Nanit Vs. Owlet: Which Baby Monitor Is Better? We Tested Them to Find Out

You’ve got your nursery glider, your diaper bag and your stroller. The only thing left to add to your baby registry? A baby monitor. But here’s where it gets complicated—with so much choice (government-level surveillance, built-in nightlights, encrypted video, etc.), it’s hard to know which monitor is the best fit for your family. First, figure out if you want something that’s audio-only or if you want to spring for one of the more high-tech video devices that offer sleep tracking monitoring (i.e., can help you monitor baby’s sleep habits and improve their—and your—quality of shuteye). If it’s the latter, then you’ve likely come across two big names in the baby monitor business: the Nanit and the Owlet.

These two Wifi-enabled baby monitors both boast superior video and audio quality, but feature some striking differences when it comes to reliability, set up and price. As such, you’ll want to do your research before deciding between the Nanit vs. Owlet. Fortunately, we’ve done the hard work for you. Two parents put the Nanit Pro and the Owlet Cam 2 to the test over a period of multiple months to see how they perform—here’s how the two monitors compare.

We relied on two parents to test these monitors—one seasoned mom who had already tested multiple monitors in her time and had ultimately settled on the Nanit for her first and second child (hi, me!), plus commerce editor Olivia Dubyak, a nervous first-time parent who had tried another smart monitor before opting for the Owlet which she tested for six months before giving her honest review. To test the monitors, both moms took the following factors into consideration: reliable connection, easy setup, affordability, picture and audio quality as well as the overall peace of mind the monitors provided.

I had been through a slew of bad monitors with my son, which meant I knew exactly what I wanted from my daughter’s monitor when she was born two years ago: something that was reliable (there’s nothing that ruins your first postpartum date night more than when your monitor stops working), easy-to-use (you know, something I could set up while nine months pregnant because of course I left it to the last minute) and wouldn’t cause me more stress (one monitor we had for my son would turn on a bright light every time I opened the app, waking him up; another monitor had such bad video quality that it was easier just to use the audio only). After years of testing, I can report that the Nanit ticks all the boxes and then some (including split screen viewing for multiple kids—something I plan on taking advantage of now that I have another baby on the way).

So, why do I love the Nanit so much? First of all, the audio and video quality are fantastic —I can zoom in and actually see if my baby’s eyes are open or not (which is a little creepy, but helpful when trying to decide if you really need to get up at 5 a.m.). The set up is easy, although it’s worth noting that you’ll have to choose whether you want a wall mount, floor stand or flex stand (i.e., can sit on a dresser or table) when you purchase your monitor, and the price varies depending on what you choose ($299, $399 and $249, respectively). We chose the wall stand which has worked great, but it does mean that the monitor isn’t portable—you’ll need to purchase the Travel Pack ($80) if you want to use the Nanit on-the-go.

The camera works with an intuitive-to-use app (helpful when you’re bleary-eyed with sleep deprivation) that serves up helpful tips and videos to get baby sleeping better (like tracking your baby’s sleep patterns, plus temperature and humidity monitoring). These insights are only free for the first year (which is arguably when they're the most useful anyway), after which you'll have to pay for a subscription to access some of them starting at $50 per year. I appreciate that I can share my app with a nanny or sitter so that they can keep an eye on my baby from their own phone in another room, and that this feature is automatically disabled once they’re out of the house and not on my Wifi. Another cool feature? The Nanit features the ability to play white noise or lullabies from the device, which means you technically don’t have to invest in a separate sound machine.

The biggest downside of the Nanit is the price—at $249 the monitor isn’t cheap (although it’s often on sale—right now you can get the flex mount for $233 on Amazon). And while I didn’t have this issue with my son who basically sleep trained himself, my daughter struggled with early wake ups for months and I found that the camera’s lights were too bright for her. We ended up investing in double blackout blinds for her room and taping over two of the four camera lights to make her room as dark as possible—the video quality is still very good but this does mean that the insights aren’t always super accurate. I’m not sure this is a huge deal and truthfully not something you’ll have to worry about until you know what kind of sleeper you’re dealing with, but worth noting.

Overall, this is the most reliable monitor I’ve tested, with crystal clear video and helpful insights to help baby and mom get more sleep.

• Reliable connection: Great. I’ve checked on my kids using the Nanit monitor from the living room downstairs, a restaurant downtown and even from across the ocean (dad was home with the kids, don’t come at me mom-shamers), and I’ve never had any issues.
• Easy set up: We’ve used our Nanit in freestanding and wall mount mode, both of which were easy to set up. As for the app, the set-up there was a piece of cake too.
• Affordability: At $249 for the most affordable option, the Nanit still isn’t cheap (the Owlet, on the other hand, will only set you back $159). In fact, the price point is probably the biggest downside to this monitor.
• Picture and audio quality: Excellent. Like the Owlet, the Nanit streams HD 1080P video with night vision resulting in clear and crisp imagery. The audio is also top notch, letting me not only hear when my daughter is in distress but also when she talks and whispers herself to sleep (adorable).
• Peace of mind: Personally, having a baby monitor that measures things like my kid’s oxygen levels and heart rate would make me more stressed, not less. (If you do want additional tracking with the Nanit, they offer a breathing band that detects a baby's breathing motion with a piece of fabric with a special pattern on it that the Nanit Pro can recognize.) But I like the sleep monitoring that the Nanit provides—particularly in the early days when you really want to nail those wake windows and get some reassurance that your baby’s sleep is (slowly but surely) improving. The reliability of the Nanit combined with the sleep insights has given this tired mom all the peace of mind she needs.

The Owlet monitor seems to be designed with nervous parents in mind (and isn’t that all of us?). Especially when paired with the Dream Sock—a little foot wrap with sensors—that you can slip on your infant’s foot and it will automatically sync with the app, providing you with detailed information about your baby's oxygen levels, heart rate, sleep state and wakings. The sock has been cleared by the FDA, but it’s worth noting that while it can offer anxious caregivers peace of mind, it can be hard to set up (it took Dubyak a few days to get the hang of it) and it can occasionally set off false alarms. But even without the Sock (available for an additional $140), this Wifi-connected monitor offers a clear picture of your baby wherever you are and pings you the minute it recognizes a sign of distress. “It picks up audio really well,” says Dubyak. “One time my baby wasn't in his crib and I was alerted to crying and realized a bird was sitting on the windowsill chirping and the camera picked it up.”

As for the downsides, Dubyak says the dresser-and wall-only set-up option is a bummer: “I wish the camera came with a stand so you don't have to mount it (especially if you live in a rental). At first I just had the camera sitting on my son's dresser on the mount base, but if the wire was pulled even a little bit it would turn super easily and skew my view of the camera. I've also had some connectivity issues with the camera which can be super annoying. If I put my son to sleep and go check the camera and see that it's not connecting, I have to sneak in and unplug it and plug it back in, which obviously isn't ideal if you have a light sleeper.”

Like the Nanit, you can have multiple caretakers stream video with the Owlet. However, the Nanit lets the primary account holders add users with their email address whereas with the Owlet, every additional user has to log in using the primary user’s login information. Another difference between the two is that unlike the Nanit, the Owlet does not have the ability to play white noise or lullabies from the device.

“Overall, I really do like the camera and its qualities and think it's a very fair and reasonable price for what you get between the camera and the app,” Dubyak concludes.

• Reliable connection: Dubyak notes that connection can at times be spotty with the Owlet. “Even if my Wifi is working and I have service on my phone, there are random times where the camera will not connect and I have to unplug it and plug it back in to restart; needless to say, those instances are frustrating because I have to sneak in while he's asleep to do so.”
• Easy set up: “The monitor is easy to mount on the wall and it turns smoothly when you need to adjust it. It comes with a cord cover that basically puzzle-pieces into each section and secures with sticky pads to the wall. I just moved and pulled it off the wall and it didn't damage any paint, either.”
• Affordability: At $159 for the camera and wall mount, the Owlet is more affordable than the Nanit which comes to $299 for the camera and wall mount, (although if you opt for the flex stand over the wall mount you could save an additional $50).
• Picture and audio quality: Very clear, although Dubyak says that she had to put the camera up pretty high on her son’s wall in order for the view to be far enough to get a visual of the full crib, “which makes the cord stretch a little farther from the plug, forcing it to lay at an angle on the wall.” The audio quality is excellent, she notes.
• Peace of mind: Dubyak tested the Owlet baby monitor combined with the Owlet Dream Sock, both of which gave her extreme peace of mind (even though the Sock did sometimes set off false alarms). And after about four months, she stopped using the sock and has relied exclusively on the monitor which she says has been great (and superior to the other monitor she tested, the Miku).

Both smart monitors offer superior picture and audio quality, plus sleep insights on the accompanying app. Per our testers, the key differences are in reliability (with the Nanit having better connectivity), affordability (the Owlet is cheaper than the Nanit) and set up (the Nanit has more options).

If you are just choosing between the two cameras, we think that the Nanit is the better option thanks to its reliability, multiple set-up options and easy-to-use app. If you would like additional features, such as detailed information about your baby's oxygen levels, heart rate, sleep state and wakings, then you may want to consider the Owlet which when combined with the Dream Sock offers these capabilities.

• Audio quality: It’s no use investing in a monitor that has issues with lag, connectivity or static. Check reviews to make sure audio quality is top notch.
• Wifi connectivity: This is a helpful feature for when you want to monitor at a farther distance (say, if you’re at work or out for date night). But know that there are concerns of hacking. If you do opt for a Wifi-enabled monitor, check the manufacturer about what types of security safeguards they have put in place—such as data encryption—to ensure your footage is protected.
• Video clarity and camera angles: Does it offer an expanded view, or even adjustable, 360-degree views? Can you adjust the camera angle remotely? How clear is the picture (look for 720p or higher), and what is the night vision like? Does it use infrared LEDs so you can see better in the dark?
• Camera lights: These can be helpful for guiding you in a dark room and for capturing better quality video, but the downside is that they can also wake babies up.
• Split screen: Can you connect multiple cameras to the parent device—be it an app or screen—so you can watch multiple angles (or kids in two different rooms/areas) at once?
• Battery life: How long does the parent device last on a single charge? Make sure you can get through naptime and bedtime without needing to recharge.
• Peace-of-mind features: Does it monitor breathing? What about a temperature sensor? Is there two-way talk, so you can soothe your baby without having to enter the room?
• Range: How far away is your baby’s room from your living room, kitchen, backyard or basement? Think about the distance you’ll need as you check the monitor that interests you.