Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Arlo Secure subscription: what remains when the trial ends

Updated: 22 October 2026

The camera arrived with Secure trial included on the box, the first week of clips looked complete, and you are now asking what the Arlo Secure subscription actually bills. The trial is a sample of cloud history. It is not the hardware. You can still open a live view when the trial stops. You cannot assume the archive, the activity zones, or the richer detection stay with it. Pack choice stays on the [Arlo camera comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/arlo-camera). This page is from Peter F., editor for DIY & tools. The pound figures are what The Independent and The Ambient reported in 2026, not a checkout we completed. No lab test.

The camera arrived with Secure trial included on the box, the first week of clips looked complete, and you are now asking what the Arlo Secure subscription actually bills. The trial is a sample of cloud history.

Our top picks

Arlo Arlo Essential 3 outdoor pan-tilt pair

Best overall

Arlo Arlo Essential 3 outdoor pan-tilt pair
7.3/10about £104.99
View offer
Arlo Arlo Essential 2 2K camera

Best value

Arlo Arlo Essential 2 2K camera
6.6/10about £49.99
View offer
Arlo Arlo Pro 6 two-camera kit

Rank 3

Arlo Arlo Pro 6 two-camera kit
8.4/10about £174.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What still works with no plan
  2. 2.What the UK tiers add
  3. 3.What a year of the reported price does
  4. 4.Local storage is a different purchase

What still works with no plan

Arlo’s UK plans page lists what you keep without a subscription: motion alerts, live stream, schedules, spotlight, siren, two-way audio, and auto zoom and tracking where that camera has the hardware. Cloud video history, activity zones, and person, vehicle, animal, and package detection are plan features. Arlo’s FAQ on the end of the trial says live streaming, notifications, and two-way audio remain, and that a 30-day history and activity zones do not. If a review says the camera became pointless unless you pay monthly, that reviewer wanted the archive. The Essential 2’s UK comments in this set are exactly that. Local storage on the no-plan list needs an Arlo hub or base station, and none of the eleven packs includes that hub.

What the UK tiers add

Secure is 7 days of cloud recording, up to 2K. Secure Plus is 14 days, up to 4K, with unlimited cameras at one location, known-person recognition, and fire detection that Arlo marks as beta. Secure Pro is 30 days plus an SOS button. A 2K camera does not become a 4K camera because you buy Plus. The monthly pounds are reported, not taken from an Arlo invoice. The Independent and The Ambient in 2026 put UK prices at about £7.99 a month for one camera, £11.99 for up to four, £19.99 for Secure Plus, and £24.99 for Secure Pro. Do not use an older £5.49 figure. Confirm the number in the Arlo app. The checks before the tier are on the Arlo camera buying guide.
Arlo Arlo Essential 3 outdoor pan-tilt pair

Testsieger

Arlo Arlo Essential 3 outdoor pan-tilt pair
7.3/10about £104.99
View offer

What a year of the reported price does

A year of the reported single-camera price changes the cheap camera most. The Essential 2 at £49.99 plus twelve times £7.99 is about £146, against £49.99 for live view only. The Pro 6 two-camera kit at £174.99 plus £11.99 a month is about £319. These are sums, not an Arlo invoice. Continuous recording is a separate add-on. Arlo’s UK plans page starts it at £12.99 per camera per month, and the camera has to be on mains power. It is not included in Secure. A battery Essential cannot take that add-on.

Local storage is a different purchase

A hub can keep clips off the subscription only for cameras Arlo says will join it. The packs in this comparison do not contain a VMB4540 or a VMB5000. Essential pan-tilt cameras cannot pair with a SmartHub or base station. The outdoor pair at £104.99 and the indoor pair at £69.99 are in that group, and one buyer returned the indoor camera because it would not join a hub. Their history, if you want it, is cloud history. There is no SD card in the XL pair either. Activity zones sit on the subscription, and Pro 6 reviewers say they are hard to find even when the plan is there. If the pack is still undecided, the best Arlo camera page names who the Pro 6 two-camera kit is for.

Common questions

What do I lose when the trial ends?
Arlo’s FAQ says live streaming, notifications, and two-way audio remain, and that 30-day history and activity zones do not. You lose the rewind and the zone filter. You do not lose the ability to open the live picture. Check the exact trial length in the app, because a review that mentions about a month is describing one experience, not every offer.
How much is Arlo Secure in the UK?
Arlo’s public FAQ, as captured for this research, describes 7, 14, and 30 days and does not set out one pound table. The Independent and The Ambient in 2026 report about £7.99 a month for one camera, £11.99 for up to four, £19.99 for Secure Plus, and £24.99 for Secure Pro. Confirm that in the app. Do not use an older £5.49 figure.
Is Secure Plus the one with known faces and fire detection?
Yes. Arlo’s plan FAQ puts known-person recognition and fire detection on Secure Plus, with fire detection marked beta, plus 14 days of cloud recording up to 4K and unlimited cameras at one location. The 7-day Secure tier is the shorter archive up to 2K. Beta fire detection does not replace a smoke alarm.
Why did recordings disappear after a month?
That is what the end of a trial looks like. History and activity zones stop. Live view and alerts can continue. Later reviews of the Essential 3 HD three-pack describe footage that stopped storing after about a month. Pair the camera again only if it is offline. Pairing does not bring the old clips back.
Is continuous recording included in Secure?
No. Arlo lists continuous recording as its own add-on, from £12.99 per camera per month, and only for a camera on mains power. A battery camera is not eligible. Two mains cameras on that add-on are about £311 a year before you add a Secure tier for the smarter alerts. A 66p a day bullet is about £20 a month and is not this add-on, nor the reported £7.99 single-camera tier.

Related pages

Arlo wired or battery camera

Arlo camera

Best Arlo camera: the pack must match the plan you pay

Arlo camera buying guide: four checks before you buy

How to set up an Arlo camera beside the home router

Sources

Public UK sources from the digest first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices and stars were taken on 19 October 2026.

  1. ICO, Home CCTV systems (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, consumer connectable product security (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. NCSC, smart security cameras (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Arlo UK plans (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Arlo UK plan FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Arlo UK local storage (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Arlo UK battery life (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Arlo UK 2.4 GHz setup (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  9. The Independent, best home security cameras 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  10. amazon.co.uk listings for the eleven ASINs in this set (retrieved 19 October 2026)