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Government · head to head

Bonfire vs Camio

Bonfire logo

Bonfire

Government

Public sector sourcing and bid evaluation software with scored, auditable award decisions

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Camio logo

Camio

Cybersecurity

AI video search that runs on cameras you already own, starting near five dollars per camera per month

From
$4.99/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bonfire it is a sourcing and evaluation tool rather than full procure to pay, so requisitions, purchase orders and invoicing stay in the finance system and the join between them is the agency's problem.; Camio the 4.99 US dollars per camera per month starting rate is genuinely a starting rate: Flex add-ons run from 1 to 89 dollars per stream per month, so a busy camera with detailed vehicle labelling can cost more than fifteen times a quiet one and a site budget built on the headline number will be badly wrong.
  • They diverge on capability: Bonfire covers Solicitation posting, Camio covers Natural language video search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonfire and Camio actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonfire and Camio differ
AttributeBonfireCamio
Starting priceOn request$4.99/month
Pricing modelquotePer camera per month
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Linux
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: 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 Bonfire

  • Solicitation posting
  • Sealed submission intake
  • Scored evaluation workspace
  • Audit trail
  • Supplier portal
  • Requirement matrices

Only in Camio

  • Natural language video search
  • Works with existing cameras
  • Free Box software
  • Zone and schedule rules
  • Vehicle and person attributes
  • Retail and queue analytics
  • Alerting integrations
  • Camio Flex add-ons

What people use each for

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

Bonfire

  • An agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation recordnot Camio
  • A procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and emailnot Camio
  • A university or health system applying public procurement rules without a public procurement systemnot Camio
  • An agency wanting suppliers to self register and receive addenda automatically rather than by mailing listnot Camio

Camio

  • A warehouse that needs an alert when a trailer door opens outside scheduled hours rather than a recording nobody watchesnot Bonfire
  • A retailer investigating a shrink pattern who needs to find every instance of a behaviour across a month of footagenot Bonfire
  • A manufacturer wanting a safety alert when a person enters a machine zone during a runnot Bonfire
  • A property manager who wants search and alerting on an existing camera estate without replacing recordersnot Bonfire

Where each one falls short

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

Bonfire

  • It is a sourcing and evaluation tool rather than full procure to pay, so requisitions, purchase orders and invoicing stay in the finance system and the join between them is the agency's problem.
  • Since the acquisition path from GTY to GI Partners to Euna Solutions, Bonfire sits in a portfolio alongside products it once competed with, which narrows a shortlist that appears independent.
  • Suppliers must register on the portal to bid, and small local vendors reliably complain about the extra account, which can reduce responses on low value solicitations.
  • Pricing is quoted rather than published and scales with solicitation volume, so an agency with a few very large procurements pays a model designed around throughput.
  • Contract management after award is thin compared with dedicated contract lifecycle products, so agencies often buy a second system for the obligations the award created.

Camio

  • The 4.99 US dollars per camera per month starting rate is genuinely a starting rate: Flex add-ons run from 1 to 89 dollars per stream per month, so a busy camera with detailed vehicle labelling can cost more than fifteen times a quiet one and a site budget built on the headline number will be badly wrong.
  • Camio is analytics and search, not a full video management system, so most sites still need a recorder or VMS alongside it and end up with two products and two bills.
  • The Camio Box gateway must sit on the same local network as the cameras, which means a device, power and network port at every site, and multi-site estates multiply that install work.
  • It is a small private company against Verkada, Eagle Eye and the analytics bundled free into major VMS platforms, so it is structurally exposed to an incumbent bundling equivalent capability at no extra charge.
  • Analytic accuracy depends heavily on the existing cameras’ placement, resolution and lighting, and cameras installed years ago for recording rather than for computer vision often produce detection rates that disappoint against the demo.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bonfire

On request
  • Bonfire$undefined/year
    • Quoted by agency size and annual solicitation volume
    • Supplier side registration is free, which is how the vendor network grows
    • Implementation and training quoted separately from subscription

Camio

$4.99/month
  • Camio usage-based plan$4.99/month
    • Starting rate per camera per month
    • Scales with search, storage and feature use
    • Works with existing ONVIF and RTSP cameras
  • Camio Flex add-ons$undefined/month
    • Optional services from 1 to 89 USD per stream per month
    • High-traffic cameras and detailed vehicle labelling at the expensive end
    • Priced per stream rather than per site

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonfire if

  • You need solicitation posting.
  • You also want sealed submission intake.
Bonfire review

Choose Camio if

  • You need natural language video search.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want works with existing cameras.
Camio review

Questions people ask

Is Bonfire or Camio better?
Neither clearly leads. Bonfire starts at On request and Camio at $4.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonfire or Camio?
Bonfire starts at On request and Camio at $4.99/month.
Does Bonfire or Camio run on more platforms?
Bonfire runs on Web. Camio runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
What is Bonfire best used for?
Bonfire is most often used for an agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation record, a procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and email, a university or health system applying public procurement rules without a public procurement system, an agency wanting suppliers to self register and receive addenda automatically rather than by mailing list. Of those, an agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation record and a procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and email are not what Camio is typically brought in for.
What can Bonfire do that Camio cannot?
Bonfire covers Solicitation posting, Sealed submission intake, Scored evaluation workspace, Audit trail. Camio covers Natural language video search, Works with existing cameras, Free Box software, Zone and schedule rules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bonfire: Who owns Bonfire?

Euna Solutions. Bonfire was acquired by GTY Technology in 2019, GTY was taken private by GI Partners in 2022, and the portfolio was rebranded Euna Solutions in 2023.

Camio: Do I have to buy Camio cameras?

No. Camio works with ONVIF and RTSP cameras you already have, which is the main reason to choose it over camera-bundled AI platforms.

Bonfire: Is it full procure to pay?

No. It covers sourcing and evaluation through award. Purchase orders and invoicing remain in the finance system.

Camio: Do I have to buy the Camio Box?

Not necessarily. The gateway software can be downloaded onto hardware you already own; Box and Box Pro units are for sites needing more processing capacity.

Bonfire: What is the real value?

A defensible, time stamped evaluation record when an award is protested, which is the expensive failure mode in public procurement.

Camio: What does it really cost?

Plans start at 4.99 US dollars per camera per month, but Flex add-ons run from 1 to 89 dollars per stream per month, so per-camera cost varies enormously by traffic and labelling detail.

Bonfire: Can we see what other agencies pay?

Yes. These contracts are public records. Read several comparable awards before negotiating.

Camio: Does Camio replace my recorder?

No. It adds search and alerting. Continuous recording and evidence retention usually still need a VMS or recorder.

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