Cybersecurity · head to head
Hanwha Vision vs Ory Kratos
Hanwha Vision
Cybersecurity
Korean camera maker whose Wisenet WAVE VMS licences are perpetual per channel with no annual renewal
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Ory Kratos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Hanwha Vision nDAA compliance is confirmed per model and per bill of materials rather than across the brand, and TAA status depends on whether a specific unit was made in Korea or Vietnam, so a buyer with procurement obligations must get both stated on the quote rather than relying on a brand-level claim.; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
- They diverge on capability: Hanwha Vision covers Wisenet WAVE VMS, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hanwha Vision and Ory Kratos actually diverge.
| Attribute | Hanwha Vision | Ory Kratos |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Open-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted |
Identical on both: 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 Hanwha Vision
- Wisenet WAVE VMS
- On-camera AI
- NDAA and TAA positioning
- Multi-site management
- Open platform
- Wisenet cameras and recorders
- Cybersecurity hardening
- Integration licences
Only in Ory Kratos
- Headless API
- Self-service flows
- Multi-factor authentication
- Pluggable identity schemas
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hanwha Vision
- A federal agency or federal contractor whose procurement rules exclude Section 889 covered manufacturersnot Ory Kratos
- A school district that wants a fixed one-time software cost rather than a per-camera monthly subscriptionnot Ory Kratos
- A site running 200 cameras for a decade where a cloud subscription would cost several times a perpetual licencenot Ory Kratos
- An integrator standardising on one manufacturer for cameras, recorders and VMS to simplify supportnot Ory Kratos
Ory Kratos
- Products needing complete control over the look and flow of authenticationnot Hanwha Vision
- Applications that must not hand user identity data to a third partynot Hanwha Vision
- Teams building identity as infrastructure across several servicesnot Hanwha Vision
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hanwha Vision
- NDAA compliance is confirmed per model and per bill of materials rather than across the brand, and TAA status depends on whether a specific unit was made in Korea or Vietnam, so a buyer with procurement obligations must get both stated on the quote rather than relying on a brand-level claim.
- Perpetual licences mean you own the servers, storage and patching, so the cost avoided on subscription reappears as IT labour and a hardware refresh every five to seven years.
- Hanwha publishes no list pricing and sells through distributors, so the perpetual-versus-subscription comparison it wins on paper still requires a distributor quote to verify.
- Wisenet WAVE is a solid mid-market VMS but does not match Genetec or Milestone on enterprise features such as federation across independently owned systems, scripted operator procedures or deep access control unification.
- Hanwha Vision is part of Hanwha Group, a large Korean conglomerate spanning defence, chemicals and finance, so the video business is one line among many and roadmap priority is set at a corporate level well above the security division.
Ory Kratos
- Headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
- More moving parts than a monolithic IAM: Kratos handles identity, and OAuth2 needs Ory Hydra alongside
- Documentation assumes real familiarity with identity concepts and is not a gentle introduction
- Self-hosting identity carries the security and availability burden that hosted providers absorb
Pricing, plan by plan
Hanwha Vision
On request- Wisenet WAVE channel licence$undefined/year
- Perpetual per-channel licence that does not expire once activated
- No annual renewal fee to keep the system running
- Sold singly and in 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 channel bundles
Ory Kratos
Free- Self-hostedFree
- Full identity server
- All flows
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Hanwha Vision if
- You need wisenet wave vms.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want on-camera ai.
Choose Ory Kratos if
- You need headless api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
- You also want self-service flows.
Questions people ask
- Is Hanwha Vision or Ory Kratos better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hanwha Vision starts at On request and Ory Kratos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hanwha Vision or Ory Kratos?
- Ory Kratos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hanwha Vision and Free for Ory Kratos.
- Does Hanwha Vision or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
- Hanwha Vision runs on Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android. Ory Kratos runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Ory Kratos for free?
- Yes. Ory Kratos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hanwha Vision starts at On request.
- What is Hanwha Vision best used for?
- Hanwha Vision is most often used for a federal agency or federal contractor whose procurement rules exclude section 889 covered manufacturers, a school district that wants a fixed one-time software cost rather than a per-camera monthly subscription, a site running 200 cameras for a decade where a cloud subscription would cost several times a perpetual licence, an integrator standardising on one manufacturer for cameras, recorders and vms to simplify support. Of those, a federal agency or federal contractor whose procurement rules exclude section 889 covered manufacturers and a school district that wants a fixed one-time software cost rather than a per-camera monthly subscription are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
- What can Hanwha Vision do that Ory Kratos cannot?
- Hanwha Vision covers Wisenet WAVE VMS, On-camera AI, NDAA and TAA positioning, Multi-site management. Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Multi-factor authentication, Pluggable identity schemas.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Hanwha Vision: Is Hanwha Vision NDAA compliant?
Hanwha is a South Korean manufacturer and is not among the Section 889 covered entities, which are Hikvision, Dahua, Huawei, ZTE and Hytera, and its cameras do not use banned Chinese system-on-chip processors. Confirm compliance per model on the quote.
Ory Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?
Yes, open source and free to self-host. Ory Network is a paid managed service.
Hanwha Vision: Are Wisenet WAVE licences subscriptions?
No. Channel licences are perpetual and do not expire once activated, with no annual renewal fee.
Ory Kratos: What does headless mean here?
Kratos provides identity flows as APIs and no user interface. You build the login, registration and recovery screens yourself.
Hanwha Vision: Is Wisenet WAVE the same as Nx Witness?
It is built on the Network Optix platform, so the two share a common core, with Hanwha adding its own camera integration and support.
Ory Kratos: Does Kratos do OAuth2?
No. Kratos handles user identity; OAuth2 and OpenID Connect provider functionality is Ory Hydra, a separate component.
Hanwha Vision: Is Hanwha TAA compliant?
Many models are, manufactured in South Korea and Vietnam, but TAA is a per-unit question tied to manufacturing origin, so it must be verified model by model.
Related pages
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