Camera.UI 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?
Camera.UI
Web interface and NVR for RTSP and camera streams
VS
ZoneMinder
Full-featured closed-circuit television software suite
| Feature | Camera.UI | ZoneMinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,083 | ★ 5,899 |
| First released | 2021 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect |
Why pick each one
Choose Camera.UI if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Camera.UI or ZoneMinder better?
Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder has the larger community, while Camera.UI is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Camera.UI and ZoneMinder free and open-source?
Yes. Camera.UI is licensed under MIT and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Camera.UI and ZoneMinder with Docker?
Camera.UI: yes. ZoneMinder: yes.