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SPECIFICTION
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Frigate

frigate.video

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Spec score 8.5 #4 of 23 in AI Video Analytics Software

What it is

Frigate is an open-source network video recorder for IP cameras that performs real-time AI object detection locally on the user’s hardware. Its maker says camera feeds do not leave the home. With a supported AI accelerator, detection can distinguish people and cars from motion; the site says Frigate can process 100+ object detections per second with such an accelerator. It tracks objects and lets users refine notifications by location. Recording supports both 24/7 capture and retention settings based on detected objects. Frigate runs in a Docker container on a Docker host, including as a Home Assistant App, and integrates with Home Assistant, OpenHab, NodeRed and MQTT-supporting systems. The free Frigate plan is an open-source NVR. Frigate+ Subscription costs $50 a year, billed annually, and includes model access, up to 12 fine-tuned models and AI-suggested labels for uploads. Windows is not officially supported. Frigate does not implement OIDC, SAML or LDAP natively, though upstream authentication proxies can provide those protocols.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Frigate is an open source NVR for IP cameras that performs real-time AI object detection locally on the user’s hardware.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
API
Frigate provides an HTTP API with endpoints covering areas including cameras, classification, events, media and recordings.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Integrations
The maker lists Home Assistant, OpenHab, NodeRed and systems with MQTT support as integrations.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
Privacy
The maker says all processing is local and camera feeds never leave the home.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
Authentication
Frigate stores user information in its database and hashes passwords with PBKDF2-SHA256 using 600,000 iterations.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Detection speed
The site says Frigate can run 100+ object detections per second with a supported AI accelerator.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
False positives
With a supported AI accelerator, Frigate uses object detection to distinguish objects such as people and cars from motion.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
Frigate+ limit
Frigate+ model training supports only specific labels and does not yet allow custom labels.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video
Home Assistant integration
The integration provides camera, image, sensor, switch and binary sensor entities, plus browsing for snapshots and recordings.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Installation
Frigate runs as a Docker container on Docker hosts, including as a Home Assistant App.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Recommended setup
The documentation recommends Docker Compose and says Frigate runs best with Docker on bare-metal Debian-based distributions.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Recording
Frigate records video with retention settings based on detected objects and supports 24/7 recording.Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
Security limit
The documentation says Frigate does not implement OIDC, SAML or LDAP natively and can use upstream authentication proxies for those protocols.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Windows support
Windows is not officially supported, though the documentation says some users have run Frigate under WSL or VirtualBox.Read 29 Sep 2026 · docs.frigate.video
Zones
Frigate tracks objects in real time and lets users refine notifications based on precise locations.Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video

Plans and prices

Frigate Free Open-source NVR; runs as a Docker container on a Docker host Read 29 Sep 2026 · github.com
Frigate+ Subscription $50 a year annually Access to Frigate+ models · Up to 12 fine tuned models · AI suggested labels for uploads · Supports open source Frigate Read 29 Sep 2026 · frigate.video

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Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Camera processing is local, according to the maker.
  • Supports object-based retention and 24/7 recording.
  • Tracks objects for location-specific notification refinement.
  • Integrates with Home Assistant and MQTT-supporting systems.
  • Free open-source NVR plan.

Limits

  • Windows is not officially supported.
  • Object-detection distinction requires a supported AI accelerator.
  • Native OIDC, SAML and LDAP are not implemented.
  • Frigate+ costs $50 a year.

Who it suits

Frigate suits IP-camera users who want local recording and object detection, especially those using Docker or Home Assistant. It may suit users comfortable with a self-hosted setup and its recommended Linux-based environment.

Verdict

Frigate offers local camera recording and AI detection in a self-hosted Docker setup, with Home Assistant integration and a free open-source plan. Check hardware and platform requirements, and whether Frigate+ model access or an authentication proxy is needed.

Where Specifiction places it

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