Arlo makes some of the best smart home products on the market. From robust video doorbells to premium security cameras, a model from Arlo is all but guaranteed to fit your needs. Products in the lineup tend to be a bit expensive and — like most other smart home cameras — lock many features behind a monthly subscription called Arlo Secure.

Curious to learn more about Arlo Secure before signing up? Or maybe you’re wondering if you need it at all, as your Arlo devices will function perfectly fine without becoming a member. Whatever the case, here’s a closer look at Arlo Secure and if it’s worth signing up for.

Arlo Secure is a premium, monthly subscription plan that provides you with additional features for your Arlo devices. Offered in three different tiers, you can choose which is best for your home based on the number or Arlo cameras you own and what sort of functionality you’re seeking out of your security system.

The cheapest option is the standard Arlo Secure plan, which costs $5 per month for a single camera or $13 per month for unlimited cameras. It offers up to 4K video recording resolution, a 30-day video history saved to the cloud, smart notifications, animated previews, video object detection with AI, audio detection of alarms, smart activity zones, and a few other perks.

Step up to the Arlo Secure Plus plan, and you’ll be spending $18 per month for unlimited cameras. However, it comes with 24/7 emergency response, making it a great option for households that want a bit of added security.

The most expensive plan is Safe & Secure Pro, clocking in at $25 per month for unlimited cameras. Beyond all the features found on the other two plans, you’ll also get a bevy of additional security features such as Arlo Walk With Me, which lets you hold and release a button to send emergency personnel directly to your GPS coordinates. It also features tons of advanced features such as crash detection and response, auto-alerts to emergency contacts, and 24/7 professional monitoring with select products.

Most homeowners will find a standard Arlo Secure plan to be a worthwhile investment. Without a plan, you won’t be able to store your video history in the cloud and will only receive the most basic of notifications. And if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a video doorbell or security camera, you’ll want to get every bit of mileage out of them — which means Arlo Secure is all but a necessity.

Of course, if you don’t mind the lack of convenience factors and want to rein in your budget, your devices will work perfectly fine without Arlo Secure. But to see all the benefits of your camera, you’ll need at least a basic Arlo Secure plan.

One of the biggest competitors for Arlo is Ring. And just like Arlo, Ring offers a monthly subscription plan called Ring Protect. A Ring Protect Basic membership costs just $4 per month for a single camera, making it a bit cheaper than the standard Arlo Secure plan. Its most expensive plan, Ring Protect Pro, is also cheaper than Arlo’s most-premium service, clocking in at $20 per month.

Ring’s plans offer similar services to Arlo, but their cheaper price tag makes them a bit more appealing. Arlo recently raised its monthly rates to $5 per month, making it a slightly more expensive service compared to Ring. Before the change, a basic Arlo plan cost less than Ring’s and was an easy recommendation.

The Arlo Safe & Secure plan is a bit more robust than Ring Pro (thanks to features like Walk With Me), but it’s hard to say if it’s worth $5 more a month. If you’ll use all of its safety features, then it’s worth picking up, but otherwise, the cheaper Ring Pro is probably a wiser choice.