Frigate Notify vs Pikrellcam
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video surveillance options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Frigate Notify | Pikrellcam |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 59 · Fair | 9 · At risk |
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 413 | ★ 272 |
| First released | 2023 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Nest Cam | Nest Cam |
What are Frigate Notify and Pikrellcam?
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
Pikrellcam
PiKrellCam is a motion-detecting video recorder for the Raspberry Pi camera with a built-in web interface. It records motion events, captures still images, and can overlay annotations on the video.
- Raspberry Pi camera recording
- Motion detection
- Web interface
- Annotation overlays
Frigate Notify vs Pikrellcam: key differences
Frigate Notify is written in Go, while Pikrellcam is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Frigate Notify versus GPL-3.0 for Pikrellcam. Frigate Notify is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pikrellcam. Pikrellcam is the more established project (first released 2015), while Frigate Notify arrived in 2023. Frigate Notify lists first-class Docker deployment; Pikrellcam does not.
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 Pikrellcam if…
- Great for Pi camera modules
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Raspberry Pi specific
- Single-camera focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Frigate Notify or Pikrellcam better?
Frigate Notify is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pikrellcam if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Frigate Notify and Pikrellcam free and open-source?
Yes. Frigate Notify is licensed under MIT and Pikrellcam under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Frigate Notify and Pikrellcam with Docker?
Frigate Notify: yes. Pikrellcam: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Frigate Notify or Pikrellcam?
Frigate Notify has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pikrellcam. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.