Double Take vs go2rtc
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
go2rtc
Ultimate camera streaming gateway with low latency
| Feature | Double Take | go2rtc |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 38 · At risk | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,442 | ★ 14,239 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Nest Cam |
What are Double Take and go2rtc?
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
go2rtc
go2rtc is a camera streaming application that supports RTSP, WebRTC, HomeKit, and many other protocols with very low latency. It is widely used as a streaming layer for surveillance and smart-home camera setups.
- Multi-protocol camera streaming
- Ultra-low latency WebRTC
- HomeKit support
- Single binary
Double Take vs go2rtc: key differences
Double Take is written in JavaScript, while go2rtc is built with Go. Go2rtc is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Double Take. Go2rtc has the considerably larger community, at 14,239 GitHub stars versus 1,442.
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 go2rtc if…
- Very low latency
- Lightweight and flexible
Watch out for
- Streaming layer, not a full NVR
- Config requires some knowledge
Frequently asked questions
Is Double Take or go2rtc better?
Neither is universally better. go2rtc has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Double Take and go2rtc free and open-source?
Yes. Double Take is licensed under MIT and go2rtc under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Double Take and go2rtc with Docker?
Double Take: yes. go2rtc: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Double Take or go2rtc?
go2rtc has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Double Take. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.