Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Genetec Security Center vs MetricStream

Genetec Security Center logo

Genetec Security Center

Cybersecurity

Unified video, access control and licence plate platform sold in perpetual channel licences plus an annual maintenance contract

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MetricStream logo

MetricStream

Cybersecurity

Enterprise GRC suite for large regulated organisations, with implementation costs that exceed the licence

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Genetec Security Center genetec publishes no pricing and sells only through certified integrators, so buyers cannot benchmark a quote and the same 500-camera design can vary widely in price between integrators.; MetricStream implementation typically costs one and a half to two and a half times the first year licence, so a one million dollar licence carries a one and a half to two and a half million dollar rollout that rarely appears in the initial business case.
  • They diverge on capability: Genetec Security Center covers Omnicast video management, MetricStream covers Enterprise and operational risk.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Genetec Security Center and MetricStream actually diverge.

Attributes where Genetec Security Center and MetricStream differ
AttributeGenetec Security CenterMetricStream
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Genetec Security Center

  • Omnicast video management
  • Synergis access control
  • AutoVu ALPR
  • Security Desk
  • Federation
  • Genetec Clearance
  • Mission Control
  • Genetec Advantage

Only in MetricStream

  • Enterprise and operational risk
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Internal audit
  • Third-party risk
  • Cyber risk quantification
  • Policy and case management
  • Content libraries
  • ESG reporting

What people use each for

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

Genetec Security Center

  • An airport unifying video, doors and licence plate recognition under one operator client and one audit trailnot MetricStream
  • A city federating dozens of independently owned camera systems into a regional monitoring centre without taking ownership of themnot MetricStream
  • A campus that refuses to be locked to one camera manufacturer over a fifteen-year refresh cyclenot MetricStream
  • A transit authority needing evidence export with a chain of custody that will survive a court challengenot MetricStream

MetricStream

  • A multinational bank mapping one control set against obligations from several regulators and needing to evidence the mapping to examinersnot Genetec Security Center
  • An insurer consolidating separate risk, audit and vendor systems that currently produce contradictory numbers to the boardnot Genetec Security Center
  • A pharmaceutical company that must track regulatory change across jurisdictions and show what each change affectednot Genetec Security Center
  • An organisation whose three lines of defence must share one risk taxonomy rather than three overlapping spreadsheetsnot Genetec Security Center

Where each one falls short

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

Genetec Security Center

  • Genetec publishes no pricing and sells only through certified integrators, so buyers cannot benchmark a quote and the same 500-camera design can vary widely in price between integrators.
  • Genetec Advantage is an annual maintenance agreement commonly quoted at 18 to 22 percent of licence value, so a perpetual licence is not a one-off cost, and letting it lapse freezes the system on its current version and stops support.
  • Licensing is per camera channel, so adding cameras is a licence purchase every time and organisations that expand a site by a hundred cameras discover the software line grows in step with the hardware.
  • It is a Windows server platform that has to be sized, patched, backed up and eventually migrated, so the real cost includes an IT estate and an integrator, which puts it out of reach of organisations without a security team.
  • Operator competence is a genuine dependency: Security Desk is dense, and sites that deploy it without training end up using a fraction of the platform they paid for while still paying full maintenance on all of it.

MetricStream

  • Implementation typically costs one and a half to two and a half times the first year licence, so a one million dollar licence carries a one and a half to two and a half million dollar rollout that rarely appears in the initial business case.
  • Full deployment takes six to eighteen months, during which the organisation runs old and new processes in parallel and the promised efficiency gain is negative.
  • Per-user pricing in the low thousands per year per seat discourages giving access to the first line of defence, which is precisely where risk data originates, so many deployments end up with data still arriving by spreadsheet.
  • Configuration flexibility comes at the price of specialist skills, and organisations become dependent on MetricStream partners or a small internal team, making later changes slow and expensive.
  • The interface and workflow feel enterprise-heavy next to modern compliance tools, and infrequent business users find it hard, which suppresses the participation the platform is meant to enable.

Pricing, plan by plan

Genetec Security Center

On request
  • Security Center$undefined/year
    • Perpetual video channel licences, priced per camera
    • Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions
    • Access control and ALPR modules licensed separately

MetricStream

On request
  • MetricStream GRC$undefined/year
    • Enterprise risk, audit, compliance and third-party modules
    • Regulatory content libraries
    • Multi-entity and multi-jurisdiction support

Which should you pick?

Choose Genetec Security Center if

  • You need omnicast video management.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want synergis access control.
Genetec Security Center review

Choose MetricStream if

  • You need enterprise and operational risk.
  • You also want regulatory compliance.
MetricStream review

Questions people ask

Is Genetec Security Center or MetricStream better?
Neither clearly leads. Genetec Security Center starts at On request and MetricStream at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Genetec Security Center or MetricStream?
Genetec Security Center starts at On request and MetricStream at On request.
Does Genetec Security Center or MetricStream run on more platforms?
Genetec Security Center runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. MetricStream runs on Web.
What is Genetec Security Center best used for?
Genetec Security Center is most often used for an airport unifying video, doors and licence plate recognition under one operator client and one audit trail, a city federating dozens of independently owned camera systems into a regional monitoring centre without taking ownership of them, a campus that refuses to be locked to one camera manufacturer over a fifteen-year refresh cycle, a transit authority needing evidence export with a chain of custody that will survive a court challenge. Of those, an airport unifying video, doors and licence plate recognition under one operator client and one audit trail and a city federating dozens of independently owned camera systems into a regional monitoring centre without taking ownership of them are not what MetricStream is typically brought in for.
What can Genetec Security Center do that MetricStream cannot?
Genetec Security Center covers Omnicast video management, Synergis access control, AutoVu ALPR, Security Desk. MetricStream covers Enterprise and operational risk, Regulatory compliance, Internal audit, Third-party risk.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Genetec Security Center: How much does Genetec cost per camera?

Genetec does not publish prices. Independent estimates put on-premises video channel licences in the region of 150 to 250 US dollars per camera by edition, plus annual Advantage maintenance at roughly 18 to 22 percent of licence value.

MetricStream: What does MetricStream cost?

It is quoted. Market data suggests roughly 75,000 to 150,000 US dollars a year for small enterprise deployments, 250,000 to 500,000 for medium and 750,000 upwards for large.

Genetec Security Center: Is Genetec Advantage optional?

Technically yes, but without it you get no version upgrades and no support, and reinstating it later usually means paying for the lapsed period.

MetricStream: How long is implementation?

Six to eighteen months for a full platform deployment, and the services cost usually exceeds the first year licence.

Genetec Security Center: Can I buy Genetec directly?

No. It is sold exclusively through certified integrators, who also do the design and commissioning.

MetricStream: Is it right for a mid-market company?

Usually not. Its depth suits organisations with several regulators and formal three lines of defence structures.

Genetec Security Center: Does it work with any camera?

It supports thousands of models across manufacturers, which is its core advantage over camera-maker software, though NDAA-restricted brands should be checked against your own procurement rules.

MetricStream: Does it replace SOC 2 automation tools?

It can cover the framework, but it is not designed for the automated evidence collection those tools do cheaply.

Share

Related pages

More on Genetec Security Center

More on MetricStream

Keep looking

Other head to heads