How to compare ah? Very hard actually 2 different things... Some good monopod can be expensive, a few hundred dollars, But if compare to good tripod with good tripod heads that can cost a few thousand dollars.... Monopod cheaper... But cannot use it for very long exposure.... The good thing about monopod tho is it allows faster deployment and requires less space to use and moving around will be faster... But, A tripod will do the job better. If the situation allows the use of a tripod, I'll use a tripod...