OBS Studio vs Restream
We give OBS Studio a 2.8 GPA and Restream a 2.4, out of 4.0. OBS Studio grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Restream grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OBS Studio
Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming
Restream
Multistream one live video to YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn and more
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAOBS StudioGood | 2.4GPARestreamFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ANothing to pay, ever. It's free and open source under the GNU GPL v2 with no paid edition, against a category whose middle plan is $10 a month. Sponsors and donations through Open Collective and Patreon keep it going. | 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 | AThe whole program is free on Windows, macOS and Linux: recording, live streaming, the virtual camera, plugins and scripting. There is no paid tier waiting further in and no cap to reach. | CThere's a free plan that never runs out, and it really streams: 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 | CIt does the record-and-stream job completely, with scenes, an audio mixer with VST filters, Studio Mode, an 8-scene Multiview and a virtual camera. But that's the smaller job: its own listing says the feature list doesn't include editing a recording afterwards. | 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 | CNo store rating on record, and there's real setup here: you build scenes out of sources before you record anything, and streaming means pointing it at a service or a custom server. Help is a knowledge base, forums and a Discord, not a support desk. | 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 | CWindows 10 and 11, macOS 13 or newer and Linux, so computers only, with no web version and no phone app. There is a plugin API and Lua and Python scripting, and the Game Capture source is Windows only. | 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 | free live streaming and recording | 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: OBS Studio and Restream. How we grade
Where they differ
- OBS Studio is free. Restream starts at $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually).
- Only OBS Studio lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Restream lists a web app.
- OBS Studio is open source, according to its own site.
- OBS Studio also covers noise cancellation and screen recording.
- Restream also covers transcription, webinars and multistreaming.
At a glance
| OBS Studio | Restream | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually) |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the GNU GPL v2, with no paid edition. The project is funded by sponsors and by donations through Open Collective and Patreon. | 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 | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | OBS Project | Restream, Inc. |
| Price read from | obsproject.com | restream.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
OBS Studio
- Live streamers who want detailed control of scenes, sources and audio
- Recording gameplay, tutorials or presentations without paying for software
- Linux users: there is an official Flatpak and an Ubuntu PPA
Restream
- Creators who go live on several platforms at the same time
- Streamers who already use OBS and want one feed sent everywhere
- Companies streaming launches or town halls to social channels and Slack
Worth knowing
OBS Studio
- It captures and mixes video in real time; the feature list on its site does not include editing a recording afterwards.
- Downloads are offered for Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13.0 or newer, and Linux; no mobile or browser version is listed.
- The Game Capture source is Windows only, according to the quick start guide.
- Help comes from a knowledge base, forums and a community Discord server rather than a vendor support desk.
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
OBS Studio
- Scenes and sources
- Compose a scene from window and display captures, webcams, capture cards, images, text and browser windows, and set up as many scenes as you need.
- Recording and live streaming
- Record to a local file or stream to one of the included services or a custom server. A replay buffer can save recent footage with a hotkey.
- Audio mixer with filters
- Each audio source can take filters such as a noise gate, noise suppression and gain, and VST plugins are supported.
- Studio Mode and Multiview
- Studio Mode lets you preview and adjust a scene before it goes live. Multiview shows 8 scenes at once and cues any of them with a click.
- Virtual camera
- Sends an OBS scene, or a single source, to any app that accepts a webcam, such as Zoom or Discord.
- Plugins and scripting
- An API supports native plugins and scripts written in Lua or Python, and community-made plugins are shared in the site's Resources section.
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
OBS Studio
OBS Studio$0
The complete program for Windows, macOS and Linux, including recording, live streaming, the virtual camera, plugins and scripting.
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
OBS Studio
No public discounts listed.
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.
