SHSelfHostIndex

Frigate Notify vs RPi Cam Web Interface

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?
FR Frigate Notify Standalone notification tool for Frigate NVR events VS RP RPi Cam Web Interface Web-based control and streaming for the Raspberry Pi camera
FeatureFrigate NotifyRPi Cam Web Interface
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score59 · Fair19 · At risk
CategoryVideo SurveillanceVideo Surveillance
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybare-metal
GitHub stars★ 413★ 1,599
First released20232013
ReplacesNest CamNest Cam

What are Frigate Notify and RPi Cam Web Interface?

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

RPi Cam Web Interface

RPi Cam Web Interface is a web-based control panel for the Raspberry Pi camera module, offering live streaming, recording, and motion detection. It is a popular choice for simple DIY surveillance projects.

  • Live camera streaming
  • Recording and snapshots
  • Motion detection
  • Web control panel

Read the full RPi Cam Web Interface guide →

Frigate Notify vs RPi Cam Web Interface: key differences

Frigate Notify is written in Go, while RPi Cam Web Interface is built with PHP. Frigate Notify is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for RPi Cam Web Interface. RPi Cam Web Interface is the more established project (first released 2013), while Frigate Notify arrived in 2023. RPi Cam Web Interface has the considerably larger community, at 1,599 GitHub stars versus 413. Frigate Notify lists first-class Docker deployment; RPi Cam Web Interface 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
Frigate Notify details

Choose RPi Cam Web Interface if…

  • Easy DIY setup
  • Lightweight

Watch out for

  • Raspberry Pi camera only
  • Single-camera use
RPi Cam Web Interface details

Frequently asked questions

Is Frigate Notify or RPi Cam Web Interface better?

Neither is universally better. RPi Cam Web Interface has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Frigate Notify and RPi Cam Web Interface free and open-source?

Yes. Frigate Notify is licensed under MIT and RPi Cam Web Interface under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Frigate Notify and RPi Cam Web Interface with Docker?

Frigate Notify: yes. RPi Cam Web Interface: check the project docs for container support.

Which is lighter on resources, Frigate Notify or RPi Cam Web Interface?

Frigate Notify has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for RPi Cam Web Interface. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

Related comparisons