Double Take vs Frigate Notify
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Double Take
Unified UI and API for face recognition on camera feeds
VS
Frigate Notify
Standalone notification tool for Frigate NVR events
| Feature | Double Take | Frigate Notify |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 38 · At risk | 59 · Fair |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,442 | ★ 413 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Nest Cam |
What are Double Take and Frigate Notify?
Double Take
Double Take provides a unified interface and API to coordinate multiple face recognition services for your surveillance cameras. It connects to Frigate and detectors like CompreFace to deliver named-person alerts.
- Unified face recognition UI
- Frigate integration
- Multiple detector backends
- Named-person alerts
Frigate Notify
Frigate Notify is a small standalone application that sends alerts for events detected by a Frigate NVR. It supports many notification channels and works without depending on Home Assistant.
- Notifications for Frigate events
- Many alert channels
- No Home Assistant needed
- Tiny footprint
Double Take vs Frigate Notify: key differences
Double Take is written in JavaScript, while Frigate Notify is built with Go. Frigate Notify is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Double Take. Double Take is the more established project (first released 2021), while Frigate Notify arrived in 2023. Double Take has the considerably larger community, at 1,442 GitHub stars versus 413.
Why pick each one
Choose Double Take if…
- Coordinates several detectors
- Good Frigate companion
Watch out for
- Companion tool only
- Requires a detector backend
Choose Frigate Notify if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Companion tool only
- Requires Frigate
Frequently asked questions
Is Double Take or Frigate Notify better?
Neither is universally better. Double Take has the larger community, while Frigate Notify is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Double Take and Frigate Notify free and open-source?
Yes. Double Take is licensed under MIT and Frigate Notify under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Double Take and Frigate Notify with Docker?
Double Take: yes. Frigate Notify: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Double Take or Frigate Notify?
Frigate Notify has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Double Take. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.