StreamYard vs Zencastr

StreamYard

• Solo creators running interview shows without a production crew
• Streaming one broadcast to several social platforms at once
• Podcasters who record remote guests on separate tracks

Zencastr

• New podcasters who want recording, editing and hosting at no cost
• Interview shows with remote guests recorded on separate tracks
• Creators who would rather describe edits than work on a timeline

StreamYard

• The Free plan shows a StreamYard logo, limits monthly streaming hours and storage, and cannot stream live and record at the same time.
• 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.

Zencastr

• The free plan caps a recording at 6 participants, a team at 4 seats and an account at 5 podcast shows.
• The pricing table lists 60,000 video views and 6,000 for video RSS on the free plan, without stating the period.
• Apps are listed for the web and iOS only; no Android app is mentioned.
• Anything beyond the free plan's limits is a custom Enterprise quote; no self-serve paid tier is listed.

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.

Zencastr

Separate-track recording

Records each of up to 6 participants locally on their own device, with cloud backup, in up to 4K video and 48 kHz WAV audio, from a browser or an iPhone or iPad.

Editing by chat

Instead of a timeline, you ask the Producer for the edits you want. It also removes background noise, balances levels and cuts long pauses and filler words.

Transcripts, chapters and captions

Every recording or upload is transcribed automatically in 10 languages with speaker labels, then split into chapters and turned into burned-in captions.

Hosting and distribution

Unlimited audio and video hosting for up to 5 shows, with publishing to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, an embeddable player and listener analytics.

Clips and social posting

Export clips in up to 4K with animated captions and AI layouts, and schedule posts to the major social platforms.

Live streaming

Stream in 1080p to Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Each stream is recorded and can be turned into an episode or clips.

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.

• 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.

Zencastr

• Vibecastr$0

  Unlimited recording, hosting and transcription for up to 6 participants, with 4 seats, 5 podcast shows, 4K video and 1080p live streaming.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom limits for participants, seats, shows, hosting and support, arranged with the sales team.

StreamYard

• Annual discount

  22% off with yearly billing

  StreamYard's pricing page labels yearly billing as 22% off. Core is $35.99 a month billed yearly against $44.99 billed monthly, and Advanced is $68.99 against $88.99.

Zencastr

No public discounts listed.