The 5 Best Cellular Trail Cameras, from Budget to High-End

Cellular trail camera technology keeps getting better each year, and cameras continue to offer more features and more competitive prices. We’ve been testing cell cams for several seasons and collectively we’ve been able to field test every major make and model.

Here’ You’ll find our five favorite cameras and detailed breakdowns on how each performed.

Jump to Cellular Trail Camera Plans Compared

How We Test Cellular Trail Cameras

Each cellular trail camera was set to its fastest shooting mode and highest sensitivity. Markers were placed at 10 feet, 60 feet, and 110 feet. The tester walked past the camera (from left to right, then right to left) at a medium pace at each distance. The walkthrough test was then repeated at night. The test is meant to measure the camera’s detection range, trigger speed, shutter speed, and flash range. We looked for blank photos, failures to trigger, blurry images, and overall photo quality. 

From there, we set each camera in the field to see how it performed in real-world conditions. In the field, we evaluated the camera’s photo quality, reliability, and ease of setup. This included the ability to use each camera’s app to review and sort photos.

For the third year in a row Tactacam is our editor’s choice winner. The new Reveal Ultra has everything we like about last year’s winner, the Pro 3.0, and adds on features that serious trail camera users will appreciate. It has GPS, low and no-glow flash, and live video streaming. It maintains the 3.0’s fast camera speed, good battery life, and easy-to-use app.

The Reveal Ultra can toggle between low-glow or no-glow flash. Low-glow flash means there is a visible red light that comes on when the camera is triggered. The low-glow flash is brighter and illuminates a larger area than a no-glow flash. A no-glow flash emits no visible light and is a completely stealth option. It doesn’t light up a huge area and is best for photos where the subject is less than 60 feet away — scrapes and trails. No-glow is also a great option if you’re using a trail camera for security rather than hunting.

If you need to find your trail camera you can activate its GPS, which gives you a location update every 6 hours. The GPS function works even if the battery is dead or removed for up to 72 hours. That means if you lost your cameras, it gets stolen, or is moved by someone, you’ll be able to recover it.

During the walkthrough test, the Reveal Ultra triggered 100 percent of the time at 10 and 60 feet, but failed to trigger at night at 110 feet. That is above average performance based on past trail camera tests. Between the dozens of Tactacams we have in the field, we routinely see photos of deer captured at 60 feet and beyond.

The photo quality is excellent both day and night. Subjects are captured as they enter the frame or directly in the center. The images are crisp with no motion blur. The low-glow flash is impressive and it illuminates well beyond 110 feet without over exposing objects up close.

One thing I like about Tactacam is their plans are straight forward and fairly affordable. Here’s a breakdown of the different plans they offer.

You can pause your plan and restart it at any time, which is a convenient feature. It’s also important to note that if you want to get on-demand photos, download HD photos, or enable live videos you have to get the Xtra plan, which is an additional $9 and covers all your cameras.

There are a few downsides to the Ultra. In video mode, you can’t view videos right away. The app displays a thumbnail and you’ll need to request the video before viewing it. The live video mode is slower to start up than my Spartan GoLive2. The Reveal app doesn’t have a species filter which can make sorting through photos time consuming. It does have filters for custom tags, weather, date, and time.

I currently have three Tactacams on my lease and 30 more on an out of state property. Alex Robinson, OL’s editor-in-chief and one of the authors of this article, also runs several Tactacams. That’s a large sample size and we’ve yet to encounter a significant issue. I got to test the Ultra before it was released to the public and on the launch date, it started glitching. I used Tactacam’s US-based support line to trouble shoot the issue and quickly spoke to a real human. The customer service representative helped me resolve the issue and I was back in business.

In our experience, you’re not likely to have an issue with a Tactacam, and if you do, they have excellent customer service to help you out.

Recommended Accessories

Moultrie combines a powerful app with smart integrations, a ton of customization and features, a reliable camera, and all for a relatively affordable price. I’ve messed with every major camera brand on the market and I can say with confidence that they offer more value than any other cellular trail cam brand out there. Despite tariff issues in the outdoor products industry and continuing inflation, the fact that you can still get their new Edge 3 camera for under $100 bucks is nothing short of incredible.

I’ll start with the camera itself and then dive deeper into the many features of Moultrie Mobile. The new Edge 3 has an improved 40 MP camera, live aim capabilities, a battery life estimator, and is GPS enabled, which works in part with onX integration (but more on that in a minute). There is also a Pro version of this camera that offers more camera capabilities, but at the higher price point I think most hunters should opt for the standard Edge. 

This camera performed admirably in our walkthrough testing capturing quality images day and night. However I did have one issue with the app not uploading all photos during the test. Moultrie identified this as a known issue in the app and fixed it a couple days later, but those lost images never did come through. Happily, the camera did capture solid images in the field. My family members and I have been running Moultrie cameras on our deer property in north central Wisconsin for a couple years now, and so far, we have not had any reliability issues. 

Where Moultrie really offers bang for the buck is in its app features and integrations. First, you can link your cameras to your onX account. This allows you to map your trail camera coverage in an area and check recent photos (in the onX app) in a logical way that will lead to a sharper hunting strategy. 

Beyond that, Moultrie cameras also link to compatible feeders (if those are legal in your area). Moultrie Mobile allows you to sort photos by critter (you can see only bucks if you like), time of day, date range, temp, pressure, and even moon phase. Moultrie already had the most powerful app in the game, and now with the onX integration, it’s even better. The total package is the best deal going. 

See It

Pros

• Triggered at all distances during the day and out to 60 feet at night
• Live function works with just a slight delay
• Easy to use and set up

Cons

• App could be improved with species filters
• Expensive

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Key Features

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  Live streaming up to 30 FPS

• 
  Multi Carrier Transmissions

• 
  96 degree field of view

• 
  Infrared flash

• 
  Anti-theft GPS

• 
  Uses micro SD cards

• 
  Uses 12 AA batteries

• 
  2 year warranty

• 
  Price:

  
  $330

• 
  Plans from $16 to $33 per month

I’ve had the Spartan GoLive2 in the field for nine months and its been a great camera. The live works quickly every time and I get great quality videos. The issue I have is that the live video feed can vary in its image quality. Occasionally, it’ll come in pixelated, clear up, and then become pixelated again. I find the live is best used in wide open fields or for seeing animals that are inside 15 yards.

The Spartan GoLive2 showed solid performance in the walkthrough test, capturing all distances during the day and out to 60 feet at night. In the field, it captured coyotes on the move and deer feeding at distances from 10 to 75 feet, with very few blank photos.

I primarily use the GoLive 2 in video mode. The videos populate in the app and are ready to view instantly. The video quality is great, but the flash range on videos is low compared to photos.

The technology within the Spartan GoLive2 is impressive. However, the camera itself needs improvement. The camera struggles to find the right exposure at night and during daylight. It most often over exposes images, which reduces detail.

Another issue is the shutter speed is too slow — probably because the camera is trying to use a lower shutter speed to gather more light — and I get a lot of blurry images. A quick software update would probably fix those issues and I hope Spartan releases one because aside from that, the camera has been excellent in the field. — Scott Einsmann 

See It

Pros

• 360-degree capture zone
• Lots of customization options
• Ideal for when deer could come from any direction

Cons

• Slightly more complicated setup and monitoring

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Key Features

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  On Demand live video & photo

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  6 Capture zones 

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  Instant capture settings updates

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  Internal storage

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  GPS enabled

• 
  40 MP images

• 
  1440p video

• 
  100’ advertised detection range

• 
  .4 second advertised trigger speed

• 
  Low-glow flash

• 
  Price: $150

I used the previous version of the Revolver Pro last year and was enamored with the concept. The camera has a 360-degree detection range, meaning it can pick up deer cruising through the area from any direction. It’s the ideal tool for monitoring fields or open hardwoods, especially when there’s not a well-defined trail. 

The camera body contains a small motor that rotates the lens to each of the six zones when triggered. When in “360 mode” you get six photos that the app stitches together to provide a full-circle panoramic scene. This allows you to see what triggered the camera, but also everything else around it. You simply turn your phone sideways to scan the 360 view (see my screen recording below as an example of what you’ll experience in the app). 

Though you don’t need to use 360 mode if you don’t want to. In walkthrough testing, I found this camera to capture me moving through the area from all directions, just as advertised. This year’s Pro 2 version promises improved durability (the previous version was prone to moisture issues) plus live on-demand photo and video. 

This is one of the few trail cameras that can receive photos for free. All you have to do is add the camera to the SpyPoint app by scanning the QR code inside the camera and you’re ready to receive photos. The free plan is good for 100 photos per month. I use it in my low-activity areas, but it would also be great if you are using a trail camera to monitor a property for trespassers.

The cameras performance is OK, but not great overall. I get some motion blur in night photos and the detection range during the walkthrough test was 60 feet (only captured walking in one direction).

You can sort photos by species, date, time of day, and custom tags in the SpyPoint app, which makes managing a lot of photos much easier.

Cell Cam Plans Compared

Final Thoughts on the Best Cell Cams & Hunting Ethics

There is some controversy in the hunting community about using cellular trail cameras to hunt big game (make sure to check your local regulations before buying and using a cellular trail camera). In 2022 the Boone and Crockett club revised its policy in regard to cell cams, stating: “The use of any technology that delivers real-time location data (including photos) to target or guide a hunter to any animal in a manner that elicits an immediate (real-time) response by the hunter is not permitted. ‘Real time’ is the key concept. Seeing a photo and harvesting an animal a few hours later, or even the same day, uses this technology to assure a kill. It also takes advantage of the animal, which cannot detect impending danger from a camera. Waiting several days, or even until the following season, to pursue an animal captured on camera is different, and would not be deemed an unethical use of a trail camera.”

Right now, I don’t see many hunters using cell cams to capture images of a buck on a food plot or corn pile and then running out there to kill him that very moment. But I do know that many of us use cell camera pictures to plan our hunt for the next day. 

As live-feed technology improves, I could see more ethical issues cropping up. More states might look to restrict the use of this technology for hunting. It’s up to hunters to use the tech responsibly and ethically and maintain fair-chase standards. At their best, trail cams can provide consistent data on deer movement and hunters can interpret that data when making decisions on where to hunt. Most of us have limited days to hunt, so picking a prime spot is critical. But we must still use our woodsmanship, hunting knowledge, and fair chase principles. I think that trail cameras can only help with that. —A.R.