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Government · head to head

ArchiveSocial vs Hanwha Vision

ArchiveSocial logo

ArchiveSocial

Government

Social media archiving that captures public agency accounts as legally defensible open records

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Hanwha Vision logo

Hanwha Vision

Cybersecurity

Korean camera maker whose Wisenet WAVE VMS licences are perpetual per channel with no annual renewal

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ArchiveSocial coverage depends entirely on third party platform APIs, so when a network restricts or reprices its API the archive's completeness changes for reasons the vendor does not control.; Hanwha Vision nDAA compliance is confirmed per model and per bill of materials rather than across the brand, and TAA status depends on whether a specific unit was made in Korea or Vietnam, so a buyer with procurement obligations must get both stated on the quote rather than relying on a brand-level claim.
  • They diverge on capability: ArchiveSocial covers Continuous capture, Hanwha Vision covers Wisenet WAVE VMS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ArchiveSocial and Hanwha Vision actually diverge.

Attributes where ArchiveSocial and Hanwha Vision differ
AttributeArchiveSocialHanwha Vision
Pricing modelquoteOne-time purchase
PlatformsWebWindows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ArchiveSocial

  • Continuous capture
  • Deletion and edit capture
  • Authenticated records
  • Records request search
  • Litigation hold export
  • Multi platform coverage

Only in Hanwha Vision

  • Wisenet WAVE VMS
  • On-camera AI
  • NDAA and TAA positioning
  • Multi-site management
  • Open platform
  • Wisenet cameras and recorders
  • Cybersecurity hardening
  • Integration licences

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ArchiveSocial

  • A city whose legal department has flagged deleted social media comments as a records liabilitynot Hanwha Vision
  • A police department that must produce social media records under an open records requestnot Hanwha Vision
  • An agency under litigation hold needing authenticated social media evidence rather than screenshotsnot Hanwha Vision
  • A communications team operating many accounts across departments with no consistent archivingnot Hanwha Vision

Hanwha Vision

  • A federal agency or federal contractor whose procurement rules exclude Section 889 covered manufacturersnot ArchiveSocial
  • A school district that wants a fixed one-time software cost rather than a per-camera monthly subscriptionnot ArchiveSocial
  • A site running 200 cameras for a decade where a cloud subscription would cost several times a perpetual licencenot ArchiveSocial
  • An integrator standardising on one manufacturer for cameras, recorders and VMS to simplify supportnot ArchiveSocial

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ArchiveSocial

  • Coverage depends entirely on third party platform APIs, so when a network restricts or reprices its API the archive's completeness changes for reasons the vendor does not control.
  • Pricing scales with the number of archived accounts, so an agency where every department runs its own page pays repeatedly for the same compliance obligation.
  • It archives rather than governs, so it will faithfully preserve a policy violation without preventing it, and agencies still need social media policy and training.
  • Since the 2021 CivicPlus acquisition the product is part of a municipal suite, so buyers avoiding that vendor for other reasons are still buying from them.
  • The value is entirely insurance shaped, which makes it a perennial target during budget cuts right up until the first records request it would have answered.

Hanwha Vision

  • NDAA compliance is confirmed per model and per bill of materials rather than across the brand, and TAA status depends on whether a specific unit was made in Korea or Vietnam, so a buyer with procurement obligations must get both stated on the quote rather than relying on a brand-level claim.
  • Perpetual licences mean you own the servers, storage and patching, so the cost avoided on subscription reappears as IT labour and a hardware refresh every five to seven years.
  • Hanwha publishes no list pricing and sells through distributors, so the perpetual-versus-subscription comparison it wins on paper still requires a distributor quote to verify.
  • Wisenet WAVE is a solid mid-market VMS but does not match Genetec or Milestone on enterprise features such as federation across independently owned systems, scripted operator procedures or deep access control unification.
  • Hanwha Vision is part of Hanwha Group, a large Korean conglomerate spanning defence, chemicals and finance, so the video business is one line among many and roadmap priority is set at a corporate level well above the security division.

Pricing, plan by plan

ArchiveSocial

On request
  • ArchiveSocial$undefined/year
    • Quoted annually, typically scaled by number of archived accounts
    • Additional accounts and platforms increase the subscription
    • Bundled pricing common for agencies already buying CivicPlus products

Hanwha Vision

On request
  • Wisenet WAVE channel licence$undefined/year
    • Perpetual per-channel licence that does not expire once activated
    • No annual renewal fee to keep the system running
    • Sold singly and in 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 channel bundles

Which should you pick?

Choose ArchiveSocial if

  • You need continuous capture.
  • You also want deletion and edit capture.
ArchiveSocial review

Choose Hanwha Vision if

  • You need wisenet wave vms.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want on-camera ai.
Hanwha Vision review

Questions people ask

Is ArchiveSocial or Hanwha Vision better?
Neither clearly leads. ArchiveSocial starts at On request and Hanwha Vision at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArchiveSocial or Hanwha Vision?
ArchiveSocial starts at On request and Hanwha Vision at On request.
Does ArchiveSocial or Hanwha Vision run on more platforms?
ArchiveSocial runs on Web. Hanwha Vision runs on Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android.
What is ArchiveSocial best used for?
ArchiveSocial is most often used for a city whose legal department has flagged deleted social media comments as a records liability, a police department that must produce social media records under an open records request, an agency under litigation hold needing authenticated social media evidence rather than screenshots, a communications team operating many accounts across departments with no consistent archiving. Of those, a city whose legal department has flagged deleted social media comments as a records liability and a police department that must produce social media records under an open records request are not what Hanwha Vision is typically brought in for.
What can ArchiveSocial do that Hanwha Vision cannot?
ArchiveSocial covers Continuous capture, Deletion and edit capture, Authenticated records, Records request search. Hanwha Vision covers Wisenet WAVE VMS, On-camera AI, NDAA and TAA positioning, Multi-site management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ArchiveSocial: Why not just export data from the platforms?

Platform exports do not reliably capture deleted or edited content and carry no chain of custody, which is what makes an archive usable as evidence.

Hanwha Vision: Is Hanwha Vision NDAA compliant?

Hanwha is a South Korean manufacturer and is not among the Section 889 covered entities, which are Hikvision, Dahua, Huawei, ZTE and Hytera, and its cameras do not use banned Chinese system-on-chip processors. Confirm compliance per model on the quote.

ArchiveSocial: Are public comments on our posts records?

In many United States jurisdictions yes, and deleted comments have been the subject of litigation against agencies.

Hanwha Vision: Are Wisenet WAVE licences subscriptions?

No. Channel licences are perpetual and do not expire once activated, with no annual renewal fee.

ArchiveSocial: Who owns ArchiveSocial?

CivicPlus, which acquired it in 2021 and sells it alongside its municipal website and communications products.

Hanwha Vision: Is Wisenet WAVE the same as Nx Witness?

It is built on the Network Optix platform, so the two share a common core, with Hanwha adding its own camera integration and support.

ArchiveSocial: How is it priced?

By archived accounts, quoted rather than published. Comparable agency contracts are public records.

Hanwha Vision: Is Hanwha TAA compliant?

Many models are, manufactured in South Korea and Vietnam, but TAA is a per-unit question tied to manufacturing origin, so it must be verified model by model.

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