Streaming software in 2026: OBS and 9 alternatives - which one to pick

For most people, the best streaming software in 2026 is OBS Studio: it is free, has no watermarks or ads, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the current version 33.0 came out on October 23, 2026. Pick an alternative when you need something specific that OBS does not do out of the box: built-in multistreaming (free in Meld Studio and PRISM Live Studio), ready-made overlays and alerts in one window (Streamlabs Desktop), guests joining from a browser link (StreamYard, Restream Studio), multi-camera production with replays (vMix, Wirecast), or a handy Mac-only tool (Ecamm Live). For going live on TikTok from a computer, there is the official free TikTok LIVE Studio.

Software comparison: prices, systems and multistreaming

Prices were checked on the official websites on 28.10.2026 and are listed in US dollars, before tax. Vendors change their plans and run promotions, so check the pricing page before you buy.

Software	Price	OS and multistreaming	Best for
OBS Studio 33.0	Free	Windows 10/11, macOS 13+, Linux; no built-in multistreaming, only through a plugin or a service	Anyone willing to spend time on the settings once
Streamlabs Desktop	Free; Ultra is $27 per month or $189 per year	Windows 10+, macOS 12+; multistreaming in Ultra, on the free plan one horizontal and one vertical stream	Beginners who want overlays and alerts right away
Meld Studio	Free; Pro is $17 per month and only covers the AI overlay features	Windows 10+, macOS 12+; multistreaming is built in for free	Anyone who wants to stream to Twitch, YouTube, Kick and TikTok at once
PRISM Live Studio	Free; the Plus subscription is bought in the mobile app, the price is not listed on the website	Windows 10/11, macOS 12.3+ on Apple Silicon; multistreaming is built in	Streamers with a webcam who like effects and avatars
XSplit Broadcaster	Free with limits; Premium is $14.99 per month, $59.99 per year, $119.99 lifetime	Windows 10/11 only; multistreaming only in Premium	People used to the XSplit interface who want a lifetime license
vMix 29	From $60 (Basic HD) to $1200 (Pro) lifetime, or MAX at $50 per month; 60-day trial	Windows only; several outputs at once	Studios, tournaments, multi-camera shows
Wirecast	Studio is $59 per month ($34 billed yearly), Pro is $79 ($42 billed yearly)	Windows and macOS; cloud multistreaming in Pro	Professional broadcasts with several cameras
Ecamm Live	From $16 per month, 14 days free	macOS 11.2+ only; multistreaming in both plans	Mac owners: podcasts, interviews, tutorial streams
TikTok LIVE Studio	Free	Windows; TikTok only	Anyone streaming to TikTok from a computer
StreamYard, Restream Studio	Free plans with a logo; StreamYard from $18.99 per month, Restream from $19	Run in the browser; free multistreaming to 2 platforms on Restream, more on paid plans	Podcasts, interviews with guests, weak laptops

Why OBS is the standard and what you get for free

OBS Studio is open-source software developed by its community. There is no subscription behind it, so there is no stripped-down free version: everything OBS can do is available right away, with no logo in the corner of the screen. Many other programs are built on top of it, including Streamlabs Desktop, and the new PRISM beta for Windows is described on its website as built on OBS. Because of this, almost all guides, plugins and presets online are written for OBS first.

What the free OBS includes:

• an unlimited number of scenes and sources: game, window, screen, webcam, capture card, a browser source for alerts and chat;
• hardware encoding on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel graphics cards, plus H.264, HEVC and AV1 codecs wherever the platform accepts them;
• recording to Hybrid MP4, which does not break if the program crashes, and separate audio tracks;
• audio filters: noise suppression, gate, compressor, limiter, plus a virtual camera for Discord.

It is also worth knowing the weak spots of OBS: there are no built-in overlays or alerts (you add them through a browser source from StreamElements, Streamlabs and similar services), no multistreaming out of the box and no way to invite guests by link. Plugins solve all of this, but it takes time. Step-by-step bitrate, encoder and audio settings are in our guide to setting up OBS for streaming.

A quick look at each alternative

Streamlabs Desktop

The same engine as OBS, but with a theme store, alerts, widgets and a chatbot in one window. The basic version is free, and local recording has no watermark or time limit. For free you can run two streams at once, one horizontal and one vertical, for example Twitch and TikTok. Full multistreaming to several platforms, the complete theme catalog and guest cameras for up to 11 participants come with Ultra at $27 per month or $189 per year. The program is heavier than plain OBS, and you notice it on weak hardware. For a detailed comparison, read OBS or Streamlabs.

Meld Studio

The most notable newcomer in recent years. The program is completely free, with no watermarks or time limits, and multistreaming to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok and X is built right into the free version. There is also a cloud mode called Meld Multi: you send one stream and the service distributes it to the platforms, so your upload bandwidth is not split across several broadcasts. It offers 4K recording with multiple tracks, clips during the stream, a shared chat and scene import from OBS. The paid Pro and Max plans only cover Spark, the AI overlay builder.

PRISM Live Studio

A free program from NAVER with multistreaming, masks, camera filters and an avatar mode if you do not want to show your face. You can connect your phone as a second camera or a remote. On Mac it works only with Apple Silicon processors. AI features are paid for with separate credits.

XSplit Broadcaster

A veteran of the market, Windows only. The free version is limited to four scenes, and above 720p and 30 frames per second a logo appears on the picture. Multistreaming, stream delay and commercial use are available in Premium. The big plus of XSplit is a lifetime license for $119.99 instead of a subscription.

vMix and Wirecast

These are already television-grade tools: many cameras, NDI and SRT, replays, titles, remote guests. vMix runs only on Windows and is sold as a lifetime license, from $60 for Basic HD to $1200 for Pro, and the latest version 29 came out in October 2025. The trial lasts 60 days. Wirecast is available on Windows and macOS and is sold by subscription, with cloud multistreaming and ISO recording of cameras in the Pro plan.

Ecamm Live

Mac only, and it needs macOS 11.2 or newer. It is strong in talk formats: guests, interview mode, showing comments from different platforms on screen, and multistreaming in both plans. The price on the website starts at $16 per month, and you can use it free for 14 days without entering a card.

TikTok LIVE Studio

TikTok's official free program for going live from a computer: games, screen, camera, vertical and horizontal modes. It works only with TikTok and only for accounts that have access to live streaming. How to install it and what the account requirements are, we covered in our article on how TikTok LIVE Studio works.

StreamYard and Restream Studio

Studios in the browser: nothing to install, and guests join by link. The free StreamYard adds its own logo and limits local recording to two hours per month. The free Restream gives you multistreaming to two platforms, but with the service's branding and 720p quality in Studio. For game streams such studios are inconvenient, since game and scene capture is limited, but for a podcast or a stream with a guest this is the fastest option.

What to choose for your situation

You are a beginner

If you want to figure it out once and for all, install OBS and run the auto-configuration wizard. If you want a good-looking stream in one evening, without hunting for overlays on different sites, start with Streamlabs Desktop or Meld Studio. Both can import scenes from OBS, so the choice is not forever.

You have a weak PC

The main load is video encoding, so enable your graphics card's hardware encoder (NVENC, AMF or Quick Sync) instead of x264 on the CPU. The lightest option is plain OBS without extra plugins. Streamlabs with themes and widgets loads the system more. On a weak PC it is better to multistream through the cloud (Meld Multi, Restream) than to send several streams from the computer.

You have a Mac

Free: OBS (macOS 13+), Meld Studio and Streamlabs (macOS 12+), PRISM on Apple Silicon. Paid: Ecamm Live, if you host talk streams and shows with guests. TikTok's website describes TikTok LIVE Studio as a Windows program, so on a Mac people usually stream to TikTok through OBS with a stream key, if one has been issued to your account.

You stream from a console

The PS5 can broadcast to Twitch and YouTube on its own, while the Xbox goes live only to Twitch from its menu. But a built-in broadcast means one platform, no overlays and almost no settings. To add a camera, alerts and chat, you need a capture card and a program on a computer: OBS, Streamlabs or Meld Studio will do.

You host a podcast or interviews

The simplest way is StreamYard or Restream Studio: guests do not need to install anything. If control over the audio and a separate recording of each participant matter, look at Ecamm Live on Mac, Streamlabs with Collab Cam in Ultra, or OBS together with a separate guest service.

You need a professional broadcast

A tournament, a concert, a conference with three or more cameras: that is vMix on Windows or Wirecast on Windows and macOS. You can try both for free before buying: vMix has 60 days, and Wirecast has a trial with no time limit.

You stream to TikTok

If TikTok is your main platform, use TikTok LIVE Studio: it is already set up for vertical video and gifts. If you also stream to Twitch or YouTube, OBS or Streamlabs with two formats in one program is more convenient, or Meld Studio with built-in multistreaming. How to send one stream to several platforms and what their rules allow, read in our piece on multistreaming on YouTube, Twitch and Kick.

Availability and payment from Russia

Free programs (OBS, Meld Studio, PRISM, and the free versions of Streamlabs and XSplit) can be downloaded from the official websites and cost nothing. Paid plans are harder: all the services in the table bill in dollars and accept international cards, and the vendors do not list separate payment methods for Russia on their pricing pages. For game streaming, the free programs are completely enough. A separate note on TikTok: in March 2022 the company suspended live streams and new video uploads for users in Russia, so check whether you can go live in your own account before installing LIVE Studio.

The software is ready: what next

Even a perfectly set up stream is seen by very few people at the start: platforms are more willing to recommend channels that already have viewers online. If you do not want your first broadcasts to go into the void, build your plan in the viewer control panel: number of viewers, time and platform (Twitch, Kick, YouTube or VK Video Live). You can first test the service with a free trial.

Frequently asked questions

Which streaming software is best for a beginner?

OBS Studio if you are ready to spend an hour on setup, and Streamlabs Desktop or Meld Studio if you want ready-made overlays and alerts right away. All three are free.

Can I stream to several platforms at once for free?

Yes. Multistreaming is built into the free Meld Studio and PRISM Live Studio, and the free Restream sends your stream to two platforms. In OBS you install a plugin for this. In Streamlabs, full multistreaming is only in Ultra, and for free you get one horizontal and one vertical stream.

How much does Streamlabs Ultra cost?

As of 28.10.2026 the official website lists $27 per month or $189 when paid yearly. The program also works without Ultra; the paid subscription unlocks multistreaming, the full theme catalog and apps.

Which software should I choose for streaming on a Mac?

For free: OBS, Meld Studio or Streamlabs; on a Mac with Apple Silicon, PRISM also works. Among paid options, Ecamm Live, which runs only on macOS. vMix and XSplit do not run on a Mac.

Do I need separate software to stream to TikTok?

Not necessarily. TikTok LIVE Studio is convenient if you stream only to TikTok. When streaming to several platforms, it is easier to use OBS or Streamlabs with a TikTok stream key, if it is available for your account.