StreamYard

KEEP IT

The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying.

Live streaming from a browser to several platforms at once, with guests, overlays and on-screen comments, without any software to install.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Stream with OBS, and restream with your own relay.

STACK
- OBS Studio locally, plus nginx with the RTMP module on a server for restreaming

WHY THIS SPLIT
- OBS handles scenes, overlays and encoding better than any browser tool
- Your bandwidth only carries one stream; the server fans it out

THE RELAY
- nginx-rtmp receives one stream and pushes it to each platform
- Size the server for outbound bandwidth times the number of destinations

GUESTS
- This is the genuinely hard part. Use a normal video call captured as an OBS source
- Purpose-built WebRTC guest joining is not a weekend project

COMMENTS
- A browser source in OBS reading a page you write, polling each platform's API

Include the nginx config, the OBS scene layout and the comment page.

What you lose

Simulcasting to several platforms simultaneously, which needs bandwidth and encoding capacity per destination
Guests joining from a browser with no software, which is a real WebRTC engineering effort
Overlays and comment display that work reliably while live

If you would rather not build

Restream, for the simulcast half only

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

OBS Studio

The encoder and scene compositor, free and far more capable.

obsproject/obs-studiofree · open source

Owncast

A self-hosted live streaming server with chat, one binary.

owncast/owncastfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

32/100

Verdict no at 32. OBS and an RTMP relay cover most of it, but browser-based guests are the feature people pay for and are not reproducible in a weekend.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 dayspeak 1/day

0113 Jul18 Jul23 Jul28 Jul2 Aug7 Aug11 Aug

— views— prompt copies none yet— votes none yet

Questions about StreamYard

answered from the record above

Is StreamYard free?

No — the plan we track is $25 a month. Basic at $25/month billed monthly, around $20 annually.

Can you replace StreamYard by building your own?

KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 32 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does StreamYard cost?

$25 a month on Basic — $300 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing StreamYard?

Simulcasting to several platforms simultaneously, which needs bandwidth and encoding capacity per destination; Guests joining from a browser with no software, which is a real WebRTC engineering effort; Overlays and comment display that work reliably while live. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to StreamYard?

Yes: OBS Studio, Owncast. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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