In a surprising announcement, Google announced that it would be significantly increasing the subscription prices for Nest Aware. Both owners of smart doorbells and surveillance cameras are affected – a measure with noticeable consequences for users of modern surveillance solutions.
The most important facts in brief:
- Basic price of the Nest Aware subscription increases by 66%: from €6 to €10 per month (€100/year)
- Nest Aware Plus increases by 50%: to €18/month or €180/year
- Google Store
- Affected features include event notifications, 24/7 history and up to 60 days of storage
Why are Google Nest Aware prices increasing so much?
Anyone using a Google monitoring gadget such as the Google Nest Cam (€ 199.99 *) or Google Nest Doorbell (€ 177.90 *) in conjunction with the in-house subscription model Google Nest Aware must now expect subscription costs to rise. Why is that? There are apparently several reasons for this.
Development costs and cloud infrastructure
Google is investing heavily in smart functions such as AI-supported person recognition, animal/package recognition and continuous cloud recording. These features are backed by high running costs: server infrastructure, data transmission and AI development have to be financed. The price increase therefore reflects the growing costs for reliable, data protection-compliant service.
Alignment with standard industry models
The new price of €10 per month positions Google in the premium segment compared to competitors such as Ring or Eufy. Nest is clearly targeting user groups that value sophisticated data protection and comprehensive functions – a clear signal to technology enthusiasts and IT professionals.
Sustainable business strategy
A uniform price for the entire home (multiple devices) promotes long-term subscriptions and stabilizes revenue. Users of the Plus package benefit from comprehensive video history, but also pay 50% more – which is still worthwhile for intensive use.
What exactly is changing?
| Subscription model | Previous (month/year) | New (month/year) | Change to |
| Nest Aware | 6 €/60 € | 10 €/100 € | +66 % |
| Nest Aware Plus | 12 €/120 € | 18 €/180 € | +50 % |
What do the packages contain?
- Nest Aware (€10/month): 30 days of event-based video history; smart alerts for people, packages, vehicles, pets
- Nest Aware Plus (€18/month): additional 60 days of event history and up to 10 days of uninterrupted recording
Consequences for users
The new price structure particularly affects users who make heavy use of smart security – families, gamers, technology enthusiasts and IT professionals. As many functions such as facial recognition and continuous recording can hardly be used without a subscription, the price shock is almost unavoidable.
Occasional users may want to switch to pure event archives; however, those who use round-the-clock surveillance should stick with the more expensive Plus package – now with noticeably higher costs.
Conclusion
Google is increasing the prices for Nest Aware significantly – specifically by 66% for the Basic package and 50% for the Plus package. There are understandable reasons for this: higher infrastructure costs, smart functions and a strategic focus on tech-savvy users who are willing to pay. Those who make full use of Nest devices will now have to dig deeper into their pockets – at €10 per month or €18 (€100/€180 per year). Users should now check which package suits their needs in order to weigh up the costs and added value.
