Three ways to get Blue Iris-style recording on a Mac

Stonewatch is the only one of the three that is native to the Mac and costs the same USD 99 whether you record two cameras or twenty.

Three Mac options compared
FeaturesStonewatchSecuritySpyBlue Iris in a Windows virtual machine
Runs natively on macOSYesYesNo
Object detectionBuilt in, with Core MLBuilt inBuilt in since version 6.0.1
Price for 8 camerasUSD 99 once, before taxGBP 169.50, before VATUSD 99.95, plus Windows 11 and Parallels Desktop
Price for unlimited camerasUSD 99 once, before taxGBP 749, before VATUSD 99.95, capped at 128 cameras
Updates and supportAll v1.x updates includedTwo years included, then 25% of the price a yearOne year of maintenance included, then USD 44.95 a year
Also runs onWindows and LinuxMac onlyWindows only
Join the Stonewatch waitlist

Your options on a Mac

  • Blue Iris in a virtual machine means Windows running inside your Mac at all hours. On Apple Silicon, Microsoft supports Arm editions of Windows 11 in Parallels Desktop, and Blue Iris lists 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 without mentioning Arm. Where it does run, its users on the IPCamTalk forum report crashes and updates that break working setups.
  • SecuritySpy is a native Mac recorder priced by camera count: GBP 169.50 for eight cameras and GBP 749 for unlimited, before VAT, with support renewals at 25% a year after two years.
  • Stonewatch is a native background service: USD 99 once for any number of cameras, with every v1.x update included.

Which Mac mini can be the recorder

Any Apple Silicon Mac mini can be the recorder, back to the 2020 model with M1. It keeps recording with the display off while the Mac is awake, and Core ML runs detection on the Mac's own hardware. See Mac mini NVR software for example hardware and a storage calculator.

Common questions

Is there a Blue Iris app for Mac?

Blue Iris is Windows only. Stonewatch is the native Mac recorder, with Viewer apps for Mac, iPhone, and Android.

Will my Blue Iris cameras work with Stonewatch?

They will. Stonewatch records any IP camera that sends H.264 or H.265 video over RTSP. It finds ONVIF cameras on your network automatically, and you can add any other camera by its stream URL.

Can I use a Mac mini as an NVR?

A Mac mini makes an excellent NVR. Any Apple Silicon Mac mini runs Stonewatch, back to the 2020 model with M1, and keeps recording with the display off while the Mac is awake.

Is there a Stonewatch iPhone app?

The Stonewatch Viewer app runs on iPhone and Android, with live view, recordings, and events, and connects from anywhere over Tailscale or another VPN.

Stonewatch pricing and availability

Each machine gets a 30-day free trial of the full product, with no card and no account. After that, the Home license is USD 99 before tax, paid once, for one machine. There is no subscription or renewal fee, and all v1.x updates are included.

Home has no camera limit beyond what your hardware can handle. The recordings you make during the trial stay yours to play back and export.