StreamYard vs Restream: Guest Recording or Stream Distribution
StreamYard and Restream are both browser studios for going live on several platforms at once, and both have free plans. StreamYard leans into production and recording: it saves a separate audio and video file for each guest, and its On-Air webinars give each event a hosted watch page with registration. Restream is built as a distribution hub. Besides Restream Studio, it takes a feed from encoders such as OBS, vMix or Wirecast, schedules uploaded videos to air as live events, and pulls chat from connected channels into one window where you can reply.
StreamYard
Best for: Creators and marketing teams that want easy branded livestreams and guest interviews across several social destinations.
Restream
Best for: Creators, podcasters and organizations that want to produce one live show and distribute it across multiple channels.
| At a glance | StreamYard | Restream |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $35.99/mo (annual billing) | $16/mo (annual billing) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Not verified |
| Market Signal | 57 / 100 | 46 / 100 |
| Built for | Enterprise | Solo, Small Business, Enterprise |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Founded | Not listed | 2015 |
Choose StreamYard if...
you record interviews or podcasts and need clean per-guest tracks, or you want registration-based webinars without a separate webinar tool.
Choose Restream if...
you already produce in OBS or vMix and need to relay that feed to several channels, or you want one chat window across platforms.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Dimension | StreamYard | Restream |
|---|---|---|
| Free-plan multistreaming | Stronger here | |
| Encoder input | Stronger here | |
| Guest recording | Stronger here | |
| Webinars | Stronger here | |
| Audience chat | Stronger here | |
| Pre-recorded streams | Comparable | Comparable |
We name a winner for each dimension and never one overall winner. The right pick depends on which of these matters most for your use case.
Plans and Pricing Side by Side
StreamYard
From $35.99/mo (annual billing) · Free plan · Free trial
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free |
| Core | $44.99 | $35.99 |
| Advanced | $88.99 | $68.99 |
Checked October 4, 2026 on StreamYard's pricing page.
Restream
From $16/mo (annual billing) · Free plan
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (mo) | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free |
|
| Standard | $19 | $16 | |
| Professional | $49 | $39 | |
| Business | $239 | $199 | |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Checked October 12, 2026 on Restream's pricing page.
Annual columns show the monthly cost when billed yearly. Vendors change prices often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Market Signal Compared
| Score (0 to 100) | StreamYard | Restream |
|---|---|---|
| Market Signal | 57 | 46 |
| Market strength | 53 | 54 |
| Momentum | 70 | 20 |
| Traffic strength | 60 | 61 |
| Search visibility | 53 | 59 |
| Authority | 48 | 47 |
| Brand and market presence | 40 | 35 |
| Data confidence | Medium | Medium |
Market Signal measures each product's online footprint and momentum from Ahrefs and Semrush data, scored against other tools in its category (Video & Webinar Marketing (23 tracked)). It shows market presence, which is not the same as product quality. Data through September 2026. How the score works
Integrations and Support
Both connect with: YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, X
| StreamYard | Restream | |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations only one lists | None listed | Slack |
| Support | Help center | Help center |
| Languages | English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, French, Italian and 3 more | None listed |
| Headquarters | Not listed | Austin, United States |
From each vendor's integrations and support pages. Lists show notable integrations, not every connector.
Other Tools to Consider
If neither StreamYard nor Restream fits, these are the closest alternatives we list, ordered by Overall Score.
Streamlabs
Creator streaming suite with multistreaming, dual-format output, overlays, and tipping.
Riverside
Remote recording studio for locally captured video, podcasts and livestreams.
Livestorm
Browser webinar platform for live, on-demand, recurring, and automated events with engagement analytics.
Demio
Marketing webinar platform with registration, engagement tools and automated events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I multistream on a free plan?⌄
On Restream, yes: its help center says the free plan streams to two channels at the same time, with a small Restream watermark or description link. StreamYard's free plan streams to one destination, and multistreaming needs a paid plan, Core for three destinations or Advanced for eight. StreamYard also offers a 7-day free trial of paid features.
Can I keep using OBS with Restream?⌄
Yes. Restream gives you RTMP details to paste into an encoder such as OBS, vMix, Wirecast or Ecamm, then relays that single feed to every channel you enable. You can also skip the encoder and produce in Restream Studio, which runs in the browser and lets up to five guests join on the free plan.
Which tool is better for recording podcasts with remote guests?⌄
StreamYard documents more here. With local recording turned on before the session, it records each participant in their own browser and lets you download an individual video file and a WAV audio file per person, plus separate tracks for screen shares. The free plan includes two hours of local recording a month.
Can I run registration-based webinars?⌄
StreamYard On-Air schedules a webinar with a hosted watch page and a registration form that collects names and emails, sends attendees a join link and calendar options, and exports registrations as CSV. The Advanced plan lists On-Air webinars for up to 100 viewers. Restream also hosts private webinars, which attendees join through a dedicated link.
Written by SEM Solutions Editorial Team
Last updated October 13, 2026