Best Webcams From 1080p to 4K for 2024
Low-res 720p (and even some 1080p) webcams don't cut it today. These 1080p and 4K webcams are perfect for meetings, videoconferencing, streaming games and more.
Our Experts
What to consider
Price
Resolution
Field of view
Microphone
Design
Our Picks
What's the best webcam overall?
After hours of testing, the Insta360 Link webcam currently holds the top spot. It's my favorite webcam, thanks to a great combination of video quality, performance and feature-rich software. The downside? It's a little on the expensive side, coming in at around $300 (sometimes available on sale for closer to $250). If you don't need the pan-tilt-zoom and can make do with slight position tweaks in software, the Logitech MX Brio is good as well. If 4K is overkill for you, my top 1080p pick is the Razer Kiyo Pro, with a much more palatable price of $120. Razer's software, which is key to most of its features, runs only on Windows.
I'm continually evaluating new models as they become available and I'll update this list regularly with more advice and picks as I test them. As I can't test every webcam on the market, I filter the potential list of products to those I think will offer best-in-class performance, excellent value or that people will be curious about. More complex or expensive models may get full reviews, while less complicated or cheaper models worthy of recommending are only covered here.
Best webcams of 2024
With excellent video quality, intelligent operation and software and a good built-in, noise-canceling mic, Insta360's debut webcam stole my heart. It's got nearly all the must-have features of competitors -- including 1080p/60fps streaming, a vertical video mode, a gimbal with automatic tracking, custom presets plus tons more -- and is as good or better at everything.
It's not perfect, although most of my gripes can likely be fixed in software or firmware; they're not necessarily hardware flaws. At review time there was no way to change the default sleep timer or initial framing state, you couldn't save image-related presets (like exposure compensation or white balance), the app didn't let you rotate the camera vertically and it can get pretty hot.
It's also really expensive; not overpriced for what you get but more than a lot of people can or are willing to pay for a general-purpose webcam. If being polished on camera is part of your job, it might be worth it to you.
Best multipurpose 4K webcam
Logitech MX Brio and MX Brio 705
The MX Brio does a bit of everything and a lot of some things. It stands out for its ability to focus a lot closer than any webcam I've seen, on top of excellent video and mic quality and some nice design details, like the clever shutter. It integrates well into Logitech's MX ecosystem, plus it lets you stream at 1080/60fps.
The software is great as well. Its Options Plus and G Hub software -- one for biz and one for gaming -- have identical options, though Options Plus runs on Mac while G Hub doesn't. And there are a ton of controls.
At $200, it's in the zone for competing-quality 4K webcams, but I think you'll find it discounted later in 2024.
Best cheap webcam
Nexigo N60 1080p 30fps webcam
I had my doubts about this at first: So many small, unfamiliar brands are on Amazon that it takes a lot more than a four-plus star review to pique my interest. I was quite surprised at how good this basic webcam is for the price, much of which has to do with the software. It also supports Macs, something the camera it replaces doesn't. (It's the
There's only so much you can do with the image quality on a basic 1080p 30fps webcam, but the Nexigo still delivers better video quality than many 720p laptop webcams, with relatively solid white balance and autoexposure, even across various lighting conditions. Don't expect great 1080p picture quality at full-size viewing or in low light. Under those conditions, you can see noise and softness, but it's no worse than most 1080p webcams under $100. Scaled down to a typical laptop viewing size, it looks good.
Nexigo's software isn't pretty, but some of it's a lot more functional than much of what I've used. For instance, the manual white balance actually works well along a continuum rather than just giving you a choice between too pink or too green. It also allows you to save presets for all the adjustable settings. It doesn't currently work with MacOS Monterey, so I couldn't test that, but the company promises an update to support the latest version of the OS within the next couple of months.
It's got a built-in mic, although the audio quality is disappointing. The mic performs noise cancellation, but you can't turn it off or adjust it, and I heard quite a bit of popping and tinniness on my end.
The build feels about what you'd expect for a cheap webcam, plasticky but not fragile, and the mount supports tilt and swivel. Nexigo includes the typical loose cover. I hate those and have already lost it. Other trade-offs for the price: a captive USB-A cable and a non-removable mount. It also has a 110-degree field of view, which is kind of wide for your usual web conferencing. You can zoom digitally, but as with any 1080p webcam, that gets ugly fast.
Best webcam under $50
Razer Kiyo X
Razer replaced its Kiyo with the Kiyo X at a lower price, a level that the Kiyo used to drop to when on sale. It did so by cutting out the ring light (which is useless, anyway) and the mic (the built-in mic in your laptop is better than with most webcams), as well as switching to a simple, non-swiveling mount. Not much differentiates these entries 1080p 30fps from each other, but Razer's stands out a bit for its accurate white balance and decent exposure, as long as your lighting doesn't vary wildly.
Best 1080p webcam for frequent movers
Obsbot Tiny
The 1080p Obsbot Tiny, a PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) model, replaces the
It has all the essentials covered as well, including solid video quality and a surprisingly good mic (although it lacks features you might be used to from the mic in your laptop or headset, like noise cancellation), as well as a lightweight utility to control the camera position and zoom in software.
Some aspects I don't like as much. In software, you can zoom continuously between 1x and 2x, but the gesture control only takes you completely in or out, while 1.5x is probably your best general choice. Since it's 1080p, the 2x digital zoom doesn't look great. While the auto white balance and exposure work pretty well, it doesn't handle low light as well as the cheaper Anker, which can also do 1080p at 60fps (the Tiny is limited to 30fps). The latter wouldn't be as much of an issue if the utility had some image controls, but the Obsbot relies entirely on Windows' settings dialog and even then supports only white balance and exposure. You can change the aperture, but that setting doesn't seem to do anything on any webcam I've tested thus far.
Because it's so tall, you may not like mounting it on top of a big monitor, although I've got it perched on top of a 32-inch without issue. It's a benefit if you're using it atop your laptop, since the way most people use their laptop cameras, it sits well below their eyeline.
Best 4K webcam for streamers
Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra
Now that the Elgato Facecam Pro has evaporated, there's no 4K 60fps choice, but the next best thing is the 4K 30fps Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra. It's expensive, like most 4K models, but it's one of the better models for handling 4K; excellent color, exposure and focus, partly thanks to a large sensor and adjustable settings to fix problems you'll encounter with other webcams. Although most people won't want to stream at 4K, if you do (or if you want to drop to 1440p), you can adjust the Pro Ultra's streaming compression for better performance in conjunction with software that uses MJPEG, like OBS.
Even if you don't need it for 4K streaming, it can come in handy when you need better detail for prerecorded segments or zooming in to your head and shoulders, for example. Plus, if you're embedded in the Razer ecosystem, it should fit right in.
It does have some distinct flaws, which is why it's a qualified recommendation given the high price. Most significantly, you can't adjust most of the settings while previewing your recording, streaming or conferencing application, and it can be a bit glitchy; those could conceivably be fixed in a future firmware or software update.
Best webcam for portrait-orientation video
Logitech StreamCam
This tiny webcam is designed for streaming (in case the name didn't give it away), but it has some perks that make it appealing for general-purpose use. You can mount it horizontally or vertically, which makes it nice for video chatting with folks on phones or for shooting quickie TikTok or Instagram videos. It shoots in 1080p at 60fps, which can frequently give you better-looking video than 30fps. Plus, it's small, so it can fit in cramped spaces.
Best 1080p under $100 for streamers and challenging lighting
Razer Kiyo Pro
Razer's unconventional-looking webcam supports 1080p at 60fps, and because it doesn't compress the stream it can produce some nice-looking video. It also has a sensor and autoexposure capabilities optimized to compensate for dim and harsh lighting, plus an automatic white balance that preserves more natural-looking skin tones. It comes with a cover; not as convenient as a lens shutter but better for keeping dust off the front of the camera.
Other notable webcams we've tested
Not all webcams are good enough to be considered "best," but not everyone cares about the same things. Here are some that stand out for coming close or having novel characteristics you may care about.
Excellent 1080/60fps for streamers and Mac users
Elgato Facecam Mk.2
Elgato updated its first-gen Facecam with a new sensor that delivers better performance than before, still streaming uncompressed. It also made some design tweaks that addressed my concerns about the original model. I didn't like the detached lens cover, but now it's integrated and slides.
The software is full-featured, but I still prefer Logitech's. The Elgato uses the Nvidia Broadcast SDK for background effects (like blur or video backgrounds) and face tracking. It works well if you've got an Nvidia card, but that essentially turns it into a virtual camera, which I don't care for; for instance, they're treated as separate devices in streaming software like OBS, and it processes the image.
Runner up for best 4K webcam
Obsbot Tiny 2 4K
The Tiny 2 4K is a great PTZ (pan/tilt//zoom) webcam, and I really like being able to tell it to “sleep Tiny” thanks to voice controls. It has good tracking and autofocus performance and solid Mac support, but it’s relatively expensive and should be a little better or offer more for the money in some ways, such as the just-okay mic.
Factors to consider when buying a webcam
On one hand, you don't need to worry about too many specifications to figure out what you want; on the other, it helps to understand what you're looking at to prevent being blindsided by marketing claims. For instance, all webcams are plug-and-play, despite frequently being called out as a novelty, and claims like "DSLR-quality video" are meaningless. AI is not magic; it doesn't automatically make a camera (or even a particular feature) better, and the term is used excessively and very loosely in marketing. Your new external webcam won't necessarily be better than the one integrated into your laptop. Integrated models increasingly are tuned to work with the operating systems in a way that third-party cameras aren't.
Improving your environment with good lighting or a better angle can often enhance the quality of your webcam video more than upgrading the camera itself. Even in an ideal environment, the best webcam won't necessarily deliver great video and audio quality on the other end; that can depend on the consistency and quality of your network connection as well as the software you're using. Videoconferencing software, for example, tends to aggressively process the video for smoother and more consistent transmission over the network rather than looking great.
Price
The webcams range from $20 to about $300, and the best models usually go for $200 and up. In general, price rises as resolution, features and quality gets better. Some good 1080p models are available for under $100, but if you want to save money on the admittedly pricey high-end models, you can frequently get the previous model at a good price and they tend to go on sale at the usual times of the year, like Black Friday season.
Resolution
It's important to separate sensor resolution from video resolution. Many webcams with high-resolution capabilities (greater than 4K, or the equivalent of about 8 megapixels) don't produce video at those levels. Instead, they use the extra pixels to get better results when scaling down to the effective resolution of 1080p, 1440p or 4K, zooming and changing the field of view, low-light performance and more. That's why it's worth considering a 4K model to better frame yourself without looking soft, crunchy or blocky or to demonstrate physical objects.
Don't assume a camera with a high-resolution sensor can output video as 4K. While all software supports 1080p (1,920x1,080 pixels; equivalent to 2 megapixels), other resolutions frequently require specific support -- notably by videoconferencing software. Zoom, for instance, maxes out at 1080p. Keep in mind that software can also take a good image and make it look less good. It does that by compressing excessively for transmission across the software's low-bandwidth pipeline.
Keep in mind that 4K and above webcams can generate a lot of heat, which might be an issue for you if you work in hot environments (prolonged heat may decrease image stability). The metal bodies may be sturdier and sometimes look more attractive, but they also draw heat away from the inside and get hotter to the touch than plastic.
Avoid 720p unless you're desperate and have no money. Even then, you can get a no-name 1080p model for about $20 (maybe less) that will at least be marginally better.
Field of view
Most webcams usually have a fixed field of view (which from your perspective is zoom or the amount of the view the lens covers); that's fine as long as it covers the amount you need. It's specified in degrees, typically in the range of about 65 degrees (narrow, covering roughly your head and shoulders) to 90 degrees (which can accommodate another person in the view). Conference room webcams tend to have a much wider angle of view, unsurprisingly.
Webcams that list multiple fields of view will frequently use digital zoom to achieve it, which means you want to go for a high-resolution webcam; it can look really bad when you start with a 1080p camera.
If the webcam has a wide FOV, then it will likely have distortion that makes straight vertical lines on the sides curve. If that will bother you, look for a narrower FOV, or for a webcam that uses multiple lens elements, which can combat distortion.
Microphones
Not all webcams have built-in microphones. Models targeted at streamers usually don't, for instance, since the assumption is you'll be using a high-quality headset or standalone mic instead of the webcam mic. Built-in mics tend to be intended for everyday videoconferencing, and you rarely have any control over the characteristics of the sound.
Some are better than others. Noise cancellation sometimes works well, but it often makes your voice sound a little (or a lot) processed, and you can't always control how aggressive it is. Many of the mics are omnidirectional, meaning they pick up sound from multiple locations, but that can generally be compensated for computationally.
Bottom line: If you care about sound quality and can tell good from bad, opt for a non-integrated mic or assume you'll need to supplement it with a dedicated mic. If you just want something "good enough," look at user reviews just to verify that a given webcam doesn't have relevant complaints about the mic.
Design
These come in a billion different sizes and shapes, but the mounts -- the physical clip that lets you perch it on your screen -- are all very similar and tend to be stable but cumbersome. There's no "best" design, but if you want to use it on a laptop, you may want to avoid the big, clunky models.
One advantage bigger models have is the ability to remove the mounts or attach the mount itself to a tripod. Even a small tabletop tripod sitting behind your laptop screen can help avoid the weird looking-down angle you see with a lot of laptop webcams, by raising it to eye level. You'll probably still look down occasionally, but it feels more natural for the people on the other end.
The covers vary a lot, and the ones that completely detach and are fiddly to attach can be annoying, and I lose them about 10 minutes after unboxing. If you're tossing the webcam in a bag and carrying it around, you should use something to protect the front.
Other features
Most of a webcam's features are only available via software. Almost any camera will work when you plug it into your USB-C or USB-A port (although 4K webcams frequently need a high-speed USB-C connection to get full resolution). Many of them work well this way.
These features are essential, and they're provided only by software: the ability to override exposure settings when they need correction; some small white balance control (auto usually delivers the best results, but I like to be able to make it slightly warmer or cooler); manual focus and the ability to save the changes as presets. Presets are doubly important for cameras modeled off commercial PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) webcams like the Obsbot and Insta360 models.
One thing to consider when buying a webcam for a Mac is that there are no controls built into the operating system and Windows doesn't expose the settings (for good reason). If you want to adjust exposure, zoom or white balance, then the support needs to be built into the specific application or into a utility that comes with the camera. Autoexposure can be wrong at unexpected times.
All the cameras focus automatically, but unless you move around a lot, manual focus will let you set it and forget it, and even if you move a bit you don't have to deal with the webcam trying to lock onto you again. At best, it'll snap into focus after a slight delay; alternatively, it will pulse unattractively searching for a focus lock. At its worst, it will fail to lock entirely. Although it's starting to change a bit on the higher end, webcams typically focus on the whole view.
Unfortunately, few manufacturers offer MacOS-compatible utilities; the Elgato FaceCam and FaceCam Pro and the Opal C1 and Tadpole are notable exceptions. The only settings you can control on the Mac natively aren't intended for webcams; Portrait mode (to blur the background) and Studio Lighting (to change the foreground-background exposure balance) -- neither of which works as well on the Mac as it does on an iPhone. Not all the software is as full-featured on both platforms or maintained over time.
For Windows, consider whether you want to use Windows Hello for face recognition. Some external webcams support it, but not all. Usually, if a webcam supports it the manufacturer mentions it in the marketing materials.
How we test webcams
To test webcams, I record uncompressed video under various controlled lighting situations (optimal, typical, dim as well as any special cases the webcam is specifically intended for) and with most of the adjustments available in any bundled software, along with a running commentary captured from the webcam's mic if it has one, using OBS software. I also use the webcam for work to suss out any compatibility issues and adapt and expand my testing to cover any special uses the camera may be designed for.
To judge the quality, I play the video back at 1:1, evaluating exposure, white balance, noise, distortion and any other potential artifacts. For audio, I judge it by how natural the tone is and voice pickup, background noise cancellation (and the effect the NC has on the naturalness of the sound) and more.