OBS Studio vs Streamlabs vs Restream — Streaming Tools Compared

Live streaming setups usually need three things: something to capture and encode the video, something to make the stream look presentable, and something to push it out to more than one platform at once. OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop and Restream each solve a different slice of that problem — which is why they are compared so often, even though they are not really the same kind of tool.

Here is what each one actually does, where they differ, and which one fits your setup.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is the free, open source broadcasting suite that most of the alternatives are built on. It handles capture, scene composition, encoding and local recording, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Almost everything is exposed: scenes, sources, filters, transitions, audio monitoring, a replay buffer and multiple recording formats. The trade-off is that you assemble your own workflow — there are no ready-made alert boxes or overlay themes, and the interface assumes you are willing to spend an evening configuring it.

Multistreaming is not built in. You either send your stream through a relay service (Restream, for example) or add a plugin. Licence: GPL-2.0, with no paid tier and no account required. The current release is 32.2.2.

See the full OBS Studio listing in the directory.

Streamlabs Desktop

Streamlabs Desktop is a free, open source streaming application (GPL-3.0 on GitHub) built on the OBS engine and Electron, aimed at streamers who want OBS-level capture without the manual setup. It ships with alerts, widgets, hundreds of overlay themes, a tip page and the Cloudbot chat moderation tools pre-wired.

The catch is reach: it runs on Windows 10+ and macOS only, with no Linux build. Multistreaming and the premium overlays sit behind Streamlabs Ultra, which is $27/month or $189/year (optional — the core app is free). Free users can still run Dual Output: one horizontal and one vertical stream at the same time. Streamlabs’ multistreaming runs on their servers, so it does not cost you extra upload bandwidth.

Restream

Restream is not streaming software at all — it is a proprietary cloud service that takes a single stream and fans it out to 30+ destinations. You can broadcast from the browser-based Restream Studio, or point OBS Studio or Streamlabs Desktop at Restream’s RTMP server.

The free tier covers two channels, up to five Studio guests, multi-chat and stream analytics, but adds Restream branding to your stream. Multistreaming to three or more channels, Facebook Pages and custom RTMP destinations start at $19/month. Because the video passes through Restream’s servers, you do not need extra upload bandwidth to reach every destination.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Licence and cost

• OBS Studio: Free and open source (GPL-2.0). No paid tier, no account.
• Streamlabs Desktop: Free and open source app (GPL-3.0); optional Streamlabs Ultra subscription at $27/month or $189/year.
• Restream: Proprietary cloud service with a free tier; paid plans from $19/month.

Platform support

• OBS Studio: Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Streamlabs Desktop: Windows 10+ and macOS 12+ only.
• Restream: Any modern browser, plus any encoder that supports RTMP — including OBS and Streamlabs.

Multistreaming

• OBS Studio: Not built in — use a relay service (such as Restream) or a plugin. Recording and streaming at the same time is supported.
• Streamlabs Desktop: Free Dual Output (one horizontal plus one vertical); full multistreaming requires Ultra and runs on Streamlabs’ servers.
• Restream: The whole point of the service — one stream to 30+ destinations with a unified chat. The free tier is limited to two channels.

Setup and everyday use

• OBS Studio: The steepest learning curve and the most control. Nothing is hidden, nothing is assumed.
• Streamlabs Desktop: The fastest route to a professional-looking stream — alerts, themes and widgets are already connected.
• Restream: Almost nothing to install, but your video leaves your machine and travels through someone else’s infrastructure.

Extensibility

• OBS Studio: A large plugin and script ecosystem (Lua and Python) plus WebSocket control for automation.
• Streamlabs Desktop: A built-in app store with 60+ add-ons under Ultra, but less low-level access than OBS.
• Restream: Integrations only — no plugins to install and nothing to self-host.

Which One Should You Pick?

Choose OBS Studio if you want a free, fully open source tool that runs on every desktop platform and you are happy to build your own scenes and overlays. It is the reference implementation everything else is measured against.

Choose Streamlabs Desktop if you stream from Windows or macOS and want alerts, themes and widgets working out of the box — and you can live without the Ultra-only multistreaming features.

Choose Restream if reaching several platforms at once is your priority and you want as little software as possible on your machine — accepting that it is a proprietary service in the middle of your pipeline.

They also work well together: many streamers capture and compose in OBS Studio or Streamlabs Desktop, then hand the finished stream to Restream for distribution.

The Bottom Line

OBS Studio is the strongest choice for anyone who values open source software, cross-platform support and total control — it is free, actively developed and endlessly extensible. Streamlabs Desktop is the easier on-ramp if you are on Windows or macOS and want a polished-looking stream quickly, provided you accept that the best multistreaming features need an Ultra subscription. Restream is a convenience layer rather than a replacement: it is the only proprietary tool here, and it is worth the money only if multistreaming to many platforms is the centre of your workflow.

Download it at obsproject.com — free, no subscriptions, no account required.

Looking for more free software? Browse our Open Source Software directory, or read the earlier OBS Studio vs SimpleScreenRecorder comparison.