StreamYard alternatives: 11 live streaming tools compared
People who look past StreamYard usually hit one of three limits: the individual plans cap destinations at 2, 3 and 8, the company plan carries no published price, and everything is billed in dollars. The list below mixes browser studios, desktop switchers, relays and event platforms.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to StreamYard in our live streaming software ranking are Restream, Ecamm Live and Castr. Smaller vendors fill the top three places where the category offers them, and the household names start at place 4. Choose Restream if you want the same browser-and-guest routine with more channels than StreamYard's Core plan gives. Below are 11 alternatives, each taken from the Best Live Streaming Software in 2026 ranking, with its main difference from StreamYard.
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Pricing: Free tier plus three individual plans, published; separate business plans
Established in: Italy
Built for: Individual creators and podcasters interviewing remote guests in a browser
Not for: Companies that want published prices for team plans
01
Why buyers look past StreamYard
01
The business tier has no published price
StreamYard's pricing page labels Essential, Core and Advanced as for individual use only, and the section for companies shows no price, limits or features, only a link to an Enterprise page and an offer of a meeting. A company cannot compare totals before talking to the vendor.
02
Destinations rise in small steps with the plan
On the page we read, Essential allows 2 multistream destinations, Core 3 and Advanced 8, with monthly prices of $18.99, $44.99 and $88.99, or $14.99, $35.99 and $68.99 billed yearly. A team that posts to four platforms lands on Advanced, at roughly twice the Core price, to get the extra place.
03
Free output is branded, and the trial and refund are narrow
The free plan puts a StreamYard logo on streams and gives 2 hours of local recording a month. Paid plans start with a 7-day trial, and the refund applies to the first charge only, within 7 days. Prices are charged in US dollars or Indian rupees, which a European finance team has to convert.
events are held next to a library of recorded video and several people share one account
#12
03
What each one does differently
1
Restream
United States · Published
Restream also works from a browser studio with guests, but it counts channels instead of destinations per plan: Standard is $19 a month for three, Professional $49 for five and Business $239 for eight, with 20% off on annual billing. A free plan covers two channels with Restream branding. Extra team seats cost $25 a month, and SRT ingest sits with Enterprise.
Switch from StreamYard if you want the same browser-and-guest routine with more channels than StreamYard's Core plan gives.
Ecamm Live is a Mac application from Ecamm Network, LLC. Standard is $16 a month billed as $192 a year and lists 10 multistream destinations; Pro, at $32 a month billed as $384, adds 4K streaming, isolated audio and video recording and VIP support. The 14-day trial asks for no card. Guests and every operator need a Mac.
Switch from StreamYard if everyone who produces your shows uses a Mac and destination count is the limit you hit.
Castr, a Vancouver company, takes an RTMP or SRT feed from an encoder you run and relays it. Starter is $19.99 a month ($16.67 billed yearly) for 6 destinations and 200 GB of bandwidth; Standard is $49.99 for 10 destinations. Higher tiers climb to $749.99 for Events. Only Starter lists a seven-day trial, with no card required.
Switch from StreamYard if you already encode elsewhere and want more destinations plus a player you can embed.
vMix is sold by StudioCoast on a lifetime-licence ladder: Basic HD at $60 for four inputs, HD at $350, 4K at $700 and Pro at $1,200, with updates free for 12 months. MAX is $50 a month and includes updates while subscribed. A 60-day trial is offered. It is installed on a Windows machine, so that hardware does the work.
Switch from StreamYard if a single payment for a multi-camera switcher beats a monthly bill that rises with each added destination.
XSplit Broadcaster is a Windows 10 or 11 application from SplitmediaLabs. Its Premium licence costs $14.99 a month, $59.99 a year or $199.99 once for life. Streaming up to 720p carries no watermark on the free tier, and above that a small logo is added. The listed minimum is an Intel 2nd generation Core i5 with 8 GB of memory.
Switch from StreamYard if a yearly price near $60 or a one-off licence matters more than anything running in a browser.
OBS Studio is free and open source, with sponsors and backers named on its homepage and version 33.0.1 current on our visit. It installs on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or newer (separate Intel and Apple Silicon builds) and Linux. Nothing in it invites guests by link, so interviews need a second tool alongside it.
Switch from StreamYard if you would rather spend time on set-up than money and run your own scenes locally.
Wirecast, on wirecast.io, charges $59 a month or $34 a month billed yearly for Studio, and $79 or $42 for Pro. Studio includes 2 Rendezvous remote guests and Pro 7, and Pro alone adds cloud multistreaming, NDI output, ISO recording and PTZ control. It installs on Mac and Windows, and larger teams can ask sales for volume terms.
Switch from StreamYard if your show needs recording per camera or PTZ control and the team uses both Mac and Windows.
BoxCast bills by plan with annual prices of $109, $169, $249 and $449 a month, or $119 to $499 on monthly billing. Every plan includes at least 10,000 viewer hours without a viewer cap, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. Resolution runs from 1080p30 to 4K60, and storage from 90 days to a year. The trial leaves out 4K and the Spark encoder.
Switch from StreamYard if a large audience watches and the viewer-hour allowance matters more than guests on screen.
Switchboard Live is a relay: one RTMP or SRT feed goes out to an unlimited number of destinations, with unlimited Facebook Pages. SMB has 2 seats and 1 RTMP input, Public Sector 3 seats and 1 RTMP or SRT input, Enterprise 3 or more seats and 3 inputs. No amounts are shown; each tier leads to a booked call.
Switch from StreamYard if a public body or association must push one stream to many pages and a quote is acceptable.
Streamlabs Desktop is a desktop application built on the OBS engine and aimed at creators who stream games, with alerts, overlays and tipping as its centre. Its pricing page returned no readable content to us this session, so we quote no Ultra prices or limits here. Check the current plans on the vendor's site before you compare totals with StreamYard's.
Switch from StreamYard if your audience is a gaming community and alerts and overlays count for more than a guest greenroom.
Vimeo puts live events inside its video subscription: Advanced is $75 a month on annual billing with 10 seats, 7 TB of storage and a seven-day trial. It lists simulcasting, chat, polls, Q&A and analytics. Backup streams, SAML SSO and SCIM belong to Enterprise, which is priced through sales.
Switch from StreamYard if events are held next to a library of recorded video and several people share one account.
Ecamm Live: Standard lists 10 destinations at $16 a month billed yearly, and the 14-day trial asks for no card.
02
You want the same guest studio with more channels
Restream: Professional lists five channels at $49 a month and Business eight at $239.
03
You prefer to pay once
vMix: Lifetime editions run from $60 to $1,200 with 12 months of updates, and a 60-day trial is offered.
04
You do not want to pay anything
OBS Studio: It is free and open source for Windows, macOS and Linux, with sponsors and backers named on its homepage.
05
You send one feed to many pages
Switchboard Live: It lists unlimited destinations and unlimited Facebook Pages, with prices given on a booked call.
04
When StreamYard is still the right choice
StreamYard remains a sensible choice for an individual or a small team who interview guests who join from a link. Its homepage describes a studio in the browser where guests join from a browser or phone with no software to download, the free plan includes six on-screen participants, and Core adds unlimited local recordings, cloud recording and 50 hours of storage without a logo. Advanced adds On-Air webinars for up to 100 viewers. If you stay within 3 destinations, the yearly price of Core is $35.99 a month. The operator is Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A. in Milan.
05
What moving off StreamYard involves
01
Export what you keep on the platform
Core lists 50 hours of permanent storage, so download recordings you still need before the plan ends. After cancelling you keep paid features until the end of the billing cycle and then fall to Free.
02
Rebuild the show template
Overlays, logos, intro and outro videos and layouts will need to be recreated in the new tool. Make a short test stream with a guest on each device type you rely on.
03
Plan the hand-over around billing dates
Because refunds are limited to the first charge, time the switch for the end of a cycle rather than mid-month, and start the new tool's trial a week before.
06
Questions about replacing StreamYard
6 answers
What is the best alternative to StreamYard?
Restream ranks first in our list of StreamYard alternatives because it also runs a studio in the browser with guests, with a free plan and published prices from $19 a month. Ecamm Live and Castr follow for Mac-only teams and for those who encode themselves.
Is there a StreamYard alternative with a published business price?
Several publish prices where StreamYard asks for a meeting. Restream lists Business at $239 a month, Wirecast lists Studio and Pro per month, and vMix lists lifetime licences from $60. Switchboard Live and Vimeo Enterprise are quoted on request.
Which StreamYard alternative has more destinations?
Castr lists 6 on Starter and 10 on Standard, Ecamm Live lists 10 on Standard, Restream lists 8 on Business, and Switchboard Live allows an unlimited number. StreamYard lists 2, 3 and 8 across its three individual plans.
Can I stream without a monthly subscription?
OBS Studio is free and open source. XSplit Broadcaster sells a lifetime licence at $199.99, and vMix sells perpetual licences, with updates free for the first 12 months. All three run locally on your own computer.
Does a StreamYard alternative need a download?
Restream's guest studio runs in the browser. Ecamm Live, vMix, XSplit, Wirecast and OBS are applications that you install. Castr and Switchboard Live receive a feed from an encoder, so you need software on your side as well.
Which alternative suits a church, school or council?
BoxCast lists at least 10,000 viewer hours a month with no cap on viewers, and Switchboard Live lists a Public Sector tier with 3 seats. Both ask you to look at the details with the vendor, since Switchboard shows no price.
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Sources
Checked 3 November 2026
StreamYard pricing: Free, Essential, Core and Advanced prices monthly and yearly, destinations 2/3/8, 6 and 10 on-screen guests, 2 hours local recording on Free, 50 hours storage on Core, On-Air for 100 viewers, individual use only, 7-day trial, 7-day refund on first charge, USD or INR, no business price shown.
StreamYard home page: Browser studio, guests join from browser or phone with no download, footer: Bending Spoons Operations S.p.A., Via Nino Bonnet 10, Milan.
Restream pricing: Free 2 channels with branding, Standard $19, Professional $49, Business $239 a month, 20% off annually, extra seats $25, SRT ingest and backup on Enterprise.
Ecamm pricing: Standard $16 and Pro $32 a month billed annually ($192 and $384), 10 destinations, 4K and isolated recording on Pro, 14-day trial without card.
Castr pricing: Starter $19.99, Standard $49.99, Events $749.99 a month, $16.67 yearly Starter, 6 and 10 destinations, 200 GB bandwidth, 7-day trial on Starter.
vMix purchase: Basic HD $60, HD $350, 4K $700, Pro $1,200, MAX $50 a month, 12 months of updates, 60-day trial.
XSplit Broadcaster pricing: Premium $14.99 monthly, $59.99 yearly, $199.99 lifetime, 720p without watermark on free, Windows 10 or 11 requirements.
OBS Studio: Free and open source, Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or newer, Linux, version 33.0.1, sponsors and backers.
Wirecast pricing: Studio $59 or $34 yearly, Pro $79 or $42 yearly, 2 and 7 Rendezvous guests, Pro features.
BoxCast pricing: Standard $109, Deluxe $169, Advanced $249, 4K $449 a month annual, $119 to $499 monthly, 10,000 viewer hours, 30-day money-back guarantee, trial excludes 4K and Spark.
Switchboard Live pricing: SMB, Public Sector and Enterprise seats and inputs, unlimited destinations and Facebook Pages, no prices, Book a Call.
Vimeo live streaming: Advanced $75 a month annual, 10 seats, 7 TB, 7-day trial, simulcast, Enterprise adds backup streams, SAML SSO and SCIM.
Streamlabs: Page returned no readable content this session; nothing on Streamlabs prices or limits is quoted.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Checked and edited by Sebastiaan Smits, last on 3 November 2026. The editorial process explains the method.
