zmNinja 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?
zmNinja
Cross-platform mobile and desktop client for ZoneMinder
VS
ZoneMinder
Full-featured closed-circuit television software suite
| Feature | zmNinja | ZoneMinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Surveillance | Video Surveillance |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,080 | ★ 5,899 |
| First released | 2015 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Commercial CCTV apps | Blue Iris, Milestone XProtect |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is zmNinja or ZoneMinder better?
Neither is universally better. ZoneMinder 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 zmNinja and ZoneMinder free and open-source?
Yes. zmNinja is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ZoneMinder under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run zmNinja and ZoneMinder with Docker?
zmNinja: check the project docs for container support. ZoneMinder: yes.