Neolink vs OpenALPR
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?
Neolink
RTSP bridge for Reolink cameras without cloud
VS
OpenALPR
Automatic license plate recognition library
| Feature | Neolink | OpenALPR |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 775 | ★ 11,440 |
| First released | 2020 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Reolink Cloud | Rekor Scout, Plate Recognizer |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenALPR if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.4k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Neolink or OpenALPR better?
Neither is universally better. OpenALPR has the larger community, while Neolink is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Neolink and OpenALPR free and open-source?
Yes. Neolink is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OpenALPR under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Neolink and OpenALPR with Docker?
Neolink: yes. OpenALPR: yes.