Table of contents:
Key takeaways
- StreamYard is a browser-based live streaming platform with basic recording tools.
- StreamYard is fine for streaming, but other alternatives offer better recording and post-production tools.
- Choose based on your budget and needs whether that’s live streaming, interview-style podcasts, virtual events, or hybrid webinars.
- Riverside is our top pick for creators who need an all-in-one streaming, recording, editing.
Whether you’re a StreamYard user looking for a change or new to streaming and weighing your options, you’re in the right place.
We’ve spent hours comparing the platforms creators rely on most. In this guide, we’ll break down the best StreamYard alternatives for different use cases and budgets.
Let’s go!
Read more: Check out our Streamyard vs Riverside comparison!
Why look for a StreamYard alternative?
Whether StreamYard is the best software for your setup and needs depends on your specific circumstances.
It’s a simple and accessible platform for casual streaming, with a powerful multistreaming option. But if you need better production quality and more control, you might start to feel the limits of Streamyard’s recording.
Let’s start by weighing up StreamYard’s relative strengths and weaknesses:
Pros
- Choose between livestreaming or pre-recording events.
- Record and broadcast with up to 10 on-screen guests.
- Local recording for maximized quality on higher-tier plans.
- Multistream to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Twitch, and any other custom RTMP outputs.
- No software to install since it’s fully browser-based.
- Audience interaction tools (live comments, Q&A, on-screen chats).
- Ability to brand and customize your streams.
Cons
- Only 2 hours of recording per month on the free plan.
- Limited editing tools.
- Limited AI-powered features like audio clean up, translation, or eye fixing.
- You can only download local recordings as separate audio and video tracks, meaning you have to manually sync and combine the tracks yourself.
- No reusable studio URLs, so you have to send out a new invite to your guests every time you record with them.
- Mobile app available, but it lacks full host features and customization options.
How much does Streamyard cost?
Streamyard has five subscription tiers:
- Free
- Core: $35.99/month
- Advanced: $68.99/month
- Team: $238.99/month
- Business: Customized
Each progressive tier comes with additional features. Note that the free plan only offers 2 hours of monthly local recording and has streaming limits.
6 Top StreamYard Alternatives & Competitors
Riverside
Best for: All-in-one streaming, recording and editing platform.
Price: Free; Standard $15/month; Pro $24/month
Compatibility: Browser-based for Mac and Windows, plus Android and iOS mobile apps.
Riverside is the all-in-one platform for a smooth livestreaming, recording, and editing workflow. Built for beginners and pros, it delivers studio-quality content without the tech hassle.
Unlike Streamyard, Riverside lets you multistream to as many platforms as you like–no plan limits. You can take live call-ins, manage all audience chats in one feed, and brand your studio with custom logos and backgrounds.
The real magic is you get a high quality recording ready to repurpose straight after streaming. Riverside captures every track directly on each person’s device, so record in up to 4K without depending on internet speed. In comparison, StreamYard’s cloud-buffered local recordings are less reliable and only export as separate tracks. With Riverside, you can grab separate files or merge them into one mixed track right in the editor.
From there, Riverside’s editor gives you full control in polishing your recording. Clean audio in a click, edit like a doc with text-based editing, and keep your layout locked on the speaker. Add music, b-roll, text, and images to turn your stream into engaging on-demand videos, all without leaving the platform.
Even better, ask the AI co-creator to create clips, promos, blogs and other endless assets from your stream.
If top-quality recording and an all-in-one flow is your focus, Riverside is the better StreamYard alternative.
Key features:
- Stream and record with up to 10 remote speakers.
- Multistream to all the major platforms and custom RTMPs.
- Local recording for every participant (video + audio).
- Record in up to 4K video and with up to 48kHz audio resolution.
- Separate audio and video track recording and editing
- Engage viewers with omnichat, live call-ins, and Q&As.
- Invite your producer to run your session behind the scenes.
- Live branding customization to add your logo, colors, background and styled captions.
- AI-powered editor with tools to cut filler words, choose layouts, fix eye contact and more in minutes.
- Easy repurposing with automatic transcripts, clips and an AI assistant.
StreamYard vs Riverside:
- Riverside price is much more affordable, and the highest-tier plan costs less than StreamYard’s entry level one.
- Streamyard’s editing tools are very limited. With Riverside’s text-based editor, creating top-quality videos is as easy as editing a text document.
- Riverside has reusable studio invite links for easier workflows. With StreamYard you must generate a new URL each time.
- You can invite up to 10,000 live audience members with Riverside’s business plan
- You can’t save your local recording as a merged track on Streamyard. Riverside gives you the option of downloading your local recordings individually or as one consolidated track.
Restream
Best for: Multistreaming to multiple platforms at once
Price: Free; Standard $16/month; Professional $39/month
Compatibility: Browser-based for Mac and Windows, plus Android and iOS mobile apps.
If your number one goal is to maximize your live reach across as many platforms as possible, Restream is a solid choice. Its main selling point is its ability to broadcast your stream to over 30 platforms simultaneously. This includes all the major ones (YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, etc.).
Restream is a "stream-first" tool. It’s stable during multistreams, lets you manage all comments in a unified chat, and track your audience analytics across all channels.
But, recording and post-production features are limited. It comes with barebone editing tools that won’t go much further beyond trimming clips.
Key features:
- Massive multistreaming to simultaneously broadcast to 30+ platforms at once.
- Brand your livestream with logos, overlays, and backgrounds.
- Track viewer metrics and engagement analytics across all your channels.
- Add CTAs and lower-thirds during your stream.
- Interact with your audience by spotlighting their messages from the live chat.
- Manage comments from all platforms in a single feed.
StreamYard vs Restream
- Restream supports more simultaneous streaming destinations than StreamYard.
- Restream doesn’t offer local recording and relies entirely on cloud streams.
- Restream studio tools aren’t as intuitive or beginner-friendly as StreamYard.
- Restream’s paid plans are a little more affordable, while StreamYard offers a more generous free plan.
- Restream allows you to combine multiple video files into a single, pre-recorded stream, a feature that is not present in StreamYard.
Read more: For similar platforms, check out our list of Restream alternatives.
OBS Studio
Best for: Control and customization
Price: Free
Compatibility: Windows, MacOS and Linux.
OBS (‘Open Broadcaster Software’) Studio is a free Streamyard alternative. It’s an open sourced streaming and recording software with full customization and control.
Once you master its outdated interface, you can create complex scenes with multiple layers. This includes video sources, images, text, and browser windows. You also have professional-level audio control thanks to its powerful audio mixer and massive plugin ecosystem.
The downsides? It’s not browser-based, has no systems in place for inviting remote guests, no native editing tools, and it doesn’t offer built-in streaming destinations. You can do all of that, but you need to use third-party tools or complex workarounds. In other words, it’s a powerful engine, but it’s all manual and learning how to use it will take some time.
Key features:
- Unlimited scenes and sources, including webcams, media, and screen share.
- Full control on everything, from video encoding settings to scene transitions.
- Chroma key (green screen) and advanced filters.
- Advanced audio mixer with per-source filters and VST plugins.
- Free and open source with a very active community.
- Extensive plugin support for customization and automation.
StreamYard vs OBS Studio
- OBS Studio interface is very outdated, StreamYard’s one is modern and sleek.
- OBS Studio has a very steep learning curve and requires third-party tools to livestream, broadcasting on StreamYard is simple and straightforward.
- You need to download and install OBS to use it. Streamyard is browser-based.
- OBS Studio is free for anyone to use, whereas StreamYard is not.
- OBS offers much more control over visuals, scenes, and transitions.
- OBS isn’t cloud-buffered and records locally, but quality is hardware-dependent.
Read more: Compare OBS to other platforms with our full guide to OBS alternatives.
Crowdcast
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Crowdcast
Best for: Interactive webinars and community engagement
Price: Free trial (2 weeks); Lite $49/month; Pro $89/month; Business $195/month
Compatibility: Browser-based for Mac and Windows.
Crowdcast is built for highly interactive live events that feel like community gatherings, not solo shows. It offers engagement tools like structured Q&As with upvotes, polls, CTAs, and live call-ins. You can host webinars, workshops, town halls, and more, putting your audience front and center.
Be aware though, that if multi-platform reach is your priority, Crowdcast doesn’t offer multistreaming. Also, it relies on cloud recording, so it’s not ideal for creating high-quality evergreen webinars or repurposing content.
Key features:
- Attendees can register, join, and engage all from the same space.
- Built-in polls, advanced Q&As, and chat for audience interaction.
- Integrations with Stripe, Zapier, and email platforms.
- Easily create multi-day conferences or courses under a single event page.
- Host exclusive events for your fans with Patreon integration.
StreamYard vs Crowdcast
- Crowdcast uses a one-link access model for everyone. On StreamYard, you need to manage separate links for presenters and attendees.
- Crowdcast real-time interactions are much more advanced and engaging, but unlike StreamYard, you can’t multistream to several platforms at once.
- Crowdcast relies on standard cloud recordings with a maximum resolution of 1080p. StreamYard local recordings are still cloud-buffered but can reach up to 4K quality in ideal conditions.
Panopto
Best for: Enterprise and educational video content
Price: Custom pricing for enterprises only.
Compatibility: Mac and Windows, plus Android and iOS mobile apps.
Panopto is a video content management system built for large enterprises and universities, not individual creators and streamers. It’s designed to create, store, and distribute high volumes of video content.
It automatically records lectures then stores them in a secure and fully searchable video library. Panopto can be integrated with any Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas and Blackboard. For a podcaster or YouTuber, Panopto’s features are not ideal, since its focus isn’t on creating live content, but on managing a large archive of knowledge.
Key features:
- Secure video hosting with granular access control.
- Users can search for any word spoken or shown on screen across the entire video library.
- Integrations with LMS platforms like Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard.
- Lecture capture with scheduling automation.
- Detailed analytics on viewer engagement.
StreamYard vs Panopto
- Panopto is built for internal video distribution and large library management, StreamYard focuses on interactive livestreaming.
- Panopto is built for the enterprise and education sectors, StreamYard is designed for content creators and streamers.
- Panopto offers enterprise-level security and access controls, which are overkill and out of scope on StreamYard.
Streamlabs
Best for: Gaming and branded live streams with monetization
Price: Free; Ultra $27/month
Compatibility: Desktop app for Mac and Windows, plus Android and iOS mobile apps.
Streamlabs is a desktop broadcasting app built on OBS, but with a polished interface and a comprehensive suite of tools.
It’s most geared towards Twitch or YouTube streamers and gamers who want to monetize their content. It offers alert box themes, overlays, audience engagement tools, donation or merchandise widgets, and a separate text-based editor.
If you're not a gaming streamer, Streamlab is probably overkill. All these bells and whistles can quickly drain your computer's resources, even more than OBS. And you still need to learn the whole OBS ecosystem, which is all but beginner-friendly. This, and you’re still lacking the streamlined, high-fidelity recording and editing workflow of a dedicated content creation platform.
Key features:
- Built-in donation, tips and other monetization widgets.
- Huge library of stock overlays and scenes for branded streams with ample room for customization.
- The Ultra plan includes a suite of tools for streaming, editing, and creating your own branded page.
- Multistreaming to multiple platforms at once.
- Can stream from your console directly to Twitch without the desktop app.
- Text-based editing included as part of the Podcast Editor tool.
StreamYard vs Streamlabs
- StreamYard is a browser-based studio. Streamlabs is a full ecosystem that includes a downloadable desktop app, a mobile app, and browser-based tools like Talk Studio.
- Streamlabs is heavily focused on gamers, with extensive monetization tools. StreamYard targets a broader audience of general content creators.
- Streamlabs offers a lot more visual customization options than StreamYard, including a huge library of themes and widgets.
- StreamYard is simple and straightforward to use. Streamlabs has a steeper learning curve and a complex interface.
How to choose the right StreamYard competitor and alternative
Feeling overwhelmed by all the Streamyard alternatives as you try to find the one that works best for you?
Here are some tips to narrow down the best platform for your needs:
- Budget: Be careful about the differences between different subscription tiers. Make sure you can get access to all the features you need at a reasonable price.
- Use case: Are you livestreaming solo content, running remote interviews, producing a podcast, hosting webinars, or recording training sessions? Some tools focus on livestreaming, while others offer better recording quality and post-production.
- Extra features: More features add more flexibility to your workflows. For example, text-based editing and AI audio enhancement can save hours in post-production. Omnichat and live call-ins will help you engage with your viewers and build a community, instead.
- Ease of use: Your platform should make your life easier. Look for features that enhance and streamline your recording and livestreaming experience.
- Check for multistreaming: If audience reach is a priority, make sure the platform supports multistreaming on all the major platforms at once.
And if you want to explore platforms beyond this list, check our list of the best live streaming platforms.
FAQs on the Best Alternatives to StreamYard
Is Riverside better than StreamYard?
It depends on your priorities. Riverside is the obvious choice if you’re looking for an all-in-one studio-grade recording, editing, and repurposing tool, although it can also provide easy and high-quality multistreaming at the same time. True local recording protects your quality from internet issues, and its integrated AI editor saves hours in post-production.
StreamYard may be a slightly better option if you’re looking for basic livestreaming only, especially if going live on many platforms at once is non-negotiable. However, the pricing of higher-tier plans is comparably higher than Riverside’s.
Is StreamYard worth the money?
For casual livestreaming or simple virtual events, at $25/month, the Core plan is quite affordable. You can remove branding and stream to 3 destinations at once. But, if you want to multistream to more destinations and get access to 4K local recording, you must upgrade to the Advanced plan at $49/month. At that price point, you should evaluate alternatives to Streamyard. For example, Riverside offers superior recording quality and a full editing suite for a fraction of the cost.
Is there a free version of StreamYard?
Yes, Streamyard offers a free plan which is okay if you’re just getting started or want to test the platform. However, you’ll likely outgrow it quickly since it’s very limited. It adds a StreamYard logo in all your streams, and offers only 2 hours of local recording storage per month and up to 6 on-screen participants.
