rpisurv 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?
rpisurv
Raspberry Pi surveillance video wall for IP cameras
VS
ZoneMinder
Full-featured closed-circuit television software suite
| Feature | rpisurv | ZoneMinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 661 | ★ 5,899 |
| First released | 2016 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Blue Iris display | Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect |
Why pick each one
Choose rpisurv if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is rpisurv or ZoneMinder better?
Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder has the larger community, while rpisurv is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are rpisurv and ZoneMinder free and open-source?
Yes. rpisurv is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run rpisurv and ZoneMinder with Docker?
rpisurv: check the project docs for container support. ZoneMinder: yes.