OpenCvSharp vs zmNinja
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?
OpenCvSharp
.NET wrapper for OpenCV computer vision
VS
zmNinja
Cross-platform mobile and desktop client for ZoneMinder
| Feature | OpenCvSharp | zmNinja |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C# | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,056 | ★ 1,080 |
| First released | 2008 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Commercial vision SDKs | Commercial CCTV apps |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCvSharp or zmNinja better?
Neither is universally better. OpenCvSharp has the larger community, while zmNinja is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OpenCvSharp and zmNinja free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCvSharp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and zmNinja under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCvSharp and zmNinja with Docker?
OpenCvSharp: check the project docs for container support. zmNinja: check the project docs for container support.