head to head · open source
frigate vs magic
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. magic has 1,215 stars, 177 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped yesterday. frigate leads on adoption by 2,958% (37,160 vs 1,215 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; magic is written in C# under MIT. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, magic 15%. frigate was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), 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 | magic | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 177 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frigate if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick magic if
- You want the magic feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and magic fits your workflow better
About frigate
Frigate NVR™ Realtime Object Detection for IP Cameras \[English\] 简体中文 A complete and local NVR designed for Home Assistant with AI object detection. Uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to perform realtime object detection locally for IP cameras. Use of a GPU or AI accelerator is highly recommended. AI accelerators will outperform even the best CPUs with very little overhead. See Frigate's supported object detectors. Tight integration with Home Assistant via a custom component Designed to minimize resource use and maximize performance by only looking for objects when and where it is necessary Leverages multiprocessing…
read the full frigate overview →
About magic
Instant SECURE Full Stack Apps and AI Agents Turn plain English into a working full stack app — database, secure API, business logic, and frontend — running on your own hardware , with zero lock in . An open source alternative to Lovable, Bolt, and Replit that gives you the whole backend, plus an MCP server that turns every endpoint into a tool for Claude, Cursor, or Codex. Read more about Hyperlambda. [ ] Run it in 60 seconds Then open localhost:5555 , point it at localhost:4444 , and log in with root / root . Point the API Wizard at your database, and it generates a complete, secured REST API — then extend it…
read the full magic overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or magic more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and magic has 1,215. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and magic free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and magic under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and magic?
frigate is written in Python and magic in C#. 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 magic?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose magic if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.