Alfred vs WardenCam vs Call Pet: Best App to Turn Your Old Phone into a Pet Camera
Searching for an app to turn a spare phone into a pet camera, you'll keep seeing the same names: Alfred, WardenCam, CameraFTP, and Call Pet.
This comparison cuts straight to what actually matters so you can pick the right one in a few minutes.
Quick Verdict
| You need... | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Cloud recording and playback | Alfred |
| Privacy-first, no cloud video | Call Pet |
| No account or login | Call Pet |
| Google Drive integration | WardenCam |
| Best UI and interaction design | Call Pet |
Alfred
Alfred is the most widely known spare-phone camera app, with a large user base and plenty of tutorials.
What it does well:
- Free tier covers basic live viewing
- Motion detection with push notifications
- Cloud recording (playback available)
- Two-way audio
- Works on both iOS and Android
What to know:
- Requires a Google account to sign in — no anonymous use
- Video is uploaded to Alfred's cloud servers, not end-to-end encrypted
- Free version includes ads; full features require a paid subscription
- Alfred's privacy policy permits using data to improve their service
Best for: Users who need cloud recording and don't mind video being stored on a third-party server.
WardenCam
WardenCam is built around Google's ecosystem, with recording that goes directly to Google Drive or Dropbox.
What it does well:
- Stores recordings in Google Drive or Dropbox
- Long-term recording with key event marking
- Supports multiple cameras
What to know:
- Requires Gmail login — no option to use without a Google account
- All video routes through cloud servers before reaching you
- Setup is more complex than competing apps
- Full functionality requires payment
Best for: Heavy Google users who want recordings automatically archived to Drive.
CameraFTP
CameraFTP targets a more technical audience, with FTP server support and security-focused features.
What it does well:
- Self-hosted FTP storage option
- Solid motion detection and alert system
What to know:
- Dated interface, not beginner-friendly
- Requires account registration
- Video still passes through servers
Best for: Technical users with a NAS or self-hosted server setup.
Call Pet
Call Pet is the only app in this comparison that was built specifically for pet monitoring and keeps video completely off cloud servers.
What it does well:
- End-to-end encrypted video: Uses WebRTC peer-to-peer with X25519 + AES-GCM encryption. Video goes directly from your spare phone to your main phone. No server can read it — not even the developers.
- No account required: Pair by scanning a QR code. No email, no password, no registration.
- No ads: The app contains no advertising of any kind.
- Best UI and interaction design: Built specifically for pet monitoring — the interface is clean, intuitive, and optimized for this one use case in a way general-purpose apps aren't.
- Two-way audio with low latency: Talk to your pet naturally, without the delay of a phone call.
- Spare phone optimization: Screen turns off automatically to save battery; auto-reconnects if Wi-Fi drops.
- iOS and Android both work as the camera device
What to know:
- No cloud recording or playback (video isn't stored anywhere — that's the point)
- The viewer/controller app requires an iPhone
Best for: Anyone who cares about privacy, wants zero friction setup, and doesn't need video playback.
The Core Difference: Where Does Your Video Go?
This is the most important question to ask about any home monitoring app — and the answer separates Call Pet from the others.
Alfred, WardenCam, CameraFTP all use a cloud relay architecture:
- Your spare phone records and uploads video to the company's servers
- You stream it back down from those servers in the app
This means a third party holds video footage from inside your home. If their servers are breached, your footage is exposed. Their privacy policies determine how your data is used.
Call Pet uses peer-to-peer architecture:
- Your spare phone encrypts the video stream on-device
- It goes directly to your main phone via WebRTC
- Nothing is stored anywhere
No server. No exposure. No one else can access it.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Alfred | WardenCam | CameraFTP | Call Pet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free to download | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Account required | ✅ Gmail | ✅ | ❌ None | |
| Ads | Free tier has ads | No | No | ❌ No ads |
| Video encryption | Transport only | Transport only | Transport only | End-to-end |
| Video storage | Alfred cloud | Google Drive | FTP server | Not stored |
| Cloud playback | ✅ (paid) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Two-way audio | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| UI quality | Average | Complex | Outdated | Best in class |
| Built for pets | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Alfred if you need cloud recording and playback, and are comfortable with video stored on a third-party server.
Choose WardenCam if you want recordings archived to Google Drive and you're already deep in Google's ecosystem.
Choose Call Pet if:
- You don't want footage of your home on any company's server
- You don't want to create an account
- You only need live monitoring, not playback
- You want the best-designed pet monitoring experience available
Download Call Pet free — scan a QR code, 30 seconds to set up.
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