Loki Eye next to Blue Iris, iSpy, Synology, and Frigate.

Ten features compared

Feature	Loki Eye	Blue Iris Version 6	iSpy Now Agent DVR	Synology Surveillance Station	Frigate Open source
Runs on	Windows, macOS, and Linux, as a desktop app.	Windows 10 or 11 only.	Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, and Raspberry Pi.	Synology NAS and NVR hardware only, as a package in the DSM operating system.	Linux in Docker, including the Home Assistant add-on.
Price	Free for two cameras. €29 + VAT a year or €99 + VAT once for unlimited cameras.	$39.95 for one camera or $99.95 for the full edition. Updates after the first year cost $44.95 a year.	Free for local use. Remote access and the mobile apps start at $7.95 a month.	Included with Synology storage, with two camera licences on a NAS. Each extra camera needs a licence, about $50 to $60 once.	Free. Optional Frigate+ detection models cost $50 a year.
Recording	H.264 and H.265 copied to disk exactly as the camera sends them. Continuous, or on motion with pre-roll and post-roll.	Direct-to-disc recording without re-encoding. Continuous, motion, or scheduled.	Raw stream recording or re-encoded video. Continuous, motion, or scheduled.	Camera streams stored on the NAS. Continuous, scheduled, or on motion and other events, with 5 to 300 seconds of pre-roll and post-roll.	Camera stream written without re-encoding. Continuous, motion, or around tracked objects.
Motion detection	Uses each camera’s own ONVIF motion events, so the recorder never analyses video.	Analyses decoded video on the server. Camera triggers can also be used.	Analyses decoded video on the server. ONVIF camera events are also supported.	Uses the camera’s own motion events, or analyses video on the NAS. Also reads smart events from Axis, Hikvision, and Dahua cameras.	Analyses a decoded detection stream on the server for every camera.
Object detection	Records on the person and vehicle events of cameras that report them. No AI runs on the recorder.	Built-in AI since version 6. Fastest on a capable GPU.	Built-in AI with a paid licence, or free through CodeProject.AI.	People, vehicle, face, and licence plate analytics on Synology cameras and DVA-series recorders. Other NAS models rely on camera events.	Built-in real-time detection, its main strength. A Coral, GPU, or NPU accelerator is recommended.
Server load	About 0.1% of one CPU core and 19 MB of memory in our measurement. Video is only decoded for snapshots or on request.	Decodes every stream it analyses. Using camera sub-streams keeps this manageable.	Decodes the streams it analyses for motion or AI.	Light when cameras report motion. Motion analysis on the NAS decodes video, which low-power NAS processors feel.	Decodes the detection stream of every camera. Hardware decoding is recommended.
Retention	By age and by a hard storage cap across all cameras, plus a free-disk floor. Shows the days of footage the cap allows.	Size and age limits per storage folder.	Size and age limits per camera.	Per camera, by days and by storage size, whichever limit is reached first.	By days, per recording type. Oldest footage is deleted early only when about an hour of space remains.
Setup	Install and add cameras in the browser. Stream probing and an ONVIF port test check each camera.	Windows installer and a dense desktop console with many settings.	Installer or Docker, then setup in the browser with ONVIF discovery.	Install the Surveillance Station package in DSM, then add cameras with a wizard that searches the network.	Docker plus a YAML configuration file, editable from the web interface.
Phones and remote access	With a licence, any browser on your network, behind a password. Away from home, use your own VPN. No native app yet.	Free iOS and Android apps and a built-in web server. You set up remote access yourself.	iOS and Android apps and remote access through ispyconnect.com, both on the subscription.	DS cam apps for iOS and Android, and desktop clients for Windows and macOS. Remote access through Synology QuickConnect.	Web app you can add to your home screen. Remote access through your own VPN, proxy, or Home Assistant.
Integrations	Local HTTP API with an MJPEG stream and a still image for every camera, ready for Home Assistant and other home automation.	JSON API, MQTT, and alerts. Community Home Assistant integration.	API, MQTT, and a native Home Assistant integration.	Web API and webhook action rules. Home Assistant’s official Synology DSM integration adds every camera.	API, MQTT, and an official Home Assistant integration.

Competitor details were checked in September 2026 against Blue Iris, Agent DVR, Synology, and Frigate. Competitor prices are in US dollars before tax, and each project changes over time, so check its site before you decide. The Loki Eye load figure was measured on macOS.