A Frigate alternative with no config files
Frigate is a popular open-source NVR that runs in Docker and is configured with a YAML file. Grablo Spot is a free NVR you install like a regular app and set up from your phone or browser, with search built in.
At a glance
| Frigate | Grablo Spot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source. Optional Frigate+ subscription ($50 a year) for fine-tuned models | Free, no camera limit. Paid plans only add relay bandwidth for remote viewing |
| Install | Docker (recommended) or a Home Assistant add-on. Windows is not officially supported | Installers for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus Raspberry Pi images, Docker and a Home Assistant add-on |
| Setup | Edit a config.yml file | Guided setup in the app. ONVIF cameras on the same network are found automatically |
| Text and similar-image search | Semantic search, off by default. Needs 8GB of RAM and a CPU with AVX2 | Built in: search by appearance, text and attributes |
| Faces | Recognizes faces you have trained (0.16 and later) | Search by any face with no enrollment. Register faces for alerts |
| License plates | Built in (0.16 and later) | Built in, and a partial plate works |
Frigate details are from docs.frigate.video and frigate.video as of October 2026.
What Spot does differently
- Every person and vehicle becomes a card. Spot detects people and vehicles as it records and turns each one into a card, so you browse who was there instead of scrubbing a timeline.
- Follow someone across cameras. Open a card to play that person’s scenes from every camera in time order.
- Four ways to search. By appearance (clothing and build), by face with no enrollment, by a description such as “a person in a yellow shirt”, or by attributes like clothing color, bag, hat and age group. Vehicles can be searched by license plate, and a partial plate works.
- Remote viewing without port forwarding. The phone app and browser connect over an encrypted peer-to-peer connection, which works on most home and office routers.
- Video stays on your hardware. Recordings and analysis are stored on the computer running Spot, not in the cloud.
When Frigate may be the better fit
- You want open-source software. Frigate’s code is public, and you can inspect and change it.
- You rely on Home Assistant. Frigate has its own Home Assistant integration for automations.
- No online account. Spot uses a free Grablo account to connect the app to your device.
Questions
Is Grablo Spot really free?
Yes. Every feature is free with no camera limit. Live View over a direct connection is unlimited on every plan. Paid plans only add relay server bandwidth for networks that block direct connections.
Does my video go to the cloud?
No. Video and AI analysis stay on the computer running Spot. Only alert snapshots pass through our servers so they can reach your phone.
What hardware does Spot need?
An Intel N100 mini PC handles 1 to 2 cameras, a 12th-gen Core i5 up to 6, and a Core i5 with a GeForce GTX 1650 up to 8. A Raspberry Pi 5 handles 1. These estimates are for 1080p cameras at 5 analyses per second.