Restream

Restream is a video production and distribution service for broadcasting live content across multiple destinations. It suits creators and teams that want a browser studio, audience chat and multistreaming in one workflow. Its breadth is a strength, but the free plan’s two-channel cap and branding make paid tiers the practical choice for a polished, wider rollout.

Overview

Restream brings together live production, multistreaming and tools for recorded video. You can broadcast from its browser-based Studio or connect software such as OBS and Zoom, then send the stream to multiple destinations at once. The service supports more than 30 destinations, including YouTube, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Kick, Vimeo and Steam, as well as custom channels.

Studio combines graphics, guest invitations and live viewer comments. Restream Chat gathers comments from connected platforms for reading and replies in one place. Upload & Stream can schedule recorded video to air as a live stream while you are offline; Clips turns moments from streams and videos into short-form content with framing and captions. That range makes Restream more than a relay service, though teams seeking only a free encoder may not need its broader toolkit.

Key features

• Multistreaming: Broadcast from compatible software to several destinations at once. OBS and Zoom integrate with Restream, and custom RTMP works with services that provide an RTMP URL and stream key. This is useful for reaching audiences across platforms without managing separate broadcasts.
• Browser-based Studio: Go live from a browser without setup, add graphics, invite guests and display viewer comments. Up to 10 participants can join. Screen sharing works in desktop browsers, but not mobile browsers, so mobile-first production has a meaningful limitation.
• Unified chat: Read and respond to live comments from connected platforms in a single place, reducing the need to monitor separate feeds.
• Recorded content: Upload & Stream schedules recorded videos as live broadcasts, including when you are offline. Cloud recordings can be accessed and shared online, with recording limits from 6 to 10 hours per stream depending on plan.
• Clips and integrations: Clips identifies moments and formats them for short-form publishing with smart framing and captions. Integrations include production tools such as vMix and Streamlabs, plus SRT, HLS and WHIP channels.
• Security and teams: Encrypted RTMPS supports end-to-end encrypted RTMP streams. Restream describes GDPR safeguards that include access controls, monitoring, vulnerability and breach detection, incident response and encryption. Seats, workspaces, roles, access controls and central billing support team workflows; Enterprise adds SSO and a security review.

Pricing

Restream has a free plan and three fixed-price monthly tiers, with Enterprise on custom pricing. Annual billing saves 20%, though the listed plan prices below are monthly.

Free is a reasonable way to start with two destinations, but the branding and short recording-storage window constrain professional use. Standard removes the branding and adds one destination, making it the clearest step up for an individual creator. Professional is aimed at those who need five channels and higher-resolution output; its single seat will not expand a team. Business costs substantially more, but adds three destinations over Professional, a website player and another seat, alongside longer storage. Enterprise is for media and corporate teams that need custom channels and security or account-management provisions rather than a published tier price.

Platforms

Restream supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows and web, as well as an API. Studio screen sharing is limited to desktop browsers, so the platform list does not mean every production feature works on mobile.

Who it's for

Restream fits creators, gamers, artists, marketers, business owners, event producers and non-profits that need to distribute video across multiple destinations. Browser production and unified chat suit solo hosts who want production and audience interaction together; seats, workspaces and centralized billing make the service more relevant to teams. It is less compelling for a user who only needs a free, single-platform streaming tool or must share a Studio screen from a mobile browser.

Pros and cons

• Pro: More than 30 destinations, custom channels and integrations with OBS and Zoom give users several routes to multistream.
• Pro: Studio, unified chat, scheduled recorded streams and clips cover live production and follow-on content in one service.
• Pro: Paid tiers specify channel counts, recording durations and storage, making capacity trade-offs visible.
• Con: Free streaming is capped at two channels and carries Restream branding.
• Con: Studio screen sharing is unavailable in mobile browsers.
• Con: Standard and Professional each include only one team seat; teams needing more seats must consider Business or custom Enterprise arrangements.

Alternatives

• OBS Studio is the better fit for readers who want a free desktop streaming application with no watermarks or usage limitations and do not need Restream’s multistreaming service.
• PRISM Live Studio is worth considering for a freemium option spanning mobile and desktop, with a $9.99 a month Plus plan supporting up to six channels.
• Streamlabs Desktop is an alternative for macOS and Windows users comparing a desktop freemium streaming tool; its Starter plan includes one guest or camera and 1 GB of storage.
• Agora Interactive Live Streaming suits developers or teams evaluating a freemium interactive streaming service with API support and a Free tier of 10,000 participant minutes.
• Meld Studio is a macOS and Windows alternative whose free tier includes multistreaming, 4K recording with multitrack audio and one-click clipping.
• Streamlabs Multistream offers a freemium alternative across web, desktop and mobile platforms, with its Starter plan including one vertical and one horizontal destination.
• mimoLive is another freemium option for readers considering a Mac-oriented streaming tool.
• Livepush is a web-based alternative whose free tier offers up to 10 platforms at once and 20 streaming hours per month.

Browse more options in Live Streaming Software, Game Streaming Software, Church Streaming Software, Video Podcast Software and Live TV streaming services.

Verdict

Choose Restream if you need to produce and distribute live video across several platforms while keeping guests, comments and recorded content in the same workflow. Its strongest case is the breadth of the production and distribution toolkit; its main drawback is that removing branding and expanding beyond two channels requires a paid plan, while team seats remain limited on the lower tiers. For a simple free desktop streaming setup, OBS Studio is the more direct choice.