Frigate vs SmartIR

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureFrigateSmartIR
CategoryHome AutomationHome Automation
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB64 MB
Deploymentdockersource
GitHub stars★ 34,903★ 236
First released20202018
ReplacesGoogle HomeSensibo

Why pick each one

Choose Frigate if…

  • Smart local NVR
  • Great with Home Assistant
  • Privacy-friendly
Frigate details

Choose SmartIR if…

  • Makes dumb appliances smart
  • Big device library
SmartIR details

Frequently asked questions

Is Frigate or SmartIR better?

Neither is universally better. Frigate has the larger community, while SmartIR is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Frigate and SmartIR free and open-source?

Yes. Frigate is licensed under MIT and SmartIR under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Frigate and SmartIR with Docker?

Frigate: yes. SmartIR: check the project docs for container support.

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