Probably no other technology has impacted deer hunting more than cellular trail cameras in the last 10 years. Initially, they were very expensive and required you to add a line to your cell phone plan, limiting their usefulness. As with most technology, though, the prices came down with time and increased availability, and most camera companies now offer their own data plans.
While it’s great that you can now buy a good cellular trail camera for less than the cost of a traditional trail camera just a few years back, the cost of a data plan can quickly add up for those running multiple cameras or getting lots of photos. If you’re looking to purchase a new camera, you need to not only consider the cost of the camera, but also the data plan, as that expense will likely surpass the cost of the camera in a short time.
While I’ve been fairly happy with my Moultrie cell cams, as I set out to purchase some additional cameras, I decided to research the various data plans for my own benefit. And I figured as long as I was doing the research, I might as well share what I’ve learned here on Get Outdoors! South. I hope it’s a helpful resource for you as well.
Bushnell
No free plan
$9.99/mo for 2,000 photos
*Includes 10 hi-res images and 5 monthly video downloads
$14.99/mo for unlimited photos
*Includes unlimited hi-res images and video downloads
Browning
No free plan
Scout – $9.99/mo for 1,200 photos
*Includes 1 camera
Scout Plus – $12.99/mo for 2,400 photos
*Includes 10 HD image uploads
**Up to 2 cameras
Hunter – $19.99/mo for 3,000 photos
*Includes 50 HD image uploads
**Up to 3 cameras
Hunter Plus – $29.99/mo for 6,000 photos
*Includes 300 HD image uploads
**Up to 4 cameras
Guide Pro – $49.99/mo for 12,000 photos
*Includes 400 HD image uploads
**Up to 6 cameras
Unlimited – $17.99/mo or $14.99/mo annually
*no HD image or video downloads included
Covert
No free plan
$4.99/mo for 100 photos
$7.99/mo for 1,000 photos
$9.99/mo for 5,000 photos
$14.99/mo for 10,000 photos
$19.99/mo for 20,000 photos
Unlimited Plan – $19.99/mo or $59.97/quarter or $239.88/annually
*Add a line to any non-unlimited plans for $5/camera
Moultrie Mobile
No free plan
Standard – $9.99/mo or $107.88/yr for 1,000 images + 10 videos
Unlimited – $16.99/mo or $155.88/yr – unlimited images + 50 videos
Pro Plan – $34.99/mo or $275.88/yr – unlimited images + 50 videos
*Add additional cameras for $7.99/ea per month or $95.88 annually
Add Ons: Additional 500 images on standard plan for only $4.99/mo and additional 50 videos for $1/mo
Muddy
No free plan
$5.00/mo or $48/yr for 600 Images (50MB)
$10/mo or $96/yr for 2,000 images (100MB)
$15/mo or $144/yr for unlimited images
Bundle Pro – $50/mo or $480/yr for 3GB/36,000 images
*3 cameras included and $5/ea additional camera
Elite Hunter Plan – $5/mo and includes:
- Automatic filtering of bucks, does, hogs and turkey
- Two years of cloud storage
- Security monitoring sends notifications in the event of attempted camera activation on an unauthorized account.
Spypoint
Free Plan – includes 100 photos
Basic – $5/mo or $48/yr for 250 photos
Standard – $10/mo or $84/yr for 1,000 photos
Premium – $15/mo or $120/yr for unlimited photos
Add Ons:
- Full HD photo package $5/50 photos
- Full HD video package $5/20 videos
Stealth Cam Fusion
$5/mo or $48/yr for 600 photos (50MB)
$10/mo or $96/yr for 2000 photos (100 MB)
$20/mo or $180/yr for unlimited photos
*3 cameras included, $5 per added camera
Elite Hunter Plan – $5/mo and includes:
- Automatic filtering of bucks, does, hogs and turkey
- Two years of cloud storage
- Security monitoring sends notifications in the event of attempted camera activation on an unauthorized account.
Tactacam
Starter Plan – $5/mo or $55/yr for 250 photos
*add additional cameras for $5/mo or $55/annually
Intermediate Plan – $8/mo or $85/yr for 500 photos
*add additional cameras for $7.50/mo or $75/yr
Pro Plan – $13/mo or $120/yr for unlimited photos
*add additional cameras for $12/mo or $96/annually
Pro Xtra Package – $9/mo per account – enables on-demand photo capture, all multi-shot photos sent to app, and unlimited HD photos/videos
Wildgame Innovations
Copper Plan – Free for 100 photos
*includes 30 days of cloud storage, mapping tools, weather forecast, and photo sorting
Bronze Plan – $5/mo or $48/yr for 250 photos
*includes 30 days of cloud storage, mapping tools, weather forecast, and photo sorting
Silver Plan – $10/mo or $96/yr for 1,250 photos
*includes 6 months of cloud storage, mapping tools, weather forecast, photo sorting, image recognition, and moon guide.
Gold Plan – $12/mo or $120/yr for unlimited photos
*includes 1 year of cloud storage, mapping tools, weather forecast, photo sorting, image recognition, moon guide, species recognition, hit list, hunt predictor, and buck scoring.
What’s the Best Data Plan for You?
So, what’s the best data plan for your application? It really depends on how many cameras you plan to run, and how many photos you get per camera. If you’re a public land hunter like myself, who sets up cameras on trails, scrapes or natural pinch points, and doesn’t get a lot of photos, then one of the plans with a free option may be the perfect option. That includes Spypoint and Wildgame Innovations.
If you’re planning on running multiple cameras and getting lots of photos, then Stealth Cam, Tactacam, or Wildgame Innovations may be your best bet. I will note that Tactacam has a great reputation and seems to be the camera of choice for many cellular trail cam users currently. I haven’t personally used a Tactacam, but it will likely be my next purchase.
To get an idea of which plan is best for running multiple cameras, we looked at the cost of running four cameras with unlimited photos. Those results are shared below.
Cost to run 4 cameras with unlimited photos
Camera Manufacturer | Monthly Cost |
Browning | $71.96 |
Bushnell | $60.00 |
Covert | $80.00 |
Moultrie Mobile | $58.96 |
Muddy | $60.00 |
Spypoint | $60.00 |
Stealth Cam Fusion | $25.00 |
Tactacam | $49.00 |
Wildgame Innovations | $48.00 |
Summary
As the price of cellular trail cameras continues to drop, more and more deer hunters will take advantage of the advanced technology and benefits they provide. But it’s important for would-be users to look beyond just the cost of the camera and understand what it’s going to cost to continue operating the camera through deer season and often beyond. Hopefully this article cleared up some of the questions and confusion around those data plans so you can make an informed choice about your next (or first) cellular trail camera.