Here are the best webcams for work, streaming and more
Image credit: Tom’s Guide
If you want to look your best for a crucial conference call, you need the best webcams. Although the majority of new laptops have cameras built in, if image quality is important to you or you frequently work in dimly lit environments, you would still be better off investing in an external camera.
At Tom’s Guide, we examine a considerable number of webcams and rigorously evaluate each one to determine whether or not a model is worth your money. When looking for a new webcam, resolution is the most crucial consideration. 4K webcams are obviously more expensive than 1080p ones. Fortunately, during the past few years, the cost of Ultra HD webcams has decreased significantly.
For the majority of folks, the Anker PowerConf C200 is the best webcam that I can suggest. This 2K cam costs less than $100 and has excellent picture quality. Another excellent choice for those on a tight budget is the Logitech C920s Pro HD, which is sometimes discounted to about $70.
My selections of the greatest webcams available today cover a range of price points, so if you’re willing to go above and beyond, I heartily suggest the superb Logitech Brio MX 4K. Don’t worry if you can’t afford to buy a $200 camera—my selections also include far less costly models.
The best webcams you can buy today
Why you can trust Tom’s Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
1. Anker PowerConf C200
The best webcam for most people
Specifications
Resolution: 2KFramerate: 30 fps
Field of view: 65, 78, or 95 degrees
Microphones: 2
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
View at Amazon
(Black)
Compact, boxy design
Integrated privacy shutter
Adjustable field of view
Excellent low-lighting performance
Crisp details, accurate colors
Great price
Reasons to
avoid
No swivel feature
The Anker PowerConf C200 is the finest webcam for less than $100. For the money, you get a 2K webcam with an adjustable field of view, great video quality in a variety of lighting situations, and an integrated privacy shutter for private moments.
The thoroughbred cam is a great purchase for a lot of reasons. Even without a swivel figure, the PowerConf C200 is unmatched in every other aspect. It’s really attractive, with 2K resolution providing substantially crisper images than 1080p cameras, and it offers excellent value for the money, usually retailing for about $60 at the time of writing.
During our review, we discovered that despite occasionally having a blurry overall image, the 5MP camera sensor did a wonderful job of accurately expressing colors. It had two extremely sensitive microphones; at thirty feet distant, it could hear us. Conversely, its AI noise cancellation performed an excellent job of isolating unwanted noise. You can also quickly adjust the audio and picture settings with Anker’s software.
Considering this snapper usually retails for around $60, its 2K image quality is absolutely outstanding at such a reasonable price point. Not only will you look crystal clear during that next important conference call, it also won’t matter what time said call takes place, as the Anker PowerConf C200 is great at picking your face out in dimly lit conditions (in part thanks to its larger aperture size.
Anker’s cam’s compact form factor is very appealing. With dimensions of 2.4 x 2 x 1.6 inches and a weight of just 2.9 ounces, it is lightweight and convenient to place on top of a laptop or monitor.
The fact that this little cam’s privacy shutter is physically built into the C200 is another great design choice. As is the addition of tripod threading on the bottom, which allows you to easily place Anker’s cam down on your desk and adjust viewing angle appropriately.
Anker’s cam’s compact form factor is very appealing. With dimensions of 2.4 x 2 x 1.6 inches and a weight of just 2.9 ounces, it is lightweight and convenient to place on top of a laptop or monitor.
One of the greatest cameras available is the Logitech C920s HD, which is probably why you’ve seen it in most conference rooms. With a broad 78-degree field of vision that makes it suitable for both solitary conference calls and big meeting spaces, the C920s HD records crisp videos at 1080p and 30 frames per second.
Looking for an excuse to buy this brilliant, budget cam? There are plenty. The Logitech C920s excels in both sunny and dim conditions, which is largely down to Logi’s fantastic RightLight 2 tech. Staying on the software front, LogiCapture provides robust settings tweaks, allowing you to adjust its auto-focus, white balance and zoom features of this plug and play webcam.
Its elegant black form is perfect for mounting on tripods or clipping onto displays, and its companion software allows you to customize avatars and backgrounds. In order to physically obscure the camera’s lens, it also incorporates a privacy shutter.
Its elegant black form is perfect for mounting on tripods or clipping onto displays, and its companion software allows you to customize avatars and backgrounds. In order to physically obscure the camera’s lens, it also incorporates a privacy shutter.
Throw in those crisp 1080p pictures, dual omnidirectional mics and autofocus, you’re getting a superb value cam, as the Logitech C920s can normally be found for under $60. The fact you also detach this webcam’s privacy filter is another bonus, and there’s so much to love about Logi’s peripheral at this price point.
It’s larger (and unquestionably more durable) than many of the company’s less expensive webcams, but it’s still a fairly compact and light camera. It weighs 5.7 ounces and has dimensions of 3.7 x 2.8 x 1.7 inches. Despite the fact that it doesn’t ship with a tripod, Logitech has thankfully provided a convenient universal mounting clip that can be used to fix this stylish snapper to your monitor.
An improved version of the C920s, the Logitech C922 Pro Stream webcam boasts 60 frames per second at 720p resolution, if you’re looking for something more expensive for gaming. However, the Logitech C920s Pro HD is the ideal option if all you’re looking for is the highest possible quality for making video calls.
The Logitech MX Brio is an excellent 4K camera if you’re a professional streamer or need to look your best during a crucial conference call. Although it costs $199, it’s not truly a cheap camera—you get incredibly sharp photographs that are unmatched for that price.
The MX Brio 4K is a nightly treat because of how well it can distinguish fine features in a dimly lit environment. If you have the money, you should purchase this webcam, even though it costs an admittedly high $200.
It also has some really powerful AI functions. This webcam’s AI-enhanced auto light correction makes sure it can see even the smallest details in a dark area, and its twin beamforming mic on the MX Brio uses AI to cut down on background noise. A useful function if your dog begins barking or your kids start screaming while you’re working from home.
The software from Logi also enables you to adjust brightness and color settings, allowing you to further enhance the already excellent out-of-the-box visual performance. And wow, the MX Brio delivers some very amazing visual quality. The quality of your calls (at least from your end) will seem amazing when you turn this snapper to 4K mode.
We praised this Logi snapper in our review, calling it “the Michael Jordan of webcams.” describing it as “ruthlessly efficient and in an NBA zone of its own.” It’s difficult to come up with a better compliment for Logitech’s flagship webcam.
If you’re in the UK and considering buying the MX Brio 4K, there is a little warning. There could be annoying flickering on the screen if you have any lightbulbs on that are in the camera’s range of view. The reason for this is a power frequency clash between the 50Hz refresh rate and the 30 fp shutter speed of the Brio. Thankfully, Americans shouldn’t have to go through this.
The Logitech MX Brio 4K is an easy buy that you should really think about making if you have an extra $200. It really is the best Ultra HD snapper available. And you still need an excuse to purchase this cam? It has one of the greatest highly adjustable tripod stands we’ve ever tested.