Neolink vs ZoneMinder
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
ZoneMinder
Full-featured closed-circuit television software suite
| Feature | Neolink | ZoneMinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 775 | ★ 5,899 |
| First released | 2020 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Reolink Cloud | Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Neolink or ZoneMinder better?
Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder 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 ZoneMinder free and open-source?
Yes. Neolink is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Neolink and ZoneMinder with Docker?
Neolink: yes. ZoneMinder: yes.