StreamYard is the simplest way to put guests on a live show: send a link, they join in a browser, and you click them on screen. That is what you pay for, and it is priced like it. Core starts at $44.99 a month, more than double Restream's entry plan, but you get 1080p from the browser studio and a guest experience built for people who have never streamed before.
What it does well
The studio is the product. StreamYard's help center lists 6 people on screen on Free and 10 on every paid plan, with up to 15 waiting backstage on Advanced and Business. Business adds a Greenroom where you can check a guest's setup privately before they go live.
Output quality is consistent: 1080p on every paid plan, with the StreamYard logo removed. Core multistreams to 3 destinations, Advanced to 8 and Business to 10. StreamYard says it connects directly to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Twitch, Kick and Brightcove, and reaches TikTok and others through custom RTMP. It also advertises horizontal and vertical output from the same session, which it calls Multi-Aspect Ratio Streaming.
Recording is where StreamYard beats most browser studios. Paid plans record live streams automatically and offer unlimited local recordings, which capture each participant as separate files for your editor. Advanced and Business record locally in 4K. Paid plans keep cloud recordings against a storage quota (50 hours on Core and Advanced, 700+ on Business) instead of deleting them after two weeks.
Advanced also includes On-Air, a hosted webinar page with an optional registration form, for up to 100 viewers. Registrations are the part of a live event you actually own, so export them to your email list after every show.
Where it falls short
The free plan is a demo. It shows the StreamYard logo, can't multistream or use custom RTMP, doesn't auto-record, limits local recording to 2 hours a month and storage to 5 hours, and doesn't let you download recordings. Free recordings older than 12 months are permanently removed. The monthly streaming-hour cap is visible only on your account's billing page.
Price is the other issue. For three destinations, Core costs $44.99 a month against $19 for Restream Standard. If you stream from OBS and just need a relay, StreamYard is the wrong tool.
Read the Plan Usage Policy before you subscribe. Core and Advanced are for individual use. Since December 2025, StreamYard has moved accounts it considers commercial or multi-user to the Business plan at their next renewal, with email reminders 30 and 15 days ahead.
Pricing in practice
Prices are in USD, checked October 10, 2026. Core costs $44.99 a month or $35.99 a month billed annually. Advanced costs $88.99 or $68.99 annually. Business costs $299 or $249 annually with two seats. Paid plans have a 7-day free trial, and StreamYard offers a 7-day money-back guarantee on the first charge. Its pricing page says prices may vary with promotions and renewal terms, so check the checkout total.
Example: a weekly interview show streamed to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook at 1080p, annual billing, list prices on October 10, 2026, no add-ons. StreamYard Core costs $35.99 x 12 = $431.88 a year. Restream Professional, its 1080p studio equivalent, costs $470 a year.
Who should pick it (and who shouldn't)
Pick StreamYard if your show depends on guests who aren't technical, if you want 1080p from a browser on the entry plan, or if you want a webinar page with registration without paying for an add-on.
Skip it if you stream alone from a desktop encoder, if you need multistreaming for free, or if you're a brand or agency team that would land on Business. What would change our view: publishing the free-plan hour cap and a cheaper entry tier.
Alternatives worth comparing
- Restream (visit RestreamAFFILIATE, affiliate): cheaper multistreaming and a relay for OBS. See StreamYard vs Restream.
- Riverside (visit RiversideAFFILIATE, affiliate): better if the recording matters as much as the stream.
- Ecamm Live: a Mac app with interview mode on its Pro plan.
- Compare all of them in our guide to the best livestreaming software for creators.
SOURCES (CHECKED OCT 10, 2026)
| Claim | Source URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Core/Advanced prices monthly and annual, plan features (1080p, destinations 3/8, 10 on screen, 50 hrs storage, local recordings, 4K local, On-Air 100), individual-use note, promo pricing note, 7-day trial, 7-day money-back, USD/INR | https://streamyard.com/pricing | 2026-10-10 |
| Business $299/$249, 2 seats, 10 destinations, On-Air 1,000+, 700+ hrs storage (Business tab) | https://streamyard.com/pricing | 2026-10-10 |
| Free plan limits: hour caps in account, 2 hrs local recording, no auto-record, 5 hrs storage, no multistream/RTMP/downloads, logo, 6 on screen, 12-month removal | https://support.streamyard.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043298692 | 2026-10-10 |
| Backstage and on-screen participants by plan | https://support.streamyard.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043298652 | 2026-10-10 |
| Business plan transition since December 2025, renewal timing, 30/15-day reminders, Greenroom | https://support.streamyard.com/hc/en-us/articles/43890093848340 | 2026-10-10 |
| Direct destinations (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Twitch, Kick, Brightcove), RTMP, Multi-Aspect Ratio Streaming | https://streamyard.com/multistreaming | 2026-10-10 |
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | StreamYard logo on streams, monthly streaming hours shown only in your account, 6 on screen, no multistreaming, no custom RTMP, no recording downloads, 2 hours of local recording a month, 5 hours of storage. |
| Core | $44.99 /mo | Or $35.99/mo billed annually. 1080p, 3 destinations, 10 on screen, 50 hours of storage, unlimited local recordings. Individual use only. |
| Advanced | $88.99 /mo | Or $68.99/mo billed annually. 8 destinations, 4K local recordings, 15 backstage, On-Air webinars for 100 viewers. Individual use only. |
| Business | $299 /mo | Or $249/mo billed annually. 2 seats, 10 destinations, On-Air for 1,000+ viewers, 700+ hours of storage, priority support. For company use. |
Solo creators running interview shows, panels or webinars where non-technical guests join from a link and the host wants 1080p without setup. — and anyone who wants StreamYard to do the heavy lifting in this category.
Skip it if you stream solo from OBS and only need a cheap relay, or if you run a brand channel with a team and don't want to pay Business prices. — if that's a dealbreaker, see every video tool we've reviewed.
- Is StreamYard free?
Yes, with limits. The free plan shows the StreamYard logo, allows 6 people on screen, caps monthly streaming hours (shown in your account), and does not allow multistreaming, custom RTMP or recording downloads. Free recordings older than 12 months are removed.
- How much does StreamYard cost?
Core is $44.99 a month or $35.99 billed annually, Advanced is $88.99 or $68.99, and Business is $299 or $249 with two seats, per StreamYard's pricing page on October 10, 2026.
- How many guests can I have on StreamYard?
Up to 10 on screen on paid plans and 6 on Free. Advanced and Business allow 15 people in the studio, with the extras waiting backstage.
- Can I multistream on StreamYard?
On paid plans only: 3 destinations on Core, 8 on Advanced and 10 on Business. The free plan does not multistream.
- Will StreamYard move me to the Business plan?
Possibly, if you use it commercially or with a team. Since December 2025, StreamYard moves accounts that meet its Plan Usage Policy criteria to Business at their next renewal, with email reminders 30 and 15 days before.
The easiest browser studio for live shows with guests, at a higher price than relays, and with a usage policy teams need to read first.
Editorially reviewed. An editorial evaluation of verified product information, official documentation, pricing and features, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. Available demos and screenshots may inform the review; documented product use is required for a hands-on label. Read our review standards.
Editorially reviewed by Carlos Gil. Based on StreamYard's official pricing page and help center, checked October 10, 2026. StreamYard pays us nothing and the link to it is a plain link. How we review.
BestCreates is written and edited by Carlos Gil. Every tool is assessed against the same documented framework — the jobs creators hire it for, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — and each review states in the open how it was assessed.
LAST UPDATED OCT 10, 2026
SIGNED BY CARLOS GIL · FOUNDER & EDITOR, THE BEST NETWORK · OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY