DeepStack vs OpenALPR
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?
DeepStack
Self-hosted AI server for object and face detection
VS
OpenALPR
Automatic license plate recognition library
| Feature | DeepStack | OpenALPR |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 818 | ★ 11,440 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Amazon Rekognition | Rekor Scout, Plate Recognizer |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenALPR if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.4k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepStack or OpenALPR better?
Neither is universally better. OpenALPR has the larger community, while DeepStack is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DeepStack and OpenALPR free and open-source?
Yes. DeepStack is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenALPR under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DeepStack and OpenALPR with Docker?
DeepStack: yes. OpenALPR: yes.