Hikvision vs Verkada

Hikvision and Verkada, two titans of the video surveillance world, are a bit like two very different relatives you’d see at a family reunion. Hikvision is the one who arrives early with an impressively large casserole — in this case, a dizzying array of cameras and gadgets, all at prices that make you wonder if they’ve confused surveillance gear with bulk pasta. A company born out of China, Hikvision offers everything from the mundane to the extravagant, ensuring that if you need something to keep an eye on, they’ve got a camera ready to do just that — and possibly offer you a cup of tea while you wait.

On the other hand, Verkada shows up later, but they’ve brought an app. Based in San Mateo, they’re the effortlessly cool cousin who insists that anything worth doing should be managed from your phone, possibly while sitting in a trendy café. Verkada’s approach is to make video surveillance seem less like a chore and more like a minor extension of your online shopping habits. No messy wires, no clunky installation processes — just a smooth, web-based platform that practically sets itself up while offering you a free upgrade in the cloud.

So while Hikvision is busy showing you the sheer volume of options and features that you could have (if you could just pick one), Verkada is smiling knowingly, handing you a sleek user interface and asking, “Wouldn’t you rather this just work, no questions asked?”

See also: Top 10 Video Surveillance Systems