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Cybersecurity · head to head

Camio vs Sardine

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
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sardine logo

Sardine

Cybersecurity

Device intelligence and behaviour biometrics for fraud and compliance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Sardine signal quality depends on the SDK being embedded in your own web and mobile clients, so fraud improvements become dependent on your app release cycle and any coverage gap is a blind spot.
  • They diverge on capability: Camio covers Natural language video search, Sardine covers Device intelligence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Camio and Sardine actually diverge.

Attributes where Camio and Sardine differ
AttributeCamioSardine
Starting price$4.99/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer camera per monthquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

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 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

Only in Sardine

  • Device intelligence
  • Behaviour biometrics
  • Scam detection
  • Onboarding risk scoring
  • AML transaction monitoring
  • Dispute and chargeback handling
  • Rules editor

What people use each for

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

Camio

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

Sardine

  • A neobank losing money to authorised push payment scams where the customer genuinely approved the transfernot Camio
  • A crypto exchange trying to detect accounts being operated by remote access rather than by their ownernot Camio
  • A fintech seeing synthetic identity signups that pass document verification but share device characteristicsnot Camio
  • A lender wanting first party fraud signals at application time that a credit bureau file does not containnot Camio

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Sardine

  • Signal quality depends on the SDK being embedded in your own web and mobile clients, so fraud improvements become dependent on your app release cycle and any coverage gap is a blind spot.
  • Behavioural and device telemetry collection needs a documented lawful basis under GDPR, and EU privacy reviews frequently delay rollouts that were scoped as engineering work.
  • Pricing is per session or per active user, so a consumer product with many low value sessions pays in proportion to traffic rather than to fraud exposure.
  • As a younger private company it lacks the enforcement-tested audit history that a bank examiner expects, which makes it a harder sell inside a regulated bank than inside a fintech.
  • It is strongest on session-time signals and weaker as a system of record for long horizon AML typologies, so larger institutions end up running it alongside a traditional monitoring platform rather than instead of one.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Sardine

On request
  • Sardine$undefined/year
    • Priced per user session or per monthly active user
    • Annual contract with volume commitment
    • SDK for web, iOS and Android

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Sardine if

  • You need device intelligence.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want behaviour biometrics.
Sardine review

Questions people ask

Is Camio or Sardine better?
Neither clearly leads. Camio starts at $4.99/month and Sardine at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Camio or Sardine?
Camio starts at $4.99/month and Sardine at On request.
Does Camio or Sardine run on more platforms?
Camio runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Sardine runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Camio best used for?
Camio is most often used for a warehouse that needs an alert when a trailer door opens outside scheduled hours rather than a recording nobody watches, a retailer investigating a shrink pattern who needs to find every instance of a behaviour across a month of footage, a manufacturer wanting a safety alert when a person enters a machine zone during a run, a property manager who wants search and alerting on an existing camera estate without replacing recorders. Of those, a warehouse that needs an alert when a trailer door opens outside scheduled hours rather than a recording nobody watches and a retailer investigating a shrink pattern who needs to find every instance of a behaviour across a month of footage are not what Sardine is typically brought in for.
What can Camio do that Sardine cannot?
Camio covers Natural language video search, Works with existing cameras, Free Box software, Zone and schedule rules. Sardine covers Device intelligence, Behaviour biometrics, Scam detection, Onboarding risk scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Sardine: Does Sardine do document verification?

It focuses on device, behavioural and transaction signals, and integrates identity verification providers rather than being one. Treat it as complementary to a KYC vendor.

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.

Sardine: What does it need from us to work?

An SDK in your web and mobile applications plus transaction feeds. Without the client side collector you lose the signals that differentiate it.

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.

Sardine: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted, typically per session or per monthly active user with an annual volume commitment.

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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