Vendor Comparison
Rhombus vs Genetec Pricing for AI Video Surveillance
Rhombus sells its own cloud cameras plus a yearly license. Genetec sells Security Center SaaS per connection, on the cameras you own, through a certified partner. Both publish real numbers, so this page puts them in one table and prices a 20-camera site over five years.
Surveillant runs on your existing IP cameras from $49 to $75 per camera per month, with AI alerts and plain-English search included.
Is Rhombus better than Genetec?
Rhombus is the better buy when you are replacing cameras and want one vendor for cameras, sensors and the cloud console with prices on its website. Genetec Security Center SaaS is the better buy when you keep the cameras you own, need access control and intrusion on the same platform, and work through a certified Genetec partner.
The software line looks identical at first glance. Rhombus Professional is $149 per camera per year. Genetec Standard is $149 per video connection per year. The difference sits around that number: Rhombus asks you to buy its cameras, $399 to $3,299 each, and leaves AI features and cloud archiving out of Professional. Genetec lets you bring your own cameras and puts object detection and natural language search in Standard, but adds storage, an optional Cloudlink appliance and partner labor that it does not price on the page.
So the real question for most buyers is not which brand is better. It is whether your cameras are staying, and whether you want to buy through an integrator at all.
Rhombus vs Genetec Feature and Price Table
Rhombus entries come from rhombus.com/pricing, checked in October 2026. Genetec entries come from the Security Center SaaS pricing page on genetec.com, read in October 2026 in USD. Neither vendor reviewed this table, and both say prices can change.
| Capability | Rhombus | Genetec Security Center SaaS | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software price | Professional $149 per camera per year. Enterprise priced per camera model, for example $649 a year on the R600 | Video $149 per connection per year on Standard, $199 on Premium | Tie on the headline rate |
| Cameras | Rhombus cameras, $399 (R120) to $3,299 (R600), 10-year warranty. Third-party cameras through the N100 Relay Core at $2,999 | Hardware sold separately. Built to run the supported IP cameras you already own | Genetec if you keep cameras |
| AI video search | AI features and cloud archiving are not included in the Professional license | Object detection, attribute and keyword search, natural language search on both plans. Premium adds similarity, nearby search, entry and exit detection, visual trajectories | Genetec on what the base rate buys |
| Access control | Rhombus sells its own door readers and sensors on the same console | $99 per door per year on Standard, $149 on Premium, plus intrusion and intercom at $149 and $199 | Genetec for mixed systems |
| On-site hardware | None on an all-Rhombus fleet; cameras process on board and stream to the cloud | Optional Cloudlink managed appliances for local storage and edge processing, 1 TB to 240 TB usable, priced by quote | Rhombus on simplicity |
| Cloud storage | Cloud archiving sits outside Professional | Priced by retention and camera resolution, not listed as a single figure | Neither publishes a clean number |
| API and SSO | Available on the platform; check the tier in your quote | REST API and corporate single sign-on on Premium only | Depends on tier |
| Terms | 1, 3, 5 or 10 year licenses | Yearly subscription, multi-year pricing available. One plan per system, no mixing Standard and Premium | Even |
| How you buy | Authorized resellers | Certified channel partner builds the quote in the Genetec portal | Even, both go through a partner |
For the full line item detail on each vendor, see our Rhombus pricing guide and the Genetec pricing breakdown, which also covers the on-premises Security Center licenses Genetec sells beside the SaaS plans.
How much do Rhombus and Genetec cost for 20 cameras?
Twenty new Rhombus R200 domes on Professional come to $11,980 in cameras plus $2,980 a year in licenses, about $26,880 over five years before installation. Twenty cameras you already own on Genetec SaaS Standard come to $2,980 a year in connection fees, $14,900 over five years, before storage, any Cloudlink appliance and partner labor.
| 20 cameras, one site | Hardware | Software per year | Five years, published lines only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhombus, 20 x R200, Professional | $11,980 | $2,980, no AI features or cloud archiving | $26,880 |
| Rhombus, 20 x R120, Professional | $7,980 | $2,980 | $22,880 |
| Rhombus on Enterprise, for AI features | Same cameras | Priced per camera model | Quoted |
| Genetec SaaS Standard, your cameras | Optional Cloudlink, quoted | $2,980 plus storage | $14,900 plus storage and partner |
| Genetec SaaS Premium, your cameras | Optional Cloudlink, quoted | $3,980 plus storage | $19,900 plus storage and partner |
| Surveillant Elite, your cameras, annual | None | $8,988, 2 TB storage and AI alerts included | $44,940 |
Read the last row honestly. On published lines we are the most expensive option in the table, because our price already carries the storage, the AI alerts and the support that the other two quote separately. Elite also caps AI analysis at 535 hours a month on annual billing, enough for after-hours analysis on selected cameras, not round-the-clock AI on all twenty. If you want continuous recording on new cameras, Rhombus Professional is a fair deal. If you run doors, intrusion panels and cameras together, Genetec is the stronger platform and worth the partner relationship.
Where we fit is the buyer who owns decent cameras, wants alerts and plain-English search on them this month, and does not want a box in the building or a five-year signature. We bill monthly or yearly, there is no integrator in the loop, and you can start on one camera with Surveillant pricing at $49 before committing a site.
One note for finance. Both Rhombus and Genetec reward multi-year terms, so the camera system becomes a software subscription that renews on its own schedule next to every other one your company pays for. Teams that already track recurring software spend in one place tend to catch the renewal date before the reseller does.
Where Rhombus Wins and Where Genetec Wins
Both are serious platforms. The useful comparison is what each one does better for a specific kind of site.
Rhombus is stronger when
- The camera estate is old enough to replace, and a 10-year camera warranty matters to whoever signs.
- You want no recorder or appliance on site at all, because each camera processes on board and streams to the cloud.
- IT wants a price it can read online before talking to a reseller.
- Sites are small and similar, like a chain of offices or clinics, so one camera model and one license tier cover all of them.
Genetec is stronger when
- You own a mixed fleet of supported IP cameras and do not want to pay for new ones.
- Doors, intrusion panels and intercoms need to live on the same platform as video, at $99 to $199 per connection.
- You want AI search included at the base tier, with natural language search on Standard.
- Your organization already works with a certified integrator who can build, install and support the system.
If Genetec is already in your building and the question is whether to stay, our Genetec alternative page covers the switch. If you are leaving Rhombus at renewal, the Rhombus alternative page lists what replaces it on the cameras you keep. Buyers weighing a third option often read Coram vs Genetec and Coram vs Rhombus next.
Five Questions for Your Rhombus Reseller and Genetec Partner
01
Which tier gives me AI search?
Ask Rhombus for the Enterprise rate on each camera model in the quote. Ask the Genetec partner whether the search you saw in the demo was Standard or a Premium feature like similarity search.
02
What does storage cost at my retention?
Give both the same number of days and the same resolution. Genetec prices cloud storage by retention and resolution; Rhombus keeps cloud archiving outside Professional.
03
Do I need an appliance?
Ask the Genetec partner whether your camera count and bandwidth call for a Cloudlink, and which model. Ask Rhombus whether any of your existing cameras need the $2,999 Relay Core.
04
What is the five-year total?
Cameras, appliances, connections, storage, installation and partner support in one number per vendor. Compare totals, never per-camera rates alone.
05
What happens if we do not renew?
Get in writing whether cameras keep recording, whether footage stays reachable, and what the renewal rate will be against the one you sign today.
TIP
Test on your worst camera first
A demo on vendor footage tells you little. Connect a dim corridor or a backlit entrance to a trial and judge the alerts on your own video before either quote is signed.
Questions Buyers Ask When Comparing Rhombus and Genetec
Is Rhombus better than Genetec?
Rhombus is the better buy when you are replacing cameras and want one vendor for cameras, sensors and the cloud console with prices on its website. Genetec Security Center SaaS is the better buy when you keep the cameras you own, need access control and intrusion on the same platform, and work through a certified Genetec partner.
How much does Genetec Security Center cost per camera?
Genetec lists Security Center SaaS at $149 per video connection per year on Standard and $199 on Premium. Access control doors are $99 and $149, intrusion panels and intercoms $149 and $199. Hardware, Cloudlink appliances and cloud storage are priced separately, and the final quote comes from a certified channel partner.
How much does Rhombus cost per camera?
Rhombus cameras cost $399 for the R120 mini dome up to $3,299 for the R600 multisensor, one time, and the Professional license is $149 per camera per year on 1, 3, 5 or 10 year terms. AI features and cloud archiving are not included in Professional; the Enterprise license is priced per camera model.
Is Genetec cheaper than Rhombus?
On cameras you already own, yes. Twenty cameras on Genetec SaaS Standard come to $2,980 a year in connection fees, the same software line as Rhombus Professional, but you skip the $7,980 to $65,980 Rhombus camera purchase. Add Genetec storage, any Cloudlink appliance and partner labor before you call it cheaper.
Does Genetec Security Center SaaS include AI video search?
Yes. Genetec lists object detection, attribute and keyword search, advanced natural language search and filter-based search on both Standard and Premium. Premium adds entry and exit detection, similarity search, nearby search and visual trajectories. Rhombus Professional, by contrast, leaves AI features out.
What does Genetec Premium add over Standard?
Premium adds work management, access request and access review, corporate single sign-on, the REST API, access to 24/7 support, and four investigation tools: entry and exit detection, similarity search, nearby search and visual trajectories. A system runs on one plan only; Standard and Premium parts cannot be mixed.
Do Rhombus cameras need a license?
Yes. Every Rhombus camera needs an active license to use the cloud console, starting at $149 per camera per year on Professional, sold in 1, 3, 5 and 10 year terms. Existing third-party cameras can join through the N100 Relay Core, listed at $2,999, and still need licenses.
Can I buy Genetec Security Center SaaS directly?
No. Genetec routes end users to a certified channel partner, who builds the quote in the Genetec partner portal and usually installs and supports the system. Genetec notes its listed prices can change and recommends an official quote, and multi-year pricing is available through the partner.
What is a cheaper alternative to Rhombus and Genetec?
For one to twenty cameras per site, no integrator and no multi-year term, a cloud platform that connects to your existing RTSP or ONVIF cameras is simpler to buy. Surveillant publishes $49 to $75 per camera per month, about half that on annual billing, with AI alerts and plain-English search included.
Run AI Alerts on Your Own Cameras Before Either Quote
Connect a camera to Surveillant and judge the alerts and search on your own footage. $49 to $75 per camera per month, published, no appliance and no integrator.