SkyView vs Frigate
How SkyView — a self-hosted AI NVR with native mobile apps and on-device natural-language search — compares to Frigate.
Frigate is a popular free, open-source NVR focused on real-time object detection and configured through YAML. SkyView is a commercial, privacy-first alternative that adds native Android/iOS/Web clients, a four-language UI and on-device bilingual natural-language video search — all running locally with no cloud or API key.
SkyView vs Frigate — feature comparison
| Dimension | SkyView | Frigate |
|---|---|---|
| License / cost | Commercial — per household (not per camera) | Free, open-source (AGPL-3.0) |
| Deployment platforms | Docker · Synology · Unraid · fnOS · TrueNAS · Proxmox LXC · HA add-on (x86_64) | Docker · HA add-on (x86_64 / ARM; Coral TPU or GPU recommended) |
| Chinese UI & docs | Native in 4 languages (Simplified/Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese) | Community translations; no official Chinese docs |
| Official mobile apps | Official Android + iOS | No official app (uses Home Assistant companion or third-party) |
| AI object detection | Built in (person / vehicle / face / plate / fall / package / cry / gesture) | Strong — real-time object detection (Coral / GPU) |
| Natural-language video search (local VLM) | Built in — bilingual EN/ZH, offline, no API key | Semantic Search (CLIP embeddings); generative descriptions need an external LLM (OpenAI / Gemini / Ollama) |
| Two-way audio | Yes (ONVIF backchannel) | Via go2rtc (camera-dependent) |
| Home Assistant / MQTT | Native integration | Native — MQTT is core |
| Configuration | Setup wizard + Web forms (no hand-written config) | YAML config files |
Comparison is for reference only; each project evolves continuously — refer to official docs.
Why choose SkyView over Frigate
- Native Android and iOS apps out of the box — no need to rely on Home Assistant or third-party clients
- On-device natural-language video search (“the red car last night”) in English and Chinese, fully offline with no API key
- First-class Chinese UI and documentation in four languages
- No Coral TPU required — runs on CPU, Intel iGPU (OpenVINO) or NVIDIA GPU, configured through a Web wizard instead of YAML
Migrating from Frigate to SkyView
Migration is straightforward because both ingest standard RTSP/ONVIF streams — every camera that works in Frigate works in SkyView. There is no Frigate YAML to convert; you simply re-add cameras through the setup wizard and turn on the detections you want.
SkyView vs Frigate · FAQ
- Is SkyView free like Frigate?
- No. Frigate is free and open-source (AGPL); SkyView is commercial, licensed per household (not per camera), with a one-time or annual option. You pay for native mobile apps, a Chinese UI and docs, on-device natural-language search, and bundled support.
- Can I keep my cameras when moving from Frigate to SkyView?
- Yes. Both consume RTSP/ONVIF, so any camera that works with Frigate works with SkyView. You re-add cameras in the wizard; there is no Frigate config to convert.
- Does SkyView need a Coral TPU like Frigate?
- No. SkyView runs detection on CPU, Intel iGPU (OpenVINO) or NVIDIA GPU (CUDA/TensorRT). A fanless N100/N305 mini-PC handles multiple 1080p streams without an extra accelerator.
Put your cameras on SkyView
One mini-PC, local AI, data that never leaves home.