is more than a little confusing. For the Lorex Wireless 2K camera, for example, we used the Lorex Home app, while with the Lorex LNK782C2D2KB 4K PoE camera, we used the Lorex Cirrus app (and no, we’re not just misspelling “circus”). There’s also another app, Lorex Cloud, for cloud storage.

With the Swann Dome Camera, we used the HomeSafe View app, while we used the Swann Security app with the eight-channel PoE camera system. Another app, AlwaysSafe, works for NVW-485, NVW-490, and SWWHD-PTCAM cameras.

>> See more: The Best PoE Security Cameras

These companies are the only ones we know of that have different apps for different cameras, but unfortunately, most of them aren’t super easy to use.

However, Lorex’s apps, on average, are better than Swann’s apps, especially the Lorex Home app.

Cloud Storage

Editor’s Note: Lorex security cameras no longer offer cloud storage aside from the 2K Spotlight Security Camera. Right now, they’re testing out their new cloud storage plan with that camera, so we expect it to roll out for more cameras in the future. You can get a plan for a single camera at $3.99 per month or a plan for unlimited cameras at $12.99 per month.

When it comes to cloud storage, Lorex and Swann cameras differ not only from each other but also within their own product lines. For example, with the Lorex Super HD 4MP camera, we got two days of cloud storage for free, while there was no free cloud storage with the wireless 2K camera. Meanwhile, the Lorex FLIR FX cameras have their own cloud storage plans.2

Similarly, the Swann Dome Camera lacks cloud storage, but the Swann thermal-sensing camera has a Dropbox for pictures only. With some Swann cameras, though, you can pay for cloud video storage for up to 10 cameras.

Although the cloud storage pricing is the same, Swann gives you 60 days, while Lorex’s plans are capped at 30. Take cloud storage into account when you choose a camera from Lorex or Swann, as not all of the cameras offer it as an option.

Summary

It’s hard to compare two companies when there are so many cameras to choose from, but overall, we’d go with Lorex over Swann. On average, Lorex has more user-friendly apps, which is key with self-monitored cameras. We recommend pairing Lorex cameras with the Lorex Video Doorbell to prevent package theft.

Still not convinced? Compare Lorex to other top home security cameras in our breakdowns of Lorex vs. Arlo, Lorex vs. Reolink, Lorex vs. Night Owl, and Lorex vs. Ring. Night Owl is another big-box retailer that you can find in stores like Costco, while Amazon owns Ring, an incredibly popular home security brand. Reolink and Arlo produce some of the best-quality cameras on the market, although they are both lesser-known brands.

To dive deeper, read our Arlo cameras review, Reolink cameras review, or Ring cameras review. With any brand, you can find affordable cameras that you can monitor from anywhere through their apps, although some work better than others, as you can see above.