StreamYard Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown for Every Plan
StreamYard overhauled their pricing structure in August, consolidating six confusing plans into three straightforward tiers (plus free). If you're comparing live streaming tools or trying to figure out which StreamYard plan makes sense for your budget, here's exactly what you need to know.
Quick answer: StreamYard costs anywhere from $0/month (Free) to $298.99/month (Teams), depending on the features you need. Most individual creators will land on the Core plan at $44.99/month, or $35.99/month if you pay annually.
StreamYard Pricing Plans at a Glance
Here's the current pricing structure:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost (per month) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Testing the platform, hobbyists |
| Core | $44.99 | $35.99 | Solo creators, podcasters |
| Advanced | $88.99 | $68.99 | Professional streamers, webinar hosts |
| Teams | $298.99 | $238.99 | Agencies, large organizations |
| Business | Custom | Custom | Enterprise needs |
Paying annually saves you roughly 20-22% across all tiers—a significant chunk if you're committed to the platform.
StreamYard Free Plan: What You Actually Get
The free tier is surprisingly capable for a $0 product. You get:
- Up to 6 on-screen participants
- 720p streaming quality
- Basic studio tools and layouts
- 2 hours of local recordings per month
- Streaming to one destination at a time
The catch: The StreamYard logo appears on all your streams. For casual streaming or testing the platform, this is fine. For anything professional, it's a dealbreaker.
The free plan works well for beginners who want to explore streaming without any upfront investment. But the branding watermark and storage/recording limitations push most serious users to upgrade eventually.
StreamYard Core Plan: $44.99/month
This is where most individual creators should start. The Core plan removes StreamYard branding and unlocks:
- Full HD streaming (1080p)
- No watermarks on your content
- Up to 10 on-screen participants
- Multistream to 3 destinations simultaneously
- Unlimited cloud recordings
- Custom branding (logos, overlays, backgrounds)
- Reusable studios
- 1080p screen sharing
- Up to 2 hours of pre-recorded broadcasts
The jump from free to Core is steep—$45/month is a real commitment. This is probably StreamYard's biggest weakness. There's no middle-ground option for creators who just want to remove the watermark without paying nearly $50/month.
That said, if you're running a podcast, hosting interviews, or streaming consistently to build an audience, the Core plan delivers solid value. The multistreaming alone (broadcasting to YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn simultaneously) can significantly expand your reach.
StreamYard Advanced Plan: $88.99/month
The Advanced plan targets power users and organizations running webinars or larger events. Here's what you get beyond Core:
- 4K local recordings
- Stream to up to 8 destinations
- 10 on-screen participants + 15 backstage
- StreamYard On-Air (live webinar feature)
- Downloadable transcripts
- Up to 4 hours of pre-recorded broadcasts
- Advanced branding options
The 4K recording capability is the standout feature here. If you're repurposing live content for YouTube or other platforms where video quality matters, being able to capture in 4K locally makes a real difference in post-production flexibility.
The webinar functionality (StreamYard On-Air) supports up to 1,000 viewers, making this plan attractive for businesses running regular training sessions, product launches, or educational content.
For most solo creators, Advanced is overkill. But if you're hosting large events or need the highest recording quality, the extra $44/month over Core is justified.
StreamYard Teams Plan: $298.99/month
The Teams plan is built for agencies, media companies, and enterprises running serious production operations. You get:
- 10 team seats
- Unlimited destinations
- Priority support
- Webinars up to 1,000 viewers
- 700+ hours of storage
- 8 hours of pre-recorded broadcasts
- Everything from Advanced
At nearly $300/month, this plan only makes sense if you have multiple team members who need access and you're running live content at scale. The 10 seats alone justify the cost if your team would otherwise need separate Core subscriptions.
StreamYard Business Plan: Custom Pricing
For enterprise needs, StreamYard offers custom Business plans with SSO, advanced admin controls, additional user roles, and dedicated support. You'll need to contact their sales team for pricing, which typically starts well above the Teams tier.
Business plans are designed for organizations signing up with company email domains rather than personal addresses.
How to Save Money on StreamYard
Annual Billing
The easiest way to cut costs: pay annually. You'll save 20-22% compared to monthly billing:
- Core: $35.99/month (saves ~$108/year)
- Advanced: $68.99/month (saves ~$240/year)
- Teams: $238.99/month (saves ~$720/year)
Non-Profit/Education Discount
StreamYard offers a 10% discount on annual plans for non-profit organizations and educational institutions. Your account email must match your organization's domain to qualify—contact their support team to apply.
Money-Back Guarantee
StreamYard offers a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first charge. After that, purchases are final, but you can cancel anytime and retain access until your billing cycle ends.
The Price Increase Controversy
Let's address the elephant in the room: StreamYard's pricing restructure upset a lot of longtime users. Some legacy customers saw their costs quadruple—users who were paying around $96/year on the old Basic plan got moved to Core at $431/year.
The new plans do include more features than the old ones, but if you're a small podcaster who just needed basic functionality, you're now paying significantly more for features you may never use.
This is worth considering before you commit. StreamYard has a history of adjusting pricing, so factor that risk into your decision.
Is StreamYard Worth the Cost?
Here's my honest take:
StreamYard is worth it if:
- You need a dead-simple live streaming solution that works in your browser
- You regularly multistream to multiple platforms
- You host guests and need reliable remote interview capabilities
- You want professional-looking streams without learning OBS
StreamYard might NOT be worth it if:
- You're on a tight budget (the free-to-paid jump is brutal)
- You only stream occasionally
- You're comfortable with more technical tools like OBS (which is free)
- You need advanced analytics (StreamYard's are basic)
For what it's worth, the platform itself is genuinely excellent. There's a shallow learning curve, and everything just works. You can be streaming to multiple platforms with custom branding within minutes of signing up. That ease of use is what you're paying for.
StreamYard vs. Alternatives: Quick Cost Comparison
If StreamYard's pricing doesn't work for you, here are some alternatives to consider:
- Restream: Similar multistreaming capabilities, starts at $19/month for basic features
- OBS Studio: Free, but steep learning curve and no built-in multistreaming
- Riverside.fm: Better for podcast recording, similar pricing to StreamYard
- Ecamm Live: Mac-only, one-time purchase ($149-$349)
Check out our StreamYard alternatives guide for a deeper comparison. We've also covered StreamYard's full pricing breakdown with more feature details.
Bottom Line
StreamYard's cost ranges from free to $299/month depending on your needs. Most creators will land on Core ($44.99/month or $35.99 annually), which removes branding and unlocks HD streaming plus multistreaming to 3 platforms.
The free plan is legitimately useful for testing, but the watermark limits its professional applications. If you're serious about live streaming, budget for at least the Core plan.
Pay annually if you can—you'll save 20%+ and StreamYard includes a 7-day money-back guarantee if it's not the right fit.
Try StreamYard free and see the pricing for yourself →