Restream vs Switchboard Live (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, and it grades higher too, 2.4 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Restream grades higher on value for money and the free plan. 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.
Restream
Multistream one live video to YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn and more
Switchboard Live
Multistreaming to unlimited destinations for public sector teams
Which one is for you
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
Pick Switchboard Live if
- Fits if you are a public sector team that streams to many places at once
- Works for organisations that can buy under a GSA contract
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before a call, as none is shown
- Tight on inputs: SMB has 1 RTMP input and 2 team members, Public Sector 1 input and 3 members
- Watch out: Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are Coming Soon
- Not for you if you want a free plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARestreamFair | 1.8GPASwitchboard LiveWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CNo prices on the pricing page; each of the three tiers has a Book a Call button. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | FNo free plan or trial is listed on the pages read, only a sales call or quote. |
| Features | 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. | CUnlimited destinations, scheduled events and analytics. Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are marked Coming Soon on the homepage. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You connect inputs and destinations to your encoder. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb with Facebook, YouTube and Twitch destinations. |
| Best for | streaming to several platforms at once | multistreaming for public sector teams |
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: Restream and Switchboard Live. How we grade
Where they differ
- Restream also covers transcription.
- Switchboard Live also covers reports.
At a glance
| Restream | Switchboard Live | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually) | Not published |
| Free plan | Stream to 2 channels at once with Restream branding, 6 on-screen participants in Studio at 720p, and no cloud recording. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Restream, Inc. | Switchboard Live |
| Price read from | restream.io | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Switchboard Live
- The pricing page shows three tiers (SMB, Public Sector, Enterprise) with no prices and a Book a Call button on each.
- SMB has 1 RTMP input and 2 team members; Public Sector has 1 input and 3 members; Enterprise lists 3 inputs.
- Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are marked Coming Soon on the homepage.
Key features
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.
Switchboard Live
- Unlimited destinations
- Every plan lists unlimited multistreaming destinations and unlimited Facebook pages, plus a custom RTMP destination.
- PartnerShare
- Lets a partner or guest channel receive the stream without sharing passwords with the broadcaster.
- Auto Start Destinations
- Destinations go live automatically once the streaming software or encoder starts sending.
- Scheduled events and analytics
- The homepage lists scheduled events for meetings and event analytics on how viewers watch.
- Input and archive options
- Public Sector and Enterprise add SRT input; archives of 30 days or more are listed for those two tiers.
Plans
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.
Switchboard Live
Pricing could not be confirmed. See switchboard.live.
Ways to pay less
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.
Switchboard Live
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Restream or Switchboard Live?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Restream starts at $19 per month, billed monthly ($190 a year billed annually), and Switchboard Live has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Restream or Switchboard Live?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Restream has a free plan. Switchboard Live does not.
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.