Flock Safety vs Motorola Vigilant vs Genetec AutoVu: which ALPR is which?

Short answer: they all do the same job (read plates, log them with a timestamp), but they sell to different buyers, package data differently, and have different policies about who can query the data they collect.

Flock Safety

The fastest-growing ALPR vendor in the US as of 2026. Sold almost exclusively to police departments and, increasingly, to homeowner associations and private neighborhoods. Their hardware is distinguished by a solar-powered, cellular-connected design that can be deployed on a light pole in under an hour - no trenching, no IT integration.

Flock's data model is a national cloud: a plate read in Texas is queryable by a Flock customer in California. That cross-jurisdiction search capability is the single most-cited reason police departments cite for buying Flock over alternatives.

Motorola Solutions (formerly Vigilant Solutions)

The legacy leader. Vigilant was acquired by Motorola in 2021 and is now sold under the Motorola Solutions brand alongside their body cameras and in-car video systems. Motorola Vigilant ALPRs are heavier, hardwired installs more typical of large municipal police departments that already run Motorola's broader public-safety software stack.

The data model is also national, but the access controls are tighter: each agency typically sees only its own reads unless it has explicitly joined a regional sharing compact (often sold by Motorola as an add-on).

Genetec AutoVu

The enterprise / private-security option. AutoVu is most often deployed at parking garages, university campuses, and corporate campuses - not public roads. If a camera in our database is tagged Genetec, it is most likely securing a private lot rather than scanning traffic on a public street.

Genetec's data model is local by default. Plates stay on the customer's server unless they actively opt into a federated search, which most private operators do not.

Rekor Systems

The software-first entrant. Rekor does not sell as much fixed-mount hardware as the others; instead they license plate recognition software that runs on third-party cameras, including existing traffic and tolling cameras. If you see a Rekor tag on OpenStreetMap, it usually indicates the city is running Rekor's recognition layer on top of an existing camera fleet.

What "untagged" means

A meaningful share of cameras in OpenStreetMap carry thesurveillance=cameratag without a manufacturer. These are usually mapped by a community volunteer who confirmed an ALPR was installed but could not verify the vendor. Some of these are Flock or Motorola units whose identifying decals had been removed or were not visible from the public side of the pole.

Filter by vendor on the map

All four vendors are filterable on our nationwide map. Switch the chip row at the top of the map to see only Motorola units, only Genetec units, and so on.