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I’ve used many tools to record and livestream my podcast, and over the last few years, Restream has been the incumbent for me. I’ve also used StreamYard and been a guest on shows that use it. And now, since the podcast trade press is reporting a huge rate hike by StreamYard, I thought, why not take a look at Restream vs. StreamYard? What does each plan offer, and which one is better? In my opinion, of course.
Hello from the Restream Studio
The free plans
Both offer free plans. These free tiers provide a taste of multistreaming capabilities without any upfront cost.
StreamYard’s free plan stands out with its 2 hours of local recording per month, which can be invaluable for content repurposing.
Both services include their respective logos or watermarks on the free tier, which is a common practice for freemium software.
| Feature | StreamYard Free | Restream Free |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Monthly) | $0 | $0 |
| Streaming Quality | Not specified | 720p HD |
| Multistream Destinations | Not specified | 2 channels |
| On-screen Participants | 6 | 6 |
| Local Recordings | 2 hours/month | Not specified |
| Logo/Watermark | Yes | Yes |
| Special Features | Dark mode, 2 seats | Cross-platform chat, Stream analytics, Live health monitor |
| Upload and Stream | Not specified | 15 min videos, 250MB per video |
Advantage: Probably StreamYard due to the ability to record.
Paid plans
Here, we are hitting a big pricing difference. Close to $40 (StreamYard) to under $20 for Restream. Both remove their watermarks from streams here.
StreamYard says it allows custom RTMPs, which are needed for Amazon, Instagram, and other platform streams. StreamYard allows a higher quality stream, which is great for LinkedIn or YouTube lives, but Amazon only streams at 720.
Both offer simulcasting by guests, which is awesome. This feature allows guests to stream natively to their own channels. Here’s an example of my stream with author Brett Townsend. Here’s how it looked on my LinkedIn:
And then it’s also showing up on his profile:
Super cool feature. And it can really drive viewer engagement and participation as well as distribution in general.
| Feature | StreamYard Core | Restream Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Monthly) | $35.99 | $16 |
| Streaming Quality | Full HD (1080p) | 720p |
| Multistream Destinations | 3 | 3 channels |
| On-screen Participants | 10 | 10 |
| Local Recordings | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Logo/Watermark | No | Removed |
| Special Features | Custom RTMP, guest destinations | Facebook pages, Guest channels, Custom graphics |
| Upload and Stream | Not specified | 30 min videos, 500MB per video |
Advantage: Probably Restream due to the price. Streaming at 720 is probably fine – especially when just starting.
More advanced
StreamYard Advanced offers 4K, but does any platform even show videos in 4K? At a hefty $69, it’s definitely outpacing Restream’s plan – the one I use for “The Business Storytelling Podcast,” which costs $39/month. My podcast even runs on TV and that plan’s features get the job done.
Restream’s split track recording can be useful when most of the live stream is split screen. Here’s how:
- Download the split video track in Restream that you want. For example here, I grabbed the Christoph Trappe camera track.
- It pushes it into Canva.
- From there download as a mpg4
- Then upload it to Opus Pro to create soundbites of just that person.
It can also be used to edit, but all the on-screen assets are removed, so that is a negative for podcasters like me.
| Feature | StreamYard Advanced | Restream Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Monthly) | $68.99 | $39 |
| Streaming Quality | 4K (2160p) local | 1080p Full HD |
| Multistream Destinations | 8 | 5 channels |
| On-screen Participants | Not specified | Not specified |
| Local Recordings | Not specified | Unlimited |
| Logo/Watermark | Not specified | Removed |
| Special Features | Extra camera, 15 backstage participants, On-Air webinars (1000 viewers) | Split track recordings, Stream looping, 2 team seats |
| Upload and Stream | Not specified | 60 min videos, 2GB per video |
Advantage: Definitely Restream for now. It is way cheaper and has all the necessary features.
So, StreamYard has a better free plan to get you in the door, but then to stick with them the cost will rise quickly. So, if free works for you, StreamYard might be just fine, but remember that they are trying to upsell you. The paid plans are better and more affordable on Restream currently.
Try these lights to look better on your streams.
