Agent DVR vs ZoneMinder
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Agent DVR
Cross-platform DVR with AI object detection
VS
ZoneMinder
Full-featured closed-circuit television software suite
| Feature | Agent DVR | ZoneMinder |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | Freeware | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Shell | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 50 | ★ 5,936 |
| First released | 2020 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Blue Iris | Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect |
What are Agent DVR and ZoneMinder?
Agent DVR
Agent DVR is a cross-platform video surveillance system from the makers of iSpy, with support for many camera types and AI-based object detection. It offers a modern web interface and can run as a standalone service.
- Wide camera support
- AI object detection
- Modern web interface
- Cross-platform service
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder is a free, open-source, closed-circuit television software application for Linux that supports IP, USB, and analog cameras. It provides recording, monitoring, analysis, and a web-based control interface.
- IP, USB, and analog camera support
- Motion zones and analysis
- Event recording
- Web control interface
Agent DVR vs ZoneMinder: key differences
Agent DVR is written in Shell, while ZoneMinder is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Freeware for Agent DVR versus GPL-2.0 for ZoneMinder. ZoneMinder is the more established project (first released 2002), while Agent DVR arrived in 2020. ZoneMinder has the considerably larger community, at 5,936 GitHub stars versus 50.
Why pick each one
Choose Agent DVR if…
- Polished interface
- Good detection options
Watch out for
- Not open source
- Some features require a license
Choose ZoneMinder if…
- Very mature project
- Highly configurable
Watch out for
- Complex installation
- Dated interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Agent DVR or ZoneMinder better?
Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder has the larger community, while Agent DVR is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Agent DVR and ZoneMinder free and open-source?
Yes. Agent DVR is licensed under Freeware and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Agent DVR and ZoneMinder with Docker?
Agent DVR: yes. ZoneMinder: yes.