Compare video surveillance systems. Vendor-neutral. Free.

HTS built this calculator because the security industry doesn't agree on what a 10-year video surveillance system actually costs. Answer 4 quick questions and we'll show you which category of system fits your environment, then point you at the 2-3 vendors in that category. When you're ready for the full apples-to-apples math across 15 vendors, hit "Continue to full TCO comparison."

Every line in the calculator is sourced from a public vendor page, datasheet, or warranty document. The full footnote registry is on themethodology page. Thetrademark disclaimer + nominative fair use notice applies to all vendor names referenced here.

Where are you today?

Four questions. About 60 seconds. No email required to see the category recommendation.

What happens after the 4 questions

  1. You see a category recommendation (cloud-native / cloud bridge / enterprise VMS / open platform) and the 2-3 vendors in that category.
  2. If you want the full apples-to-apples math, click Continue to full TCO comparison. We pre-fill the form with what you told us and you can refine any of it.
  3. You see the 15-vendor side-by-side TCO comparison: 5-year total, 10-year total, break-even license price, warranty notes, and the recommendation rule that fired.
  4. Email is only required to download the PDF and unlock the full 8-category breakdown with footnotes.

How we keep this honest

HTS is a partner of several vendors included in the calculator (Verkada, Cisco Meraki, Avigilon, Eagle Eye, Rhombus, Lumana, and others). The recommendation engine does not know that. It runs the same 12 deterministic rules against every vendor in the catalog and the first rule to fire wins. There is no "default to vendor X" in the code. If two vendors are at effectively equal TCO, the calculator shows both and lets you decide — it does not pick for you.

The data plane is 100% public source. The calculator never reads from HTS's partner-cost database, margin data, or negotiated rates — those live in a separate, role-restricted schema that the calculator's service principal cannot read. The full data sourcing policy is on themethodology page.