Top 5 compared
The best webcams
Look and sound like yourself on video calls, for work meetings, catching up with family or streaming.
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The top 5 at a glance
Laptop cameras tend to be grainy and look up from below; a webcam clipped to the top of a screen sees you straight on and far more clearly. 1080p is plenty for most calls, with 2K and 4K adding sharpness on a big screen. Some focus automatically as you move, others are fixed-focus and sharp at desk distance, and wide-angle ones fit a group in.
Every one here has a built-in microphone, and most come with a privacy cover, fitted or clip-on; the Logitech doesn’t have one. The idea goes back a long way: one of the first webcams, set up at Cambridge University in 1991, simply showed whether the Computer Laboratory’s coffee pot was empty.
What matters
- A clip that also takes a tripod screw.
- Light correction, for a dim room or a window behind you.
- A USB-C cable or adapter, if your laptop only has USB-C.
#1Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam
£84.99 RRP
Autofocus that keeps up when you lean in to show something, sharp 1080p through a five-element glass lens, and a microphone either side of the lens for stereo sound.
What owners say: Owners praise both the picture and the sound, and like that it’s ready to use the moment it’s plugged in; the autofocus hunting and the microphones’ sensitivity divide them.
Heads up: There’s no privacy shutter on the C920; Logitech’s C920s has the same 1080p, 78° view and autofocus with a sliding cover.
A closer look: The clip folds over a monitor or laptop lid, and the base also screws onto a tripod for a better angle. Sit facing a window or lamp rather than with the light behind you, and RightLight 2 has an easier job evening out your face.
- Five-element glass lens
- Evens out light on faces
Best for: Work calls from a monitor or laptop
- Video
- 1080p at 30fps
- Field of view
- 78°
- Autofocus
- Yes
- Microphones
- Two, stereo
- Privacy cover
- No
- Mount
- Clip or tripod
#2UGREEN 4K Webcam (65381)
£20–£30
The sharpest picture here: an 8MP sensor gives 4K at 30fps, or 1080p at 60fps when the computer or app can’t take 4K, with phase-detection autofocus that UGREEN says holds a face from a foot away to five metres, and light correction for a dim room. A cover blanks the lens between calls.
What owners say: Owners call the picture crystal clear in good light and say it needs no setting up on Mac or Windows, with the autofocus keeping up as they move; the one reservation is that the light correction doesn’t always do as much as promised.
A closer look: Plug and play on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, with a USB-A to USB-C adapter for a laptop that only has USB-C sockets. Most meeting apps still send 1080p, where this runs at a smooth 60fps; 4K needs an app that can use it. Sit it a little above eye level and give it a window or a lamp to face.
- 8MP sensor
- Focus holds to five metres
- USB-A to USB-C adapter included
- Light correction for dim rooms
Best for: Moving about on camera
- Video
- 4K at 30fps (1080p at 60fps)
- Field of view
- 70°
- Autofocus
- Yes
- Microphones
- Two, noise cancelling
- Privacy cover
- Cover in the box
- Mount
- Clip or tripod
#3UGREEN Full HD 1080p Webcam
£10–£20
A straightforward 1080p camera for everyday calls, with an 85° view that fits two people in and a pair of microphones that pick up voices from up to 3 metres away.
What owners say: Owners single out the picture in dim rooms, and say the microphones catch voices several metres away; it won’t work with Android devices, they warn, whatever the listing says.
A closer look: Focus is fixed, so it’s sharpest with you somewhere between half a metre and a few metres away, which covers sitting at a desk. The privacy cover comes loose in the box: clip it on before the first call so it doesn’t go astray, and the camera swivels right round on its clip.
- Picks up voices to 3m
- Automatic light correction
Best for: Two people at one desk
- Video
- 1080p at 30fps
- Field of view
- 85°
- Autofocus
- No
- Microphones
- Two, noise reduction
- Privacy cover
- Clip-on, in the box
- Mount
- Clip, turns 360°
#4Anker PowerConf C200 2K Webcam
£59.99 RRP
A 2K picture with a view that switches between 65°, 78° and 95° in Anker’s app: tight on your face for a one-to-one, wide enough for two on the sofa.
What owners say: Owners like the crisp picture and how simply it sits on top of a monitor, but the autofocus hunts for some and it wants good light; how far it adjusts gets mixed reports too.
A closer look: Set the view and the microphones’ pickup, a 90° beam for one voice or 180° for a room, in the AnkerWork app on Windows or Mac. A lamp or window in front of you gives the autofocus more to work with on dark evenings, and the cover slides across once the call ends.
- One-voice or whole-room mics
- Set up in AnkerWork app
Best for: Switching between one face and two
- Video
- 2K at 30fps
- Field of view
- 65°, 78° or 95°
- Autofocus
- Yes
- Microphones
- Two, AI noise cancelling
- Privacy cover
- Yes
- Mount
- Clip or tripod
#5YIMONA 1080p Wide-Angle Webcam (W6)
£10–£20
The widest view here at 110°, so a family squeezed onto the sofa or a whiteboard beside the desk fits in the shot, and a switch slides the built-in privacy cover shut.
What owners say: Owners find it sets itself up without any fuss, even on a Mac, and say the built-in microphone carries their voice clearly.
A closer look: A wide lens shows more of the room, so tidy what’s behind you, or sit a little closer to fill the frame on one-to-one calls. The hinged clamp grips the top of a monitor or folds out to stand on a shelf, and the camera turns right round when it needs to face the other way.
- Mic reaches up to 5m
- Fits a whiteboard in shot
Best for: Group and family calls
- Video
- 1080p at 30fps
- Field of view
- 110°
- Autofocus
- No
- Microphones
- Dual-track, noise reduction
- Privacy cover
- Yes
- Mount
- Clamp or stand, turns 360°
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Logitech C920 | #2UGREEN 4K | #3UGREEN 1080p | #4Anker PowerConf C200 | #5YIMONA W6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Sharpest picture | Best budget | Widest view | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Price | £84.99 RRP | £20–£30 | £10–£20 | £59.99 RRP | £10–£20 |
| Video | 1080p at 30fps | 4K at 30fps (1080p at 60fps) | 1080p at 30fps | 2K at 30fps | 1080p at 30fps |
| Field of view | 78° | 70° | 85° | 65°, 78° or 95° | 110° |
| Autofocus | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Microphones | Two, stereo | Two, noise cancelling | Two, noise reduction | Two, AI noise cancelling | Dual-track, noise reduction |
| Privacy cover | No | Cover in the box | Clip-on, in the box | Yes | Yes |
| Mount | Clip or tripod | Clip or tripod | Clip, turns 360° | Clip or tripod | Clamp or stand, turns 360° |
| Best for | Work calls from a monitor or laptop | Moving about on camera | Two people at one desk | Switching between one face and two | Group and family calls |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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