Now that it's summer, you're likely seeing plenty of birds around, raising their newly hatched young and enjoying the proliferation of flowers, bugs, and fruit. This is the perfect time to meet them via a bird feeder with a built-in camera, but which one should you choose? There are thousands of models on Amazon, many of which look enticingly inexpensive, but keep in mind you're not just buying a bird feeder with a camera stuffed into it; you're buying the whole user experience—is there a subscription? What is the app like? How long will it be supported? How easy is it to fill and mount? How will you charge it?

I have been testing smart bird feeders year-round for nearly two years for WIRED—dozens of models, in rain, heat, and wind—and at this point I have a pretty good bead on which brands and models are worth the money, and which ones are not. Below are some of my favorites, at some of the lowest prices I've seen them.

Also be sure to browse our roundup of the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals, or visit our Amazon Prime Day live blog for real-time updates.

For a Premium Experience

Formerly known as the Beako, this feeder from Kiwibit has been tweaked and refined over the past couple of years to become one of the most user-friendly feeders on the market, with high-quality 8 MP photos, 4K HD video, and a built-in solar roof that works well even on cloudy days. The 1.5-liter seed hopper has two sides to accommodate two different types of feed if you so desire, and the thick, sturdy body (no paper-thin plastic here!) is easy to fill, clean, and install. I also appreciate that it's fully usable out of the box without a subscription (as it should be at this price point), though you'll still need to spring for one if you want longer storage and video recording.

Best Option for Hummingbirds

I've tried a number of smart hummingbird feeders, and Birdbuddy's is still one of the best-designed, with a shallow basin that screws off for easy filling and cleaning, plus a built-in solar roof that does a great job of keeping the device charged. Paired with Birdbuddy's excellent app, it makes keeping track of your neighborhood hummingbirds a cinch. The only issue I have is that, like all Birdbuddy cameras, the sensor does not capture all the birds that visit, which is disappointing when you see something interesting out the window that didn't get captured on your device.

Two Cameras

I had ongoing connection issues with both cameras on this feeder, as well as trouble with the solar panel, but when everything was working, the quality and multiple angles were fantastic. The reservoir holds slightly less seed than the Birdfy Lite below (42 ounces to the Lite’s 50 ounces), and the plastic guard on top is easily chewed by squirrels, but this is still the best dual-camera model I've tried and is capable of producing truly high-quality images.

For Top-Quality Photo and Video

I first came across Camojojo's original Hibird in response to a reader's frustration with not being able to get a smart feeder to connect to their bundled Wi-Fi, a common situation where Wi-Fi networks automatically assign frequencies to devices. Most smart bird feeders run on 2.4 GHz, but the Hibird ran on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, which was rare at the time but is now becoming more common with new feeder releases like Birdbuddy's 2 and Birdfy's new Metal 2. This is the upgraded version of that original Hibird, with an all-new body and supposedly improved AI ID. The app isn't fantastic, but it's usable enough (though you'll need a subscription for things like extra storage), and the 8 MP photos and 4K video are among the highest quality you'll find.

For a Sturdier Body

This is Camojojo's original feeder, and it is a beast—heavier and sturdier than the newer Pro, above. If you're interested in Camojojo's dual-band Wi-Fi functionality (this one also runs on 2.4 and 5 GHz) but worried about squirrel damage, this is a solid pick. It doesn't come with a solar roof or pole mount, and the photos aren't as high a resolution as the pro, but it does have a larger 10,000 mAh battery, and my test unit stayed charged for the duration of my four-week testing period.

Our Favorite Seed Feeder

If you're looking for the best smart bird feeder deal under $150, this is it. It's not the best-quality camera (1080p photos and 2K video is quite mid these days) or feeder body, which is very lightweight plastic and comes with either yellow or blue accent parts (you can choose), but it's got a solar panel to keep itself charged, and there's no subscription required to use it right out of the box. I've had no connection issues during my tests, and the app is simple but easy to navigate. The AI ID also has a decent success rate, and it's easy to fill and set up. If you're looking for something closer to $100, there are also iterations with no solar panel, no AI ID (you can always post screenshots of unknown birds into Google), or absent both.

The OG

Birdbuddy (previously styled Bird Buddy) was the first-ever smart bird feeder, launched in 2020. We reviewed it in 2023, and I reviewed this updated model last year, giving it props for its feature-filled app; reliable, built-in solar panel; and availability of add-ons that are easy to screw right into the perch. It's a well-engineered feeder that's easy to use right out of the box, with what I think is the most user-friendly app on the market. More features seem to be hidden behind a paywall with the latest update, which I don't like, and all Birdbuddys have a sensor whose purpose is to filter out “less interesting” events and only show you noteworthy visits. This is an admirable goal, as it does get tiring to have to sort through 30 images of the same junco or sparrow, but the result is that it misses a sizable portion of visits, even ones that are interesting. This is the only downside, though, as well as the fact there's an even newer model that's just $50 more right now, the Birdbuddy 2, which features a camera you can rotate and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.

Best-Looking Option

Most smart bird feeders are plastic, and for good reason—plastic is lightweight, water-resistant, low-maintenance, and durable. It does, however, have the unfortunate quality of looking like plastic. I've been on the hunt for a while for a smart bird feeder that is reliable, has a great app, is usable without a subscription, and actually looks great—I've finally found it with Birdfy's newer bamboo model. Note, however, the bamboo will need to be stained at least a couple of times a year to maintain the finish, and you'll need to make sure you've mounted it somewhere where it won't fall down. Another bamboo Birdfy feeder I was testing broke pretty easily when it was knocked off its pole during a windstorm. Here I'm recommending the non-AI ID version, as it's easy enough to screenshot birds you don't recognize and paste them into Google, but if you do want to spring for the version with lifetime AI ID (which is pretty decent), it's just $30 more. There's also a model that comes with a metal guard to prevent rodents from chewing the wood, for just $2 more.