Nanit vs Miku (2022): Which Smart Baby Monitor Should You Get?

A newborn baby brings both a mix of joy and anxiety to your home. For busy and first-time parents, a baby monitor can offer some peace of mind. If you’re in the market for one of these smart devices, then Nanit and Miku are two high-end brands to consider. The standalone Nanit Pro Camera is currently the most popular product from the New York-based tech startup. Its latest model also offers accurate breathing tracking with the aid of an innovative fabric band.

On the other hand, Miku —which is headquartered in Los Angeles — boasts the Miku Smart Baby Monitor with comparable specs. Unlike the Nanit Pro, however, all of its monitoring features are wearable-free. While more expensive than the Nanit, Miku doesn’t charge for membership or any subscription fees.

Nanit vs Miku Smart Baby Monitor Comparison Chart

Design and Monitoring System

Nanit and Miku’s baby monitoring cameras brandish a sleek aesthetic and come with well-designed mounting components.

The Nanit Pro and Miku are both well-designed cameras with round corners and a clean, white finish. Between the two, Nanit’s baby monitor is more compact. Its lens is also integrated into the body for a more streamlined form. With the Miku, the camera protrudes noticeably from its frame. Texture silver trims on its edges, however, lend the device a more premium feel.

Out of the box, the standalone Nanit Pro includes a wall mount. The Miku, on the other hand, comes attached to a stand that doubles as the base for your wall mount. If you plan on using the Nanit Pro as a flexible monitoring device for toddlers, you’ll have to purchase a table stand separately.

Regardless of the camera you choose, both Nanit and Miku monitoring devices will include all the components you’ll need to mount them on the wall. Cable guards ensure wires are also out of the way for safety. The key to Nanit’s monitoring accuracy, however, is its breathing wear. So aside from the camera unit and mounting hardware, the Nanit Pro will come with its Breathing Band.

Interested in more Nanit reviews? Check out our Owlet vs Nanit comparison.

Camera and Audio

Nanit delivers better image and video quality, while Miku offers a stronger two-way audio performance.

Building on the success of its original monitor, the Nanit Pro gets an upgraded 1080p HD camera. It’s the same resolution as what the Miku Smart Baby Monitor offers. Both have the same 130º wide-angle lens as well. Nanit’s monitor, however, comes with digital zoom, a feature still missing on Miku’s original camera. The device also boasts a night light you can manage via the Nanit app.

In terms of recording quality, the Nanit Pro is ahead of the Miku but not by much. The Nanit Pro streams are clear and crisp, although color and vibrance are passable. When it comes to night vision mode, the performance of the two is comparable. While neither Nanit nor Miku delivers exceptional low-light recording, important details are still visible.

Nanit’s streaming advantage comes from its dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity. On the Miku, the Wi-Fi connection is still 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz. Nonetheless, Miku is no pushover. The monitor still delivers evenly lit videos with little distortion.

Both monitors also come with two-way audio. Here, Miku has the edge thanks to its Ole Wolff speakers. While it seems unnecessary on a baby monitor, the resulting sound quality is stronger than Nanit Pro. The only downside to the two-way audio of the Miku is that it comes with a 15-second timer.

To lull your child to sleep, the Nanit Pro and Miku have pre-loaded sounds, too, including white noise. Miku also offers lullabies.

Monitoring Features

The Nanit Pro and Miku monitor the same metrics, but the latter is completely wearable-free.

Unlike other baby monitors, most of Nanit and Miku’s monitoring tech is built into the actual cameras. There is no need for smart socks here. This is because neither the Nanit Pro nor Miku will monitor health metrics like heartbeat and oxygen levels. Instead, the cameras primarily record HD videos, track motion, monitor sleep, and measure temperature and humidity.

Nanit, however, will require a breathing band if you want to check your baby’s breathing motion. This innovative fabric features special patterns that help the Nanit Pro monitor breathing. It’s also designed for newborns. For babies and toddlers, you can size up with a swaddle, pajama, or even a sleeping bag.

With the Miku smart baby monitor, wearables are not necessary. The company shares its baby monitor uses a proprietary SensorFusion technology that can detect breathing waveforms. It’s also the same tech behind its motion and audio sensing capabilities.

Mobile App and Subscription

The Nanit Pro’s app has a better UX and more comprehensive insights, although the latter requires a Nanit Insights subscription.

With the Nanit Pro and Miku, you won’t be getting a parent unit like other monitors. Instead, a companion app turns your mobile device into the parent unit. These programs — Nanit App and Miku App — are available for both Android and iOS devices.

Nanit’s app is the bread-and-butter of the company’s baby monitoring system. Unlike the Miku, it’s also optimized to work on tablets. The interface is more intuitive, too, with a cleverly designed dashboard and well-organized tabs. Aside from live feeds and video histories, you can get access to sleep tips and engage with other parents in the Nanit community.

While functional, the Miku app looks a tad bit outdated. It also misses out on some useful functions like pinch-to-zoom, a feature only available to the upgraded Miku Pro. Miku’s selling point, however, is that you get access to all the insights from the app for free. You don’t have to pay for any upgrades to the platform as well.

Nanit includes Nanit Insights membership with the purchase of the Pro, but it’s only good for one year. Expanded storage and additional users are also only available with the more expensive Nanit Insights Premium and Insights Unlimited plans.

Bundles and Accessories

The Nanit Pro is available in bundles. Both Nanit and Miku monitors, however, have limited accessories.

While the Nanit Pro is available as a standalone device, you can also get bundles. Aside from the wall mount, Nanit offers a camera and floor stand package. This option includes a breathing band as well. There is also the Nanit Pro Complete Baby Monitoring System that comes with a wall-mount and table stand along with smart sheets and a breathing band.

Accessories are limited for both brands, though. Aside from the table stand, you can also buy a travel case. The Miku Original only offers its own travel case as an accessory. Floor stand and wall-mount kits are only available for the Miku Pro.

Verdict

For the monitoring system alone, the Nanit is better and more affordable than the Miku. However, access to insights from Nanit requires a subscription plan.

Nanit and Miku have some of the strongest baby monitoring systems in the market today. Their Nanit Pro and Miku Original cameras offer HD recording, two-way talk, and background audio. They’re also equipped with advanced sensors, although Nanit requires a wearable for breathing monitoring. Nanit Pro’s companion app is more comprehensive and intuitive than Miku, too.

Miku, however, gives users access to its app and insights for free. While the Nanit Pro unit is more affordable, you’ll have to pay to get advanced features after your free one-year subscription to Nanit Insights expires. And if you do subscribe, you’ll end up spending more on the Nanit monitoring system than the Miku.

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