Top Free Computer Vision APIs, Open Source models, and tools
Tags: ai, api, opensource
Published: 2024-07-05 10:16:11

## What is a Computer Vision API?
A Computer Vision API is a software interface that provides specific computer vision or image recognition functionalities to other software. It is a type of software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other, offering a service to other pieces of software. Computer Vision APIs typically involve uploading or linking visual data, whether it is [image](https://www.edenai.co/technologies/image?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models) or [video](https://www.edenai.co/technologies/video?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models), via the internet and fetching the response of the API. They provide an accessible way to integrate image recognition and processing tasks into applications without the need to write code from scratch.

![Computer Vision Feature on Eden AI](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/zdaqa7kpimcmjivjrh4c.jpg)

## ‍Top Open Source (Free) Computer Vision models on the market
For users seeking a cost-effective engine, opting for an open-source model is the recommended choice. Here is the list of best Computer Vision Open Source Models:

### [Detectron2‍](https://github.com/facebookresearch/detectron2?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Detectron2 is a cutting-edge library for object detection and segmentation, developed by Facebook AI Research. It supports a variety of computer vision tasks including object detection, instance and semantic segmentation, and panoptic segmentation. Built on the PyTorch framework, it offers high performance and flexibility, making it suitable for both research and production. Detectron2's modular architecture allows for easy customization and extension, catering to advanced computer vision needs.

### [OpenCV‍](https://github.com/opencv/opencv?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
OpenCV is one of the most established and widely used open-source computer vision libraries. It supports a broad range of programming languages and platforms, making it highly accessible. OpenCV excels in real-time image processing thanks to its optimization and GPU support via CUDA. It is ideal for applications requiring high performance in real-time vision tasks.

### [OpenVINO‍](https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/openvino?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
OpenVINO, developed by Intel, specializes in optimizing deep learning models for inference, particularly on Intel hardware. It supports various deep learning frameworks and is designed to maximize performance across Intel CPUs, GPUs, and other accelerators. OpenVINO is particularly noted for its high-performance inference capabilities and efficiency in deploying AI models at the edge.

### [BoofCV‍](https://github.com/lessthanoptimal/BoofCV?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
BoofCV is a Java-based library focused on real-time computer vision. Its performance is optimized for speed and it includes functionalities such as image processing, feature detection, and tracking. BoofCV is particularly appealing for developers working within the Java ecosystem, offering a robust set of features for real-time applications.

### [SimpleCV‍](http://systems%20such%20as%20mac,%20windows,%20and%20linux.%20https//github.com/sightmachine/SimpleCV?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
SimpleCV is a framework that simplifies the process of developing machine vision applications. It is designed to be accessible and easy to use, making it a great choice for beginners and those looking to quickly prototype computer vision applications. While it may not offer the depth of functionality found in more comprehensive libraries like OpenCV, its ease of use is a significant advantage.

### [Microsoft ResNet‍](https://learn.microsoft.com/fr-fr/azure/machine-learning/component-reference/resnet?view=azureml-api-2?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Microsoft ResNet is a series of deep neural network architectures that are highly effective in image classification tasks. ResNet models are known for their deep architectures that help in achieving excellent accuracy in various vision tasks. They are widely used in the industry for benchmarks and real-world applications.

### [Google Vision Transformer‍](https://github.com/google-research/vision_transformer?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
The Vision Transformer (ViT) by Google is a model based on the transformer architecture, originally used in natural language processing, adapted for image recognition tasks. It has shown to perform well on large-scale image datasets and can be fine-tuned for various vision tasks, offering flexibility and strong performance in processing images.

### [Meta Segment Anything‍](https://github.com/facebookresearch/segment-anything?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
This model from Meta (formerly Facebook) is designed for segmentation tasks, capable of segmenting virtually "anything" in an image. It leverages advanced machine learning techniques to provide high-quality segmentation, useful in various applications from medical imaging to autonomous driving.

### [Yolos Model‍](https://github.com/hustvl/YOLOS?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
The YOLOS (You Only Look at One Sequence) model is a derivative of the Vision Transformer tailored for object detection tasks. It adapts the transformer architecture to handle the spatial nature of images, making it suitable for detecting objects within various scenes.‍

## Cons of Using Open Source AI models
While open-source computer vision models offer numerous advantages, such as cost-effectiveness and flexibility, it's crucial to consider potential drawbacks before fully committing to their use. Here are some key factors to keep in mind:‍

**- Not Entirely Cost Free:** Although open-source models are often available at no direct cost, users may still need to account for expenses related to hosting, server usage, and infrastructure maintenance, especially when working with large or resource-intensive datasets. These indirect costs can add up quickly and should be factored into the overall budget.
**- Lack of Support:** Open-source models may not have dedicated customer support teams or official channels for troubleshooting and assistance. Users may need to rely on community forums or the goodwill of volunteer contributors, which can be less reliable than the support offered by commercial providers. This can lead to delays in resolving issues and may require more technical expertise from the user.
**- Limited Documentation:** The documentation for some open-source models may be less comprehensive or well-maintained compared to commercial offerings. This can make it challenging for developers to fully understand the model's capabilities and effectively integrate it into their applications. Poorly documented features or unclear instructions can lead to frustration and slower development timelines.
**- Security Concerns:** Open-source models may be susceptible to security vulnerabilities, and the time required to address these issues may be longer than for commercially supported alternatives. Users must be proactive in monitoring for updates and patches to ensure the security of their computer vision workflows. Neglecting to stay on top of security updates can expose sensitive data or systems to potential breaches.
**- Scalability and Performance:** Open-source models may not be as optimized for high-performance or high-volume use cases as their commercial counterparts. If your computer vision needs require exceptional scalability or processing speed, you may need to invest additional time and resources in optimizing the open-source model to meet your requirements. This can be a significant undertaking and may not always yield the desired results.‍

## Why choose Eden AI?
Given the potential costs and challenges related to open-source models, one cost-effective solution is to use APIs. Eden AI smoothens the incorporation and implementation of AI technologies with its API, connecting to multiple AI engines.‍

Eden AI presents a broad range of AI APIs on its platform, customized to suit your needs and financial limitations. These technologies include data parsing, language identification, sentiment analysis, logo recognition, question answering, data anonymization, speech recognition, and numerous other capabilities.‍

To get started, we offer free credit for you to explore our APIs.‍

![Eden AI App](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fw3zmwofbrwuicpu6sxo.png)
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## Access Computer Vision providers with one API
Our standardized API enables you to integrate Computer Vision APIs into your system with ease by utilizing various providers on Eden AI. Here is the list (in alphabetical order):‍

- Aleph Alpha
- Amazon Web Services
- api4ai
- Base64
- Clarifai
- Face++
- Google Cloud
- Microsoft Azure
- Nyckel
- OpenAI
- PhotoRoom
- PicPurify
- Sentisight
- SkyBiometry
- SmartClick
- Stability AI
- Twelve Labs

### Aleph Alpha - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Aleph Alpha offers a comprehensive suite of computer vision models and APIs that can handle a wide range of tasks, including image classification, object detection, semantic segmentation, instance segmentation, and pose estimation. Their models are built using state-of-the-art deep learning architectures and are trained on large, diverse datasets, enabling them to achieve high accuracy and robustness across a variety of real-world scenarios. AlephAlpha's computer vision solutions are designed to be scalable, efficient, and easy to integrate into various applications, making them suitable for use in industries such as retail, healthcare, security, and autonomous systems.

### Amazon Web Services (AWS) - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Amazon provides a comprehensive set of computer vision services that enable developers to easily integrate powerful vision capabilities into their applications. These services include object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, emotion estimation, and attribute extraction), optical character recognition (OCR) for text extraction, and image and video classification. Amazon's computer vision offerings are designed to be scalable, secure, and easy to integrate, allowing businesses to leverage state-of-the-art vision AI without the need for extensive machine learning expertise.

### ‍api4ai - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
api4ai is a computer vision API that offers a comprehensive set of features for image and video analysis. Its capabilities include object detection, classification, and recognition; facial analysis, including detection, recognition, and emotion estimation; optical character recognition (OCR) for text extraction; and image segmentation for pixel-level understanding. The api4ai model is designed to be scalable, secure, and easy to integrate into a variety of applications, making it suitable for use in industries such as e-commerce, security, and media.

### Base64 - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Base64 is a computer vision API that provides a range of image and video processing capabilities. Its key features include object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. The API is designed to be highly accurate, efficient, and easy to integrate into various applications, making it suitable for use cases in areas like e-commerce, security, and content moderation.

### Clarifai - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Clarifai's computer vision platform offers a diverse set of features, including image and video classification, object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), and image segmentation. The company's models are trained on large, diverse datasets and can be fine-tuned for specific domains or use cases. Clarifai's computer vision solutions are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing users to customize and deploy them according to their unique requirements. They are suitable for a wide range of applications, such as e-commerce, media, and security.

### Face++ - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Face++ is a specialized facial recognition API that offers advanced capabilities in face detection, facial recognition, and facial attribute analysis. It can accurately detect and recognize faces in images and videos, as well as extract a range of facial attributes, such as age, gender, emotion, and head pose. Face++'s solutions are designed for use in security, identity verification, and surveillance applications, where reliable and accurate facial analysis is critical.

### Google Cloud - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Google Cloud's computer vision offerings, primarily through the Google Cloud Vision API and Google Cloud AI Platform, provide a comprehensive set of features for image and video analysis. The Google Cloud Vision API can detect and recognize objects, faces, text, and various visual elements within images and videos. It also supports advanced capabilities like image classification, object localization, and image annotation.

### Microsoft Azure - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Microsoft Azure's computer vision services offer a wide range of capabilities for image and video analysis. This includes object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, emotion estimation, and attribute extraction), optical character recognition (OCR) for text extraction, and image classification.

### Nyckel - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Nyckel is a computer vision API that provides a comprehensive set of features for image and video analysis. Its capabilities include object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. Nyckel's models are built using state-of-the-art deep learning architectures and are designed to be highly accurate and responsive, with low latency for real-time applications.

### OpenAI - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
OpenAI offers a range of computer vision capabilities through its API, including image classification, object detection, and image generation. The API is built on top of OpenAI's advanced language models and can be used to perform tasks like identifying objects in images, classifying image content, and even generating new images based on textual descriptions. While not as specialized as some other computer vision providers, OpenAI's solutions can be a valuable addition to applications that require flexible and powerful image processing capabilities.

### PhotoRoom - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
PhotoRoom is a computer vision API that offers a range of image and video processing capabilities. Its features include object detection and recognition, background removal, image enhancement, and image segmentation. Photoroom's solutions are particularly well-suited for applications in the e-commerce and media industries, where tasks like product photography, image editing, and content creation are crucial.
‍

### PicPurify - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
PicPurify is a computer vision API that specializes in image and video analysis. Its key features include object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. Picpurify's models are designed to be highly accurate and efficient, with a focus on delivering results quickly and reliably.‍

### Sentisight - [Available on Eden AI‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Sentisight is a computer vision API that provides a comprehensive set of features for image and video analysis. Its capabilities include object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. Sentisight's models are designed to be highly accurate and performant, with the ability to handle large volumes of data and deliver results quickly.

### ‍SkyBiometry - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
SkyBiometry is a specialized facial recognition API that offers advanced capabilities in face detection, facial recognition, and facial attribute analysis. It can accurately detect and recognize faces in images and videos, as well as extract a range of facial attributes, such as age, gender, and emotion. SkyBiometry's solutions are primarily targeted towards security, identity verification, and surveillance applications, where reliable and accurate facial analysis is critical.

### ‍SmartClick - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
SmartClick is a computer vision API that provides a range of image and video processing features, including object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. Smartclick's models are designed to be highly accurate and performant, with the ability to adapt to various deployment environments and data sources.

### Stability AI - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Stability AI offers a comprehensive computer vision API that covers a wide range of tasks, including image and video classification, object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), optical character recognition (OCR), and image segmentation. The company's models leverage cutting-edge deep learning techniques to deliver exceptional performance and reliability, even when processing complex or high-volume data. StabilityAI's solutions are designed with scalability in mind, allowing them to adapt to the demands of large-scale applications across diverse industries, such as e-commerce, healthcare, and media.

### ‍‍Twelve Labs - [Available on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
Twelve Labs provides a computer vision API that offers a diverse set of features, including image and video classification, object detection and recognition, facial analysis (detection, recognition, and emotion estimation), and image segmentation. Whether it's powering e-commerce product categorization, enhancing security surveillance systems, or enabling new media content creation workflows, TwelveLabs' solutions are tailored to meet the diverse needs of their customers.
‍

## Pricing Structure for Computer Vision APIs
Eden AI offers a user-friendly platform for evaluating pricing information from diverse API providers and monitoring price changes over time. As a result, keeping up-to-date with the latest pricing is crucial. The pricing charts above outline the rates for smaller quantities for December 2023, as well as you can get discounts for potentially large volumes.
**_[C‍heck current prices on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)_**

## How can Eden AI help you?
Eden AI is the future of AI usage in companies: our app allows you to call multiple AI APIs.

![Multiple AI Engines in one API](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1txwv9le0xuvoxjg2z58.gif)

- Centralized and fully monitored billing on Eden AI for Document Processing APIs
- Unified API for all providers: simple and standard to use, quick switch between providers, access to the specific features of each provider
- Standardized response format: the JSON output format is the same for all suppliers thanks to Eden AI's standardization work. The response elements are also standardized thanks to Eden AI's powerful matching algorithms.
- The best Artificial Intelligence APIs in the market are available: big cloud providers (Google, AWS, Microsoft, and more specialized engines)
- Data protection: Eden AI will not store or use any data. Possibility to filter to use only GDPR engines.‍

You can see Eden AI documentation [here](https://docs.edenai.co/docs/image-analysis?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models).‍

## Next step in your project
The Eden AI team can help you with your Document Processing integration project. This can be done by :

- Organizing a product demo and a discussion to understand your needs better. You can book a time slot on this link: [Contact](https://www.edenai.co/contact?referral=top-free-computer-vision-apis-and-open-source-models)
- By testing the public version of Eden AI for free: however, not all providers are available on this version. Some are only available on the Enterprise version.
- By benefiting from the support and advice of a team of experts to find the optimal combination of providers according to the specifics of your needs
- Having the possibility to integrate on a third-party platform: we can quickly develop connectors.

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