Restream

Restream pairs live-video production with distribution to multiple streaming destinations. Its browser Studio, multistreaming connections and tools for recorded broadcasts and clips make it useful for teams and creators with more than one channel to serve. The trade-off is a sharp divide between the free plan’s two-channel cap and paid plans, plus recording and platform limits worth checking before committing.

Overview

Restream, Inc. has offered the service since 2015. It brings together a browser-based studio, connections to third-party streaming software and tools for managing audience responses. Users can stream to more than 30 social channels and other destinations, or add custom channels.

Restream Studio supports graphics, guest invitations and live viewer comments. Restream Chat gathers comments from connected platforms for reading and responding in one place. Upload & Stream schedules recorded video to air as a live broadcast while the user is offline; Clips identifies moments in streams and videos and turns them into short-form content with smart framing and captions.

Key features

Multistreaming: Broadcast from software such as OBS to multiple destinations at once. Zoom can also connect, and custom RTMP supports platforms that provide an RTMP URL and stream key. That flexibility suits creators with an established production setup, though the plan’s channel cap still determines how many destinations can receive a stream.

Browser production: Studio lets users go live from a browser without setup, add graphics, invite up to 10 participants and display viewer comments. Screen sharing works in desktop browsers, not mobile browsers, so mobile-only production is a poor fit for that workflow.

Recorded content and clips: Upload & Stream can schedule prerecorded video as a live broadcast, while Clips helps turn moments from streams and videos into captioned, reframed short-form content. These tools extend the service beyond live production.

Cloud recordings: Recordings are stored online for access and sharing, with limits of 6 to 10 hours per stream across listed plans and storage periods ranging from 15 to 30 days. The retention window matters if recordings are part of an archive workflow.

Security and teams: Restream supports encrypted RTMPS streams. Team tools include seats, workspaces, roles, access controls and central billing; Enterprise adds SSO and a security review. Paid-plan priority support includes 24/7 live chat, while Enterprise includes dedicated support and account management.

Pricing

Restream is freemium. The Free plan costs nothing, billed forever. It permits two channels at once, adds Restream branding, and includes six hours of recording per stream with 15 days of storage. It is a sensible way to try the workflow, but the channel cap and branding make it restrictive for established broadcasts.

Standard costs $19 a month, billed monthly. It raises the cap to three channels, removes branding and includes one team seat, 10 hours of recording per stream and 15 days of storage. This is the entry paid option for a solo user who needs a third destination or a clean feed; it does not add a second seat.

Professional costs $49 a month, billed monthly. It supports five channels, Full HD 1080p, 4K recording, one seat, 10 hours per stream and 15 days of storage. It suits users who need higher output resolution or more destinations, but teams still share a single included seat.

Business costs $239 a month, billed monthly. It raises the cap to eight channels and includes a website player with 1,000 viewers, two seats, co-producer mode and 30 days of recording storage, alongside Professional features. The higher price is most defensible for productions that need those audience, collaboration or retention limits.

Enterprise has custom pricing for media and corporate teams. It includes custom channels, multiple workspaces, SSO and a security review, dedicated account management, SRT ingest, stream backup and unlimited Upload & Stream. Annual pricing saves 20%; the stated plan prices are monthly billing. Check the channel cap against your intended setup: a separate maximum-destinations figure is 3, while plan tiers describe caps of 2, 3, 5 and 8 channels.

Platforms

Restream supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows and the web, as well as API access. Its browser-based Studio avoids a desktop software setup for going live, but Studio screen sharing requires a desktop browser.

Who it's for

Restream is aimed at business owners, marketers, event producers, gamers, artists and non-profits distributing video to multiple audiences. It is strongest when one production needs to reach several destinations, or when browser production, guest participation, unified chat and recorded-content tools belong in the same workflow. A user who only needs one platform, or relies on mobile-browser screen sharing, may find its multistreaming emphasis unnecessary.

Pros and cons

Pro: More than 30 destinations, custom RTMP and integrations with tools including OBS and Zoom give users several ways to route a broadcast.

Pro: Studio, unified chat, scheduled prerecorded streams and clip creation cover production and repurposing, not just distribution.

Pro: Paid plans remove branding at Standard and offer 4K recording at Professional, with more seats and longer storage at Business.

Con: Free limits simultaneous streaming to two channels and puts Restream branding on broadcasts.

Con: Studio screen sharing is unavailable in mobile browsers, and recordings have finite per-stream durations and storage periods on listed plans.

Con: Standard and Professional each include only one team seat, so collaboration can require a higher-priced plan.

Alternatives

PRISM Live Studio is worth considering for users seeking a freemium streaming tool with a $9.99 a month Plus plan for up to six channels.

Agora Interactive Live Streaming is a freemium option whose Free plan includes 10,000 participant minutes, suited to readers weighing participant-minute pricing.

Riverside offers a free plan with two hours of multitrack recordings and video up to 720p, a relevant alternative when recording is the priority.

BoxCast is a paid streaming service with a Standard plan at $109 a month when billed annually or $119 a month when billed monthly.

OBS Studio is a free choice for Linux, macOS and Windows users who want streaming software with no watermarks or usage limitations and do not need Restream’s distribution service.

OneStream Live offers a free plan with two multistream destinations, 720p, one team seat, 1 GB of storage and three scheduled events.

Switcher Studio is a paid alternative with a $65 a month Studio plan that includes two streaming destinations, 250 cloud assets and 10 hosted videos.

Meld Studio is a freemium alternative for macOS and Windows.

For more options, browse Live TV streaming services, Game Streaming Software, Church Streaming Software, Video Podcast Software and Live Streaming Software.

Verdict

Choose Restream if you need one live-video workflow for multistreaming, browser production and follow-on clips or scheduled broadcasts. Its broad destination support and integrated tools are the central case for it; look elsewhere if mobile-browser screen sharing, more included seats on an entry paid plan, or a lower channel cap’s economics do not fit your production.