Axis-only catalog
AXIS Site Designer renders only AXIS hardware. The moment a tender requires a Hikvision, Dahua, Bosch, Hanwha or Uniview camera in the same project, you switch tools mid-design and lose continuity.
Multi-vendor alternative
AXIS Site Designer alternative — design any vendor on one canvas
AXIS Site Designer is a beautiful tool — when the project is 100% Axis. The moment a tender requires Hikvision, Dahua, Bosch, Hanwha or Uniview cameras alongside the Axis ones, the design splits across two tools and the BOM goes out of sync. CCTVplanner runs every brand on the same canvas with the same FOV math (EN 62676-4), the same DORI overlay, and one consolidated BOM.
Free tier · No credit card · Browser-based
Where AXIS Site Designer falls short
Four pain points the Axis tool does not solve
~2 000 cameras vs 23 000
AXIS lists roughly 2 000 product variants. Most real-world projects mix at least two brands. CCTVplanner ships 23 025 verified models across 79 brands — Axis included — so the project never has to leave the canvas.
Limited interface languages
AXIS Site Designer ships in roughly 10 European languages. CCTVplanner runs in 20 — adds Arabic (RTL), Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Turkish — for installer teams outside the AXIS sales footprint.
Designed around AXIS Camera Station
Storage and bandwidth math assumes ACS, with Genetec and Milestone as second-class exports. If your client uses Avigilon, Hanwha WAVE, BriefCam, NX Witness or anything else, the export is a generic spec dump.
What CCTVplanner does instead
True multi-vendor design
Drop an Axis P3265 next to a Hikvision DS-2CD2T87 next to a Dahua IPC-HFW3849 — same canvas, same FOV math (EN 62676-4), same DORI overlay. The BOM aggregates lens, mount, PoE class and cable length across all brands.
Multi-floor and obstacle-aware
Stack unlimited floors, place walls and obstacles, and the FOV cone clips with shadow polygons in real time. AXIS Site Designer treats each floor in isolation; we route cabling between floors and roll up to one BOM.
DXF in and out, branded PDF
Import the architect's DXF floor plan with full BLOCK/INSERT/SPLINE/HATCH coverage, calibrate scale with two clicks, and export DXF or branded PDF for the customer. Works with any VMS, no vendor lock.
EU-hosted, GDPR-clean
Frontend on EU infrastructure, Supabase EU-West backend, Polish company (DEFENSAR, VAT PL5562789202). Site survey data, customer floor plans and BOMs never leave the EU. No US Cloud Act exposure.
Side-by-side: CCTVplanner vs AXIS Site Designer
| CCTVplanner | AXIS Site Designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera catalog | 23 025 models · 79 brands | ~2 000 models · Axis only |
| Multi-floor topology | Yes — unlimited floors, daisy-chain cabling | One floor at a time |
| Obstacle-aware FOV | Yes — shadow polygons in real time | Flat 2D cone, no occlusion |
| Languages | 20 (incl. Arabic RTL, Hindi, Vietnamese) | ~10 European languages |
| DXF import/export | Yes — BLOCK/INSERT/SPLINE/HATCH/DIMENSION | PDF export only |
| Hosting | EU (Poland frontend, EU-West backend) | Sweden + AWS US |
| Cost | Free tier · Standard €5/mo | Free (but Axis-locked) |
Frequently asked questions
Can I still design Axis-only systems on CCTVplanner?
Yes. The Axis catalog inside CCTVplanner is a superset of the AXIS Site Designer catalog — every fixed bullet, dome, PTZ, panoramic and thermal model. Sensor active widths, lens focal-length ranges, IR, IP and IK ratings come from Axis datasheets. Designing an Axis-only project on CCTVplanner is identical to AXIS Site Designer — except you can switch to a different vendor halfway through if a tender forces it.
Does CCTVplanner export to AXIS Camera Station?
We export branded PDF, DXF, and CSV BOM — accepted by every major VMS workflow including ACS, Genetec, Milestone, Hanwha WAVE and Avigilon. ACS-specific quote import (the bill of materials hand-off) is on the roadmap. For now, the CSV BOM lists Axis SKU + accessories which you paste into ACS quote tooling in seconds.
Is the lens math the same as AXIS Site Designer?
CCTVplanner uses EN 62676-4:2015 with the IEC 62676-4:2025 OODPCVS refresh — the same standard AXIS Site Designer references. We model rectilinear and equidistant projections (so fisheye geometry is correct), tilt-corrected ground footprints, and DORI ranges at 25/62.5/125/250 px/m. The FOV cone you see in CCTVplanner matches the AXIS one within the standard's published tolerance.
Why a separate tool when AXIS Site Designer is free?
AXIS Site Designer is free because it sells Axis cameras. The moment your tender accepts mixed brands — which is most public-sector and EU procurement — Site Designer becomes blind to half the project. CCTVplanner stays free for small projects (1 project, 4 cameras) and unlocks unlimited at €5/mo. The economic choice is: pay €60/year for tool independence, or stay locked to one vendor's catalog forever.
Continue reading
JVSG Alternative →
Browser-based replacement for the Windows-only design tool.
CCTVplanner vs CCTV Design Tool →
Honest comparison with our closest browser-based competitor.
FOV Calculator →
Lens-aware angular coverage for any sensor format.
EN 62676-4 Calculator →
Same standard the Axis tool uses, with corridor mode and OODPCVS update.
Stop switching tools mid-project
One canvas, every brand. Free tier covers 1 project and 4 cameras — enough to evaluate. No credit card.