Cameradar vs ZoneMinder

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?
FeatureCameradarZoneMinder
CategoryVideo SurveillanceVideo Surveillance
LicenseMITGPL-2.0
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM128 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 5,147★ 5,899
First released20162002
ReplacesCommercial camera audit toolsBlue Iris, Milestone XProtect

Why pick each one

Choose Cameradar if…

  • Useful for securing cameras
  • Lightweight
Cameradar details

Choose ZoneMinder if…

  • Very mature project
  • Highly configurable
ZoneMinder details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cameradar or ZoneMinder better?

Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder has the larger community, while Cameradar is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Cameradar and ZoneMinder free and open-source?

Yes. Cameradar is licensed under MIT and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cameradar and ZoneMinder with Docker?

Cameradar: yes. ZoneMinder: yes.

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