Same browser-based category, very different priorities. CCTVplanner is EU-hosted, ships in 19 languages, supports full DXF roundtrip and gives you 6 cameras free instead of 3. Honest source-cited comparison below — including where CCTV Design Tool wins.
Free tier · No credit card · Open in your browser
Both tools live in the same browser-based category. The deciding factors are tier limits, language reach, data residency and standards coverage — and on each of those, the gap is real.
CCTVplanner's Free tier covers 1 project with up to 6 cameras and full feature access (watermarked PDF). CCTV Design Tool's free Starter is capped at 3 cameras and 3 devices per project with a basic 3-page report. Real small-site jobs fit the free tier here; there they push you to Premium on day one.
Our Standard plan is €4.17/mo (€50/yr) for unlimited projects. CCTV Design Tool Premium is $6/mo ($72/yr). Both are reasonable; ours is materially cheaper. Premium tier with white-label PDF and full DXF export comes in at €100/yr — still inside their per-seat budget.
CCTVplanner ships with full UI in 19 languages including RTL Arabic, Hindi, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Ukrainian. CCTV Design Tool is primarily English with limited localisation. If your team or your tender lives outside English, this materially changes adoption.
DEFENSAR — 100% Engineered and Hosted in EU. GDPR-aligned with auto-generated DPIA worksheet (Art. 35) inside every PDF. For EU public-sector, defence, finance and critical-infrastructure tenders, EU origin and data residency is increasingly non-negotiable.
EN 62676 series, EN 50130-4/5, EN 62305 lightning, IEC 60529/62262, ISO/IEC 11801, IEEE 802.3 PoE, ONVIF, NDAA §889, GDPR, BS 8418, AS/NZS 4806, Garante 2010 — cited inline and validated by 4,270 unit tests, not just dropped as marketing.
Including 171 datasheet-verified flagship models with bitrate, lux, IP/IK, ONVIF, NDAA and environmental class metadata. New models land within weeks of public datasheet release.
Verified from public https://www.cctvdesigntool.com/features + /pricing on 2026-05-12
| CCTVplanner | CCTV Design Tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier limits | 1 project, 6 cameras, all features (watermarked PDF) | 3 cameras, 3 devices, basic 3-page report |
| Paid plan (yearly) | €50/yr Standard · €100/yr Premium | $72/yr Premium |
| UI languages | 19 (incl. RTL Arabic) | English-primary |
| Origin / data residency | EU — DEFENSAR, GDPR-clean | See cctvdesigntool.com/about |
| Camera catalog size | 23,025 (171 datasheet-verified flagships) | Large, exact count not published |
| DXF in + out | Full — BLOCK, INSERT, SPLINE, ELLIPSE, HATCH, DIMENSION | PDF/PNG export, DXF limited |
Detect, Observe, Recognise, Identify at 25 / 62.5 / 125 / 250 px/m — same standard your AHJ expects, plus the new OODPCVS ladder (7 levels) for tenders that demand it.
Stack multiple floor plans, route cabling between them, project the full topology graph (cameras, NVRs, switches, WAPs, multi-closet daisy-chains) into one BOM.
Design outdoor sites on real satellite imagery — parking lots, perimeters, gas stations. Address search, OSM building outlines, IFOV-aware ANPR placement.
Import the architect's DXF — BLOCK, INSERT, SPLINE, ELLIPSE, HATCH and DIMENSION preserved. Export your finished design as DXF for the electrical contractor.
Cover, floor plan, camera schedule, cable schedule, equipment list, elevation views, cost estimate, auto-generated GDPR DPIA worksheet (Art. 35).
Open your project from any device — laptop, tablet, phone — same canvas, same BOM. PWA caches the app for offline use after first load.
If these matter most to your workflow, their product is the right pick. We list them honestly so you don't switch and regret.
CCTV Design Tool has been in market longer and the UI shows it — fewer rough edges, more workflow shortcuts, gentler onboarding for first-time users. We are catching up fast but they have a head start on micro-polish.
Longer history means more YouTube tutorials, more forum posts, more integrators with the tool already in their muscle memory. CCTVplanner's community is growing fast but theirs is currently bigger.
Their release pace is slower and more conservative — predictable for enterprise users who want minimal change. CCTVplanner ships weekly. If you prefer slow-roll updates over fast iteration, they fit that style better.
Export the floor plan as PNG or PDF (their primary export formats). If you have the source CAD, that works too — skip to step 2.
Open CCTVplanner in your browser, click New Project, drop the DXF / PDF / PNG / JPG. Full DXF geometry import — BLOCK, INSERT, SPLINE, ELLIPSE, HATCH and DIMENSION preserved. Calibrate scale once.
Pick the same models from our 23,025-camera catalog, drop them on the plan, set mounting height and tilt. DORI rings, FOV cones and obstacle shadows render in real time. Typical 20-camera site: 15-30 minutes.
Generate a multi-page PDF with floor plan, BOM, cable schedule, equipment list, elevation views and DPIA worksheet. Export DXF for the electrical contractor.
Once your next project is in CCTVplanner and your team is comfortable, drop the renewal. Their Free Starter (3 cameras / 3 devices) stays available as a safety net for old projects.
Really free. The Free tier is permanent — 1 project, 6 cameras, no credit card, no expiry. Enough to design a real small site, render a real PDF and verify the math against your own datasheets. Standard is €4.17/mo when you outgrow it.
CCTV Design Tool's Starter is capped at 3 cameras and 3 devices per project with a basic 3-page report. CCTVplanner's Free tier covers 1 project with up to 6 cameras and all features — full DORI calculation, full canvas, watermarked PDF. The 6-camera ceiling typically fits a small retail unit, apartment block stairwell or two-bay garage; theirs forces upgrade on day one.
There is no direct project-file import — their project format is closed. What works in practice: export the floor plan from their tool as PDF or PNG, import that into CCTVplanner, then re-place the cameras using our 23,025-camera catalog. For a typical 20-camera site, plan on 15-30 minutes. The migration guide above covers it.
The category is the same; the priorities differ. CCTVplanner emphasises EU hosting, full standards compliance (26 cited + validated), 19 UI languages including RTL, full DXF roundtrip, and a permanent free tier that covers real small sites. CCTV Design Tool emphasises polished UX, mature community and an established brand. If your priorities are EU/GDPR, multilingual, and budget-conscious, the math favours CCTVplanner. If you value brand maturity and slower release cadence, theirs is the safer pick.
Inside the European Union. CCTVplanner is operated by DEFENSAR — 100% Engineered and Hosted in EU. No third-country transfers in the default stack, GDPR-aligned by default, with a built-in DPIA worksheet (Art. 35) for your customer deliverables.
Yes. 64 verified thermal camera models with datasheet DRI tables, Johnson Criteria (NATO STANAG 4347) implementation, dual-spectrum FOV cone rendering. Long-range thermal SKUs (Hikvision HM-TD2638 at 450m, DS-2TD8 at 1500m+) supported natively in the designer.
Once the app has loaded once, the PWA caches it for offline use — useful in basements, remote sites, on long flights. Cloud sync resumes automatically when you reconnect.
Keep your CCTV Design Tool account active during transition — their Free Starter never expires, so old projects remain accessible. Move new projects into CCTVplanner as they come in. After 1-2 months your team will be in CCTVplanner muscle memory and the paid renewal becomes unnecessary.
Open the browser. Drop a floor plan. Place a camera. See your first DORI ring in under 60 seconds.
Also explore: CCTVplanner vs CCTVDesignTool (side-by-side) · JVSG alternative · IPVM alternative · Free CCTV design tool · Best free CCTV design software 2026
CCTV Design Tool is a trademark of its respective owner. This page contains nominative-fair-use references for honest comparison under EU Comparative Advertising Directive 2006/114/EC.
