In 2021, Amazon’s Ring sold more than 1.7 million video doorbells to expand its lead on competing brands and enable the company to all but cement itself at the top of the video doorbell market, according to a new market research report by Strategy Analytics. 

Dallas-based Strategy Analytics estimates the top five video doorbell brands globally as of the end of 2021 are, in order: Ring, SkyBell, Google’s Nest, smart home provider Vivint and ADT. These five companies combined to sell more than 3.5 million doorbell cameras, or about 30 percent, of the nearly 12 million video doorbells that Strategy Analytics estimates were sold to consumers globally in 2021. 

At 1.4 million units, Ring sold nearly as many video doorbells by itself in 2021 as SkyBell, Nest, Vivint, and ADT combined. Tier 2 companies Remo+, Arlo, SimpliSafe, Wyze, and Zmodo rounded out the top 10 globally, according to the report, “Video Doorbell Global Market Shares — June 2022.” 

The video doorbell market roared back in 2021, growing 63% year-to-year to almost 12 million units, with recovery powered by a flood of new brands that entered the doorbell market in 2021, especially in Asia-Pacific, as well as an increase in easier-to-install battery-powered models, such as those from Ring, Arlo, Nest, Wyze. 

Leading brands Ring, SkyBell (doorbells sold through interactive security and home automation platform provider Alarm.com’s dealer network), Nest, Vivint and ADT all recorded year-to-year unit shipment gains in 2021, though their market shares declined from 2020 as dozens of brands flooded the market with inexpensive doorbells, especially in APAC. 

“In a way, Ring has become the Apple of the video doorbell market — phenomenally successful and adept at bringing consumers into the Ring ecosystem and keeping them there, as evidenced by our estimates for Ring as the largest brand in smart home cameras,” said Jack Narcotta, principal industry analyst in Strategy Analytics’ Smart Home Strategies advisory service. “Ring’s doorbell brand is approaching generic trademark status, which speaks to Ring’s success though it also highlights how competitors are looking for weaknesses to exploit. Ring will remain in the top spot, though its share will shrink as more competitors enter the market.” 

Bill Ablondi, director of Strategy Analytics’ Smart Home Strategies advisory service, said the research firm forecasts video doorbells as not only the fastest-growing camera segment through 2027, but one of the fastest-growing smart home device segments overall, second only to smart bulbs. 

“The global video doorbell market is primed for a wide-open race as price declines accelerate and competition ramps up,” he added. “However, the landscape outside markets dominated by the top 5 vendors may look very different beyond 2022 as few brands, especially the APAC-based companies that have helped the market grow by prioritizing unit shipment volume above anything else, have a plan in place to address looming doorbell hardware commoditization.”