CameraView vs uStreamer
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?
CameraView
Android library for camera capture and streaming apps
VS
uStreamer
Lightweight MJPEG streamer for USB and CSI cameras
| Feature | CameraView | uStreamer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,128 | ★ 2,021 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Proprietary camera SDKs | mjpg-streamer |
Why pick each one
Choose uStreamer if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is CameraView or uStreamer better?
Neither is universally better. CameraView has the larger community, while uStreamer is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CameraView and uStreamer free and open-source?
Yes. CameraView is licensed under MIT and uStreamer under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CameraView and uStreamer with Docker?
CameraView: check the project docs for container support. uStreamer: check the project docs for container support.