Top Free Image Object Detection tools, APIs, and Open Source models

What is Object Detection API?

Object Detection is a way of using computers to find and label things like people, animals, and vehicles in pictures or videos. It uses advanced computer models to look at pictures and videos and figure out what's in them, all in real time. This makes it an incredibly useful tool for all sorts of applications.

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This tech is now frequently used in fields like retail, security and healthcare, and plays a vital role in self-driving motors and robotics.

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Top Open Source (Free) Object Detection 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 the best Object Detection Open Source Models:

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1‍. Tiny YOLOv2

This model is a real-time neural network for object detection that detects 20 different classes. It is made up of 9 convolutional layers and 6 max-pooling layers and is a smaller version of the more complex full YOLOv2 network.

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2. Single Stage Detector

This model is a real-time neural network for object detection that detects 80 different classes.

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3. Faster R-CNN

This model is a real-time neural network for object detection that detects 80 different classes.

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4. Mask R-CNN

A real-time neural network for object instance segmentation that detects 80 different classes. Extends Faster R-CNN as each of the 300 elected ROIs goes through 3 parallel branches of the network: label prediction, bounding box prediction and mask prediction.

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5. RetinaNet

A real-time dense detector network for object detection that addresses class imbalance through Focal Loss. RetinaNet is able to match the speed of previous one-stage detectors and defines the state-of-the-art in two-stage detectors (surpassing R-CNN).

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6. Detectron 2

Detectron2 is Facebook AI Research's next-generation library that provides state-of-the-art detection and segmentation algorithms. It is the successor of Detectron and maskrcnn-benchmark. It supports a number of computer vision research projects and production applications on Facebook.

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Cons of Using Open Source AI models

‍While open source models offer many advantages, they also come with some potential drawbacks and challenges. Here are some cons of using open source models:

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• Not Entirely Cost Free: Open-source models, while providing valuable resources to users, may not always be entirely free of cost. Users often need to bear expenses related to hosting and server usage, especially when dealing with large or resource-intensive data sets.
• Lack of Support: Open source models may not have official support channels or dedicated customer support teams. If you encounter issues or need assistance, you might have to rely on community forums or the goodwill of volunteers, which can be less reliable than commercial support.
• Limited Documentation: Some open source models may have incomplete or poorly maintained documentation. This can make it difficult for developers to understand how to use the model effectively, leading to frustration and wasted time.
• Security Concerns: Security vulnerabilities can exist in open source models, and it may take longer for these issues to be addressed compared to commercially supported models. Users of open source models may need to monitor for security updates and patches actively.
• Scalability and Performance: Open source models may not be as optimized for performance and scalability as commercial models. If your application requires high performance or needs to handle a large number of requests, you may need to invest more time in optimization.

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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 specific 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 $10 credits for you to explore our APIs.

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Access Object Detection providers with one API

Our standardized API enables you to integrate Object Detection APIs into your system with ease by utilizing various providers on Eden AI. Here is the list (in alphabetical order):

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• AWS
• api4ai
• Clarifai
• Google Cloud
• Microsoft Azure
• SentiSight.ai

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1. AWS- Available on Eden AI

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AWS offers two efficient and powerful tools to detect objects - MXNet and TensorFlow. Both tools are user-friendly, provide simple APIs, and ensure accurate object detection.

The MXNet tool applies deep neural networks to classify and detect objects in images, utilizing a supervised learning algorithm. It finds all objects in a picture and sorts them into groups, displaying where they are in the picture with a rectangle.

The TensorFlow algorithm supports using pre-trained models from the TensorFlow Model Garden, making it possible to adjust the models to your own data, even if you have a small number of images.

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2. api4ai- Available on Eden AI

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API4AI uses advanced technology that analyses images to find and group objects. It accurately identifies objects by providing their position and the most likely category and certainty level.

What sets API4AI apart is the commitment to excellent machine learning techniques and meticulous testing to ensure the best possible outcome. API4AI is a helpful tool for companies seeking to improve their image analysis abilities. It has strong object recognition features and prioritizes precision and dependability.

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3. Clarifai- Available on Eden AI

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Clarifai offers an API that developers can use to add computer vision functions to their apps effortlessly. This solution enables users to recognize and label objects in images and videos, with the ability to sort them into categories.

Clarifai is extremely precise and fast, due to its advanced machine learning models and GPU acceleration. Furthermore, the Clarifai API can be adjusted to suit the needs of developers, who can train their own models and shape the API for their particular requirements.

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4. Google Cloud- Available on Eden AI

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Google Cloud's Vision API can detect and extract numerous objects in an image by utilizing object localization. The API applies sophisticated algorithms to recognize both apparent and less apparent objects present in the image, presenting a Localized Object Annotation for every object that contains details about its location and rectangular scope within the image.

The Vision API has an easy-to-use interface and many customization choices that suit small and large businesses, which makes it a versatile solution.

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5. Microsoft Azure- Available on Eden AI

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Microsoft Azure's system identifies and provides the dimensions for each object found in a picture. It can identify and highlight multiple instances of the same object, helping us understand the connections between objects in an image.

The system tags the image according to the objects or living creatures it identifies, helping us deal with large volumes of images efficiently.

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6. SentiSight.ai- Available on Eden AI

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SentiSight.ai offers modern object detection software that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to identify and categorize objects in images and videos with great accuracy. Users can conveniently create their own detection models through SentiSight.ai, making it suitable for various industries.

SentiSight.ai stands out for its easy-to-use interface, which is developed to support both novices and professionals in the industry. In addition, users who want more control over their models can access advanced features such as viewing learning curves and precision-recall curves, setting score thresholds for specific classes, selecting the model size, customizing the validation set, and using unlabeled images as negative samples.

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Pricing Structure for Object Detection API Providers

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 chart below outlines the rates for smaller quantities for November 2023, as well as you can get discounts for potentially large volumes.

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How Eden AI can help you?

Eden AI is the future of AI usage in companies: our app allows you to call multiple AI APIs.

• Centralized and fully monitored billing on Eden AI for Object Detection 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.

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You can see Eden AI documentation here.

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Next step in your project

The Eden AI team can help you with your Object Detection 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
• 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.