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Video Surveillance & VMS Comparison

Avigilon vs. Verkada

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.

Verkada

Best for

Best for organizations that want to replace recorders and servers with cameras managed from one cloud platform across many sites.

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

Full Comparison

Criterion Avigilon Verkada
Free trial Not stated 30-day trial with one device and full access to the Command platform
API Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Yes, REST APIs for the Command platform and Verkada devices, plus out-of-the-box integrations
Hosting Unity Video on the customer's own servers, optionally cloud-managed through Unity Cloud Services; Alta Video in Avigilon's cloud Hybrid: video is stored on the camera and in Verkada's cloud, managed in the Command platform
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 Verkada's own cameras (dome, mini, bullet, fisheye, multisensor, PTZ, remote, thermal); non-Verkada cameras on the compatibility list can be bridged in through Command Connector, with limited support for some features
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 Every Verkada camera includes guaranteed onboard storage of 30 to 365 days; Command Connector appliances store up to 8, 16 or 32 TB
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-powered search including face search and reverse image search, AI-powered alerts such as line crossing and camera tampering, and operational analytics such as movement patterns and wait times
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 Hybrid cloud: processing and storage on the camera and in the cloud, with no NVRs or servers; Command Connector bridges existing cameras on site
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 The vendor states the hybrid cloud design supports thousands of sites, managed remotely in Command
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 Proactive notifications about system and device health; over-the-air software and firmware updates for Verkada cameras
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 REST APIs for the Command platform and Verkada devices, and an integration partner directory
AI features Yes Yes
Deployment more entries On-premise, Cloud (SaaS) Cloud (SaaS)
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) Verkada 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 Verkada Hybrid: video is stored on the camera and in Verkada's cloud, managed in the Command platform
  • API Avigilon Yes, an open API for Alta Video, plus more than 100 integrated apps Verkada Yes, REST APIs for the Command platform and Verkada devices, plus out-of-the-box integrations
  • 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 Verkada Verkada's own cameras (dome, mini, bullet, fisheye, multisensor, PTZ, remote, thermal); non-Verkada cameras on the compatibility list can be bridged in through Command Connector, with limited support for some features
  • 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 Verkada Every Verkada camera includes guaranteed onboard storage of 30 to 365 days; Command Connector appliances store up to 8, 16 or 32 TB

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

Verkada

Strengths

  • No NVRs or servers needed for Verkada cameras
  • Onboard storage of 30 to 365 days on every Verkada camera
  • Hardware prices for cameras and appliances are published as MSRP
  • Existing cameras can be bridged in through Command Connector

Limitations

  • Camera licence prices are not published; every camera needs one on top of the hardware
  • Non-Verkada cameras get limited support for firmware updates, tamper detection and some analytics
  • Full feature set depends on buying Verkada's own cameras

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.

Verkada

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

Verkada https://www.verkada.com/security-cameras/ · 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.