OBS Studio is an open-source and well-maintained broadcasting software for streamers and YouTubers. Simply put, it is the best live streaming software available. As to why I have made such a bold statement, Open Broadcaster Software Studio offers an array of tools to a content creator that is invaluable. For example, the advanced audio properties, support for VST filters, and the many plugins that expand the base function of the program further. These tools, when used effectively, can drastically improve the quality of your production.
The best part?
OBS StudioOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More is 100% free.
While there are other options for streaming software solutions, such as Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More (See our thoughts on how that program stacks against OBS StudioOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More), AMD Relive, XsplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More, and a few others, most of them are simply not robust enough or have too many features locked behind a paywall.
I will mention that other solutions do beat out OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More when it comes to specific features, or ease of use. However, overall, they can’t compare.
Table of Contents
The features that make OBS Studio the best streaming software
First of all, and most important of all, OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More is 100% free. This is one reason why I am not recommending XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More, which is a powerful broadcasting software in it’s own right.
With that in mind, we need to take a look into what it is this program offers. You can:
- Create unlimited numbers of scenesA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More & sourcesA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More within those scenesA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More - Create sceneA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More collections to stay organized for different streams.
- Manage your audio in a software mixer on a per sceneA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More basis(if set up correctly)
- Studio transition window
- Multiple sourceA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More types to cover all forms of media to be streamed
- Advanced EncodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More capabilities using X264X264 is an encoder that uses your CPU to encode media content. It does a decent job of this at a low bitrate value, but has a high CPU overhead cost. This overhead results in a loss of performance in games that are heavy on CPU usage. More, NVENCThe Nvenc encoder is a hardware encoding chip onboard Nvidia graphics cards. While Nvenc performs slightly worse than X264 at lower bitrate values, it makes up for this by having a near-zero performance impact. This is possible because the encoding chip on the cards is dedicated silicon separate from the rendering cores. It is also for this reason that Nvenc is currently the leader in encoding options for broadcasting, at least until AV1 becomes capable of encoding a live broadcast. More & AMD Advanced Media Framework.
- Widely supported by streaming gear like the Elgato stream deck.
- and more, all for free.
Download OBS Studio
The Faults of OBS
Like all things, nothing in life is perfect. We’ll quickly mention that, despite these flaws, OBS Studio remains as our pick for the best streaming software.
When I decided to advance from Share/ReLive to something more flexible I jumped to OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, which I had heard was the best. Immediately I was lost and no amount of tutorials were helping. I then found SLOBS and used it for month before giving OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More another chance. I stuck with SLOBS for so long primarily because of the ease of use factor. It wasn’t until I started to understand how streaming worked and what the setting accomplished did I feel comfortable with OBS’s power and control.
CriticalComposer – Mixer
- Complex User Interface
- Anything with a lot of powerful features is bound to be confusing.
- Don’t worry too much about this; We’ll cover those features in detail in our OBS Feature Highlight series.
- Non-descript in nature
- Several features have no reference to how they affect your stream.
- You are required to be handy with google or experiment with it to find anything out.
- Very Inefficient
- OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More has a huge overhead in comparison to other options available. This has to do with how OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More was designed.
- This effect is mitigated by very high-end hardware or negated completely with a dedicated Streaming pc.
Other streaming software solutions – Why they didn’t take the top
In this next section, I’m going to briefly go over what ultimately determined the loss of these programs. In some cases, I’ll link to an article that will dive more in depth on those programs.
Streamlabs OBS: A Complete UI overhaul, but lacks some functionality.
Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More is a Fork of the official OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More master branch on GitHub. It is designed with user ease-of-use in mind to make starting to stream as easy as possible. It hosts many of the features of OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More and a few additions of third-party integrations for things like Streamlabs Alerts. (Things like followsA follower is a viewer who saves a streaming channel to a list. That list will notify viewers who follow them when they go live, encouraging repeat viewers. More, Subs, Merch store purchases, bitsBits are a virtual good that viewers and streamers can buy on Twitch. They can be redeemed for money at a rate of 1 bit = 1 cent. They cost more than 1 cent to buy, as that is one way that Twitch makes money. More, etc.)
It also has integration with popular hardware designed specifically for streamers out of the box, such as the GoXLR and Elgato Streamdeck. Many of these features have made their way over to the main OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More branch, though, so this isn’t as unique as it was back in 2019 when this article was first written.
Within Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, there lies a few flaws that have cropped up over time, and those issues are what bumps Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More to the #2 slot of the best streaming software solutions. Some of these issues may very well be resolved in a later version of the streaming program, but for now, they remain.
An example of one issue, the incompatibility of certain VST plugins, like my favorite set of plugins, MFreeFXBundle by Melda Productions. Some of you may not even use VST plugins and are content to use the basic suppressor, compressor, or expander included with OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, so this point is moot and is merely a personal demerit mainly concerning my own opinion.
I digress. If you want to read more into the specifics of why I recommend using OBS StudioOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More vs Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, Then check this out:
XSplit is very good, but restricts too much behind a paywall
XsplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More is a fantastic piece of software, don’t get me wrong. However, the program severely limits you in a number of ways until you go premium, which starts at $24.99 for a 3-month license. This is very steep, considering that you get access to almost all of these features in OBS StudioOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More.
One limitation, in particular, catches my eye: XsplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More limits your total scenesA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More to 4 for its free version. I’m not 100% sure if this is still the limit, because they have changed the landing page details, but this is a screencap of the features broken down when they had it up there. Now, they just show a generic marketing page that isn’t as specific regarding what you get.
As you take a look closer, these limits begin to add up. The sceneA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More limits, a forced watermark if you stream greater than 720p, FPS limit of 30…The list is simply too big.
The professional-grade software and hardware encodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More options are available to OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More for free. Then there is the Commercial Use restriction on the free version of XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More. That is a big one. In essence, you cannot legally make any money off the free version of XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More. That means bitsBits are a virtual good that viewers and streamers can buy on Twitch. They can be redeemed for money at a rate of 1 bit = 1 cent. They cost more than 1 cent to buy, as that is one way that Twitch makes money. More & subs, too. Fun fact.
There is one other benefit that XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More has over OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More: Lower performance overhead. With a slimmer feature set, XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More can offer a lower performance impact from 3% to 7% less than OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More. If you are struggling to get decent performance with OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, Try XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More. It is #3.
The GPU Vendor solutions: AMD’s Relive & NVIDIA’s ShadowPlay
The last options that PC streamers have as far as streaming solutions are concerned are AMD’s Relive & NVIDIA’s ShadowPlay solutions. These programs are designed to leverage the GPU’s internal encoderAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More solutions set up out of the box. For the most part, they do that job pretty well while remaining incredibly lightweight.
AMD’s ReLive – bogged down by bugs
EposVox did an excellent job with this subject, we recommend to watch this video.
A quick synopsis is that ReLive is just another OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, but is riddled with functional bugs that make it a poor choice. It is limited to people who have AMD GPU’s as well but lacks some level of control over things like your webcam’s resolution.
These bugs have been mitigated quite a bit in recent times, but it is still riddled with strange issues regarding the AMD’s Overlay to not display over a fullscreen application, regardless of whether or not it was run as Admin, or UAC was outright disabled. We can confirm EposVox’s findings with our own XFX AMD RX480 8GB card with Driver versions 19.5.2 & 19.8.2.
If the bugs get squashed & it matures a bit more, It could very well overtake Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More at #2. As it stands, it is our #4.
What of NVIDIA ShadowPlay? Not as a full streaming suite, but it has its uses…
Simplicity is sometimes the best. If all you need to do is record short clips to be used in a video montage, ShadowPlay for NVIDIA cards can make this process nearly painless.
ShadowPlay leverages the NVENCThe Nvenc encoder is a hardware encoding chip onboard Nvidia graphics cards. While Nvenc performs slightly worse than X264 at lower bitrate values, it makes up for this by having a near-zero performance impact. This is possible because the encoding chip on the cards is dedicated silicon separate from the rendering cores. It is also for this reason that Nvenc is currently the leader in encoding options for broadcasting, at least until AV1 becomes capable of encoding a live broadcast. More encodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More chip that is embedded in their GTX and RTX lineup of cards, with some of their more recent entries upgrading that chip to perform even better. If recording at particularly high bitrates, the quality from NVENCThe Nvenc encoder is a hardware encoding chip onboard Nvidia graphics cards. While Nvenc performs slightly worse than X264 at lower bitrate values, it makes up for this by having a near-zero performance impact. This is possible because the encoding chip on the cards is dedicated silicon separate from the rendering cores. It is also for this reason that Nvenc is currently the leader in encoding options for broadcasting, at least until AV1 becomes capable of encoding a live broadcast. More is second to none.
The lightweight nature of the program means that it has a lower impact on your performance than OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More, so if your system is a bit on the older side of things, you may have better results using ShadowPlay over OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More.
It is, however skeletal in nature. It supports a basic webcam overlay, and an application capture…and that’s about it. Again, fantastic for clips. But please, don’t use it as your primary means of streaming to TwitchTwitch is a popular, gaming-focused live streaming platform. It is one of the most well-known streamer-first platforms out there and has millions of active streamers and viewers. More or YouTube unless you’ve no other choice.
What makes ShadowPlay not ideal?
The main disadvantage of Shadowplay is a complete lack of overlay customization. While covering the basics, such as a webcam(what corner it appears in & size) & chat overlays are available, it lacks a SourceA source is a media element that is part of a scene. In OBS Studio, there are many different source types that capture many different things.
• Application Audio Capture (Beta)
• Audio Input Capture
• Audio Output Capture
• Browser
• Color Source
• Display Capture
• Game Capture
• Image
• Image Slide Show
• Media Source
• Scene
• Text (GDI+)
• VLC Video Source
• Video Capture Device
• Window Capture
More & SceneA scene is a collection of sources in OBS Studio. It is what viewers will see when you are broadcasting. More manager.
This means no AFK scene with automatically muted mics, No Alerts, and no multi-cam/perspective setups.
Now, if you are a fan of the minimalistic interface that it gives you, then yeah, it could be sufficient. Personally though, why settle for less when there is a clearly superior solution available as an alternative.
ShadowPlay is a dabbler’s toy. It is designed to be incredibly simple & easy to use. It certainly does do that well, but it is too lightweight for any streamerA streamer is somebody who engages in the activity of live streaming. More who is at least semi-serious about streaming.
Console Streamers: Lightstream or use a capture card
The story changes a bit if your budget is super tight or you only have a Console to be able to stream content. Most modern consoles support streaming by the use of store-approved apps, such as Mixer for XboxOne or TwitchTwitch is a popular, gaming-focused live streaming platform. It is one of the most well-known streamer-first platforms out there and has millions of active streamers and viewers. More for XboxOne.
However, adding a capture card setup into a dedicated streaming pc to do the encodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More will allow the use of Open Broadcaster Software Studio and all of the features it has to offer.
Additionally, offloading the stream to a PC can drastically improve the quality of the video feed being sent to stream, as the CPU or GPU encoderAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More can focus entirely on the job of encodingAn encoder is a tool that processes a computer screen, webcam, or camera and, in the case of broadcasting, transmits it to an ingest server. Alternatively, it will convert the processed image and audio data into a filetype for recording. More well, vs trying to run a game in the background. If you are curious about this, we recommend taking a look at our dedicated streaming pc article to decide if this is right for you.
That said, this is a premium solution with the best possible result, but not the only one! Enter Lightstream.
Retro Consoles – Capture Cards & Emulators are the only options
Unfortunately, if you are an avid retro game streamerA streamer is somebody who engages in the activity of live streaming. More, Your only options to capture gameplay for use in a livestream environment is a capture card or Emulator. Due to the legal grey area of Emulators, and their imperfect reproduction of the games they emulate lead us to recommend against their use in Livestreaming.
Using a capture card will keep it authentic, and yield the best possible results, as the original hardware is what the game was designed to run on, to begin with.
Final Word –
Streamers have a lot of options available to get their broadcast live. What is best for you will depend on what hardware platform you stream on.
PC Streamers, OBS StudioOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More is the way to go. If you experience issues getting good, fluid video on stream, try Streamlabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More. Then XSplitX-split is a freemium broadcasting software. The free version has every tool you need to start a broadcast but includes a watermark, and some advanced features are behind a subscription. A lifetime license also exists. More. If all three don’t function well, there is another underlying issue you’ll need to pinpoint.
IRL/Mobile Streamers. StreamLabs OBSOBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a powerful free broadcasting software with many features that make broadcasting very easy. More has you covered with a good, and functional app.
Console Streamers will find LightStream or their native Streaming software to be the most functional. An addition of a High-end capture card & a dedicated streaming PC for the pinnacle of potential streaming quality.
