StreamYard Competitors: 7 Alternatives Worth Considering

StreamYard got a lot more expensive recently. After Bending Spoons acquired the company in early 2024, monthly pricing jumped from $25 to $44.99 per month—an 80% increase. The original co-founders left, and many longtime users are understandably looking elsewhere.

If you're one of them, or if you're just evaluating your options before committing to a live streaming platform, this guide covers the best StreamYard competitors with actual pricing, specific features, and honest assessments of what works and what doesn't.

Need a quick refresher on what StreamYard costs now? Check out our StreamYard pricing breakdown for current plan details.

Quick Comparison: StreamYard vs Top Competitors

Here's how the main options stack up:

1. Restream — Best for Multistreaming

If your main goal is broadcasting to multiple platforms simultaneously, Restream is the strongest StreamYard competitor. It's built specifically around multistreaming and does it better than anyone else.

Pricing

Restream offers a free forever plan that lets you stream to 2 channels with a watermark. Paid plans start at $16/month (Standard) for 3 channels with no watermark and custom graphics. The Professional plan costs $39/month and unlocks 5 channels plus 1080p streaming. For teams, the Business plan runs $199/month with 8 channels and priority support.

What's Good

Restream supports over 30 streaming platforms including YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, and TikTok. The consolidated chat feature pulls messages from all platforms into one view, which is genuinely useful when you're live on multiple places at once. Setup is straightforward—you can get started right from your browser without downloading anything.

What's Not Great

Some users report that essential features feel paywalled and the higher plans can get expensive for casual streamers. There can also be occasional delays on certain platforms and some frame drops, though this varies by setup.

Verdict

Restream beats StreamYard on price for multistreaming ($16 vs $44.99), and does multistreaming better overall. If reaching audiences across multiple platforms is your priority, this is your best bet.

2. Riverside.fm — Best for Recording Quality

Riverside takes a different approach than StreamYard. Instead of cloud-based recording, it records locally on each participant's device. This means your final footage won't suffer from internet connection issues—a game-changer for podcasters and interview-based shows.

Pricing

Riverside has a free plan with 2 hours of recording, watermarked content, and 720p video. The Standard plan costs $19/month (billed annually) for unlimited recording, 1080p video, and watermark-free exports. The Pro plan at $29/month adds 4K video and 15 hours of monthly transcription. Teams pricing starts at $24/user/month.

One complaint from users: pricing jumps dramatically for team features—from $29/month to a minimum of $5,400/year with no middle ground to grow into.

What's Good

The recording quality is noticeably superior to StreamYard and most competitors. You get separate audio and video tracks for each participant, which makes editing significantly easier. The built-in AI features—including automatic transcription and Magic Clips for creating short clips—save considerable post-production time. One user described it as saving "10-15 hours per episode."

What's Not Great

Riverside is optimized for recording, not live streaming. While it does offer live streaming capabilities, that's not its strength. If you need to go live frequently and recording quality isn't your main concern, other options might serve you better.

Verdict

For podcasters and anyone doing remote interviews where audio/video quality matters most, Riverside is the clear winner. For live streamers who don't need pristine recordings, look elsewhere.

Looking for more editing options after recording? See our Descript pricing guide—it pairs well with Riverside for post-production.

3. OBS Studio — Best Free Option

OBS Studio is free, open-source, and used by millions of streamers worldwide. It's also significantly more complex than StreamYard's browser-based approach.

Pricing

Completely free. No subscriptions, no hidden costs, no watermarks. Ever.

What's Good

OBS offers unmatched customization. You can set up unlimited scenes, multiple video sources (webcams, screen captures, game footage, images, browser windows), and advanced audio mixing with noise suppression. It supports plugins to extend functionality, hotkeys for nearly every action, and Studio Mode for previewing scenes before pushing them live. If you can imagine it, OBS can probably do it.

It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is regularly updated by an active community.

What's Not Great

The learning curve is real. StreamYard's appeal is that you can be streaming in minutes with zero technical knowledge. OBS requires understanding concepts like scenes, sources, encoding settings, and stream keys. For beginners, this can be overwhelming.

OBS also doesn't include built-in multistreaming—you'd need to use a service like Restream alongside it, or set up plugins.

Verdict

OBS is the most powerful free alternative, but it's not a direct StreamYard replacement for most people. Choose OBS if you want maximum control and don't mind investing time to learn the software. Stick with browser-based options if you value simplicity over flexibility.

For more free streaming tools, check our free screen recording software roundup.

4. Crowdcast — Best for Webinars & Events

Crowdcast is built specifically for creators, educators, and businesses hosting webinars, workshops, and virtual conferences. It's more event-focused than general live streaming.

Pricing

Plans start around $49/month with various tiers based on attendee limits and features.

What's Good

Crowdcast includes native engagement features like live Q&A, polls, and chat that work better than bolted-on solutions. The platform integrates with Patreon, Stripe, and Zapier for monetization. Everything is browser-based so attendees don't need to download anything. The backstage feature lets hosts prepare without the audience seeing.

What's Not Great

This isn't the right tool if you're doing casual streams or gaming content. It's purpose-built for structured events with registration, and the pricing reflects that professional use case.

Verdict

If you're running paid webinars, online courses, or virtual conferences, Crowdcast's engagement tools justify the price. For everyday streaming, it's overkill.

5. Ecamm Live — Best for Mac Users

Ecamm Live is a Mac-only desktop app that offers professional streaming features with an interface that's easier to learn than OBS.

Pricing

Plans start at $15/month, making it one of the more affordable paid options.

What's Good

Ecamm strikes a balance between OBS's power and StreamYard's simplicity—but only on Mac. Features include scene switching, screen sharing, guest interviews, and direct streaming to multiple platforms. The desktop app typically performs better than browser-based solutions for resource-intensive streams.

What's Not Great

Mac-only is a dealbreaker for most people. If you're on Windows or Linux, this isn't an option.

Verdict

Mac users who want more control than StreamYard offers but don't want OBS's complexity should try Ecamm. Everyone else needs to look elsewhere.

6. Streamlabs — Best for Gamers

Streamlabs builds on OBS Studio with a more polished interface and built-in tools aimed at gaming streamers, particularly on Twitch and YouTube Gaming.

Pricing

The basic version is free. Premium features (better overlays, mobile streaming, etc.) require a subscription.

What's Good

Streamlabs includes widgets, alerts, and overlays designed for gaming streams. The interface is more approachable than vanilla OBS while maintaining similar functionality. Integration with Twitch features like alerts, donations, and subscriber notifications is seamless.

What's Not Great

Streamlabs is resource-heavy—it uses more CPU and RAM than OBS Studio. Some features are locked behind premium plans. For non-gaming content, the gaming-focused features aren't relevant.

Verdict

Gamers streaming to Twitch should consider Streamlabs over StreamYard. For business or educational content, other options fit better.

7. Dacast — Best for Monetization

Dacast is an enterprise-focused platform designed for businesses that need to monetize their video content through paywalls, subscriptions, and advertising.

Pricing

Custom pricing based on usage. This is an enterprise solution, not a tool for hobbyist streamers.

What's Good

Dacast offers robust monetization features including flexible paywalls and subscription options. The white-label video player provides a professional branded experience. Advanced security features like DRM and geo-blocking protect your content. Global CDN ensures reliable streaming worldwide.

What's Not Great

This is overkill for anyone not running a media business or selling video content. The pricing and feature set are designed for enterprises, not individual creators.

Verdict

If you're building a business around paid video content, Dacast deserves consideration. For standard streaming needs, simpler and cheaper options exist.

Which StreamYard Competitor Should You Choose?

Here's the decision tree:

• Want the easiest StreamYard replacement at a lower price? Try StreamYard still, or switch to Restream for multistreaming focus
• Need to stream to multiple platforms? Restream is the clear winner at $16/month vs StreamYard's $44.99
• Recording quality matters most? Riverside.fm for studio-quality podcast and interview recordings
• Want maximum control for free? OBS Studio (but prepare for a learning curve)
• Running webinars or paid events? Crowdcast's engagement features are purpose-built for this
• Mac user wanting pro features? Ecamm Live at $15/month
• Gaming content creator? Streamlabs with its Twitch-optimized features

StreamYard's price increase pushed a lot of creators to evaluate alternatives, and honestly, many are finding better options for their specific needs. The "best" choice depends entirely on what you're streaming, where you're streaming it, and how much control you want over the technical details.

Whatever you choose, most of these platforms offer free tiers or trials. Test before you commit.