head to head · open source
frigate vs frontend
frigate has 36,418 GitHub stars, 3,667 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. frontend has 5,693 stars, 3,860 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped today. frigate leads on adoption by 540% (36,418 vs 5,693 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; frontend is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, frontend 68%. frontend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (home-assistant, home-automation), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| frigate | frontend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 5.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 3.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frigate if
- You weight community size — 36K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick frontend if
- You want the frontend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and frontend fits your workflow better
About frigate
Frigate NVR is a complete and local network video recorder built for Home Assistant, with AI object detection. It uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to run realtime object detection locally on IP cameras, so video analysis happens on your own hardware instead of a vendor cloud. Project lives in the Home Assistant home automation ecosystem, with tight integration through a custom component, and it talks over MQTT so other systems can consume its events. Written mainly in TypeScript, MIT licensed, 8 years old, 35,896 stars and 3,596 forks on GitHub.
read the full frigate overview →
About frontend
The Home Assistant Frontend is the official web interface for Home Assistant, built for home automation users and developers who want a browser based control panel for their smart home.
read the full frontend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or frontend more popular?
frigate has 36,418 GitHub stars and frontend has 5,693. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and frontend free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and frontend under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and frontend?
frigate is written in Python and frontend in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, frigate or frontend?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (36,418 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose frontend if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.