- This is our 2022 roundup
of the best live streaming software
for Windows PC right now.
So after trying and testing all the top options,
I'm gonna run through my short list
of the best ones, as well as my pick
for the best live streaming software for PC in 2022.
Now, as we're going through,
scroll down and let me know in the comments
what live streaming software
are you currently using right now,
and what's your favorite feature?
So when it comes to live streaming software on PC,
you've got so many options.
You've got things like Be.Live, StreamYard, OBS,
Wirecast, Melon, Wave.Video, Lightstream, vMix,
Prism Live, ManyCam, Zoom, evmux, Restream, XSplit.
And that's not even all of them.
So after so much trying and testing of all the top options,
here's my short list for the best options.
So option number one is OBS,
and this works on Mac, PC and Linux.
This is one of the most popular options out there
because it is open source.
It is 100% free, but it also packs in a ton of features,
not just for live streaming
but also for screen recording as well.
So while it's got a ton of features and options
and everything in there,
the overall interface really isn't too intuitive.
It's not that easy for say an absolute beginner to jump in
and to configure everything
and to get set up and going live.
It's definitely possible,
and we do have a full walkthrough of OBS
which I will link in the description box below,
but compared to some of the other options
that we've got coming up, it definitely isn't as intuitive
but because it is such a popular option,
there is a massive community online
of people that will help you
if you're stuck and lots of resources
and YouTube videos there to help you.
And there's also an amazing library
of plugins and add-ons that you can use
to really help you take your OBS experience
and the live streams and scream recordings
that you're doing to the next level as well.
Now, while there is support to go live
from all the major platforms from OBS,
there is no built-in simulcast or multi-cast feature.
So if you do wanna be going live to say Facebook
and YouTube at the same time, you can do it
but there's nothing built-in to make that easy for you.
So it's possible, but it's a lot more complicated
than some of the other options.
And there's also no built-in guest feature
if you wanna bring in other people into your stream.
Again there's work arounds,
but there's also simpler options.
But overall OBS is a great solution
for someone who is looking for more of the advanced features
or controls or someone who doesn't wanna spend any money
because it's free
but is willing to spend the time to learn it
and to get everything set up the way that they want.
But if you don't need those extra features
and you're after something more intuitive
and something simpler
or you're after something even more advanced,
then make sure you stick around.
The next option is Prism Live Studio.
And this one in the big scheme of things
is relatively new to the space.
While this one works on Windows,
there is also an iOS and Android app
that you can download to go live from your mobile device.
But what we're talking about here is the Windows version
which is something that I was really blown away with.
I guess you can think of this as something very similar
to OBS in terms of the overall interface
and a lot of the features and things in there
but with a much nicer, more intuitive interface.
Something that's much more modern,
but also easier to use.
Prism Life Studio does have built-in simulcasting
if you wanna go live to multiple places
and it also has combined realtime chat.
So if you are broadcasting live to multiple places,
all of the chat comes into one chat window
that's combined for you to easily monitor
and interact with your audience while you're live.
There's also a lot of really useful built-in effects.
And then you've also got some other effects
and things like beauty mode and gifs
which of course are super important as well.
But overall, I think it's a great option.
It's easy to use, a clean interface,
not as many of the advanced features as in OBS,
but this one is aimed
at someone probably more at that beginner
to intermediate level
who doesn't need all of that extra stuff.
Now in regards to pricing, Prism Live Studio
right now at the time of filming this is currently free.
Now I have no idea how long it's gonna be free for.
I think it's amazing
what they're giving you access to for free.
So hopefully it stays that way
'cause it's a really good option.
The next option is evmux.
Now this one is a little bit different
to the previous option
because there is nothing to download and install.
This one runs in your web browser,
meaning that it's gonna work on pretty much anything.
This decision was actually really hard to make
'cause I guess the competition here
in this space of online, browser-based
or cloud-based live streaming solutions is quite a few,
like StreamYard, Be.Live, Melon, Wave.Video is a new one
that's out in beta and evmux.
And all of them are very, very similar.
Like literally, if you're logging
into the different platforms,
the interface between them all is pretty much identical.
I mean, yes, there's pros and cons
and standout features of each of them.
But I gotta say after making this video
for the last few years,
this was the toughest call we've ever had to make.
And StreamYard has previously been my top pick
in this category.
Now this isn't to say that StreamYard is a bad option,
that's not at all.
I'm still a big fan of StreamYard,
but what evmux has included in there now
is actually really awesome.
So while pretty much all the options I just covered
have amazing, easy to use, simple, intuitive interface
that's really easy to add your webcam,
add your screen share,
go live to multiple platforms, bring in guests.
They all make it so easy to grab an invite link
and send it out and bring other people onto your live stream
and even do video recording as well,
either as a backup of your live stream
or even if you just want to use these platforms
to record a video, you can do that
pretty much in all of those as well.
But the standout things for me
with evmux right now is the level of control.
The level of customization that you get in there
while still having it really easy to use.
So not only do you get access
to the preset templates of say a 50/50 screen split
or a screen share with a picture in picture effect applied,
you can really pick things up and scale things up and down
and move them around to customize them up
the way that you want them.
And you can save these customizations
as separate scenes that you can easily click between
while you're live.
So you can set everything up before you go live
and you can easily switch between them while you're live.
Now, scenes is something
that Wave.Video is bringing in as well.
So that's cool to see, but evmux currently takes it further
with what you can control and add in them.
There's also a dedicated greenroom
where your guests can hang out
and actually interact and talk to each other
while they're waiting to come onto your livestream.
And this is something that the others don't really do.
While you can be waiting backstage
to come onto someone's livestream,
you don't really get to connect
or engage or see who else is backstage with you.
So I love the greenroom concept.
You can also easily add co-hosts
so other people can help you control
and manage your livestream.
It supports multiple cameras.
You can also have
and manage multiple broadcasts at the same time.
So if you're a larger company or an organization,
you've got a few different live streams on the go at once.
You can manage them all
and run them all inside of evmux as well.
But probably the biggest standout feature
for me that I absolutely love
is that it has ISO video recording in here.
Now this is something that you really only see
in top line live streaming solutions, but what it means
is that your video recording of your live stream,
it's actually recording a separate video file
for each one of the guests
or cameras that you're having in your live show.
So if you're gonna be editing your videos down afterwards
and repurposing them,
this means that you're not just limited
to a finished recording of whatever happened live.
You can actually re-edit everything together
to create some really effective repurposed content, too.
Now, in terms of pricing, there is a free plan
which gives you access to so many features
but it does include the evmux watermark.
And I am not a fan of that.
So what I recommend
and for a professional looking live stream
is that you pay the $25 per month
or it works out as $19 per month
if you're paying annually to move up to the basic plan
which will remove the watermark
and it'll also unlock the recording functionality too.
And then above that, there's a pro plan
for $49 a month or 39 a month if you're paying annually,
which will give you access
to more storage and additional hosts or producers.
So ridiculously cheap considering
what you're getting access to.
So this is a great option
for anyone who is looking for a simple way to go live,
to bring in guests, to simulcast,
to have access to be able to customize everything up
but also have access to some of those more advanced features
like ISO recording, then yeah,
evmux, it's a pretty good deal.
But if you are someone who's after more advanced features
and controls and really wants to dial everything in
and control everything
then the next option could be the one for you.
And the next option on the short list is vMix,
this one really packs a punch when it comes
to really being an overall production workhorse,
not just for live streaming,
but also for video recording as well.
And this one is probably the most professional option
when it comes to live streaming software on Windows.
So if you're someone who really wants
to be able to customize everything up,
control everything down to the nitty gritty,
then vMix is a solid option.
There's great hardware support
and integration for PTZ cameras, NDI support, IP cameras,
all the top name hardware capture devices,
all in a fairly easy to use interface.
It's definitely not as easy to use as a Prism Live Studio
or an evmux, but I would take it over OBS any day.
There's built-in multi streaming
if you wanna broadcast to multiple places at once.
There is built-in interview
or guest feature in here as well.
But unlike the other options, you get so much more control
to really customize and configure everything up.
Now that does mean straight outta the box
if you just wanna quickly bring in a guest,
is not as straightforward as something like evmux
where you can just click the different presets
and templates that they've got in there.
In vMix, you will need to create the different scenes
and set everything up the way that you want.
But once you've done that,
then you can save those to use in future live streams.
Now, you also get a lot of control
over the outputs from vMix as well,
not just in relation to the bit rates
and the resolutions of your live streaming outputs
but also in regards to video recording as well.
You can actually set up different recording templates
or presets to record different file types
and different formats and resolutions
that can happen simultaneously as well.
So it could be that during your live stream
you're also recording a backup onto your computer
and it might be a high quality 1080p version
that you just save as a backup,
but you also could, in parallel,
be recording a much lower quality version
of that video as well.
So the moment that you stop recording
and stop live streaming, you end up with multiple files,
multiple outputs that you can then go
and distribute immediately without the need
to then go and create those separate video files
or audio files afterwards.
In terms of pricing,
there's actually quite a few different options you've got.
There is an outright purchase option.
So for those of you
that don't like the monthly subscription model,
you don't have to jump on a monthly subscription,
you can buy it outright.
And that's gonna give you updates for 12 months
since your purchase date.
So the cheapest license is basic HD for $60.
You've then got the HD license for 350,
4K license for 700 or the pro license for 1200,
which is gonna unlock everything.
So I'd imagine here that most people
are probably looking at the HD, the 4K or the pro,
in terms of the features that you're gonna unlock.
But for those of you who do want access to the pro
and want access to the updates after 12 months as well
then there is a subscription option now available too
at $50 per month.
So really not that expensive,
considering what you're getting access to.
This is literally professional grade software.
So again, vMix is a great option for someone
who is looking for the most advanced features and controls.
Someone who really wants to be able
to configure everything up and dial everything in
the way that they want it.
So those are my top picks on Windows right now,
OBS, Prism Live Studio, evmux and vMix.
Now if I had to pick one overall winner right now
is gonna go to evmux.
I really think it's the great mix of features
but also of ease of use.
They make it so easy to do things
like bring in guests, share your screen,
have multiple cameras.
I love that it's got the ISO recording feature
in there as well.
So having the ease of use
with a lot more of the professional tools
and functionality in there as well.
So, well done.
As I said, there's been a lot
of change in this space in the last 12 months.
There's a lot of competition
and I'm pumped to see where this is next year.
So now that you've got your livestream software sorted,
if you want to know how you can create amazing graphics
and animations and video intros to use in your live streams
then check out the video linked on-screen
and I'll see you in the next one, cheers.