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According to live-streaming statistics gathered by Statista, over 30% of internet users watched live-streaming content weekly. Twitch alone averaged 2.41 million concurrent viewers in 2023 with 7.1 million users streaming at least once per month. With such a vast potential for viewership, it is vital that you use the best livestream software to help you stand out from the crowd. Framedrop.ai can help you capture the most exciting moments from your livestream to help you grow your audience across multiple platforms.
What is live streaming software?
Live stream software makes it simple for you to capture what is happening on your computer screen and broadcast it to an online audience. While most commonly used to show video gameplay, live streaming software can be used to host webinars, online classes, interviews, and much more.
The Best Live Streaming Software: Our Picks
Here’s a brief overview of the top live streaming software options available in 2024:
- OBS Studio: A widely used free software for live streaming on various platforms, suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
- Streamlabs OBS: A user-friendly version of OBS designed for beginners, offering essential streaming tools with an easy-to-navigate interface.
- Restream Studio: A browser-based software that allows streaming to over 30 platforms simultaneously, ideal for reaching a broad audience.
- Nvidia Shadowplay: Focused on gamers, this software provides simple live streaming with minimal impact on gameplay performance.
- VidBlasterX: A feature-rich software for professional-grade live streaming, best suited for complex productions with multiple cameras.
What To Keep In Mind When Choosing Live Stream Software
Selecting the right live stream software is essential for delivering quality content and engaging your audience effectively. Here are key factors to consider when making your choice.
The Type of Content You Create
When choosing a live stream software, one of the first things you have to ask yourself is, “What will I be streaming?” While the possibilities are endless for a live stream, not all live stream software is built to handle every type of content. Certain products like, like OBS studio are built for gamers to live stream highly specific content. Other options have less specific features and may make it harder to reach the level of production you are looking for in your stream. Once you know the type of content you will be streaming, you can pick the software that will provide you with the specific tools to make your live stream the best that it can be.
The Size of Your Audience
Different live stream software is built for different needs. The size of your audience will make a huge difference when it comes to the complexity of your stream. If you have a large audience across multiple platforms, you will need software that can handle streaming to multiple places at the same time. If you only plan on streaming your gameplay to whoever pops into your Twitch stream, you’ll need way fewer capabilities.
Learn how you can get more viewers on Twitch to increase the size of your stream’s audience.
Where Do You Plan on Hosting Your Live Stream
When using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook to stream your content, it's essential to choose software that works well with your preferred platform. Certain options, like Twitch Studio, are limited to specific platforms and are not compatible across multiple different streaming sites. While the most popular live streaming software can be used across the most popular platforms, you will want to make sure that the software you choose can support the needs of your streaming platform.
The Level of Production You Are Looking For
The quality you want from your stream makes a huge difference when choosing your live streaming software. If you are looking to produce a single-camera stream of you reacting to videos or playing a game, you won't require complicated software. However, if you want an extremely engaging stream with multiple cameras, live overlays, and multimedia integration, you will need live-streaming software with more features.
Increase the production value of your YouTube Live videos by learning how to edit your stream.
Cost
The cost of live streaming software is a huge factor when making your choice. There are plenty of free options, like Streamlabs and Restream Studio, for those just starting. Premium options like Wirecast are also available for live streamers who are looking for more professional control over their production. Whatever you choose, you should be aware of the cost when choosing the live-streaming software that is right for you.
What Can Your Hardware Handle
The quality of your stream will depend directly on the hardware you are using. If you have entry-level hardware, you will want to use live-streaming software that does not require a lot from your hardware. Finding the software that best complements your current hardware will make sure that your stream is smooth and consistent. Reduce technical difficulties in your stream by keeping your hardware in mind when choosing live-stream software.
The Best Live Streaming Software of 2024
Learn about the top live streaming software options available, designed to help you effectively reach your audience and boost your streaming experience.
OBS Studio
Pros:
· 100% Free
· Works on Linux, Windows, and Mac Computers
· Basics are easy to learn
Cons:
· There is a learning curve when it comes to using advanced features.
OBS Studio is one of the most widely used live stream software. OBS Studio is a free live streaming software for Linux Chrome OS, Windows, and MacOS that is completely free to use. Because it is open source, OBS Studio offers users tons of flexibility when producing their ideal stream. It is easy to integrate different media sources and place them together for an enjoyable streaming experience. Advanced users have complete crowd-sourced software that is just as powerful as paid options with even more features.
Streamlabs OBS
Pros:
· Really Easy to Use
· Automated features that help users optimize their stream
Cons:
· Lacks a studio feature
· Lacks some of the tools that OBS Studio offers
Streamlabs OBS is built on the same bedrock of crowd-sourced features as OBS Studio but with an easier-to-navigate interface. Streamlabs is a free streaming software that was built with beginners in mind. Streamlabs takes all of the complicated options and features in OBS Studio and gives users only what they need to get their stream live. This may be a great place to start, but many users will move on to a more robust platform after they become more experienced in the world of live streaming.
AI highlights for your streams
Get AI highlights and convert your Twitch clips to TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in seconds.
Restream Studio
Pros:
· Integrated with over 30 streaming platforms and can stream to all of them at once with a premium plan.
· Easy to use for beginners
Cons:
· Best features are hidden behind a paywall
Restream Studio is a great option for beginners because it is an easy-to-use browser-based live stream software. There is nothing to download and hardly anything to configure. Restream allows you to stream to multiple platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and dozens more all at once making it easy to captivate a large audience across all of your platforms. Restream features a free option that limits users to two channels per multistream. Paid options allow for more channels during a multi-stream and more advanced features.
Nvidia Shadowplay
Pros:
· Ideal for gamers who don’t want their gameplay affected
· Easy-to-use and beginner-friendly
Cons:
· No picture-in-picture feature makes it hard to build and engage an audience
· While it is capable of streaming, it is much better suited for recording gameplay
Nvidia Shadowplay is a free-to-use live stream software that is perfect for the gamer who cares more about their performance in-game than their performance on-camera. Shadowplay is simple to use because it is very limited in what it supports. If you are looking to showcase your gameplay with little distractions, Shadowplay is perfect because it does not support a picture-in-picture mode for your webcam. While this is not overflowing with features, Shadowplay is a nice place to start for those who want to give streaming a try but maybe a little too shy to get in front of the camera.
VidBlasterX
Pros:
· Enough features to create a professional-grade production.
Cons:
· All of those great features can make it difficult to learn how to use for those new to streaming.
VidBlasterX is not ideal for those who are brand new to streaming, but if you have a large production, multiple cameras, or a wide variety of content, VidBlasterX offers all of the features you need to make a professional-level live stream. If you are looking for software that can help your stream look like a fully-fledged professional production, and you have the equipment to back it up, VidBlasterX may be the right choice for your needs.
Capture Your Live Stream’s Most Captivating Clips with Framedrop.ai
Whichever live stream software you choose, Framedrop.ai can help you create captivating clips from your stream. The clips are the perfect way to grow your audience and showcase your most exciting moments on stream. Use Framedrop.ai to create a collection of clips that can improve your live stream.
AI highlights for your streams
Get AI highlights and convert your Twitch clips to TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in seconds.
FAQ
Live stream software is software that makes it easy to capture video and audio from a program running on your computer or a camera feed. Most live stream software gives the user tools to produce a visually appealing stream for a live audience.
OBS Studio and Streamlabs OBS are the two most used live stream software. These programs are easy to use and have all the features that new and experienced streamers are looking for.
You can stream a single subject with just your webcam and go live on most live-stream platforms. However, if you want to make an engaging livestream with overlays, multiple media inputs, and control over the production quality, you will need to use live streaming software.