Lightstream vs Restream (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Restream: it is second in our ranking of webinar and live streaming tools, though Lightstream grades higher (2.8 against 2.4) on value for money and the free plan.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lightstream
Browser-based live streaming studio, built for console streamers
Restream
Multistream one live video to YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn and more
Which one is for you
Pick Lightstream if
- Fits if you stream from an Xbox or PlayStation and have no capture card
- Works for creators who want to simulcast to up to 5 places for free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a clean stream for free, as the free plan carries a Lightstream logo
- Tight if you want 1080p, guests or URL imports, which need Premium at $12 a month
- Not for you if you run webinars: it has no registration or attendee tools
- Watch out: RTMP video sources are marked as coming soon on the pricing section
Pick Restream if
- Fits if you go live on YouTube, Twitch and LinkedIn at the same time and want their comments in one place
- Works for streamers who already use OBS and want one feed sent to several channels
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want 1080p from the browser studio without paying for Professional at $49 a month
- Pricey if you mostly want webinars: $99 a month for 100 attendees on top of the plan, or $299 for 500 on Business
- Tight if you're staying free, with Restream branding, only 2 channels and no cloud recording
- Watch out: recordings are kept 15 days (30 on Business), and extra seats are $25 a month each, sold only on Professional and Business
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, since it's web only
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALightstreamGood | 2.4GPARestreamFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $12 a month, or $9 on an annual plan, well under the $16.20 mark (60% of the category's cheaper quarter of $27). | BStreaming to three platforms means Standard: $190 a year billed annually, or $19 by the month. Against the tools doing the same job, that's level with Ecamm and Castr and well under StreamYard's Core, so it sits in the cheapest band. Webinars are an extra $99 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free plan streams to up to 5 destinations for up to 10 hours at a time, but with a Lightstream logo and 720p video. | CThere's a free plan with no time limit: 2 channels at once and 6 people on screen in Studio. But Restream branding sits on the stream, it's 720p, and there's no cloud recording. |
| Features | CConsole capture, simulcasting, scenes, overlays and alerts, but RTMP sources are marked coming soon and there is no registration or attendee tool. | CIt does the multistreaming job fully: 30 or more platforms, custom RTMP and SRT, one chat for every channel, combined stats, and recorded video streamed as live. The gaps: Studio stays at 720p on Standard, and webinars and clips are paid add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CWeb only, with no rating on record, and you connect each destination account first. | CNo App Store rating on record. Guests join from a browser, but you connect each channel and build scenes and overlays in Studio, or set up OBS to stream in. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Xbox, PlayStation, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and custom RTMP. | BA web app, with no desktop or phone app listed, but it streams to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, LinkedIn, X and TikTok, takes feeds from OBS, Zoom and game consoles, and can send a webinar into Slack. |
| Best for | console streamers who want to skip the PC | streaming to several platforms at once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Lightstream and Restream. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lightstream starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Restream starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Lightstream starts $10 a month lower. Of the other webinar and live streaming tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Lightstream for less, and 2 score higher than Restream for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Lightstream also covers video calls.
- Restream also covers transcription and webinars.
At a glance
| Lightstream | Restream | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month, or $9 per month on an annual subscription | $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually) |
| Free plan | Simulcasting to up to 5 destinations, 720p, 10-hour limit per stream and up to 3 scenes at once, with a Lightstream Studio logo on all streams. | Stream to 2 channels at once with Restream branding, 6 on-screen participants in Studio at 720p, and no cloud recording. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Infiniscene, Inc. | Restream, Inc. |
| Price read from | golightstream.com | restream.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lightstream
- The free plan puts a Lightstream Studio logo on every stream and caps video at 720p.
- Guests, 1080p and URL imports are Premium-only.
- RTMP video sources are marked as coming soon on the pricing section.
- It is a streaming studio for creators and has no webinar registration or attendee tools.
Restream
- Webinars cost extra: $99 a month for 100 attendees on Standard and Professional, and $299 a month for 500 on Business.
- The Free plan carries Restream branding, streams to only 2 channels and has no cloud recording.
- Studio streams at 720p on Free and Standard; 1080p needs Professional, and recordings are kept 15 days (30 on Business).
- Extra team seats cost $25 a seat a month and are sold only on Professional and Business.
Key features
Lightstream
- Cloud capture for consoles
- Captures Xbox and PlayStation gameplay in the cloud, so a stream does not need a PC.
- Simulcasting
- Streams to up to 5 destinations at once on both plans, including a custom RTMP destination.
- Guests
- Premium lets up to 10 guests join a stream, aimed at multiplayer games and talk-style shows.
- Overlays, alerts and templates
- Preset templates, overlays and XPN alerts are available inside Studio, and custom overlays can be uploaded.
- Scenes
- The free plan goes live with up to 3 scenes at once and Premium with up to 20.
Restream
- Multistreaming
- Sends one stream to 30 or more platforms, from 2 at once on Free to 8 on Business, plus custom RTMP and SRT destinations and paired channels added by guests.
- Restream Studio
- A browser studio with up to 10 people on screen, scenes, overlays, logos, a scrolling ticker, QR codes and background music. Professional and up stream in 1080p and record in 4K.
- Encoder support
- Instead of Studio, you can stream from OBS, Zoom, mobile encoders or game consoles into Restream and let it fan the stream out to every channel.
- Cross-platform chat and analytics
- Comments from every channel arrive in one feed, and viewer and engagement stats from all channels are shown together, with a live health monitor during the stream.
- Webinars add-on
- One link handles registration, the live webinar and the replay. Attendees watch in a browser without an account, and the webinar can also be streamed into a Slack channel.
- Upload & Stream and clips
- Pre-recorded videos can be broadcast as live streams, and the Clips add-on cuts streams into short vertical clips for TikTok, Shorts and Reels.
Plans
Lightstream
Free$0
Core Studio features with a Lightstream logo on every stream, 720p, up to 5 destinations, 10-hour limit per stream, 3 scenes at once.
Premium$12
per month, billed monthly ($9 per month on an annual subscription)
Removes the logo, adds up to 10 guests, 1080p, a 48-hour stream limit, URL imports from third-party services and up to 20 scenes at once.
Restream
Free$0
Stream to 2 channels at once with Restream branding; Studio at 720p with 6 people on screen.
Standard$19
per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually)
3 channels, no Restream branding, guest channels, 10 people on screen, cloud recording of 6 hours per stream kept for 15 days, and transcription.
Professional$49
per month, billed monthly ($470 a year billed annually)
5 channels, 1080p from Studio, 4K recording, horizontal and vertical streams at once, 10 hours recorded per stream and 2 team seats.
Business$239
per month, billed monthly ($2,390 a year billed annually)
8 channels, a website player for 1,000 viewers, 2 seats, co-producer mode, team workspaces and 30 days of recording storage.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom channels and seats, SSO, multiple workspaces, SRT ingest, stream backup and an account manager.
Ways to pay less
Lightstream
- Annual discount
Annual subscription at $9 a month
Premium shows $12 a month, or $9 a month on an annual subscription.
Restream
- Annual discount
Annual billing labelled Save 20%
Restream's pricing page offers annual billing marked "Save 20%". Its price data gives $190 a year for Standard, $470 for Professional and $2,390 for Business, against $19, $49 and $239 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lightstream or Restream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lightstream is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $19 a month for Restream. Lightstream starts at $12 per month, or $9 per month on an annual subscription, and Restream starts at $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually).
Which has a free plan, Lightstream or Restream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Lightstream and Restream have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.