The Best Hidden Cameras in 2024

The $52 Vidcastive 4K Mini Spy Camera stands out in a few areas. One, it’s tiny — not quite as tiny as it appears in ads, but you’d have to be looking hard to find it. Two, it delivers the highest-quality video of all the hidden cameras I’ve tested, even in near pitch-black settings. Three, motion detection works better than most cameras in its price range.

But the headliner is actually the Vidcastive’s battery life. The Vidcastive boasts a massive 19 hours of continuous recording, so you can really stick it anywhere and use it for anything, such as keeping an eye on the front door while you’re out, monitoring your little one, or saying hello to Fido from work.

In terms of local storage, Vidcastive’s 256 GB is par for the course. But Vidcastive also offers free storage in the cloud, which is unusual. The only hitch here is that your videos disappear in three days.

One nice thing about having a security camera hidden in a USB charger — maybe the only nice thing? — is that exporting footage is easy. You just stick in a USB and voilà.

The OKSIR (OK, sir?) Spy Cam really is discreet. It weighs only an ounce. And no one’s going to suspect you’re recording them with a USB charger. But placement is a little tricky. A lot of my sockets are at ankle level. I didn’t have many options, outside the kitchen, that would have given me headshots of prowlers at the door.

If you can find a good spot for it, the OKSIR delivers good HD picture quality for its $49 price tag. Like the other spy cams on this list, the OKSIR has two modes. Motion detection mode will beam you clips of suspicious activity. But you can also stream continuous footage to your phone if you want to use the OKSIR as a baby monitor or nanny cam.

AOBOCAM has a funny name and a bizarre sales pitch: “Dear, are you worrying? When you are away, do you often miss your family and pets? Want to know if the nanny is lazy?” But it’s not pure schlock like many tiny cams I’ve tested.

First, there’s the AOBOCAM’s size. While this isn’t a sneak cam masquerading as a USB charger, it’s tiny enough to sit on your desk and guard the office.

Second, battery life isn’t bad. Mine recorded for a little over an hour. If you think that’s peanuts, the AOBOCAM doesn’t record continuously. It records only when it senses movement. That’s 60 to 90 minutes of motion events. So if you just want to find out if the painter’s been checking out your liquor cabinet, you’ll be fine with the AOBOCAM. If you’re monitoring a room where the nanny hangs out, you’ll be better off plugging your camera into the wall.

>> Also check out: Security Camera Legality

Finally, the image quality on the AOBOCAM wasn’t bad, even in lowish light. The folks at AOBOCAM claim their spy cam has seven degrees of motion sensitivity. Happy users have lavished praise on this feature.

Me, I got it to pick out the neighbor’s dog fouling my grass at about 30 feet in broad daylight. That won’t replace a bionic eye, but I did have a halfway-decent security camera for under $40.

The slightly bulkier Blink is actually one of the lightest models I’ve tested. At $35, it’s also one of the cheapest. While video video quality sometimes wavers, audio is clear as a bell, and the Blink app is a cut above most spy cam software.

The only rain the Blink will shower on your stealth parade is in the battery department. There is none, as Blink is plug-in only. That could be a deal breaker for some of us. Then again, most of the battery-powered hidden cameras I tested conked out within 90 minutes.

To see how the Blink Mini performed in the field, check out our hands-on Blink security camera review. If you just want to compare features and costs, here’s our Blink buyer’s guide.

Blink Mini with Stand

Personally, I like Q’s exploding pens better, but if you want to surveil stealthily and don’t mind being the weirdo with the ’80s-era digital alarm clock on your mantel, the GooSpy Hidden Camera Clock will get the job done.

Video quality isn’t great. The GooSpy seems to be shooting in standard definition (under 720p), unless you’re live streaming, which requires an internet connection. When I was recording straight to the microSD card, image quality was nowhere close to the 1080p the GooSpy advertises. But if you’re just looking to identify subjects — even in the dark — the GooSpy is the hidden camera for you.

The GooSpy is also weirdly sensitive to motion, which is good and bad. You’ll definitely know if someone’s in the room, but you may also know if the curtains rustle. That’s if you’re in alert mode, where the GooSpy works only when it detects motion. You can also set it to record continuously.

Finally, the GooSpy can also run on batteries. The company claims four hours of battery life, which is certainly a lot more than you get from the average hidden camera. Though I don’t see why you’d want to power yours that way. It’s a clock and clocks have plugs.

Expert Examined

From Joshua Lee, Active-duty Police Sergeant

“I remember a victim who traveled frequently and was robbed twice. He didn’t want to carry a weapon, so he armed himself with pepper spray and his trusty hidden camera clock. The hidden camera was inside a normal looking digital clock. Sure enough, two suspects kicked down the victim’s hotel door but were pepper sprayed by the victim. When we arrived, the victim had already downloaded the video for us which we used to find the suspects later.”