head to head · open source
frigate vs synology-api
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars, 3,782 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. synology-api has 608 stars, 168 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. frigate leads on adoption by 6,012% (37,160 vs 608 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; synology-api is written in Python under MIT. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, synology-api 28%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| frigate | synology-api | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 608 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 168 |
| 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 synology-api if
- You want the synology-api feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and synology-api 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 synology-api
Synology Wrapper If you find yourself here, most probably you are trying to develop something for your NAS, this wrapper might come to your help to build your script. I would like to specify that I do this for hobby as is my passion and in my little free time. Said this, there is no warranties chained and this library is provided "As Is", you will find many things can be simplified, and I slowly will but feel free to Contribute. Premise I've tried this wrapper only with python3 . I do not know if it actually runs with previous versions Before opening an issue make sure you do your own research, if you are not…
read the full synology-api overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Internet of Things (IoT) projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Internet of Things (IoT) field.
Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or synology-api more popular?
frigate has 37,160 GitHub stars and synology-api has 608. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and synology-api free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and synology-api under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and synology-api?
frigate is written in Python and synology-api 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 synology-api?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose synology-api if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.