We like its innovative call format that shows a video on your phone's lock screen rather than a simple notification like other smart doorbells we tested. August's basic cloud video storage is free, but there's also a paid plan that costs around $5 a month, which is competitive with similar offerings from other video doorbells. As with similar products, it records video when it detects motion, but it also saves 30 seconds of footage from before the sensor was triggered to give you more context into what happened, provided you pay for a cloud storage plan. To install the August Doorbell Cam Pro, you need a mechanical doorbell chime since it doesn't work with digital chimes. Unlike SkyBell and Ring, it doesn't have an adapter or add on for digital chime functionality. As with most video doorbells, this one has a built in battery, but it can't run off the battery for very long, less than a day in our experience.