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Cybersecurity · head to head

Eagle Eye Networks vs Helm

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Eagle Eye Networks

Cybersecurity

Cloud video surveillance billed per camera per month, where retention length drives the bill more than anything else

From
On request
Free plan
No
H

Helm

Developer Tools

The package manager for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes

The short version

  • Only Helm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Eagle Eye Networks cost scales with retention as well as resolution, and long retention has been observed to increase the monthly figure by 200 to 400 percent over 7 day storage, so an insurer or regulator raising the retention requirement can multiply the bill without adding cameras.; Helm licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Eagle Eye Networks and Helm actually diverge.

Attributes where Eagle Eye Networks and Helm differ
AttributeEagle Eye NetworksHelm
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer camera per monthopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: 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 Eagle Eye Networks

  • Bridge and CMVR appliances
  • Per-camera cloud retention
  • Browser and mobile access
  • Cloud analytics
  • Licence plate recognition
  • Multi-site management
  • Video sharing and export
  • Open API

Only in Helm

Nothing recorded that Eagle Eye Networks does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Eagle Eye Networks

  • A 40-site restaurant group that wants one login across every location without a recorder in each back officenot Helm
  • A school district that must retain incident footage for a fixed statutory period and needs the retention set centrallynot Helm
  • A car dealership needing footage shared with police within minutes of an overnight theftnot Helm
  • A retailer replacing failing DVRs but keeping the ONVIF cameras already installednot Helm

Helm

  • Kubernetes package manager and deployment toolnot Eagle Eye Networks

Where each one falls short

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

Eagle Eye Networks

  • Cost scales with retention as well as resolution, and long retention has been observed to increase the monthly figure by 200 to 400 percent over 7 day storage, so an insurer or regulator raising the retention requirement can multiply the bill without adding cameras.
  • Pricing is not published, so the widely cited 15 to 50 US dollars per camera per month range is a reseller-derived estimate rather than a rate you can hold Eagle Eye to.
  • Every camera needs upstream bandwidth for continuous upload, so sites on poor connections either degrade quality or lose the cloud advantage, and the bridge only buffers for a limited period during an outage.
  • Video lives in Eagle Eye’s data centres, which raises data residency questions for public bodies and for European buyers, and exit means downloading years of footage before a subscription ends.
  • It is a per-camera subscription with no perpetual option, so a large site that would have paid once for an on-premises VMS pays indefinitely, and the crossover point against a Genetec or Milestone deployment usually arrives within a few years.

Helm

  • Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
  • Contributors must sign commits under the Developer Certificate of Origin to have them accepted, per helm.sh, a process requirement not all Kubernetes tools impose

Pricing, plan by plan

Eagle Eye Networks

On request
  • Cloud VMS subscription$undefined/month
    • Priced per camera per month by resolution and retention
    • Retention tiers of 7, 30, 90 and 180 days and 1, 2 and 3 years
    • Independently observed range of roughly 15 to 50 USD per camera per month

Helm

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Helm review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Eagle Eye Networks if

  • You need bridge and cmvr appliances.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want per-camera cloud retention.

Choose Helm if

  • You want to start without paying.

Questions people ask

Is Eagle Eye Networks or Helm better?
Neither clearly leads. Eagle Eye Networks starts at On request and Helm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Eagle Eye Networks or Helm?
Helm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Eagle Eye Networks and Free for Helm.
Does Eagle Eye Networks or Helm run on more platforms?
Eagle Eye Networks runs on Web, iOS, Android. Helm runs on Web.
Can I use Helm for free?
Yes. Helm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Eagle Eye Networks starts at On request.
What is Eagle Eye Networks best used for?
Eagle Eye Networks is most often used for a 40-site restaurant group that wants one login across every location without a recorder in each back office, a school district that must retain incident footage for a fixed statutory period and needs the retention set centrally, a car dealership needing footage shared with police within minutes of an overnight theft, a retailer replacing failing dvrs but keeping the onvif cameras already installed. Of those, a 40-site restaurant group that wants one login across every location without a recorder in each back office and a school district that must retain incident footage for a fixed statutory period and needs the retention set centrally are not what Helm is typically brought in for.
What can Eagle Eye Networks do that Helm cannot?
Eagle Eye Networks covers Bridge and CMVR appliances, Per-camera cloud retention, Browser and mobile access, Cloud analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Eagle Eye Networks: Do I need Eagle Eye cameras?

No. The bridge connects existing ONVIF cameras, which is the main reason organisations pick it over camera-maker cloud services.

Helm: How much does Helm cost?

Helm is free and open-source. It is a graduated project in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) with no commercial pricing model.

Source
Eagle Eye Networks: What does it cost per camera?

Not published. Independent observations put it between roughly 15 and 50 US dollars per camera per month depending on resolution and retention, with Canadian examples up to 79 for 90 day 4K.

Eagle Eye Networks: What happens if my internet drops?

The on-site bridge buffers recording locally and uploads when the connection returns, but buffer capacity is finite and a long outage loses footage.

Eagle Eye Networks: Where is my video stored?

In Eagle Eye’s data centres. Confirm the region before buying if you have data residency obligations.

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