Cheapest cellular trail camera plans: ranked by what you'd actually pay

Cheapest entry tier

1. Spypoint Free: $0, 100 photos/mo. Requires nothing.
2. Spypoint Basic: $4/mo billed annually ($5 monthly), 250 photos.
3. Tactacam Starter: $5/mo or $55/yr, 250 photos; +$5/mo per additional camera.
4. Stealth Cam Standard: $5/mo or $48/yr, 600 photos and 200 video previews.
5. Moultrie Standard: $8.99/mo, 1,000 images and 10 videos. Required; no free tier.
6. Reconyx Freedom Plan: $250/yr, about $20.83/mo. Required for operation.

Note what $5 buys at each brand: 250 photos at Tactacam, 600 at Stealth Cam. If you're choosing purely on the entry tier, Stealth Cam's is the most generous paid one.

Cheapest unlimited tier

1. Spypoint Premium: $10/mo annual ($15 monthly).
2. Moultrie Unlimited: $12.99/mo. Unlimited images, 50 videos.
3. Tactacam Pro: $13/mo or $120/yr ($10/mo) for the first camera; $12/mo each additional.
4. Stealth Cam Unlimited: $20/mo or $120/yr ($10/mo) first camera; $15, then $11 each for additional on monthly billing.
5. Reconyx Freedom Plan: $250/yr per camera.

Tactacam's $120/yr Pro for the first camera is also $10/mo, tying Spypoint on the first camera; additional Tactacam cameras are $12/mo each regardless of billing, per the plan page.

Cheapest with annual billing

Spypoint discounts every paid tier for annual billing ($4 / $7 / $10 instead of $5 / $10 / $15). Tactacam sells annual at $55 / $85 / $120. Stealth Cam discounts too, at $48 / $72 / $120 a year, though its pricing card states the monthly-billed yearly total ($60 / $96 / $240) beside the savings badge rather than the discounted figure; the post-discount prices are the ones Muddy publishes for the same Command platform, and we show the working in Stealth Cam plans explained. Moultrie shows no annual price for Standard or Unlimited. Reconyx is annual only. On a single camera billed annually, Spypoint, Tactacam and Stealth Cam all land at $120 a year for unlimited photos.

Cheapest at four cameras

The two ways people pay more

• HD packs. Spypoint's plan sends downsized photos; full resolution is $5 per 50 photos per camera. Someone who requests HD on every deer pays more in packs than in plan. Decide up front whether you want HD by default (Tactacam Xtra, Moultrie on-demand) or by exception (Spypoint packs).
• Per-camera billing you forgot to multiply. "$8.99 a month" is $35.96 a month at four cameras and $431.52 a year. Every brand here except Tactacam's Xtra add-on is per camera.

The cameras on the cheapest plans