Icecast
The facts below are what the maker publishes about Icecast, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From Icecast's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Icecast | Free | Free server software for streaming multimedia · GNU GPL version 2 |
The facts
Each one read from Icecast's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Administration
- The admin interface can show statistics, move listeners between mountpoints, and disconnect sources or listeners; its functions require HTTP authentication.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- Listener authentication supports htpasswd files and URL based checks; source authentication supports passwords and URL based checks.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The current release is 2.5.0; the official download page offers source for Linux/Unix and a Windows installer.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Formats
- The project lists Ogg (Vorbis and Theora), Opus, FLAC, WebM, and MP3 as supported formats; its FAQ says MP4, M4A, NSV, and AAC might work but are not officially supported.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project describes libshout as a library for communicating with Icecast servers and IceS as a program that sends audio to Icecast.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limit
- Icecast sends the same mountpoint stream to its listeners, so an individual listener cannot pause it or change tracks without affecting everyone on that mountpoint.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Multiple streams
- A server can host multiple mountpoints, each carrying a separate stream or channel.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Icecast is a streaming media server for sending audio and video streams to listeners and viewers, including internet radio stations and jukeboxes.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Release support
- The project says support for Icecast 2.4.4 ends on 2026-12-31 and that only security fixes are being accepted for that version.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Source clients
- Icecast serves content supplied by source clients, which may run on a separate machine or on the Icecast server itself.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The documentation lists the Icecast mailing list, developer mailing list, and IRC chat as ways to contact the development team.checked 7 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Linux and Unix packages
- The download page recommends distribution packages where available and says official builds are packaged for various distributions; listed packages are built with OpenSSL enabled and signed by the openSUSE OBS multimedia project GPG key.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Windows service
- The FAQ says Icecast no longer has built-in Windows service capabilities and points users to a third-party service manager.checked 7 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Icecast
- 1
Restream
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI9.1From $19 a month - 2
mimoLive
Free planiOSWebAPImacOS8.7From $70 a month - 3
Amazon Interactive Video Service
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BoxCast
AndroidiOSWebAPI8.6From $8.25 a month - 5
OneStream Live
Free planAndroidiOSWebExtension8.5From $15 a month - 6
StreamYard On-Air
Free planiOSWebExtension8.5From $35.99 a month