Frigate Notify vs go2rtc
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
go2rtc
Ultimate camera streaming gateway with low latency
| Feature | Frigate Notify | go2rtc |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 59 · Fair | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 413 | ★ 14,247 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Nest Cam |
What are Frigate Notify and go2rtc?
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
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
Frigate Notify vs go2rtc: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Frigate Notify is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for go2rtc. Go2rtc has the considerably larger community, at 14,247 GitHub stars versus 413.
Why pick each one
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
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 Frigate Notify or go2rtc better?
Neither is universally better. go2rtc 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 Frigate Notify and go2rtc free and open-source?
Yes. Frigate Notify is licensed under MIT and go2rtc under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Frigate Notify and go2rtc with Docker?
Frigate Notify: yes. go2rtc: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Frigate Notify or go2rtc?
Frigate Notify has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for go2rtc. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.