Short answer: Brivo fits organizations that want one cloud-native vendor for access control, video, visitor management and intrusion across many sites. Edge.AI by Proptech.AI fits properties that want hands-free entry with facial recognition, app-free QR codes and RFID cards, plus built-in visitor invites and analytics. Because Edge.AI can connect to the panels you already run, you add AI entry without paying for a rip-and-replace project.
Key takeaways
- Brivo is a cloud-native security company whose Brivo Security Suite unifies access control, video, visitor management and intrusion.
- Edge.AI by Proptech.AI lets each person enter with their face, an app-free mobile QR code or an RFID card.
- Brivo offers facial authentication on its Brivo Door Station, while Edge.AI is built around facial recognition, with spoofing and fraud alerts.
- Edge.AI can integrate with existing panels via Wiegand, run in parallel or hybrid mode, or replace the current system, hosted in the cloud or on-prem.
- Brivo suits a single-vendor security stack, and Edge.AI suits properties focused on hands-free entry, visitor flow and usage insight.
How do Edge.AI and Brivo compare at a glance?
Both platforms manage many sites from one place, but they start from different priorities: Brivo from a broad security suite, and Edge.AI from verifying the person at the door. Here is what each vendor publishes as of November 2026.
| Category | Edge.AI by Proptech.AI | Brivo |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI access control and visitor management built on facial recognition, mobile QR codes and RFID cards | Cloud-native security platform (Brivo Security Suite) for access control, video, visitor management and intrusion |
| Deployment (cloud or on-prem) | Cloud or on-prem hosting | Cloud-native SaaS with no on-site servers; panels enforce rules locally during internet outages |
| Hardware approach | Compact split device for doors, turnstiles, elevators and walls | Brivo ACS panels, Smart Readers, Door Station, cameras, locks and intercoms; supports Mercury controllers |
| Credentials supported | Face, app-free mobile QR code, RFID card | Brivo Mobile Pass, Apple and Google Wallet, cards, fobs, PINs and facial authentication; license plates via integrations |
| Facial recognition | Native and central; 99.9% accuracy as specified by Proptech.AI, plus spoofing alerts | Native facial authentication on the Brivo Door Station; Face Match video watchlist alerts |
| Visitor management | Built in: Outlook and Google Calendar invites, app-less pre-check-in, host alerts | Brivo Visitor Management, powered by Envoy: pre-registration, kiosk or QR check-in, host notifications |
| Analytics | People counting, peak hours, unique visitors and popular areas, with PII-stripped data | Data Explorer dashboards, occupancy tracking, AI video analytics and the Brivo Genius assistant |
| Works with existing panels | Yes: Wiegand integration, parallel, hybrid or full replacement | Converts supported Mercury panels to Brivo Access; open API with 400+ integrations |
| Best fit | Hands-free entry and visitor flow without replacing working panels | One vendor for access, video, visitors and intrusion across many sites |
Where Brivo is strong
Brivo’s strengths are breadth, scale and a long cloud track record. Founded in 1999, Brivo calls itself the pioneer of cloud-native access control and cloud video, and it says it protects more than 100,000 locations in 80 countries.
Chairman Dean Drako acquired Brivo in 2015. In December 2025, Brivo and Eagle Eye Networks, the cloud video company Drako founded, announced a merger under the Brivo name, with Drako as CEO and Brivo founder Steve Van Till as president.
- Openness: an open API and more than 400 integrations, from identity providers and HR platforms to property software.
- Credential choice: wallet passes, the Brivo Mobile Pass app, smart and proximity cards, PINs and facial authentication at the Door Station.
- Retrofit path: support for Mercury controllers and a cloud tool that converts supported Mercury installations to Brivo Access.
- AI video: gun detection, license plate recognition, Face Match watchlists and a video agent that takes plain-language requests.
- Multifamily edition: resident mobile access, unit and amenity control, and property management ties.
- Security program: Brivo states that its platform is independently audited to SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001.
If you want one company responsible for every security system, Brivo is a credible choice. HOTWORX’s founder, for example, says the company has almost 800 locations on Brivo Access.
Where Edge.AI is different
Edge.AI starts with identity rather than a badge, as the Edge.AI facial recognition access control overview shows. The face is the primary credential, and QR codes and RFID cards serve anyone who prefers them.
Three ways in, one platform
Edge.AI by Proptech.AI grants hands-free entry at doors, turnstiles and elevators and manages tenants, residents, members, staff, contractors and visitors across one site or a portfolio. Proptech.AI specifies 99.9% accuracy from multiple sensors, and Edge.AI alerts your team to suspicious spoofing and fraud attempts.
Enrollment and visitors without an app
New users get an enrollment email, take a selfie and upload it, with biometric privacy consent as the first step, and they have access on their next arrival. Hosts invite guests through Outlook, Google Calendar and other native calendars, visitors pre-check-in on their phones, and hosts are notified when guests arrive. Brivo delivers visitor management through its Envoy-powered module, while in Edge.AI it is part of the core platform, as our guide to appless visitor pre-check-in explains.
A split device that protects the wiring
Pull a single-appliance biometric reader off the wall and you may expose the network connection, lock relays or panel wiring, and the device can be stolen along with users’ data. Edge.AI’s split design keeps sensitive connections and data away from the user-facing unit, and it suits high-end indoor installations and various outdoor surroundings.
Analytics, privacy and hosting
Edge.AI reports building usage, people counting, peak hours, unique visitors and popular areas. The analytics platform is separated from the management console, analytics data is tokenized and stripped of PII, and PII is kept off the device. Consent forms state that data is not sold to third parties or used without authorization, and all data can be deleted upon request.
Edge.AI is designed to help you comply with BIPA, GDPR and other privacy frameworks. Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, for example, requires written notice and a written release before biometric data is collected. This is general information, not legal advice. Edge.AI can be hosted in the cloud or on-prem.
Can you keep Brivo and add Edge.AI?
You do not have to remove Brivo to start. Edge.AI supports four deployment modes:
- Integrated: connect Edge.AI to your existing panels via Wiegand, so Brivo keeps running schedules, video and alarms while Edge.AI adds facial recognition, QR codes and analytics. Brivo documents Wiegand reader connections on supported Mercury controllers and on Brivo panels set up for two readers, so confirm your models with Proptech.AI.
- Parallel: pilot Edge.AI at a gym, rooftop or amenity floor while Brivo runs everywhere else.
- Hybrid: integrate Edge.AI with Brivo at the lobby turnstiles and run it standalone on amenity doors.
- Full replacement: Edge.AI is a standalone access control system and can replace Brivo for door access. If you rely on Brivo for cameras or intrusion, plan for those before you switch.
The first three modes reuse doors, turnstiles and panels you already own, which keeps upfront cost down. At 101 Greenwich in New York City, managed by JLL, six Edge.AI sensors on six turnstiles were integrated with the existing card-based system, giving 1,500 tenants 24/7 secure access. Our guide shows how to add facial recognition to existing access control step by step.
Cost of ownership: what to compare
Compare the total cost over the life of the system, not the first invoice. Ask both vendors to price the same scope, then line up these categories:
- Subscription scope: the doors, users, sites and modules each quote includes.
- Hardware reuse: panels, readers and turnstile connections you keep versus replace.
- Installation: labor, programming and door downtime during cutover.
- Credentials: cards, fobs, printing, replacements and the admin time to issue and revoke them.
- Front-desk time: visitor check-in, calls to hosts and forgotten badges.
- Integrations: identity, property management and calendar connections.
- Privacy compliance: consent records, signage, retention policies and deletion requests.
- Switching cost: what changing vendors would take later.
Proptech.AI sells Edge.AI as a subscription and does not publish prices, so request a quote and set it against those recurring costs. Access control touches every person every day, which is why an AI access upgrade is often the most cost-effective proptech investment a property can make.
Which should you choose?
Like any proptech purchase, start with the problem you most need to solve.
- Choose Brivo if you want access control, cameras, visitor management and intrusion from one vendor across many locations.
- Choose Brivo if you have standardized on Brivo panels or Brivo-managed Mercury controllers and mainly want wallet credentials.
- Choose Edge.AI if tenants, residents or members should move through doors and turnstiles hands-free, using a face, a QR code or a card.
- Choose Edge.AI if you need on-prem hosting or want visitor invites and people-counting analytics in the same platform as door access.
- Combine them if Brivo works well but the lobby is the bottleneck: integrate Edge.AI at the turnstiles and keep Brivo elsewhere.
If procurement requires specific third-party security audits, ask every vendor, including Proptech.AI, for current documentation. Apartment operators can also read about AI access control for multifamily apartment buildings, and you can explore our honest access control comparisons or AI access control by industry.
Frequently asked questions
Proptech.AI is a good alternative to Brivo when the main goal is hands-free entry and a smoother visitor flow rather than a single-vendor security suite. Edge.AI by Proptech.AI combines facial recognition, app-free mobile QR codes and RFID cards with built-in visitor management and analytics, and Edge.AI can be hosted in the cloud or on-prem. Brivo remains a strong option for organizations that want access control, video, visitor management and intrusion from one cloud-native vendor.
Edge.AI can work alongside an existing Brivo system. In integrated mode, Edge.AI connects to existing access control panels via Wiegand, so the current system keeps running while Edge.AI adds facial recognition, QR codes and analytics. Edge.AI can also run in parallel during a pilot, run in a hybrid setup, or replace the legacy system as a standalone platform. Confirm compatibility with your specific Brivo panels and card formats with Proptech.AI before planning a rollout.
Brivo offers facial authentication through the Brivo Door Station, an all-in-one reader and video intercom that can use a face as a standalone credential or as one factor in two-factor authentication, according to Brivo’s documentation. Brivo also offers Face Match, a video analytics feature that alerts on faces from a custom watchlist. Edge.AI by Proptech.AI makes facial recognition its core credential, with QR code and RFID card alternatives for people who opt out.
Residents and tenants do not need an app to use Edge.AI. Edge.AI enrollment is app-less: each person receives an enrollment email, takes a selfie and uploads it, with biometric privacy consent shown as the first step. Visitors pre-check-in through their phones without downloading anything, and anyone who prefers not to use facial recognition can enter with a mobile QR code or an RFID card instead.
Brivo is a strong option for multifamily portfolios that want resident mobile access, unit and amenity control and property management ties inside one security suite. Edge.AI by Proptech.AI suits apartment buildings that want residents to enter lobbies, amenities and elevators hands-free, with QR code or RFID card alternatives, calendar-based visitor invites and usage analytics. An owner can also start small by running Edge.AI at a single amenity door in parallel with Brivo.
Plan your Brivo upgrade path with Proptech.AI
Tell us which entrances, turnstiles and amenities you want to upgrade and whether you would integrate with Brivo, run in parallel or replace it. Use the contact form at the bottom of this page or email sales@proptech.ai to get a subscription quote or book a demo.
Sources: Brivo homepage; Brivo and Eagle Eye Networks merger; Brivo panels; Brivo readers; Brivo Visitor Management; Brivo analytics (accessed November 2026).
Brivo is a trademark of its respective owner. Proptech.AI is not affiliated with Brivo. This comparison is based on publicly available information as of November 2026; features change, so confirm details with each vendor.