Shinobi CCTV vs Blue Iris – Which Is Better?

Shinobi and Blue Iris are two popular video surveillance camera recording and monitoring software. Both are used to monitor, record, and control security cameras and baby cams.

But you might be thinking which one is better?

Today, I will be comparing Shinobi and Blue Iris side by side. This will help you decide which one is the right software for your needs.

Let’s begin.

Shinobi vs Blue Iris: An Overview

Shinobi

Shinobi Systems is a program written in Node.js, a cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that works on all popular operating systems.

It was created by one Moe Alam, who launched the project with the goal of creating an open-source and accessible CCTV monitoring solution for homes nationwide.

His goal was to create an application that you can use on any device and view via a browser, without needing to install any client applications.

Blue Iris

Blue Iris is a popular software that lets you add up to 64 cameras to monitor from your feed. It also records videos and offers a host of advanced features.

You can use it in your home to monitor your baby cams, front door camera, and other feeds. Or, you can use it for your business, providing your security team with the ability to keep track of your many security cameras.

Blue Iris vs Shinobi: License Type

Shinobi

Shinobi is open source. That means that the source code for the software is available for public viewing.

You can download, save, edit, and share the source code. The software is free, and you won’t have to worry about needing to pay for it in the future, since the source code is already publicly available.

The source code is hosted on GitLab.

Open-source software is free (you can’t charge for something for which the source code is available).

Shinobi does have a premium version, though, which includes extra features for commercial use; more on that later.

Blue Iris

Blue Iris is not open source. It’s what’s known as proprietary software; software developed by a company for profit, for which the source code is not publicly available.

That means that you must pay for a license to use Blue Iris.

Why does this matter? It means the company has the freedom to arbitrarily change the price, for example.

We see that in the way Blue Iris charges users for continuous updates. If you don’t pay a yearly fee, you will be stuck with an unsupported software version.

It also means that if the company goes out of business, you might be left with unsupported software. If a project is open source, there will usually be a community of developers who will work on supporting the project (providing it is popular enough).

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Shinobi vs Blue Iris: Supported Cameras

Shinobi

Shinobi is compatible with over 6,000 cameras, including USB and IP (Internet Protocol) cameras.

If you have a camera that follows the ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) standard, as many cameras do, adding it to Shinobi is relatively easy.

You can add cameras easily by conducting an ONVIF scan using your camera’s username and password.

If your camera isn’t an ONVIF camera, you can still add it with its stream URL, which allows you to stream it over the network. Finding that stream URL, though, can sometimes be a hassle.

A stream URL will also work for many NVRs (Network Video Recorders).

You can find tips for finding a device’s stream URL in the Shinobi documentation. For information on how to use the ONVIF scanner, see here.

However, for NVRs and cameras that do not allow third-party connections over the network, you’re out of luck. You won’t be able to use them with Shinobi unless they are modified to support certain protocols, although that’s beyond the scope of this article.

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Blue Iris

Blue Iris supports most cameras. Not only does it support all ONVIF cameras, but it supports all cameras that:

• Support JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) images
• Support MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Expert Groups 4) over RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) streaming
• Support MJPEG (Motion JPEG) streaming

In addition, there is a list here, where you can find many other cameras that are supported. Note that this list is provided not by the official Blue Iris company but by a reseller (there are various authorized resellers who sell the software).

Blue Iris vs Shinobi: Operating System Support

Shinobi

Shinobi is cross-platform, due to being written in Node.js. You can run it on Windows, Mac, and many versions of Linux.

You can also install it on a Raspberry Pi.

Not only that, but Blue Iris has a mobile companion app which allows you to view your streams and recordings from your phone. You can even use it when you are not connected to the local network via a remote connection.

Finally, as I already mentioned, Shinobi works from any browser. It provides a web interface through which you can log on and view your streams at any time.

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Blue Iris

Blue Iris can be installed on Windows only. However, it’s important to note that this is only for the server software.

For both Shinobi and Blue Iris, you will need to set up a server, which you can then connect to from other devices to watch the live streams.

Shinobi’s server app offers cross-platform compatibility. The same does not apply to Blue Iris: Its server must be installed on Windows.

However, once you set up your server on Windows, you can connect to the server from any device, anywhere in the world, via a browser, whether on desktop or mobile.

The web server has support for user authentication with permission-based viewing. In simpler words, different users can log on and view only the camera feeds or recordings they were given access to.

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Shinobi vs Blue Iris: Features

Shinobi

Motion and Object Detection

Motion detection allows you to automatically start recording when the software detects motion in the feed. In addition to motion detection, object detection is supported, allowing you to start automatic recording if a certain object is spotted in the feed.

Other events are also supported as triggers for automatic recording. You can save events in your event library.

You can also set a limit for how long Shinobi should record after detecting motion, an object, or another event.

It even supports facial recognition as an object. That means a trigger can be set to start recording when a specific person shows up in the feed.

Alerts and Notifications

Additionally, you can set up alerts when an event is triggered.

You have three ways to receive alerts. The easiest is to receive them via email.

Additionally, you can set up alerts on Telegram or even Discord, if you create a Discord server for the alerts.

Point, Tilt, and Zoom Support

With Shinobi, you can control your cameras remotely, adjusting their PTZ (Point/Pan, Tilt, and Zoom) positions.

Not only that, but you can even set up PTZ tracking. In other words, you can set up your camera so that it follows and tracks a specific object in the feed.

By default, this will be a person. If you have an intruder, for example, and you set up PTZ tracking, it can track the intruder as they move around.

However, you can also set it up so that it tracks other objects, such as vehicles.

Automatic Compression

To save space, you can automatically compress videos once they are finished being recorded. That way, you can save space and bandwidth.

However, this is only recommended for event-triggered recordings. If you enable continuous recording, you shouldn’t enable automatic compression, because the software might not be able to compress the videos as fast as they are being recorded.

You can also manually compress recordings at any time.

User Privileges

On Shinobi, you can add multiple accounts and set user privileges for each. This means that you can restrict certain accounts to only viewing certain cameras and the recordings from those cameras.

For example, you can give certain people the ability to view your outdoor cameras but not your nanny cams.

Furthermore, with the tiered system, you can add several administrator accounts, with each admin account managing its own cameras. Each admin account can then manage lower-tiered accounts, assigning permissions to each one.

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Blue Iris

Motion, Event, and Audio Triggers

Blue Iris, like Shinobi, supports motion and object detection. Object detection is a bit limited and better used for identifying people – it uses artificial intelligence to identify people as a trigger for recording.

However, it’s not that great for identifying other objects.

What makes Blue Iris stand out, though, is that it offers audio detection. Audio sensors allow you to trigger a recording and alerts when sound is detected; a burglar might not be visible from the camera view, for example, but might make noise.

When recording video, you can overlay important information, such as the date and time, so you can pinpoint exactly when an event occurred.

Like Shinobi, Blue Iris not only allows you to use events to trigger recordings, but you can also record continuously.

Alerts and Notifications

You can set up alerts based on triggers. Shinobi does allow alerts, but Blue Iris gives you better options for how to receive those alerts.

Shinobi only offers three options for receiving notifications, as I mentioned earlier. Blue Iris offers many more.

Not only can you receive alerts via email or instant message, but you can even set it up so that you receive a voice call for alerts. These calls support instant redial.

Alternatively, you can set up alerts via a loudspeaker. If you are managing a network of security cameras in a large building, loudspeaker alerts will allow security guards to be notified of important events, even while they are on patrol or away from the screen.

PTZ Support

Like Shinobi, Blue Iris allows you to control the Point, Tilt, and Zoom of your cameras remotely.

You can even do it from your mobile device.

Pricing

Shinobi

Shinobi’s software is free and open source.

However, it does have a premium version called Shinobi Pro. Shinobi Pro is free for personal use, education (schools can use it for free), and certain healthcare facilities.

However, for commercial use, Shinobi Pro requires a license.

Shinobi Pro gives you access to regular updates, technical support, and extended features. Again, this is available for free for personal and educational use, as explained in this Medium post from the developer.

Depending on which plan you choose, you may also get access to developer support, rebranding rights, P2P (peer to peer) server access, and enterprise features like GPS recordings.

Special pricing is available for houses of worship.

Pricing for Shinobi Pro depends on the number of cameras and servers you want to activate. It starts from $6/month or $70/year for five cameras and goes up to $4,200/month or $48,000/year for the “City License,” which allows you to set up an unlimited number of servers and connect an unlimited number of cameras.

See updated pricing here.

Finally, even if you are eligible for Shinobi Pro for free, you will need to pay for the mobile app. Pricing starts at $5/month or $60/year for one license. See updated pricing for mobile here.

Blue Iris

Blue Iris costs $39.95 for one camera and $79.95 for up to 64 cameras.

While that is a one-time fee, it doesn’t include continued updates and support. You only get one year of email support and updates for one year by default.

For priority email support and continued updates, it will cost $34.95/year.

For phone support, remote desktop support, and highest priority email support, it will cost $99.95/year. However, phone support and remote desktop support are only available by appointment.

See here for updated pricing information.

Shinobi Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free and open source
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Web viewing
• Free updates for schools and personal use
• Unlimited cameras for free use (limited only by your bandwidth)

Cons

• Mobile app requires a license
• Commercial use requires a license for Shinobi Pro
• Some cameras are not compatible

Blue Iris Pros and Cons

Pros

• Supports audio triggers
• It’s more well-known, so it has more plugins and add-ons
• Pay a one-time fee for access, even for commercial use

Cons

• You need to pay a yearly fee for updates, even for personal use
• Server can only run on Windows
• Not open source
• Can connect a limited number of cameras

Comparison Table

Features	Shinobi	Blue Iris
Free and Open Source	✓	✗
Continued Updates for Free	✓ (for personal use)	✗
Cross-Platform Compatibility for Server Software	✓	✗ (Windows only)
Web-Based Viewing From any Device	✓	✓
Event-Based Recording	✓	✓

Conclusion: Should You Get Blue Iris or Shinobi?

I recommend Shinobi over Blue Iris..

Not only is it free and open source, but it doesn’t limit you in how many cameras you can stream on the free plan. It is also cross-platform compatible.

Shinobi will also give you continuous updates for free, as long as you use it for personal use, while Blue Iris will charge you a yearly fee.