Baby monitor app vs a dedicated baby monitor
Updated
A baby monitor app is the cheaper, more flexible choice if you have a spare phone: there’s no hardware to buy, and it comes with you when you travel. A dedicated baby monitor is the better choice if you don’t have a spare phone, or you want a device that only does one job and never depends on your internet connection or your phone’s settings.
The short version
| Baby monitor app | Dedicated monitor | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | A spare phone you already own | A camera, and often a parent unit, to buy |
| Watch on | Your own phone | Your phone or a separate parent unit |
| Travel | The phones go wherever you go | Another device to pack |
| Connection | Internet on both phones | Depends on the model |
| Cost | Free download, then a plan | Paid up front |
When an app is the better choice
- You have an old phone in a drawer. It becomes the camera, so there’s nothing new to buy.
- You travel. At grandparents’ or on holiday, the phones are already with you.
- You want to watch on your own phone, rather than carrying a separate parent unit.
- More than one person watches. With Awake, up to three parents can watch the same camera on their own phones.
- Privacy matters to you. With Awake, video goes straight from phone to phone and isn’t uploaded or stored. Read more in is a phone baby monitor private?
When a dedicated monitor is the better choice
- You don’t have a spare phone. Buying a phone just for this rarely makes sense.
- Your home internet is unreliable. An app needs internet on both phones. Some dedicated monitors connect their two units directly, without your Wi‑Fi.
- You want something purpose-built: a fixed camera mount, a long-life parent unit, or features like breathing sensors. Check carefully what any sensor claims; no monitor replaces adult supervision.
- You don’t want your phone involved at all. A parent unit can sit on the bedside table while your phone stays off.
Things to check with any monitor
- Where does the video go? Is it sent to a company’s servers, or kept between your devices?
- Does it need an account?
- How are alerts delivered, and do they still reach you when your phone is locked?
- What does it cost over time? Compare one-off prices with any subscription.
Trying the app route
Awake is a free download on the App Store and Google Play. Plans are for one parent or up to three parents, monthly with a 7-day free trial or as a one-off lifetime purchase. If it doesn’t suit you, a dedicated monitor is still there.
Whichever you choose, follow safe-sleep guidance from the NHS or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Awake is not a medical device and does not replace adult supervision.