8 top picks · 2 audience rankings
Best open source NVR and video surveillance software
The best open source NVR is Frigate (MIT, 37,021 GitHub stars, Docker image). motionEye stands out for a published Docker image, and Viseron stands out for a permissive MIT license.
This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Frigate leads for small business and home use.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Frigate
blakeblackshear/frigate
Monitor your security cameras with locally processed AI.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Video SurveillancePythonDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Frigate has 37,021 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,620 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- Rank 2:
motionEye
motioneye-project/motioneye
Online interface for the software Motion, a video surveillance program with motion detection.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Video SurveillancePythonDockerStands out for a published Docker image. motionEye has 4,719 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 512 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- Rank 3:
Viseron
roflcoopter/viseron
Self-hosted, local-only NVR and AI Computer Vision software. With features such as object detection, motion detection, face recognition and more, it gives you the power to keep an eye on your home…
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Video SurveillancePythonDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Viseron has 3,666 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,372 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
At a glance
Open source NVR and video surveillance software compared
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 8 apps in the video surveillance category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigate | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 37,021 | 1,620 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| motionEye | a published Docker image | GPL-3.0 | 4,719 | 512 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Viseron | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 3,666 | 1,372 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Zoneminder | the most commits in the last 12 months (3,688) | GPL-2.0 | 5,968 | 3,688 | Oct 27, 2026 | No |
| Scrypted | its TypeScript codebase | license unverified | 6,023 | 312 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Secluso | – | GPL-3.0 | 1,691 | 226 | Sep 27, 2026 | No |
| Strix | – | MIT | 921 | 221 | Aug 24, 2026 | Yes |
| Bluecherry | – | GPL-2.0 | 276 | 54 | Oct 14, 2026 | No |
1 of 3 · 8 picks
Top picks
8 of the 8 apps in the video surveillance category.
- 1
Frigate
Monitor your security cameras with locally processed AI.
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Frigate has 37,021 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,620 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- 2
motionEye
Online interface for the software Motion, a video surveillance program with motion detection.
Video SurveillanceDockerStands out for a published Docker image. motionEye has 4,719 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 512 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- 3
Viseron
Self-hosted, local-only NVR and AI Computer Vision software. With features such as object detection, motion detection, face recognition and more, it gives you the power to keep an eye on your home…
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeStands out for a permissive MIT license. Viseron has 3,666 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,372 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- 4
Zoneminder
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) software application which supports IP, USB and Analog cameras.
Video SurveillanceStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (3,688). Zoneminder has 5,968 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 3,688 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- 5
Scrypted
Home video integration platform that connects cameras to HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa.
Video SurveillanceDockerStands out for its TypeScript codebase. Scrypted has 6,023 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 312 commits in the last year.
- 6
Secluso
Private DIY home security camera system for Raspberry Pi, with end-to-end encrypted remote access and mobile apps for live video, alerts, and recording playback.
Video SurveillanceAI-nativeSecluso has 1,691 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 226 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
- 7
Strix
Auto-discovers working stream URLs for IP cameras and generates ready-to-use Frigate and go2rtc configs.
Video SurveillanceDockerStrix has 921 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 221 commits in the last year.
- 8
Bluecherry
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) software application which supports IP and Analog cameras.
Video SurveillanceBluecherry has 276 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 54 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring.
2 of 3 · 5 picks
Which open source NVR is best for small business?
For small business, Frigate ranks first (MIT, 37,021 GitHub stars), followed by Viseron and motionEye. Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides.
- 1
Frigate
Monitor your security cameras with locally processed AI.
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeFrigate has 37,021 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,620 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 2
Viseron
Self-hosted, local-only NVR and AI Computer Vision software. With features such as object detection, motion detection, face recognition and more, it gives you the power to keep an eye on your home…
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeViseron has 3,666 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,372 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 3
motionEye
Online interface for the software Motion, a video surveillance program with motion detection.
Video SurveillanceDockermotionEye has 4,719 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 512 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 4
Zoneminder
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) software application which supports IP, USB and Analog cameras.
Video SurveillanceZoneminder has 5,968 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 3,688 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 5
Scrypted
Home video integration platform that connects cameras to HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa.
Video SurveillanceDockerScrypted has 6,023 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 312 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
3 of 3 · 5 picks
Which open source NVR is best for home use?
For home use, Frigate ranks first (MIT, 37,021 GitHub stars), followed by motionEye and Viseron. Ranked for home use on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.
- 1
Frigate
Monitor your security cameras with locally processed AI.
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeFrigate has 37,021 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,620 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 2
motionEye
Online interface for the software Motion, a video surveillance program with motion detection.
Video SurveillanceDockermotionEye has 4,719 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 512 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 3
Viseron
Self-hosted, local-only NVR and AI Computer Vision software. With features such as object detection, motion detection, face recognition and more, it gives you the power to keep an eye on your home…
Video SurveillanceDockerAI-nativeViseron has 3,666 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,372 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 4
Scrypted
Home video integration platform that connects cameras to HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa.
Video SurveillanceDockerScrypted has 6,023 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 312 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 5
Zoneminder
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) software application which supports IP, USB and Analog cameras.
Video SurveillanceZoneminder has 5,968 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 3,688 commits in the last year; it replaces Ring. For home use it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
Is Frigate free?
Yes. Frigate is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I self-host these NVR and video surveillance software with Docker?
Yes, 5 of the 8 picks. Frigate, motionEye and Viseron publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.
Are all of these NVR and video surveillance software open source?
7 of the 8 apps on this list are open source; 1 has a license appsgit could not verify. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.
Which of these NVR and video surveillance software is the most actively developed?
Zoneminder, with 3,688 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, 1.38.6, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 8 apps in the video surveillance category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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