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Video Surveillance & VMS Comparison

Avigilon vs. Rhombus

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.

Rhombus

Best for

Best for organizations that want cloud-managed cameras with published list prices, and need to keep some existing cameras running alongside them.

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

Full Comparison

Criterion Avigilon Rhombus
Starting price Not stated From $149 per camera licence, plus camera hardware Camera hardware is a one-time fee from $399 (R120 Mini Dome); the pricing page offers licence terms of 1, 3, 5 or 10 years
Free trial Not stated Free trial offered on the pricing page
API Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Yes, a public API with an API reference
Hosting Unity Video on the customer's own servers, optionally cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services; Alta Video in Avigilon's cloud Cloud-managed console, with video stored on the cameras or on a Relay device and optional cloud archiving
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 Rhombus dome, fisheye, bullet and multisensor cameras; third-party cameras are added through the N100 Relay, which uses ONVIF where supported and ingests RTSP streams, or through Relay Lite, which lets a Rhombus camera bridge one third-party camera
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 Video stored on the camera, with 20 to 180 days listed by model at default settings; the N100 Relay holds 2 TB or 4 TB, up to 40 days per camera; cloud archiving is available for longer retention
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 video search, face recognition, license plate recognition and audio analytics; standard analytics come with the Professional licence and advanced analytics with the Enterprise licence
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-edge: cameras process and store video on the device and are managed from the cloud console, with no NVR needed for Rhombus cameras
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 All locations managed from one cloud console; the vendor cites a customer running 13,000 devices across 11,000 locations
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 The vendor states continuous system health monitoring with an alert when a camera stops functioning; firmware for Rhombus cameras is updated over the air automatically, while third-party camera firmware stays with the customer
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 Public API with an API reference at developer.rhombus.com, and more than 50 listed integrations
AI features Yes Yes
Deployment more entries On-premise, Cloud (SaaS) Cloud (SaaS)
Integrations HALO smart sensors Not stated

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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) Rhombus Cloud (SaaS)
  • Hosting Avigilon Unity Video on the customer's own servers, optionally cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services; Alta Video in Avigilon's cloud Rhombus Cloud-managed console, with video stored on the cameras or on a Relay device and optional cloud archiving
  • API Avigilon Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Rhombus Yes, a public API with an API reference
  • 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 Rhombus Rhombus dome, fisheye, bullet and multisensor cameras; third-party cameras are added through the N100 Relay, which uses ONVIF where supported and ingests RTSP streams, or through Relay Lite, which lets a Rhombus camera bridge one third-party camera
  • 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 Rhombus Video stored on the camera, with 20 to 180 days listed by model at default settings; the N100 Relay holds 2 TB or 4 TB, up to 40 days per camera; cloud archiving is available for longer retention

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

Rhombus

Strengths

  • Hardware and licence list prices are published per camera
  • Video is stored on the camera, with no NVR for Rhombus cameras
  • Third-party ONVIF and RTSP cameras can be added through a Relay
  • Access control, intercoms and sensors in the same console
  • All cameras include a 10-year warranty

Limitations

  • Every camera needs an ongoing licence on top of the hardware
  • AI features and cloud archiving are not included in the Professional licence
  • Firmware of third-party cameras on a Relay is managed by the customer
  • Sold through authorized resellers rather than directly

Plans

Pricing

Rhombus

  • Professional licence $149 per camera Per camera, on top of the hardware; AI features and cloud archiving are not included in the Professional licence
  • Camera hardware From $399 per camera One-time fee, R120 Mini Dome 2MP; other models up to $3,299 (R600 Multisensor, which requires the Enterprise licence at $649)
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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.

Rhombus

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

Rhombus https://www.rhombus.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.