head to head · open source
frigate vs tagreader
frigate has 37,274 GitHub stars, 3,798 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. tagreader has 1,623 stars, 219 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. frigate leads on adoption by 2,197% (37,274 vs 1,623 stars). frigate is written in Python under MIT; tagreader is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. frigate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, tagreader 13%. frigate was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | tagreader | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-04-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 219 |
| 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 tagreader if
- You want the tagreader feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and tagreader 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 tagreader
Tag Reader for Home Assistant The tag reader is a simple to build/use NFC tag reader, specially created for Home Assistant. It is using a D1 mini ESP 8266 and the PN532 NFC module. The firmware is built using ESPhome. I am selling a pre built version, a DIY version (assembly required), or just the case (use with own components). Check it out on my website. Building the tag reader To build your own tag reader, you need the following components: ESP8266 D1 Mini PN532 NFC Reader WS2812 Buzzer The 3D models for the case are here. WARNING regarding AZdelivery D1. We have had several users contacting us with different…
read the full tagreader overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frigate or tagreader more popular?
frigate has 37,274 GitHub stars and tagreader has 1,623. frigate has the larger community by that measure.
Are frigate and tagreader free?
Both are open source. frigate is licensed under MIT and tagreader under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frigate and tagreader?
frigate is written in Python and tagreader in Shell. 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 tagreader?
Choose frigate if you want the larger community (37,274 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose tagreader if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.