It doesn't matter if you're video conferencing with coworkers, chatting with family members, or live streaming to an audience of thousands — you want to look good! Or, at least, like you're not using a laptop from 2004.

The list in brief 1. Best Overall 2. Content Creators 3. Budget 4. 4K/60fps 5. Image Quality 6. 2K 7. Other Webcams We Tested 8. How We Test 9. Shopping Tips 10. Discounts

It's impossible to recommend a universally perfect webcam, because there are so many different ways to use webcams these days. And there are so many different types of webcams these days — from standard HD (1080p) to 4K resolution, with different lenses and sensors and AI-powered tech. You shouldn't just grab an ultra high-res 4K and call it a day — most of the common video conferencing platforms (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams) don't even support resolutions higher than 1080p (if that).

Like most (all) ultra-high-res 4K webcams, the Elgato Facecam Pro isn’t for everyone — remember, web conferencing apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, limit your outgoing stream to 720p or 1080p at most. The Facecam Pro is not only capable of producing a high-res 4K image, it’s able to output a 4K stream at 60fps. For context, other 4K webcams max out at 4K/30fps; the Facecam Pro is the first and only webcam capable of 4K/60fps streaming.

While this may not be too much of a problem for the casual user, professional streamers and content creators who are looking for precise control over their streaming output will probably be better off with the Insta360 Link or the Elgato Facecam Pro — both similarly-priced 4K webcams with very usable software.

The webcam's built-in stand is convenient (and impossible to lose), but it doesn't allow the camera to swivel or rotate for better shooting angles. Logitech's C920 shares this limitation, but there are cheaper options that offer more flexibility. If you're looking for a webcam that costs and performs in the C920's space, the Microsoft Modern Webcam does a better job of reproducing colors more vividly and accurately, and has advanced options such as HDR. It's an easy choice, so long as your monitor isn't too curvy on the back.

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The Kiyo Pro Ultra works with Razer’s Synapse 3, which offers pretty detailed control over the webcam with manual adjustments for focus, exposure, and color balance, as well as photo and video resolution settings and processing effects. Unfortunately, to adjust any of the Kiyo Pro Ultra’s settings in Synapse 3, you must have the in-app preview turned on, and Windows only allows you to use the webcam with one app at a time — so if you’re trying to set up an image in a program other than Synapse 3 (and you probably are), this quickly becomes a very frustrating process.

We then shoot test photos in three lighting conditions: (1) well-lit, with bright lighting both in front of and behind the subject; (2) backlit/overexposed, with bright light behind the subject and one 27-inch monitor in front of the subject; and (3) low-light, with no lighting aside from one 27-inch monitor in front of the subject. Our home office lighting is completely controlled.

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It has a 90-degree field of view, an autofocus lens, and it comes bundled with Elgato’s Camera Hub software — which offers a surprisingly detailed amount of control over exposure, white balance, and framing. The Facecam Pro retails for $299 and is a good option for professional streamers and content creators who need 4K/60fps video and who are already part of Elgato’s streaming ecosystem. But if you don't need 60fps, the Facecam Pro isn't necessarily our top 4K webcam pick.

The Dell Pro Webcam looks similar to its pricier sibling (but... cheaper). It has a plastic chassis, a magnetic lens cap, a non-detachable USB-A cable, and a built-in monitor clamp — it’s definitely less “premium” than the Dell Ultrasharp, but it’s well built and still looks relatively sleek sitting on top of your monitor.

The MX Brio is Logitech's update to the Brio 4K — the first 4K webcam... ever. The MX Brio sports the same resolution (4K/30fps, 1080p/60fps) as its predecessor but has an upgraded sensor and improved software for an image that's twice as detailed as the Brio 4K. It's also got a nice new look — a sleek aluminum chassis with a convenient integrated privacy shutter.

Best Webcam for Most People The Brio 500 is a 1080p/30fps webcam with a flexible, 90-degree field of view and impressive auto-white balance and auto-exposure right out of the box. It performs well in a variety of lighting conditions and is a great choice for chatting with family, friends, and coworkers.

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It adds onboard storage, HDR, and 4x digital zoom, and has been redesigned with a built-in privacy shutter and a lower-profile chassis. It's also cheaper at $150 (the original Facecam debuted at $200).

If you’re not quite ready to spring for a 4K webcam — and, let’s face it, you probably don’t need one — a 2K webcam like the Dell Pro Webcam (WB5023) is a nice compromise. This 2K QHD webcam records video at 1440p/30fps (1080p/60fps) and has a 78-degree field of view as well as HDR, 4x digital zoom, a built-in mic, and AI auto-framing.

Best Image Quality The Kiyo Pro Ultra is a 4K/30fps webcam with an extra-large sensor and a wide aperture with a shallow depth-of-field — meaning it will give your images that blurred background effect without software.

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We test each of our webcams by inspecting its specs, design, and build quality, as well as how easily its lens can be covered for privacy. We also test the stability and flexibility of any built-in or included monitor stands.

It's certainly a solid option for someone who's mostly chatting with coworkers or clients, but those users generally don't need 4K resolution. The MX Brio is certified for popular video conferencing apps Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom — none of which even support 4K webcam video. (Also, it doesn't support Windows Hello — though its predecessor did.) We're just not sure who this webcam is for.

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Razer’s first 4K webcam, the Kiyo Pro Ultra, has the largest sensor ever put in a webcam — a 1/1.2-inch Sony Starvis 2, with a wide f1.7 aperture — as well as 4x digital zoom, an adjustable field of view (72 - 82 degrees), and a nicely-integrated physical privacy shutter. It’s a large but relatively lightweight webcam, and it has the same detached-DSLR lens aesthetic as its predecessors.

The MX Brio produces balanced, evenly-lit images that work especially well in a professional setting, and this webcam is aimed at business users (rather than gamers/streamers/creators). It's not quite as dramatic or as detailed as the creator-focused 4K webcams we've tested (but it's also cheaper, at $200).

The Microsoft Modern Webcam's monitor mount can be shaky on some  monitors, especially those that aren't flat along the back — but you can get it to sit relatively still with some artful balancing. The sliding physical camera shutter gives this budget-friendly webcam a more premium feel.

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The Logitech Brio 500 is the first new Logitech webcam (for non-creators) in over a decade, and while its 1080p/30fps resolution may sound underwhelming, its performance is not. Armed with a flexible 90-degree field of view and Logitech’s "RightLight 4" image adjustment technology, the Brio 500 produces an impressive, exposure-balanced image right out of the box and is a great choice for most people.

Most video conferencing apps cap streaming video quality at 1080p, so a 2K webcam might not seem any more usable than a 4K webcam in that regard. However, a higher resolution webcam can still make a difference if you plan on zooming in (perhaps to crop out your background), so it’s not just content creators who can benefit.

The Link is a very impressive webcam — maybe a little too impressive. Realistically, the Link is probably overkill for all but a very small user demographic. 4K resolution isn’t even possible in most web conferencing apps, and capture modes such as “portrait mode,” “top-down mode,” and “desktop mode” are fun to play with but aren’t terribly beneficial unless you already know how you’re going to use them. Remember, this is still a webcam — it needs to be connected to a computer to work, so it's not as versatile as a standalone action cam, like a GoPro.

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The Facecam Pro’s design isn’t particularly impressive — it’s bulky, boxy, and large — but the webcam is relatively lightweight and easy to maneuver, whether you place it on the included monitor mount or attach it to a tripod. It does lack a physical privacy cover, which seems like a pretty big oversight given how incredibly detailed and high-def the webcam’s picture is (plus, the Elgato Facecam came with a privacy cover).

Best 4K Webcam The Facecam Pro is a 4K/60fps webcam — that's right, 60fps — with a 90-degree field of view and an excellent autofocus lens. It comes with some pretty robust software and is a good option for content creators who need those 60fps.

The Microsoft Modern Webcam is cheaper and more readily available than everyone's favorite old standby, the Logitech C920. Plus, the Modern Webcam has more features and offers better color reproduction than its 12-year-old competitor.

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Most web conferencing apps limit your streaming resolution to 1080p or 720p, but that doesn’t mean a webcam with a higher resolution is completely wasted. If you plan on zooming in to crop out your background, the 2K WB5023 Dell Pro Webcam is similarly priced to the Brio 500, offers impressive out-of-the-box performance, and outputs a 2K resolution, which will give you a touch more detail in closer shots.

Performance-wise, it displays good auto-exposure and white balancing in well-lit and low-light scenarios, but the HDR was underwhelming. It's a good webcam, but the Logitech Brio 500 has better out-of-the-box image quality, a better built-in shutter design, and is cheaper.

We were especially impressed with the Brio 500’s auto-white balance, which is something almost all webcams struggle with: it wasn’t perfect, but it was almost as impressive as the auto-white balance seen on much pricier webcams, such as the Insta360 Link. Logitech’s "RightLight 4" technology, which is designed to compensate for less-than-ideal lighting situations, did an excellent job of producing flattering, evenly-lit images in both low and overexposed lighting.

The Link offers unparalleled image quality, thanks to its 1/2-inch sensor and 4K resolution. But — more importantly — the Link has some of the best auto-exposure, color reproduction, and auto-focus we’ve ever seen in a webcam. Most webcams have difficulty adjusting between different lighting scenarios (especially quickly), and while the Link isn’t perfect, it’s very good at adjusting on the fly. This, combined with the webcam’s 3-axis gimbal and AI-powered movement tracking, makes the Link a very powerful contender for content creators who move a lot, or for professional or educational presentations.

We've tested dozens of webcams to determine the best webcams for every situation — whether you're trying to appear professional while working from home, or creating content for millions of viewers.

The Dell Pro Webcam is a good plug-and-play webcam — it performed well in all of our lighting scenarios right out of the box. It was especially impressive in our low-light test scenario, as it’s one of the only webcams we’ve reviewed that has managed to adequately light both the foreground and the background in a near-dark setting. It also features Digital Overlap HDR.

The Facecam MK.2 is a nice upgrade to the original Facecam, but it's just... not that different. It's got the same basic specs as its predecessor — 1080p/60fps video, a f/2.4 aperture fixed-focus lens, and an 82-degree field of view.

When it comes to professional cabinet lighting, nothing is more impressive or visually effective than a Phantom™ LED light strips. Custom mounting trims establish the optimum aiming angle which allows the contents of any cabinet to be illuminated to a precise degree at the highest level of aesthetics yet to be seen. Strips are precut to any desired length to be custom fitted for both fixed and movable shelves. Strips are dimmable using a magnetic low voltage dimmer and produce a quality of consistent color and lumen output unmatched by competing products.

Our first round of shooting uses the camera's default, out-of-the-box settings. We then manually adjust the camera's settings using the camera's companion software, if applicable. If the camera doesn't come with software, we use a third-party application (YouCam 9) to adjust its settings. We take our photos using the Windows Camera app for consistency.

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Best Webcam for Content Creators The Link is a 4K/30fps webcam that comes on its own AI-powered 3-axis gimbal. It's definitely overkill for most users, but it's got the best auto-exposure and color reproduction we've seen on a webcam.

The Microsoft Modern Webcam comes with an intuitive, if not particularly powerful app that's designed to look like a Windows menu. You can use the app to turn on and customize this webcam's special features, which include flicker reduction and HDR mode.

Best 2K Webcam The WB5023 is a 2K(QHD)/30fps webcam, and it's a good choice if you're looking for higher res than 1080p, but you don't need 4K. For example, if you want to zoom and crop your feed without losing resolution.

The Insta360 Link is an AI-powered 4K webcam perched on a 3-axis gimbal, packed with a variety of capture modes and features that will appeal to content creators such as AI movement tracking, and offers incredibly impressive color reproduction and auto-exposure. This doesn’t come cheap — the Link is one of the pricier webcams on this list with a retail price of $300 — but it's inline with other 4K options.

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The Razer Kiyo Pro is a good 1080p/60fps option for those who don't need (or want) the 4K resolution of the Kiyo Pro Ultra. It drops the built-in ring light we saw in its predecessor (the Razer Kiyo), and has a design that looks a lot like its 4K successor (the Kiyo Pro Ultra), minus the convenient built-in privacy shutter (it does come with a lens cover, though).

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware covering peripherals, software, and custom builds. You can find more of her work in PCWorld, Macworld, TechHive, CNET, Gizmodo, Tom's Guide, PC Gamer, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, SHAPE, Cosmopolitan, and just about everywhere else.

The Kiyo Pro features a large, impressive light sensor that boosts the image in low-light conditions, as well as HDR, an adjustable field of view (80/90/103-degrees), and records uncompressed 1080p/60fps video.

The Logitech Brio 500 is a great example of how resolution isn’t everything — it may have the same surface-level specs as older Logitech webcams, such as the C920s and C930e, but it produces much better images. For the average person looking to upgrade their webcam from whatever’s built into their laptop’s bezel — or even from an older Logitech model — the Logitech Brio 500 offers the best out-of-the-box performance at a reasonable price ($130), with more modern software and a USB-C connection.

This is, hands-down, one of the best webcams we’ve tested when it comes to image quality — it has excellent auto-exposure and color balancing and a shallow depth of field that gives you a nice blurred-background effect without using software. Its impressive image quality was most apparent in our well-lit test setting, but it also did pretty well in our low-light and overexposed scenarios (once we tweaked some settings). The crispness and clarity of the picture is shockingly good, even compared to other 4K webcams — and while the average person probably doesn’t need (and can’t even use) such ultra-HD streaming, this does mean a better picture for lower-resolution streams, especially if you’re zooming and cropping.

Best Budget Webcam The Modern Webcam is a budget-friendly 1080p/30fps webcam with a simple plug-and-play design and a built-in stand. It's not perfect, but it can usually be found for under $50.