Software Alternatives & Startups

Blue Iris VS GnuPlot

Compare Blue Iris VS GnuPlot and see what are their differences

Blue Iris

Blue Iris is a high end security monitoring system that lets you view and control the feeds from all the cameras at your home or place of business.

Rating
1.0 · 1 review
GnuPlot

Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven interactive data and function plotting utility.

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Blue Iris seems to be a lot more popular than GnuPlot. While we know about 56 links to Blue Iris, we've tracked only 5 mentions of GnuPlot.

social mentions
56 vs 5
Security popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
118 vs 116

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Blue Iris
GnuPlot
Website blueirissoftware.com gnuplot.info
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Blue Iris 5 features
GnuPlot 7 features
  • Comprehensive functionality
    Blue Iris offers a wide range of features including motion detection, remote viewing, and integration with various camera brands. This makes it a versatile solution for different surveillance needs.
  • Customizable alerts
    Users can set up custom alerts based on motion, audio, or predefined schedules. Notifications can be sent via email, SMS, or push notifications.
  • User-friendly interface
    The software provides a relatively intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, which makes it accessible for both novice and advanced users.
  • Good performance
    Blue Iris is known for its reliable performance and efficiency in handling multiple camera feeds simultaneously, without significant lag.
  • Affordable pricing
    Compared to other surveillance software options, Blue Iris offers competitive pricing without compromising on core features.

Possible disadvantages

  • Initial setup complexity
    Setting up Blue Iris for the first time can be complicated, particularly for users who are not familiar with surveillance systems or networking.
  • Resource intensive
    Running Blue Iris requires a relatively powerful computer with a good amount of RAM and CPU. This can be a limitation for users with less robust hardware.
  • Lack of cloud storage
    Blue Iris does not offer a built-in cloud storage solution, thus users must rely on local storage or third-party cloud services for storing their footage.
  • Windows-only
    The software is only available for Windows, which excludes users who operate on macOS or Linux systems.
  • Paid updates
    While Blue Iris is affordable initially, updates and major version upgrades require an additional purchase, which can add to the long-term cost.
  • Highly Customizable
    GnuPlot offers extensive customization options for creating plots, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the graph, including colors, labels, line styles, and more.
  • Scriptable
    GnuPlot can be driven by scripts, making it convenient for automating complex plots and integrating with other software workflows.
  • Wide Range of Output Formats
    It supports many output formats such as PNG, PDF, SVG, and EPS, making it easy to generate graphics for different purposes like presentations, publications, and web content.
  • Cross-Platform
    GnuPlot runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used in diverse computing environments.
  • Complex Plotting Capabilities
    GnuPlot supports a wide variety of plots, including 2D and 3D plots, histograms, heatmaps, and more, which caters to the needs of advanced visualization requirements.
  • Performance
    GnuPlot is efficient and can handle large datasets with ease, offering fast rendering times which is crucial when dealing with complex visualizations.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being free and open-source software, GnuPlot is accessible to everyone, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    GnuPlot has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve, especially for beginners who may find it difficult to get started without substantial effort.
  • Limited GUI
    GnuPlot lacks a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI), making it less user-friendly for those who prefer point-and-click interactions over scripting.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate for new users trying to find specific information quickly.
  • Date Handling
    Handling and formatting dates can be cumbersome in GnuPlot, requiring more manual setup compared to other dedicated plotting tools.
  • Interactive Features
    GnuPlot's interactive plotting capabilities are limited compared to other modern plotting tools that offer more dynamic and real-time interactivity.
  • Integration
    Integration with some modern programming environments and languages may not be as seamless as with other plotting libraries specifically designed for those ecosystems (e.g., Matplotlib in Python).

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Blue Iris
GnuPlot

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Blue Iris is considered a good choice for those looking to set up a flexible and customizeable surveillance system without investing in overly expensive enterprise solutions. Its cost-effectiveness relative to features offered and active user community support are notable advantages.

Why this product is good

  • Blue Iris is widely regarded as a robust and versatile video management software, particularly for home and small business security cameras. It offers extensive support for various camera models, real-time recording and streaming, and a plethora of configuration options. Users appreciate the customization capabilities, user-friendly interface, and regular updates that keep the software relative to current security needs.

Recommended for

    Blue Iris is highly recommended for tech-savvy users who are comfortable managing network settings and configuring software. It is a great fit for homeowners, small business owners, and security enthusiasts who want a comprehensive, DIY-friendly security solution. Less ideal for users seeking a plug-and-play setup due to its complex configuration.

Overall verdict

  • Gnuplot is generally considered to be a good choice for those looking for a reliable and flexible plotting tool, especially if the users need robust scriptability or work across different operating systems.

Why this product is good

  • Gnuplot is a powerful, portable, and multi-platform tool capable of producing high-quality 2D and 3D plots. It supports numerous output formats and can be used interactively or in scripts. Additionally, it has a large support community and extensive documentation, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Scientists and engineers who need to visualize data across diverse platforms.
  • Users comfortable working with command-line interfaces.
  • Individuals or teams needing to generate plots through automated scripts.
  • Those looking for a free and open-source alternative to other graphing tools.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Blue Iris 3 videos + Add
GnuPlot 3 videos + Add

Blue Iris Software Security Camera - Why I Recommend it

More videos

  • - Blue Iris Detailed Tutorial - The Best Security Camera Software
  • - Is the Synology Surveillance Station better than Blue Iris?

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos

  • - DTrace Latency Visualization in gnuplot
  • - Basics of Gnuplot - Make your plot look Good

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Blue Iris
GnuPlot
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Blue Iris and GnuPlot. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Blue Iris 1.0 · 1 review
GnuPlot no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of GnuPlot yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Blue Iris 56 mentions
GnuPlot 5 mentions
  • Which Security Cameras?
    I use Annke (rebranded HikVision, and firewalled off from the Internet) and Eufy cameras in non-cloud (RTSP) mode. I use Blue Iris[1] as an NVR. I also run Skrypted[2] container on my Synology that concurrently makes me able to use... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Security cams
    Frigate https://frigate.video/ and ZoneMinder https://zoneminder.com/ come to mind. Blue Iris https://blueirissoftware.com/ is not open source but is what I prefer to use for my PoE systems ($80/yr). Source: almost 3 years ago
  • unable to activate-- blueirissoftware.com down?
    I've had BI running for years-- something went haywire with my setup this morning and now I need to re-activate my license. However, I'm unable to do so within BI, and it appears that blueirissoftware.com is down. Anyone else having... Source: over 3 years ago

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Alternatives to Blue Iris and GnuPlot

When comparing Blue Iris and GnuPlot, you can also consider the following products.