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Video Surveillance & VMS Comparison

Avigilon vs. Eagle Eye Cloud VMS

At a glance

At a glance

Avigilon

Best for

Best for organizations that want on-premise and cloud video management from one vendor, with room to move sites between the two.

Eagle Eye Cloud VMS

Best for

Best for organizations that want cloud video management for the cameras they already have, across several locations.

Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.

Full Comparison

Criterion Avigilon Eagle Eye Cloud VMS
Free trial Not stated Free trial offered
API Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Yes, the Video API Platform
Hosting Unity Video on the customer's own servers, optionally cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services; Alta Video in Avigilon's cloud Video stored in Eagle Eye's own data centers, or on site on an Eagle Eye CMVR with cloud management
Camera compatibility (ONVIF, RTSP, vendor SDKs) Avigilon's own cameras plus third-party cameras, and the vendor describes its systems as ONVIF conformant; Alta Cloud Connectors bring existing IP cameras into Alta Video, and the AI NVR appliance adds server-side analytics for non-analytic and third-party cameras Works with more than 7,500 cameras, and the vendor states it can capture video from virtually any ONVIF-conformant camera; a Supported Device List names the models
Recording and storage Video is compressed automatically to meet system requirements, with scalable storage options; Alta Video uses cloud storage, priced by camera count and retention period Cloud plans with retention from 7 days to 5 years; an on-premise plan stores video on an Eagle Eye CMVR, with retention set by its storage; video encrypted in transmission and at rest
AI video analytics Alta Video: Appearance Search, unusual motion detection, facial recognition, licence plate recognition, crowd and object detection and PPE detection; Unity Video: AI-powered detection and search AI detection of security events, people, vehicles, suspicious license plates and guns, PPE compliance checks, and natural-language search
Deployment (on-premise, cloud, hybrid) Unity Video on premise; Alta Video cloud-native and serverless; a Unity site can also be cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services, and Cloud Connectors bridge existing cameras to Alta Cloud plans need an on-site Eagle Eye Bridge or CMVR; the on-premise plan keeps video on a CMVR while management stays in the cloud
Multi-site management Unity Video searches for a person or vehicle across one or multiple sites and manages users centrally across sites; Alta Video is built for any number of sites and locations Cameras at all locations viewed remotely from a phone or computer, grouped by site, location or purpose
Camera health monitoring and alerts Unity Video: Advanced System Health, included in all plans, to remotely manage and update the system and devices; Unity Cloud Services manages system health from a browser or mobile device Real-time notifications for camera status, alongside alerts for motion and AI detections such as gun detection
Integrations and API Alta Video: an open API and more than 100 integrated apps; integrations with access control, HALO smart sensors, talk-down speakers and radios Video API Platform and a technology partner programme
AI features Yes Yes
Deployment On-premise, Cloud (SaaS) Cloud (SaaS), On-premise
Integrations HALO smart sensors Not stated

Compare more tools

Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.

The short version

Key Differences

  • Deployment Avigilon On-premise, Cloud (SaaS) Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Cloud (SaaS), On-premise
  • Hosting Avigilon Unity Video on the customer's own servers, optionally cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services; Alta Video in Avigilon's cloud Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Video stored in Eagle Eye's own data centers, or on site on an Eagle Eye CMVR with cloud management
  • API Avigilon Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Yes, the Video API Platform
  • Camera compatibility (ONVIF, RTSP, vendor SDKs) Avigilon Avigilon's own cameras plus third-party cameras, and the vendor describes its systems as ONVIF conformant; Alta Cloud Connectors bring existing IP cameras into Alta Video, and the AI NVR appliance adds server-side analytics for non-analytic and third-party cameras Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Works with more than 7,500 cameras, and the vendor states it can capture video from virtually any ONVIF-conformant camera; a Supported Device List names the models
  • Recording and storage Avigilon Video is compressed automatically to meet system requirements, with scalable storage options; Alta Video uses cloud storage, priced by camera count and retention period Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Cloud plans with retention from 7 days to 5 years; an on-premise plan stores video on an Eagle Eye CMVR, with retention set by its storage; video encrypted in transmission and at rest

Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.

The trade-offs

Strengths and Limitations

Avigilon

Strengths

  • Two editions from one vendor: Unity Video on premise and Alta Video in the cloud
  • Third-party cameras connect, and Cloud Connectors bring existing IP cameras into Alta
  • Advanced System Health is included in every Unity Video plan
  • Alta Video offers an open API and integrations with more than 100 apps

Limitations

  • No published prices for either edition; quotes come through sales
  • Unity Video and Alta Video are separate products with separate plans
  • The vendor's pages do not describe API access for Unity Video

Eagle Eye Cloud VMS

Strengths

  • Works with existing cameras, more than 7,500 models
  • Cloud retention plans from 7 days to 5 years
  • Video can stay on site on a CMVR while management runs in the cloud
  • All plans include web and mobile access, 24/7 operational monitoring and unlimited alerts

Limitations

  • No published prices; plans are quoted per camera per month
  • Needs an Eagle Eye Bridge or CMVR on site for cloud plans
  • The on-premise plan works only with a CMVR, not with a Bridge

Plans

Pricing

What users say

Review Scores · opens after launch

Avigilon

Ease of use
Not rated yet
User interface
Not rated yet
Onboarding
Not rated yet
Support and service
Not rated yet
Value for money
Not rated yet
Features
Not rated yet

No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.

Eagle Eye Cloud VMS

Ease of use
Not rated yet
User interface
Not rated yet
Onboarding
Not rated yet
Support and service
Not rated yet
Value for money
Not rated yet
Features
Not rated yet

No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.

How we check reviews

Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.

Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.

What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.

A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.

Read the full version on our methodology page

Where this comes from

Where this comes from

Avigilon https://www.avigilon.com/vms · checked against the official source on 2026-11-11

Eagle Eye Cloud VMS https://www.een.com/ · no check date recorded yet

This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.