A free baby monitor app with no subscription: how Monitor compares

Monitor is a free baby monitor app with no subscription and no camera to buy, and unlike Baby Monitor 3G or Cloud Baby Monitor, you never pay again for a second kind of phone. It runs in the browser on the phones, tablets and laptops you already have, and covers the live part of a baby monitor: watch, listen and talk back, with the video going straight between your devices. It does not track sleep or breathing, and it keeps no video, which is where camera systems like Nanit go further.

This post compares Monitor with three paid options: Baby Monitor 3G and Cloud Baby Monitor, which are one-time purchases, and Nanit, which pairs its own camera with optional yearly plans. Each has real strengths. Here is how they compare, and when each one is the better pick.

The short comparison

App	Free plan	Account needed	What you need	Open source	Source
Monitor (ours)	Free, no subscription	No	Two devices you own, in a browser	Source is public, no license yet	Monitor
Baby Monitor 3G	None; $7.99 once on the US App Store, no subscription	No	Two devices you own	No	App Store listing
Cloud Baby Monitor	None; $6.99 once on the US App Store	Not stated	Two devices you own	No	App Store listing
Nanit	Live video and alerts with its camera; insights are paid	Not stated	Nanit's own camera	No	Nanit

Checked on October 19, 2026. "Not stated" means the listing does not say. Each app is sold separately on each platform, so prices on Google Play can differ.

First, what Monitor is not

Monitor is not a medical device. It does not track breathing, heart rate or oxygen, and it cannot tell you whether your baby is safe. It does not replace safe sleep practices or an adult's supervision. It uses the camera and microphone of a phone you already own, pointed at the crib, so you can see and hear your baby from another room.

Baby Monitor 3G: a fair price, paid per platform

Baby Monitor 3G is listed at $7.99 on the US App Store, and its listing says "No subscription" and "No account required". It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, which is an honest way to sell an app. If everyone in your house uses an iPhone, or everyone uses Android, you buy it once and you are done.

The catch is that each platform is a separate purchase. A family with an iPhone and an old Android tablet buys it twice, and that is exactly what one App Store review complained about in 2026. We also found no free version or trial, so you pay before you know whether it suits your home.

Cloud Baby Monitor: also one-time, also per platform

Cloud Baby Monitor is listed at $6.99 on the US App Store, again as a one-time purchase with no subscription. It is a reasonable choice for a family on one platform.

The same rule applies: a mixed household pays on each side. Some reviews mention delays and dropouts. Your home Wi-Fi plays a part too, but it is worth knowing.

Nanit and other hardware systems: more features, more cost

Nanit is a smart baby monitor built around its own camera. With the camera, you get live video, sound and motion alerts, two-way audio, sounds and a nightlight at no extra charge. Its paid plans add sleep insights, saved video and more, on top of the camera.

Owlet is another option built on its own hardware, with a paid Owlet360 plan on top and a free tier that includes live readings, alerts and video.

To be fair to these: they do things Monitor does not. If you want sleep analytics, a nightly picture of how your baby slept, or saved video to look back on, a dedicated system is the way to get it, and some parents find that worth the money. The common complaint in Nanit's reviews is the cost: you buy the camera, then pay every year for the insights.

What Monitor does

Live video and sound from any phone, tablet or laptop.
Pairing in seconds with a code or a QR code.
Noise alerts with a sensitivity you can adjust, so you can tune it to your baby and your room.
Talk back, play a lullaby, and night view.
Several parents can watch at once, so you, your partner and a grandparent on the sofa can all check in.
Peer to peer and encrypted. Nothing is recorded or stored.

Monitor runs in the browser on iPhone and Android, so any mix of devices works with the same app. An old Android phone can be the baby station while an iPhone watches, or the other way round. Nothing to buy twice.

Why it is free, and why the video stays private

Monitor sends video directly between your devices, encrypted. It never touches our servers. That is why it is private: there is no copy of your nursery stored anywhere. It is also why it is free: video that never reaches us costs us nothing to carry. If we ever add a relay for devices that cannot connect directly, it will be at cost, and the page will say so. More on that in why these apps are free.

Monitor is its own OpenApp, with public source and its own agent, and OpenApps pays for hosting. The promise behind every app in the store is the same: "Free software that is reputable, secure, reliable, and stays free." We explain what that means in free software you can count on.

What Monitor does not do

Know the tradeoffs before you rely on it:

No sleep tracking, and no breathing, heart rate or oxygen readings. It is not a medical device.
No saved video or clips. Nothing is recorded, so there is nothing to look back on.
No relay server today. Most home networks connect directly. If yours cannot, put both devices on the same Wi-Fi.
It needs two devices. One stays in the nursery, plugged in. An old phone or tablet you no longer use works well for that.

Setting it up

Plug in the spare phone or tablet and put it on a shelf or dresser, out of reach and pointed at the crib, with the cable well away from the crib.
Open Monitor on it and start the baby station.
Open Monitor on your own phone or laptop and enter the code, or scan the QR code.
Set the noise sensitivity, and check the picture from the next room.

For a step by step guide with tips on placement and battery, see how to use an old phone as a baby monitor.

Which should you pick?

Pick Monitor if you want a free live monitor from devices you already have, across iPhone, Android and laptops, with nothing recorded.
Pick Baby Monitor 3G or Cloud Baby Monitor if you prefer an app installed from the app store and your devices are all on one platform.
Pick a camera system like Nanit if you want sleep analytics or saved video, and the yearly cost works for you.

Getting ready for a new arrival? Our list of free apps for new parents covers sleep sounds, meal trains, and When for finding a time when family can visit.

Questions

Is there a free baby monitor app with no subscription?

Yes. OpenApps Monitor is free, with no subscription and no camera to buy. It runs in the browser on two phones, tablets or laptops, and the video goes directly between them, encrypted, without being recorded.

Is Monitor a medical device?

No. OpenApps Monitor does not track breathing, heart rate or oxygen, and it does not replace safe sleep practices or an adult's supervision. It lets you see and hear your baby from another room.

Does Monitor work with an iPhone and an Android phone together?

Yes. OpenApps Monitor runs in the browser on both, so one kind of phone can be the baby station and the other can watch. Keep the baby station plugged in.

How does Monitor compare with Baby Monitor 3G?

Baby Monitor 3G is listed at $7.99 as a one-time purchase on the US App Store and is sold separately on each platform, so a home with an iPhone and an Android phone buys it twice. OpenApps Monitor is free and runs in the browser on both. Baby Monitor 3G is an app you install from the app store, which some parents prefer.

Is Monitor a free alternative to Nanit?

For the live part, yes: video, sound, noise alerts and talking back, with phones you already have. OpenApps Monitor records and stores nothing and has no sleep tracking. If you want sleep analytics or saved video, Nanit's paid plans offer them.