Best webcams 2018: the top webcams for your PC

Pretty much all of the best laptops and all-in-one computers will have HD webcams built in these days, but the best PCs don’t have the same luxury. Fortunately, you can pick up the best webcams for a similar, or even better experience than their laptop brethren can offer.

So, what makes the best webcam? Everything will boil down to what you’re trying to do with it: are you looking to do some Twitch streaming? Or, do you just want to chill and have some video calls with friends?

From webcams with quirky and beautiful aesthetics to traditional cameras that focus on fidelity above all things, we found the best webcams you can buy today – no matter what you’re looking to do with them.

If you want the best webcam for video calling through Google Hangouts or Skype, look no further – we have the best webcams on the market gathered together. So, sit back, relax and get ready to find the perfect webcam for your setup.

Luckily, the best webcams are about to get a lot cheaper – Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. So, along with all the Black Friday laptop deals, you should be able to score a sick deal on the best webcam. And, as always, keep it locked to TechRadar for all your holiday shopping needs.

Logitech's newest webcam, the Logitech G922 Pro Stream features the same classy design as the C920 before it, but it’s especially interesting for gamers this time around. The C922 still boasts excellent 1080p video quality when it comes to hosting video calls, and its automatic low-light correction makes it a great cam for streaming with the lights off. It also supports background removal, making it ideal for budding YouTubers.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a webcam coming from Razer is almost entirely focused on streaming – it’s all the rage amongst gamers these days. However, with the Razer Kiyo, Razer has stripped away many of the fancy bells and whistles that higher-end webcams boast and focused on what matters to streamers – good image quality and lighting with their special Light Ring. This Light Ring ensures that you won’t have to spend an inordinate amount of time before your stream messing with lights to get that perfect effect – just plug in the Razer Kiyo and you’re good to go.

If you need something cheap and cheerful for Skype, Messenger, Facebook or AOL, Microsoft's LifeCam range offers decent performance for a low price. You don't get 1080p video at this price point, but you do get automatic color correction, a noise-cancelling unidirectional microphone and a stand to fit laptops and desktops alike. It's a cheap way to solve the problem of a PC without a camera or even with a camera that isn't up to snuff.

If you’re looking to do some live streaming or you’re trying to capture some video out in the real world, Mevo might be the best webcam for you. If you’re an aspiring journalist, or even if you want to capture your daily adventures around the city, keep an eye on the Mevo or the Mevo Plus, as either of these devices will allow you to livestream from anywhere that you can connect to your mobile network. As an added bonus, the Mevo is small and inconspicuous enough to not distract your subject in the middle of an interview. 

Aimed at pro users with large displays, the LifeCam Studio features a familiar combination of 1080p recording and 720p live video calling. It rotates 360 degrees, and can be mounted on a tripod with autofocus. The wideband mic delivers crystal clear sound and Microsoft’s TrueColor system will shift the exposure dynamically to keep you well lit. It’s a great choice for business conferencing and presentations. 

Read the full review: Microsoft LifeCam Studio

Have you ever used a webcam and turned up your nose because it can’t push the same amount of pixels as your phone? Well, you’re in luck. Featuring a stunning 2160p resolution and HDR compatibility, the Logitech Brio Webcam has finally brought 4K HDR performance to the webcam world. And if that isn’t enough, it’s also loaded with Windows Hello compatibility and an easy to use stand which will let you position it wherever you need to.

Creative may not be the first company you think of when you’re looking for the best webcams, but after the Creative Labs Senz3D, that will change. This space-age webcam has more features than you can shake a stick at, and the high-tech 3D scanner and facial tracking tech promises to lead to some intriguing things in both AR functionality and even gaming. It isn’t cheap, but you’re getting all the bells and whistles with this Creative webcam

The C930e claims to be Logitech's most advanced HD webcam and it's also one of the most expensive ones on the market. But, unlike traditional webcams, which rely on the PC to do the heavy lifting, this unit does the video encoding itself, which should in turn result in better video quality. The wide, 90-degree field of view means it’s well-suited to business videoconferencing and presentations, and of course it’s Skype-certified for PC and Mac.

Normal webcams don't work with Samsung smart TVs, and by an interesting coincidence Samsung just happens to have its own proprietary camera for its H, HU, JS and JU models. We wouldn't recommend buying one for Skype as the smart TV version of Skype is no longer being supported, but if you want to use Samsung's own gesture control features and its virtual mirror for fitness apps then it's really your only option. 

• This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech C930e 

If you’re looking for a full HD webcam without the full HD webcam price, this little webcam is currently pretty cheap. Bolstering resolutions up to 20180p HD while supporting 12MP stills, a noise-cancelling microphone and low-light compensation, this camera is feature-packed yet frugal. There’s no autofocus and you don’t get a big bundle of software, but the low, low price more than makes up for any shortcomings. 

• This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Microsoft LifeCam Studio 

• You can't stream without the best wireless router

Bill Thomas has also contributed to this article