head to head · open source
frigate vs pyatv
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pyatv has 1,201 stars, 164 forks, 258 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. frigate leads on adoption by 2,994% (37,160 vs 1,201 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; pyatv is written in Python under MIT. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, pyatv 14%. frigate was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | pyatv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-08-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 164 |
| 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 pyatv if
- You want the pyatv feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pyatv 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 pyatv
A client library for Apple TV and AirPlay devices ================================================= This is an asyncio python library for interacting with Apple TV and AirPlay devices. It mainly targets Apple TVs (all generations, including tvOS 15 and later ), but also supports audio streaming via AirPlay to receivers like the HomePod, AirPort Express and third party speakers. It can act as remote control to the Music app/iTunes in macOS. All the documentation you need is available at pyatv.dev . What can it do? Some examples include: Remote control commands Metadata retrieval with push updates Stream files via…
read the full pyatv overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or pyatv more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and pyatv has 1,201. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and pyatv free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and pyatv under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and pyatv?
frigate is written in Python and pyatv in Python. 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 pyatv?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose pyatv if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.