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Government · head to head

ArchiveSocial vs Salient CompleteView

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
Salient CompleteView logo

Salient CompleteView

Cybersecurity

Per-camera licensed video management software with unlimited client workstations

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.; Salient CompleteView the third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than Milestone's, so a specialist analytics, LPR or access control requirement is more likely to need custom integration work.
  • They diverge on capability: ArchiveSocial covers Continuous capture, Salient CompleteView covers One licence per camera.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ArchiveSocial and Salient CompleteView actually diverge.

Attributes where ArchiveSocial and Salient CompleteView differ
AttributeArchiveSocialSalient CompleteView
PlatformsWebWindows, Web, iOS, Android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Salient CompleteView

  • One licence per camera
  • Open camera support
  • Perpetual or subscription
  • Recording server architecture
  • Video wall
  • Cloud Services
  • Forensic search
  • First responder access

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 Salient CompleteView
  • A police department that must produce social media records under an open records requestnot Salient CompleteView
  • An agency under litigation hold needing authenticated social media evidence rather than screenshotsnot Salient CompleteView
  • A communications team operating many accounts across departments with no consistent archivingnot Salient CompleteView

Salient CompleteView

  • A school district where dozens of administrators and resource officers need viewing access without per-seat licencesnot ArchiveSocial
  • A hospital campus consolidating legacy recorders under one recording architecturenot ArchiveSocial
  • A city department needing first responder access to specific cameras during an incidentnot ArchiveSocial
  • An integrator deploying a mid-sized site where an enterprise VMS would be over-engineerednot 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.

Salient CompleteView

  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than Milestone's, so a specialist analytics, LPR or access control requirement is more likely to need custom integration work.
  • It is Windows server based with a conventional recording architecture, so it carries the server, storage and maintenance burden that cloud-native competitors remove entirely.
  • International presence is limited and the channel is concentrated in North America, so buyers elsewhere face thin support and few experienced integrators.
  • No current pricing is published; distribution list prices circulate but the actual number depends on the integrator, which makes competitive comparison slow.
  • Brand recognition is lower than the market leaders, which matters in public procurement where specifications are sometimes written around a named competitor and a substitution has to be argued.

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

Salient CompleteView

On request
  • CompleteView$undefined/one-time
    • One licence per IP camera, sold through distribution
    • No charge or licence for client workstations, unlimited clients
    • Perpetual and subscription licensing both available

Which should you pick?

Choose ArchiveSocial if

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

Choose Salient CompleteView if

  • You need one licence per camera.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want open camera support.
Salient CompleteView review

Questions people ask

Is ArchiveSocial or Salient CompleteView better?
Neither clearly leads. ArchiveSocial starts at On request and Salient CompleteView at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArchiveSocial or Salient CompleteView?
ArchiveSocial starts at On request and Salient CompleteView at On request.
Does ArchiveSocial or Salient CompleteView run on more platforms?
ArchiveSocial runs on Web. Salient CompleteView runs on Windows, 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 Salient CompleteView is typically brought in for.
What can ArchiveSocial do that Salient CompleteView cannot?
ArchiveSocial covers Continuous capture, Deletion and edit capture, Authenticated records, Records request search. Salient CompleteView covers One licence per camera, Open camera support, Perpetual or subscription, Recording server architecture.

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.

Salient CompleteView: Do I pay for client workstations?

No. CompleteView licenses one licence per IP camera with no additional charge or licence for clients and no limit on the number of client workstations.

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.

Salient CompleteView: Is licensing perpetual or subscription?

Both are offered. Perpetual suits capital budgets; subscription suits organisations that prefer operating expenditure.

ArchiveSocial: Who owns ArchiveSocial?

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

Salient CompleteView: Does it have a cloud option?

Yes, Salient Cloud Services, with free registration for an asset dashboard and paid upgrades for remote access, monitoring and first responder connectivity.

ArchiveSocial: How is it priced?

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

Salient CompleteView: What version is current?

CompleteView 8.0 is the current release line.

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