ZoneMinder and Blue Iris are both video surveillance system software.
They allow you to monitor your surveillance cameras remotely and ensure the safety of your buildings, even when you are not physically present.
But what is the difference between these two products? Which one would you be better off using?
Read on to learn more!
Quick Summary
- ZoneMinder is free, while Blue Iris requires a license.
- ZoneMinder is open source. On the other hand, Blue Iris is proprietary software.
- The former works on Linux, while the latter works on Windows.
- You can scale as much as you want with ZoneMinder, but Blue Iris has a limit of 64 cameras.
- The core functionalities are similar, but the add-ons for each one offer very different functionalities.
ZoneMinder vs Blue Iris: Type of License
Before we can even begin to explore features, I need to clarify the type of license and software category of each product. Depending on your needs, this information can help you make a decision right off the bat.
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder is open-source software. You can inspect, access, and edit the source code.
As such, ZoneMinder is also free to use. Thus, it can be considered both open-source software and freeware.
This is important, because it helps ensure your privacy. You have full control over the data collected during its use.
When monitoring your video surveillance cameras remotely, and especially if you plan on recording the feeds and saving the recordings, it’s important to ensure your privacy is protected.
These recordings may contain sensitive information, such as the inner layouts of your buildings, what time you come home every day, and more.
If you generally prefer open-source software, ZoneMinder is an obvious choice.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris is proprietary software. In other words, the source code is private and not available to customers or the public.
Furthermore, as a proprietary and licensed software, you must purchase a license to use Blue Iris. It is not free.
ZoneMinder vs Blue Iris: Support and Compatibility
Another major issue is compatibility. This is both in regard to which cameras each software supports, as well as which platforms you can install the monitoring software server on.
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder works with most analog and IP network cameras, as well as many USB and capture card cameras. It supports cameras that use the ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) protocol, which is designed to facilitate a standard for IP-based cameras and other security devices.
You can view a list of supported cameras on the wiki.
Since it is open source rather than proprietary, it doesn’t lock you into a specific camera.
However, in terms of setting up a server, ZoneMinder is designed for Linux; specifically, Linux distributions that support the Video for Linux interface.
There are packages available for:
- Ubuntu
- Fedora
- Debian
- CentOS
- And others
You can view available packages on the download page. Alternatively, check out the GitHub documentation for download links and packages.
What if a package isn’t available for your distribution? In that case, the easiest solution is usually to adapt a package from another distribution.
The packages are typically similar, so you can usually make it work.
Another option is building your own package from source, although it’s a lot more complicated and more prone to error.
Native Windows support, though, is not provided. There are no plans to support any version of Windows.
However, you can install ZoneMinder on the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which is a feature offered by Windows that allows developers to run Linux environments without a separate virtual machine.
What about mobile apps? ZoneMinder is available for Android and iOS as well as a client app.
An open-source client app called zmNinja has been developed by a member of the community. Since it’s open source, you can add and contribute to the project.
It allows you to view your feeds from your phone or tablet, including both Android and iOS devices. Some of its awesome features include live view, event view, and push notifications.
In fact, the zmNinja client is available for desktop as well.
Another iOS app is Surveillance Pro, and Squarer is available for Android TV.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris is compatible with most cameras, including network IP cameras, USB cameras, and analog capture cards with DirectShow drivers. It supports the ONVIF protocol as well.
I found a list of cameras tested to work with Blue Iris on a Blue Iris reseller website. You can view the list here.
In terms of operating systems, Blue Iris is designed for Windows. It works on Windows 7 and up, although Windows 10 is recommended.
So, if you have Linux, ZoneMinder is the obvious choice. If you have a Windows machine, you can use Blue Iris, which is designed for Windows, or ZoneMinder on the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
There are mobile clients for Android and iOS as well, but there’s a catch.
The mobile apps cost $9.99; they are not free, even if you purchased the Blue Iris software license.
Remember, too, that these apps merely act as a client to the Windows software.
That means that you need to have the Blue Iris software installed on your Windows PC (or a virtual machine). Only then can you use your phone to remotely connect to your PC and monitor video feeds and control your cameras.
The good news is that the apps use secure remote access protocols. You won’t be transmitting the video fees from your computer to your phone over the regular internet but rather via a secure, session-based protocol.
Blue Iris vs ZoneMinder: Features
Let’s get into the meat of this article: a comparison of the features of ZoneMinder and Blue Iris.
You will find that there are many similarities between the two, but there are some things unique to each one.
Remote Viewing
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder allows you to view your video feeds remotely. This can be done from your desktop computer or mobile phone, if you have the apps installed.
Even if you have multiple cameras, such as cameras positioned in different locations in your home, or some cameras in your office and others in your home, you can view them all.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris also supports multiple camera feeds, and you can view them from your desktop or the mobile clients. The interface is easy to use, and all the feeds are nicely labeled, so you can easily find the camera feed you want to watch.
Motion/Event Detection, Recording, and Alerts
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder offers event detection.
For example, the Event Notification Server add-on, endorsed by ZoneMinder, can give you alerts for over 80 different types of objects, including cars and people. Perhaps you want to know when a car pulls up to your driveway, for example, or someone is on your front porch.
Using the Event Notification Server, you can set that up.
It is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, and it even includes support for facial recognition and deep license plate recognition!
For example, it can recognize a specific person. Perhaps you want to get notified when your pesky neighbor shows up.
In terms of recording, ZoneMinder also offers several options.
There are various recording modes. Here are some of them:
- Do not record anything, but run the live stream
- Only record events when motion is detected
- Continuously record, whether or not motion is detected
- Continuously record, but if motion is detected, those motion events will be highlighted
There are some other modes as well, such as turning off a stream completely.
In addition to video recording, you can choose to enable audio recording.
Timestamps can be added as labels to your recordings, with different timestamp formats available.
For more information about recording modes, check the documentation.
What about alerts? We already mentioned the Event Notification Server, but ZoneMinder has always allowed for email and SMS alerts.
It’s a bit complicated to set up, and for text alerts, you’ll need to set up the email to point to a text gateway. More information is provided on the wiki.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris offers motion and audio detection. You can record continuously, or you can record only when motion or audio is detected.
That means you don’t have to rely on motion alone as a trigger for recording. Perhaps nobody is detected in the camera, but there is a burglar making noise; that can be a trigger as well.
In terms of alerts, there are multiple options. You are not limited to email or SMS alerts but can even receive a phone call or get an alert via loudspeaker; external notification scripts are also supported.
Like ZoneMinder, it allows you to overlay a timestamp on your recordings.
Event Blending
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder offers event blending and detection with the power of AI through a tool called znMagik, which is open source and available on GitHub. Unfortunately, it is no longer maintained by the owner, so do be careful when using it.
It allows you to do things like blend multiple important events from the day into one minute, so you can watch all the important happenings in a short time instead of going through the entire day’s recordings. It will save you so much time!
In addition, you can harness the power of AI to find events with specific objects. For example, if your Amazon package was stolen, you can use an image of the package from another event to find the event during which it was stolen.
If your trash can got blown away by the wind, you can also find the specific time when it was blown away using this method.
Blue Iris
There doesn’t seem to be an event detection feature in Blue Iris.
ZoneMinder vs Blue Iris: Third-Party Add-ons
We already discussed some of the most popular features in ZoneMinder and Blue Iris, including some offered by add-ons. Let’s talk a bit more about add-on availability in each one.
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder has additional add-ons and apps, but not all of them are still maintained.
You can see plugins, apps, clients, and more on this page.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris also has useful apps from the community. For example, Blue Iris Tools allows you to get alerts when your Windows server is down and add weather overlays to your streams.
Meanwhile, there are apps that allow you to integrate Blue Iris with your Samsung SmartHome System and Vera home automation system.
See these apps, and more, here.
ZoneMinder vs Blue Iris: Pricing
ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder is open source. As such, it is entirely free to use.
In addition, the community has contributed a lot to the project, and there are all kinds of add-ons available for free.
You can scale it up as much as you want, no matter how many cameras you have, as long as you have the hardware for it. See more on the wiki.
Blue Iris
Blue Iris is proprietary software. It requires a license, which costs $79.95 for up to 64 cameras. If you only have one camera, and you are sure you won’t need more, you can buy the one-camera version at $39.95.
The software is licensed per PC. So, if you want to install it on two PCs, you will need two licenses.
A demo option is available for 15 days, which can help you get an idea of how the software works.
There’s something else I want to mention, though. Blue Iris makes it seem as if there is only a one-time cost involved with purchasing the license, but that is only partially true.
The license does last a lifetime, but it only includes one year of support and updates. That means that eventually, your Blue Iris software will become outdated, and you will miss out on important security updates if you don’t pay a yearly fee.
The yearly fee is $34.95/year, and it includes major upgrades, new versions, and email support beyond the first year.
For $99.95/year, you can upgrade to priority email support, phone support, and remote desktop support for technical problems. However, phone and remote desktop support are limited and require an appointment.
See updated pricing here.
Pros and Cons
ZoneMinder
Pros
- Open source
- Large developer community
- Available for most cameras
- Available for most distros of Linux
Cons
- Difficult and complex to install
- Kind of sluggish
- Poor interface
Blue Iris
Pros
- Plenty of tools available
- Customizable
- Both motion and audio sensor detection
Cons
- Costs money
- Only available for Windows
- Requires recurring payments for updates and support beyond the first year
Blue Iris or ZoneMinder? Similarities and Differences
| ZoneMinder | Blue Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Viewing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alerts | Email, SMS | Email, SMS, Phone Call, Loudspeaker |
| Detection | Motion, Events | Motion, Audio |
| Recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open Source | ✓ | ✗ |
| Camera Limit | Unlimited | 64 |
| Official Desktop Server OS Support | Linux, Windows Subsystem for Linux | Windows |
| Desktop Clients | Windows, macOS | N/A |
| Mobile Clients | Android, iOS (free) | Android, iOS ($9.99 each) |
| Cost | Free | $39.95-79.95 (one-time fee) + $34.95-99.95/year for continuous updates and support |
Wrapping It Up
Before making a choice, consider your operating system.
You can set up a Blue Iris server on Windows, while ZoneMinder only works on Linux and the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
The next thing to consider is cost. ZoneMinder is free, but it is also a bit complicated to set up.
Blue Iris is not free, and it will cost you yearly if you want continuous updates. Still, it may be worth it, as it is a bit easier to set up.
Ultimately, though, many of their features are the same, with various differing functionalities provided by third-party add-ons.
