Best Free Live Streaming Software 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Live Streaming Software compared: OBS Studio, Streamlabs, Meld Studio, PRISM Live Studio and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 25, 2026.
•3 min read•Screen Recording & Streaming
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBS Studio | Free (open source, with no paid tier listed on its site) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Full control on your own machine | Docs only |
| Streamlabs | Free (Streamlabs Desktop is free and open source); paid from $15.75 per month (Ultra, listed as 'starts at') | Windows, macOS | Streamers who want alerts built in | Docs only |
| Meld Studio | Free (Described on its FAQ as free with no watermarks, time limits or hidden fees; cloud multistreaming (Meld Multi) also free) | Windows, macOS | Easier scene building than OBS | Docs only |
| PRISM Live Studio | Free (Free live streaming and recording software) | Windows, macOS | Multistreaming from the desktop | Docs only |
| Restream | Free (stream to 2 channels at once, 6 on-screen participants in Restream Studio, Restream branding); paid from $19 per month, billed monthly (Standard) | Web | Sending one stream to several sites | Docs only |
| StreamYard | Free (StreamYard logo on streams, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 on-screen participants); paid from $14.99 per month, billed yearly (Essential; $18.99 billed monthly) | Web | Interviews with guests | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
See the tools in action
Images from the linked documentation. Versions and features may differ from current plans.
Good fit if
- You want maximum control and plugins (OBS Studio is the pick)
- You want alerts without extra setup (Streamlabs is the pick)
- You stream to many platforms at once (Restream is the pick)
- You host guests and care about ease (StreamYard is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
Live streaming software falls into two camps, and the choice depends on whether your computer or a server does the work. Desktop encoders such as OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, Prism Live Studio and Meld Studio run on your machine, so your CPU or GPU does the encoding and you control scenes, overlays and audio. They are free, but a weak laptop will drop frames. Browser studios such as StreamYard and Restream run in a tab, make multi-guest interviews easy, and send your stream to several platforms at once, but free plans put a logo on the stream and cap recording time. Restream's free plan streams to 2 channels at once; StreamYard's records 2 hours locally a month. OBS is the safe default because nothing about it is locked behind a plan, and almost every tutorial assumes it. Meld Studio offers a gentler interface and free cloud multistreaming. Streamlabs adds alerts and widgets, with a paid Ultra tier for extras. Pick OBS if you want control, a browser studio if guests matter more than polish, and test your upload speed before you go live either way.
OBS Studio
Open-source (GPL-2.0-or-later) scene-based encoder for Windows, macOS and Linux with no paid tier. The standard choice, but the interface is bare and setting up scenes takes an evening.
Price: Free (open source, with no paid tier listed on its site) (OBS Studio pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-2.0-or-later (open source).
Project activity: 78.4k GitHub stars · latest release 33.0.0 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Full control on your own machine.
Worth knowing: OBS records on your machine; it has no remote guest recording.
Compare: OBS Studio alternatives
Streamlabs
Streamlabs Desktop is free and open source (GPL-3.0), built on the OBS approach with alerts and widgets included. Ultra, a paid tier, starts at $27 a month; Windows and macOS only.
Price: Free (Streamlabs Desktop is free and open source); paid from $15.75 per month (Ultra, listed as 'starts at') (Streamlabs pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. GPL-3.0 (Streamlabs Desktop); Ultra is a paid subscription (open source).
Project activity: 4.9k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Streamers who want alerts built in.
Compare: Streamlabs alternatives
Meld Studio
Free, with no watermark or time limits per its FAQ, and cloud multistreaming (Meld Multi) is free too. Windows and macOS; the licence is not stated on the page.
Price: Free (Described on its FAQ as free with no watermarks, time limits or hidden fees; cloud multistreaming (Meld Multi) also free) (Meld Studio pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary (license not stated on the page).
Best for: Easier scene building than OBS.
PRISM Live Studio
Free live streaming and recording app for Windows and Apple Silicon Macs with multistreaming. Check the site for which features are free; a Plus subscription is sold in the mobile app.
Price: Free (Free live streaming and recording software) (PRISM Live Studio pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary (license not stated on the page).
Best for: Multistreaming from the desktop.
Restream
Browser-based studio; the free plan streams to 2 channels at once with 6 on-screen participants and Restream branding. Standard starts at $19 a month billed monthly.
Price: Free (stream to 2 channels at once, 6 on-screen participants in Restream Studio, Restream branding); paid from $19 per month, billed monthly (Standard) (Restream pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Sending one stream to several sites.
Compare: Restream alternatives
StreamYard
Browser studio with a StreamYard logo on free streams, 2 hours of local recording a month and 6 on-screen participants. Essential is $14.99 a month billed yearly.
Price: Free (StreamYard logo on streams, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 on-screen participants); paid from $14.99 per month, billed yearly (Essential; $18.99 billed monthly) (StreamYard pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Interviews with guests.
Compare: StreamYard alternatives
Which one to pick
- You want maximum control and plugins: OBS Studio
- You want alerts without extra setup: Streamlabs
- You stream to many platforms at once: Restream
- You host guests and care about ease: StreamYard
Limits of this review
Docs-only for OBS Studio, Streamlabs, Meld Studio, PRISM Live Studio, Restream, StreamYard: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: OBS Studio, Streamlabs, Meld Studio, PRISM Live Studio, Restream, StreamYard. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.