Are you really ***only*** asking which will draws more current? In either case, the cost will be negligible. I would have made this a comment, but it grew too long. What, exactly, are your requirements for a webcam? It is just for Skype & the like, or for security? Must it operate in low light? You Android might not be up to that. If you are usign it for security, what sort of environment will it operate in? Heat, cold, rain, all recommend at least an [IP67][1] housing. That will add cost to an Android solution. You might get some webcam advice at https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/ Have you Googled and checked the price of webcams? Be aware that webcams will probably offer more features than Pecrh. You might get some webcam advice at https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/ Have you defined your requirements completely? Can you post them here? You can ask us on https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/ for an approriate app to control your Android. Off the top of my head - do you need motion detection? Time lapse? Upload to a remote site? Inform you of movement? Without knowing your use case, I can't offer much more help. If you add more detail to your question, you will get much better help. If you do go with your Android, don't forget to turn off GPS. [1]: http://www.resourcesupplyllc.com/PDFs/WhatDoesIP67Mean.pdf