SHSelfHostIndex

iSpy 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?
IS iSpy Open-source camera security and surveillance software VS RP RPi Cam Web Interface Web-based control and streaming for the Raspberry Pi camera
FeatureiSpyRPi Cam Web Interface
CategoryVideo SurveillanceVideo Surveillance
LicenseLGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageC#PHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metalbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,611★ 1,599
First released20072013
ReplacesBlue IrisNest Cam

Why pick each one

Choose iSpy if…

  • Long-established
  • Many camera integrations
iSpy details

Choose RPi Cam Web Interface if…

  • Easy DIY setup
  • Lightweight
RPi Cam Web Interface details

Frequently asked questions

Is iSpy or RPi Cam Web Interface better?

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

Are iSpy and RPi Cam Web Interface free and open-source?

Yes. iSpy is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and RPi Cam Web Interface under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run iSpy and RPi Cam Web Interface with Docker?

iSpy: check the project docs for container support. RPi Cam Web Interface: check the project docs for container support.

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