StreamYard vs Wave.video (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StreamYard grades higher than Wave.video: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
StreamYard grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
StreamYard
Browser-based studio for live streaming and recording with guests
Wave.video
Video editor, hosting and live streaming in one browser tool
Which one is for you
Pick StreamYard if
- Fits if you run an interview show on your own and want guests to join from a link
- Works for sending one broadcast to several social platforms at once, from $14.99 a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want your own branding, as the logo stays on Essential and goes only on Core at $35.99 a month billed yearly, $44.99 by the month
- Skip it if you're buying for a company, as the paid plans are for individual use only and Business plans go through sales
- Tight if you're staying free: there's a StreamYard logo, 2 hours of local recordings a month, and no recording while you stream
- Watch out: 4K recordings, transcript downloads and webinars need Advanced at $68.99 a month billed yearly
- Watch out: prices vary with promotions and renewals, the money-back covers only the first charge, and there's no desktop or phone app
Pick Wave.video if
- Fits if you want editing, live streaming and video hosting under one login
- Works for people who'll test the editor on the free plan first
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: watermarked exports and the FAQ says MP4 downloads need a paid plan
- Skip it if you need separate team logins, as the FAQ describes shared credentials
- Watch out: extra hosted embeds on Business cost 20 cents each a month past 200
- Watch out: captioning past 200 minutes costs 5 cents a minute, and the pages disagree on Business storage (500 GB or 200 GB)
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, as it's web only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAStreamYardFair | 2.0GPAWave.videoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CEssential is $14.99 a month billed yearly, $18.99 by the month, inside this category's normal range against a $10 middle, for unlimited streaming, 1080p and 2 destinations. But it keeps the StreamYard logo: losing it takes Core at $35.99, and 4K, transcripts and webinars need Advanced at $68.99. | CStreamer is $16 a month on yearly billing ($20 monthly), above the category's middle of $12.99. Business is $48. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan gives you the essential studio, 6 people on screen and 2 hours of local recordings a month, but it stamps a StreamYard logo on the stream and won't let you stream live and record at once. Paid plans have a 7-day trial. | CA free plan with a basic editor, live streaming with a watermark, 5 hosted embeds and 10 GB of storage. Downloading MP4s needs a paid plan. |
| Features | CIt does the live-show job fully: guests by link, multistreaming to six platforms and custom RTMP, separate local recordings, overlays, webinars, pre-recorded video streamed as live. But editing is trimming into clips, and 4K and transcripts need Advanced. | CEditor, stock library, streaming, hosting, captions and webinars, but teams share one login and the pages disagree about Business storage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Guests join from a link with nothing to install, which is the easy half. Your half means connecting streaming accounts and building layouts, overlays and intros before you go live. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build each video yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser app and nothing else, with no desktop or phone app listed, but it streams to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Twitch and custom RTMP, and guests can join from a phone. | CWeb only. No integrations are listed in the pages read. |
| Best for | live shows with remote guests | video, live streaming and hosting in one place |
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: StreamYard and Wave.video. How we grade
Price against what you get
StreamYard starts at $14.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave.video starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0.
StreamYard scores higher and starts $1.01 a month lower. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, 22 score higher than StreamYard for less, and 39 score higher than Wave.video 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
- StreamYard also covers transcription.
- Wave.video also covers templates, text to speech, webinars and multistreaming.
At a glance
| StreamYard | Wave.video | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 per month, billed yearly ($18.99 billed monthly) | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | The essential studio features with a StreamYard logo on streams, monthly streaming limits, limited storage, 2 hours of local recordings a month, 6 on-screen participants and 1 seat. | Basic editor and live streaming with a watermark, 5 hosted-video embeds, 10 GB storage. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Essential, Core or Advanced | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bending Spoons | Animatron Inc. |
| Price read from | streamyard.com | wave.video |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
StreamYard
- The Free plan shows a StreamYard logo, limits monthly streaming hours and storage, and cannot stream live and record at the same time.
- Essential, Core and Advanced are for individual use only; companies are pointed to separate Business plans sold through sales.
- 4K local recordings, transcript downloads and On-Air webinars need the Advanced plan.
- StreamYard says plan prices can vary with promotions and renewal terms, and its 7-day money-back guarantee covers only the first charge.
Wave.video
- Free exports carry a Wave.video watermark; the FAQ says downloading MP4 files needs a paid plan.
- Teams share a login; the FAQ describes multiple user logins as shared credentials.
- Extra hosted embeds on Business cost 20 cents each a month past 200, and captioning past 200 minutes costs 5 cents a minute.
- Pages disagree on Business storage (500 GB in the plan table, 200 GB in the FAQ).
Key features
StreamYard
- Browser studio with remote guests
- Guests join from a browser or phone through a link, with no download or account. Up to 6 people fit on screen on the Free plan and 10 on paid plans.
- Multistreaming
- Send one stream to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Twitch and custom RTMP destinations at once: 3 destinations on Core and 8 on Advanced.
- Local recordings
- Each participant's audio and video are recorded on their own device as separate files and uploaded in the background, so a weak connection does not blur the result.
- Show branding
- Paid plans add logos, overlays, video clips, backgrounds, intro and outro videos and more than 16 custom layouts. Custom fonts need Advanced.
- On-Air webinars and pre-recorded streams
- StreamYard On-Air hosts live webinars that can be embedded on your own site. Pre-recorded videos can be streamed as if live: up to 2 hours on Core and 4 on Advanced.
- Clips and repurposing
- Trim and split recordings into short clips for Shorts and Reels inside StreamYard, which is free for all users. AI clips are part of the paid plans.
Wave.video
- Video editor
- Browser editor with templates, layouts, an advanced text editor and a thumbnail maker; editing length and resolution rise by plan.
- Stock library
- Plans include a stock library of clips, images and soundtracks; the page cites 2M assets on lower plans and 200M on higher ones.
- Live streaming
- Streams to several channels with guests, scenes, shared presentations and pre-recorded video streaming on paid plans.
- Video hosting
- Host and embed videos with customization; each plan sets embeds, monthly traffic and storage.
- Captions and voice
- Creator and Business add styled captions and subtitles, image background removal and text to speech.
- Webinars and recording
- Paid streaming plans include webinars and recording with pause and resume, up to 4 or 12 hours.
Plans
StreamYard
Free$0
Essential studio features with a StreamYard logo, streaming limits, limited storage, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 on-screen participants.
Essential$14.99
per month, billed yearly ($18.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Free plus unlimited streaming, 1080p and multistreaming to 2 destinations. Keeps the StreamYard logo.
Core$35.99
per month, billed yearly ($44.99 billed monthly)
1080p, no StreamYard logo, multistreaming to 3 destinations, 10 on-screen participants, unlimited streaming and recording, and 50 hours of storage.
Advanced$68.99
per month, billed yearly ($88.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Core plus 4K local recordings, 8 multistream destinations, 15 backstage participants, On-Air webinars for 100 viewers and transcript downloads.
Wave.video
Free$0
Basic editor and streaming with a watermark, 2 channels, 6 guests, up to 1 hour a stream.
Streamer$16
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Videos up to 5 minutes, 5 channels, 10 guests, streams up to 4 hours at 1080p, webinars.
Creator$24
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Edits up to 30 minutes, captions, background removal, text to speech, 20 embeds, 30 GB storage.
Business$48
per month, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
Edits up to 2 hours at 60fps, 10 channels, 12 guests, 12-hour streams, 200 embeds, shared login.
Ways to pay less
StreamYard
- Annual discount
22% off with yearly billing
StreamYard's pricing page labels yearly billing as 22% off. Essential is $14.99 a month billed yearly against $18.99 billed monthly, Core $35.99 against $44.99, and Advanced is $68.99 against $88.99.
Wave.video
- Annual discount
Annual billing is 20% cheaper
Wave.video's pricing page labels its annual toggle as 20% off, with monthly prices shown at a higher rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, StreamYard or Wave.video?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StreamYard is cheaper to start with: $14.99 a month, against $16 a month for Wave.video. StreamYard starts at $14.99 per month, billed yearly ($18.99 billed monthly), and Wave.video starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, StreamYard or Wave.video?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both StreamYard and Wave.video 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.