From 63fd4d8d45b86200e8b8e12f0820f8f5fcb9835d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Eratostenes de Gitjabia Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 18:44:31 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] docs(comparatives): vs Frigate-DIY --- docs/05-comparatives/vs-frigate-diy.md | 71 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 71 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/05-comparatives/vs-frigate-diy.md diff --git a/docs/05-comparatives/vs-frigate-diy.md b/docs/05-comparatives/vs-frigate-diy.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e0c6715 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/05-comparatives/vs-frigate-diy.md @@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ +# vs Frigate-DIY + +## Snapshot + +| Dimension | Frigate DIY | Blocao | +|---|---|---| +| Cost | Free software + hardware you already own | Hardware + optional support | +| Setup | Self-install on Home Assistant or standalone | Wizard-driven appliance | +| Multi-site | Not supported | Native via hub | +| GitOps | Not built in (user can DIY) | First-class | +| Sovereignty | Inherently local (no cloud) | Inherently local + sovereign hub option | +| AI engine | Frigate | Frigate (same engine) + enricher + re-id | +| Operator UX | Frigate's web UI | Full forensic console with NL queries | +| Fleet management | None | Hub with multi-site overview | +| Evidence chain | None | Manifest + signature, post-MVP full chain | +| Network architecture | Whatever the user has | VLAN-segregated by default | +| Audience | Hobbyists, technical homelab users | SMB-to-mid commercial buyers | + +## Where Frigate-DIY wins + +- **Free**. Software is free. Hardware can be reused. For a single-site hobbyist, total cost can be near zero. +- **Total control**. The user owns every component, every config file. +- **Community knowledge**. Reddit, Home Assistant forums, GitHub — vibrant. +- **Iteration speed**. Want to try a new model? Drop it in. Want to write a custom integration? Go ahead. +- **Sovereignty by default**. There's no cloud to phone home to. (Same as Blocao.) + +## Where Blocao wins + +- **Production-grade integration**. Frigate alone is a great engine; making it work end-to-end with a router, MQTT bridge, GitOps, evidence chain, and an operator-grade forensic console is months of work most customers don't have. +- **Operator UX**. Frigate's UI is for technical users. Blocao's console is for security investigators who don't want to read JSON. +- **Multi-site**. Frigate-DIY has no built-in fleet management. Blocao's hub is purpose-built for it. +- **Network sovereignty**. VLAN segregation, DNS sinkhole, firewall rules — Blocao bakes these in. DIY user has to know to do all of it. +- **Support**. When something breaks at 3 AM, DIY user is on their own. Blocao customers have a path to escalation. +- **Liability**. Insurance / regulatory / commercial customers need a vendor on the hook. Frigate doesn't have a vendor; Blocao does. +- **Speed of deployment**. Wizard-driven onboarding vs read-many-docs-and-config-yourself. + +## Where each is comparable + +- **AI quality**. Same engine. Blocao adds enricher and re-id but a determined DIY user can match. +- **Cost-per-camera at scale**. For 1-2 cameras, DIY wins on cost. For 10+ cameras across multiple sites, Blocao's TCO is competitive once you factor in operator time. + +## Sales conversation patterns + +When prospect mentions "we'll just use Frigate": + +1. **Ask: "How many sites?"** If 1, ask "how many cameras?". +2. If 1 site, <5 cameras, technical buyer: respect it. Don't try to convert. Maybe refer to the [Blocao GitHub Sponsors program] or similar (post-MVP). +3. If 1 site, >10 cameras: probe operational pain. "Who's on call when an event needs investigating?" "How do you audit config changes?". Frigate alone doesn't answer these. +4. If multiple sites: the conversation is over. DIY doesn't scale to multi-site, period. +5. If commercial use case (insurance, banking, retail): liability conversation. DIY = no vendor accountability. + +## Honest assessment + +Frigate is excellent. The team behind it built one of the best edge-AI surveillance engines in the world. We respect them, we use their engine, we contribute back where appropriate. + +Blocao is **not** an attempt to replace Frigate. We are a **commercial wrapper + extension** that makes Frigate viable for buyers who can't or won't DIY. + +For a hobbyist with one site and the time to learn: keep using Frigate-DIY. Don't pay for Blocao. We'd rather have happy users in the community than reluctant customers. + +For a commercial buyer with 1+ sites who values operator UX, sovereignty audit trail, and vendor accountability: that's Blocao's home. Frigate alone doesn't compete in that space. + +## How we contribute back + +Blocao Labs commits to: + +- Contributing fixes and improvements to Frigate upstream when our work is broadly useful. +- Sharing model recipes and benchmarks publicly. +- Recognizing Frigate explicitly in product material — never hiding the upstream. +- Supporting Frigate's release cadence (we don't fork hard, we track upstream). + +This is the right thing to do, and it also keeps the Frigate ecosystem healthy, which keeps Blocao's foundation strong.