StreamYard Reviews: Is It Still Worth It After the Price Hike?
StreamYard has become one of the most popular browser-based live streaming tools for content creators, podcasters, and businesses. But after being acquired by Bending Spoons in April and jacking up prices by 80%, a lot of users are wondering if it's still worth the investment.
I've dug through hundreds of user reviews, tested the platform, and compared it to alternatives. Here's my honest breakdown of what StreamYard gets right, where it falls short, and whether you should subscribe.
What Is StreamYard?
StreamYard is a browser-based live streaming studio that lets you broadcast directly to platforms like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, and X (formerly Twitter). No downloads, no complicated setups—just log in and start streaming.
The platform's main selling point is simplicity. Users consistently praise how easy it is to use compared to alternatives like OBS, which has a notoriously steep learning curve. With StreamYard, you can invite guests via a simple link, add custom branding, display on-screen comments, and multistream to multiple destinations simultaneously.
StreamYard Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay
StreamYard revamped its pricing structure in August and introduced three new subscription plans: Core, Advanced, and Teams. These replaced the old Essential, Starter, Basic, Professional, Premium, and Growth plans.
Here's what you're looking at now:
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Testing the platform |
| Core | $44.99 | $35.99 | Solo creators wanting Full HD |
| Advanced | $88.99 | $68.99 | Pro streamers, webinars |
| Teams | $298.99 | $238.99 | Content teams, agencies |
| Business | Custom | Custom | Enterprise use |
The price increase is significant. The old Basic plan was just $25/month, and now the equivalent Core plan costs $44.99/month. That's an 80% increase that hasn't sat well with long-time users.
For more details on what each plan includes, check out our StreamYard pricing breakdown.
What StreamYard Gets Right
Incredibly Easy to Use
This is StreamYard's biggest advantage. Reviewers consistently describe it as "plug and play"—especially compared to OBS. Since everything runs in your browser, there's no software to install and no hardware requirements beyond a webcam and microphone.
One verified user summed it up well: "There is a shallow learning curve and you get a lot of features for a very reasonable price." Non-technical users especially appreciate being able to produce professional-looking streams without a production background.
Solid Multistreaming
Depending on your plan, you can stream to multiple platforms at once—2 destinations on the free plan, 3 on Core, and up to 8 on Advanced. StreamYard pulls comments from all your streaming destinations into a single dashboard, so you can engage with your audience across platforms without switching tabs.
Professional Branding Options
Paid plans let you remove StreamYard branding and add your own logos, overlays, backgrounds (images and videos), and custom graphics. You can customize the styling of on-screen comments and use HEX color codes for most elements. Users cite this branding flexibility as one of the platform's strongest features.
Guest Management
Inviting guests is dead simple—just send them a link. You can have up to 10 on-screen participants, making it useful for interviews, panel discussions, and team presentations. The greenroom feature (available on paid plans) lets hosts prep with guests before going live.
Reliable Performance
Multiple reviewers highlight StreamYard's reliability during broadcasts. One G2 user noted it's "super reliable, even during multiple streams to different platforms at the same time."
Where StreamYard Falls Short
The Price Increase Is Rough
Let's address the elephant in the room. After Bending Spoons acquired StreamYard, prices jumped dramatically. Long-time users who were paying $96/year for a Basic plan are now looking at over $400/year for comparable features.
Multiple Trustpilot and Capterra reviewers have called this out. One user complained they "increased price by 80% after being bought out by private equity without offering any advantage or reason for the price gouge."
Some users had their basic package quadrupled in price, pushing them to consider alternatives when their subscription renews.
Customer Support Has Declined
This is a consistent complaint across review platforms. Users report that customer support has "severely deteriorated" since the acquisition. Multiple reviewers mention unresponsive support tickets, incorrect responses, and lack of live support options.
One particularly frustrated user described reaching out 24 hours before a stream and receiving no response despite leaving five messages. That's a dealbreaker if you're running business-critical broadcasts.
Hidden Limitations
Some users have been caught off-guard by restrictions that aren't clearly communicated. One reviewer found out during a live stream—with 150 registered attendees—that the platform only allows 15 people in the studio. The attendees were supposed to watch the stream on the destination platforms, not join the studio, but this distinction wasn't made clear.
Limited Customization Compared to OBS
If you want granular control over your stream, StreamYard isn't it. The platform offers a limited feature set that "gets the job done" but lacks advanced video editing tools, built-in analytics, and some customization options power users expect.
Free Plan Restrictions
The free plan comes with significant limitations: StreamYard logo on all your streams, streaming limited to 720p (standard definition), maximum of 6 users online, local recordings restricted to 2 hours per month, and limited streaming destinations.
Billing and Cancellation Issues
Trustpilot reviews include multiple complaints about billing problems—users reporting charges after canceling, difficulty getting refunds, and confusing cancellation processes. StreamYard does offer a 7-day money-back guarantee, but after that, purchases are deemed complete and non-refundable.
Free Plan vs Paid: What You Actually Get
Free Plan includes:
- StreamYard branding on streams
- 720p streaming quality
- Up to 6 on-screen participants
- Limited streaming/recording hours per month
- 2 streaming destinations
- 2 months of local recording storage
Core Plan ($44.99/month) adds:
- No StreamYard branding
- Full HD streaming (1080p)
- 1080p screen sharing
- Multistream to 3 destinations
- 50 hours permanent storage
- Reusable studios
- Custom branding and overlays
- Unlimited streaming hours
Advanced Plan ($88.99/month) adds:
- 4K local recordings
- Multistream to 8 destinations
- StreamYard On-Air (webinar feature)
- Downloadable transcripts
- Unlimited storage
- Up to 10 on-screen + 15 backstage participants
What Real Users Are Saying
Review scores across platforms are generally positive, though recent reviews trend more negative due to pricing and support concerns.
Positive feedback centers on:
- Ease of use and intuitive interface
- Reliable streaming quality
- Professional results without technical expertise
- Great for webinars, interviews, and multi-platform broadcasts
Negative feedback focuses on:
- Significant price increases after acquisition
- Poor customer support response times
- Billing confusion and refund difficulties
- Some features locked behind expensive tiers
The platform scores well for what it does—browser-based live streaming with minimal setup—but the value proposition has weakened considerably since the price hike.
StreamYard vs Alternatives
If the pricing has you reconsidering, here are some comparisons:
StreamYard vs OBS: OBS is free and infinitely customizable, but has a steep learning curve. StreamYard wins on ease of use; OBS wins on price and flexibility.
StreamYard vs Restream: Restream offers more streaming destinations but users report StreamYard has better branding options. Pricing is comparable.
StreamYard vs Vimeo: Vimeo is more expensive (starting at $65/month) but offers enterprise-grade features like AI-powered tools. StreamYard is easier to use for basic streaming needs.
Check out our full StreamYard alternatives guide for more options.
Who Should Use StreamYard?
StreamYard makes sense if you:
- Need professional-looking streams without technical knowledge
- Host regular podcasts, webinars, or interviews
- Want to multistream across platforms
- Value simplicity over advanced customization
- Can justify the current pricing for your business
Skip StreamYard if you:
- Need granular control over your production
- Are on a tight budget (OBS is free)
- Require reliable customer support for business-critical broadcasts
- Were a legacy user happy with the old pricing
The Bottom Line
StreamYard is still one of the easiest live streaming tools available. The browser-based approach eliminates technical barriers, and the platform delivers professional results with minimal effort.
But here's the reality: the value equation changed dramatically after the acquisition. What used to be a no-brainer recommendation for small creators is now harder to justify at $45-$90/month, especially with customer support complaints piling up.
If you're doing frequent, professional live content and can expense it as a business cost, StreamYard delivers. If you're a hobbyist or occasional streamer, the free plan might be enough—or you might want to look at alternatives.
My recommendation: Start with the free plan to see if the workflow fits your needs. If you need to upgrade, use the 7-day money-back guarantee to test paid features before committing.