Frigate vs Google Cloud Video Intelligence

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.

Google Cloud Video Intelligence is a cloud API that analyzes stored and streaming video and returns metadata for content discovery and video applications. Metadata can be extracted at video, shot, or frame level, and Google says its models recognize over 20,000 objects, places, and actions. Documented functions include label and shot-change detection, explicit-content detection, and face, logo, object, and person detection, as well as speech and text recognition. Streaming annotation can provide near real-time insights and support event triggers based on objects. Google lists content moderation, recommendations, searchable media archives, and contextual ad placement as use cases. Client libraries and a command-line quickstart support programmatic access. Each listed feature has its first 1,000 minutes per month free for both stored and streaming annotation; partial minutes round up. Beyond that amount, rates vary by feature and annotation type. Pricing is listed from $0.05, and a free trial is available. Other Google Cloud resources used by a project may incur separate charges. Celebrity recognition is a restricted-access feature.