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A few years after I initially published “Going Live: Live Podcasting for the Win,” the verdict is in. Yes, livestreaming your new podcast is the way to go for many! But to do that correctly, choosing the live podcast platform that works for you is important!
What are the options? Here you go!
Restream
Restream is by far my favorite currently. The studio is easy to use, and the scheduling of upcoming live episodes is intuitive. You can add intro and outro clips as well as other branding elements. The live shopping integration with Amazon storefronts (and others) is great. You can easily bring products on-screen. I do this especially when authors join me for an episode.
Restream was also the first to market (as far as I know) to allow simulcasting – meaning your guests can also natively stream the episode to their own channels.
One of Restream’s clear competitors – look at the ads, is Streamyard.
Streamyard
Streamyard definitely has a name in the market and is probably the platform I hear mentioned the most by others. It has many of the same features as Restream. Personally, I like the Restream interface and feel is slicker and nicer but Streamyard certainly is an option to live stream your podcast.
Switcher Studio
Switcher Studio is iPhone or iPad-based and was the first live podcast platform that I used when I started streaming “The Business Storytelling Show.” I also used to use it to stream youth sports.
Live podcast platform pricing comparisons
Let’s look at the different costs and plans:
| Feature | StreamYard | Restream | Switcher Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Yes (with limitations) | Yes (with limitations) | 14-day free trial |
| Cheapest Paid Plan (Monthly) | $20 (Basic) | $19 (Standard) | $79 (Business) |
| Cheapest Paid Plan (Annual) | $16/mo (Basic) | $16/mo (Standard) | $71/mo (Business) |
| HD Streaming | Up to 1080p (Pro plan) | Up to 1080p (Professional plan) | Up to 1080p |
| Multistreaming | Up to 8 destinations (Pro plan) | Up to 8 destinations (Professional plan) | Up to 20 destinations |
| On-screen Participants | Up to 10 (Basic) / 12 (Pro) | Up to 10 | Up to 5 remote guests |
| Custom RTMP | Yes (Pro plan) | Yes (Standard & up) | Yes |
| Stream Pre-recorded Videos | Up to 2 hrs (Pro plan) | Up to 60 min upload (Professional plan) | Yes |
| Storage | 50 hrs (Pro plan) | 10 videos, 2GB per video (Professional plan) | 1000 assets (Business) / 3000 assets (Business+) |
Which platform works for you is ultimately your decision. I’ve started with Switcher, moved to Restream and certainly join plenty of other people’s podcasts where they use Streamyard.