camera-streamer vs uStreamer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
camera-streamer
High-performance camera streaming for Raspberry Pi
VS
uStreamer
Lightweight MJPEG streamer for USB and CSI cameras
| Feature | camera-streamer | uStreamer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 442 | ★ 2,021 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | mjpg-streamer | mjpg-streamer |
Why pick each one
Choose camera-streamer if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose uStreamer if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is camera-streamer or uStreamer better?
uStreamer is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider camera-streamer if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are camera-streamer and uStreamer free and open-source?
Yes. camera-streamer is licensed under MIT and uStreamer under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run camera-streamer and uStreamer with Docker?
camera-streamer: yes. uStreamer: check the project docs for container support.