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

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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.

How We Tested the Nanit vs Owlet

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.

My Review of the Nanit Baby Monitor

The Nanit Pro Smart Monitor & Wall Mount

Amazon

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.

Our Review of the Owlet Baby Monitor

Owlet Cam 2

Amazon

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.

What's the difference between the Nanit vs Owlet baby monitors?

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).

The Bottom Line: Nanit vs Owlet: Which Baby Monitor Is Better?

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.

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