7 Best Restream Alternatives in 2026: Free & Paid Options Compared

The best Restream alternative depends on why you’re leaving: Upstream for live, scheduled and 24/7 streams from one account, StreamYard for a browser studio with guests, Livepush for many destinations on a small budget, and OBS for free and fully local.

We compared 7 tools on destination limits, free plan terms, 1080p access, custom RTMP and whether each one can run a 24/7 channel. The full table is right below.

Vendor pricing and plan limits were rechecked on October 20, 2026. Screenshots were captured from each vendor’s public page on October 6, 2026, unless the caption says otherwise.

Restream alternatives compared

Prices are monthly billing unless noted. Most vendors take 13 to 22% off for yearly billing. Where a vendor’s own pages disagree, we say so rather than guess.

Why look for a Restream alternative?

People leave Restream over three things: 2 channels on the free plan, 720p Studio output below the $49/mo Professional plan, and a 40 hour cap on looped pre-recorded streams. Restream itself is a solid multistreaming service. It sends one feed to 30+ platforms and its Studio handles guests well.

On pricing, Restream starts free for 2 branded channels. Standard is $19/mo ($16/mo billed yearly) for 3 channels, Professional is $49/mo ($39/mo yearly) for 5 channels and Full HD 1080p in Studio, and Business is $239/mo ($199/mo yearly) for 8 channels (Restream pricing, checked October 20, 2026). Our Restream pricing guide covers every plan, the free plan limits, the add-ons and what a 24/7 stream really costs.

Restream doesn’t cap how long a live encoder stream runs, but its help center suggests restarting every 24 hours because its servers can be restarted for maintenance (How long can I stream for?). Pre-recorded video is a different story. Restream’s Upload & Stream turns uploaded videos into scheduled events, and its help center spells out the ceiling for looping them:

“You can stream a maximum of a 40-hour stream with looping.”

Source: Restream Help Center, Loop the video of your pre-recorded stream

Playlists and looping come with the Marathon and Media tiers of the Upload & Stream add-on (Restream Upload & Stream). A playlist holds up to 40 videos, and videos can only be added or rearranged before it goes live (Restream playlist help). None of that lets one stream move between live input, scheduled playback, 24/7 loops and backups. If that’s the job, you need a different kind of tool.

1. Upstream: best all in one Restream alternative

Upstream is a cloud streaming platform built around stream slots. A stream slot is one stream that can be live at a time, and each slot can run a 24/7 stream, schedule pre-recorded streams, go live from the browser Live Studio, accept OBS/RTMP input, work as a backup, and multistream to up to 10 of 30+ supported platforms at once, including YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Facebook, TikTok, Rumble, Instagram, and custom RTMP.

The structural difference from Restream: there are no feature tiers. The free plan gives you 1 stream slot, 24 streaming hours per month, 1080p at 30fps, 100 GB storage, multistreaming to up to 10 of 30+ supported platforms at once, and no watermark, with no credit card required. Restream’s free tier limits channels, branding and quality. Upstream’s free tier limits hours instead.

Paid pricing is per stream slot: $30/mo for 1 stream ($24/mo equivalent billed yearly), $50/mo for 2, $70/mo for 3, then $20/stream/mo at 4+. Those prices are for 1080p at 30fps, and 60fps and 4K cost extra. The per slot price drops as you add capacity, and each paid slot can run continuously, take a live browser or OBS feed, schedule pre-recorded content, act as a backup, or run alongside your other slots.

Where Upstream pulls away is playout. Restream’s playlists lock once they go live and hold up to 40 videos. An Upstream stream plays a playlist that doesn’t have to end: you add videos while it’s live, loop them in order or shuffled, and drop stings, jingles or ad inserts between videos, with your computer off the whole time.

Pros

• Free plan includes the full feature set, with no watermark
• No feature tiers: buy stream slots and use each slot however you need
• 24/7 playback, scheduled pre-recorded streams, live input, backups, and multistreaming are core workflows, not add-ons
• Upstream sends the copies to each platform from its servers, so adding destinations doesn’t add upload or encoding load on your computer
• Playlist tools beyond Restream’s: playback controls while live, separate video and audio playlists, stings, jingles and ad inserts
• Multichat puts every platform’s chat in one feed

Cons

• Up to 10 destinations at once per stream, chosen from 30+ supported platforms (direct integrations plus custom RTMP and SRT). Switchboard advertises unlimited
• No AI clip generation (a $19 to $59/mo add-on on Restream) or dual horizontal and vertical output (Restream Professional and up)

Pricing: Free (24 hrs/mo); paid from $30/mo, $24/mo equivalent billed yearly (source)

Best for: creators and brands who want live, scheduled, pre-recorded, backup, 24/7 and multistream workflows from one account.

2. StreamYard: best browser studio for live shows

StreamYard is the closest rival to Restream Studio specifically. If your format is interview shows, webinars, or panels produced in the browser, StreamYard is built for exactly that, with overlays, banners, up to 10 on-screen participants, and AI clips.

StreamYard now starts at $18.99/mo ($14.99/mo billed yearly) on Essential, which multistreams to 2 destinations in 1080p with StreamYard branding. Core at $44.99/mo ($35.99/mo yearly) removes the branding, raises that to 3 destinations and adds 2 hour pre-recorded streams. Advanced at $88.99/mo ($68.99/mo yearly) reaches 8 destinations and 4K local recording, and Business plans go to 10. The free plan streams to one destination with a StreamYard logo (StreamYard pricing and multistream help, checked October 20, 2026).

Restream and StreamYard are different shapes. Restream is multistream first with a studio attached. StreamYard is studio first with multistreaming attached. Neither is built to run a 24/7 playlist channel. Our Restream vs StreamYard comparison goes through the two side by side.

Pros

• Browser studio built around guests, with up to 10 people on screen
• Pre-recorded streams (2 hours on Core, 4 on Advanced) and AI clips

Cons

• Only 2 destinations at $18.99/mo and 3 at $44.99/mo. 8 needs Advanced at $88.99/mo
• No always on or looping channel workflow

Pricing: Free (1 destination, watermarked); Essential $18.99/mo; Core $44.99/mo; Advanced $88.99/mo (source)

Best for: podcasters and webinar hosts who want guests and production tools in the browser.

3. Castr: best for embeds, OTT, and team workflows

Castr is infrastructure flavored: alongside multistreaming it sells embeddable players delivered over several CDNs, video hosting, and HLS (m3u8) links for your own apps from the Premium plan up. Branded OTT apps sit on its separate Events plan at $749.99/mo. Destination counts scale by tier: Starter ($19.99/mo, $16.67/mo yearly) streams to 6 destinations, Standard ($49.99/mo) to 10, Premium ($199.99/mo) to 20, Ultra ($349.99/mo) to 30 (Castr pricing, checked October 20, 2026). Looping playout starts on Premium, with up to 15 loop days.

There’s no free plan, just a 7 day trial on Starter. For a solo creator that makes Castr a hard sell against free tiers elsewhere, but for a business embedding streams on its own site, the CDN player is the draw.

Pros

• Embed player and video hosting on every plan, HLS output from Premium
• Destination count is generous at mid tiers

Cons

• No free plan
• HLS, looping playout and 20 destinations start at $199.99/mo

Pricing: from $19.99/mo, 7 day trial (source)

Best for: businesses embedding live video on their own properties.

4. OneStream Live: best for streaming from cloud storage

OneStream Live schedules pre-recorded videos up to 60 days in advance and imports files straight from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box, so you don’t have to download and re-upload them yourself. Paid plans are $15, $39 and $49 a month for Basic, Standard and Professional with monthly billing (OneStream pricing, checked October 20, 2026).

The catch is duration caps. OneStream’s plan comparison limits a pre-recorded stream to 15 minutes on Free, 1 hour on Basic, 3 hours on Standard, 8 hours on Professional and 20 hours on Enterprise. Its separate 24/7 option streams to YouTube only, for up to 30 days, and is included on Enterprise or a $30/mo add-on on other paid plans (OneStream 24/7 help). Fine for scheduled premieres. A 24/7 channel costs extra and only goes to YouTube.

Pros

• Imports straight from cloud storage, no upload from your computer
• Scheduling up to 60 days ahead

Cons

• Pre-recorded stream duration capped by plan
• 24/7 streaming is YouTube only, and a $30/mo add-on below Enterprise

Pricing: Free (2 destinations, 720p); paid from $15/mo (source)

Best for: marketers scheduling pre-recorded premieres from existing cloud libraries.

5. Livepush: best cheap multistream fanout

Livepush is the budget option for sending one stream to many places. On its plan cards, Pro is $15/mo and sends one stream to 15 destinations in total, with up to 3 accounts per platform. Creators ($39/mo) raises that to 25 and adds a 24/7 schedule channel, and Business ($119/mo) reaches 45. The comparison table on the same page lists 10, 30, 40 and 40 instead, so confirm the limit you need before you pay (Livepush pricing, checked October 20, 2026).

The free plan gives you 3 destinations and 20 hours of streaming per month, with scheduled events up to 20 minutes, but it leaves out Facebook pages and groups, Kick and custom RTMP (Livepush free plan help). If your only requirement is “take my RTMP feed and put it everywhere,” the price per destination is hard to beat.

Pros

• 15 destinations for $15/mo on Pro, per the plan cards
• Free tier with real multistreaming (3 destinations)

Cons

• Destination limits differ between its plan cards and its comparison table
• Free plan leaves out Kick, Facebook pages and custom RTMP

Pricing: Free (3 destinations, 20 hrs/mo); paid from $15/mo (source)

Best for: streamers who want the most destinations per dollar.

6. Switchboard Live: best for unlimited destinations

Switchboard Live advertises unlimited destinations on all three of its plans. It no longer lists prices. The pricing page shows SMB, Public Sector and Enterprise, and each one starts with a Book a Call button (Switchboard pricing, checked October 20, 2026). Its help center FAQ mentions 30 destinations per workflow, so ask about your setup on that call. It also offers a GSA MAS contract, which matters if you’re a US government or public sector broadcaster.

There’s no free plan. Enterprise lists 24/7 streams, but we found no hosted playlist or looping playback in its docs. It’s a stream management layer aimed at organizations sending one event to many places at once.

Pros

• Unlimited destinations advertised on all plans
• Public sector procurement friendly (GSA)

Cons

• No free plan
• No public pricing. You get a quote on a sales call

Pricing: on request (source)

Best for: churches, agencies, and government teams sending to many destinations.

7. OBS Studio + Multi-RTMP: best free local route

OBS Studio plus the free Multi-RTMP plugin is the fully local, $0 Restream alternative. OBS encodes your stream and the plugin sends it to multiple RTMP endpoints, with no subscription and full control over scenes, encoders, and bitrate (OBS overview). The plugin is still maintained: version 0.7.4.4 shipped on October 2, 2026 with builds for Windows, macOS and Linux (release on GitHub).

The tradeoff is that everything runs on your machine. Each destination adds to your upload, because a full copy of the stream goes to every server. The plugin can share one OBS encoder across outputs, so CPU load doesn’t have to grow with each destination. OBS can reconnect after a drop, but your computer and connection have to stay up for the whole stream.

If you’d rather run the relay on a server, datarhei Restreamer is the open source, self-hosted route: one RTMP input forwarded to several platforms from a Docker container. It’s the same trade as OBS, except the machine that has to stay up is a server you maintain. Our free RTMP server guide covers the self-hosted setups, and Upstream’s RTMP server does the same relay in the cloud.

Pros

• Free and open source, no caps
• Total local control over encoding and scenes

Cons

• Upload bandwidth grows with every destination
• No scheduling or 24/7 operation without leaving a PC on

Pricing: free (source)

Best for: technical streamers who want zero subscription cost and full control.

Which Restream alternative should you pick?

Start with Upstream if you want one product for live multistreaming, scheduled pre-recorded streams, 24/7 playback, backups, and a free plan that works for recurring shows. If your real need is a browser studio with guests, StreamYard is the better shortlist item. If you’re embedding video on your own site, Castr. If you need lots of destinations cheaply, Livepush. If you need unlimited destinations and public sector paperwork, Switchboard. If you want a free and fully local Restream alternative, OBS + Multi-RTMP is still the strongest DIY route.

Restream itself is still the right call for some setups. One Restream user on Trustpilot named the reason they stay:

“the stream relay makes it so that I can get to 5 channels (at my tier) while only broadcasting out 2 streams (vertical, horizontal)”

Source: Internet Tour Guide, 5 star Trustpilot review of Restream, May 25, 2026

OBS deserves a fair word: it’s the free and manual path, and for some teams it’s enough. The cloud alternative is for people who want similar outcomes, such as guests, scheduled playback, 24/7 uptime, and sending to many platforms, without relying on local hardware. For the direct product comparison, see Upstream vs Restream.

FAQ

What is the best free alternative to Restream?

Upstream’s free plan: 1 stream slot, 24 hours/month, the full feature set, multistreaming to up to 10 of 30+ supported platforms at once, 1080p, no watermark. Livepush (3 destinations, 20 hrs/mo) and OBS Multi-RTMP (no caps, but local) are free too.

Is OBS a real Restream alternative?

Yes, with the free Multi-RTMP plugin. It costs nothing and gives full control, but your upload carries every destination, and your computer and connection have to stay up for the whole stream.

Restream vs StreamYard: which is better?

Restream is multistream first, with more destinations per dollar. StreamYard is studio first, with better browser production. Neither runs a 24/7 playlist channel or lets one stream move between live input, scheduled playback and backups. That’s where Upstream fits. Our Restream vs StreamYard guide has the full comparison.

Can Restream run a 24/7 stream?

Partly. Restream doesn’t cap how long a live encoder stream runs, but it suggests restarting every 24 hours. A looped pre-recorded video repeats up to 10 times, with “a maximum of a 40-hour stream with looping.” For always on playback from a playlist with your computer off, use a 24/7 native tool like Upstream. Our guide to the best 24/7 live streaming software puts Restream’s loop limits next to Upstream and other 24/7 tools.

How much does Restream cost in 2026?

Free for 2 channels with branding, then $19/mo Standard (3 channels), $49/mo Professional (5 channels, 1080p Studio) and $239/mo Business (8 channels) (Restream pricing). The full Restream pricing breakdown has the yearly prices, the free plan limits and the looping add-on.

Related multistreaming guides

For the broader category view, see the best live streaming platforms roundup. If StreamYard is also on your shortlist, compare the best StreamYard alternatives and the direct Upstream vs Restream breakdown. Every Upstream comparison is also side by side in one table on our compare page.

Sources

1. Restream: pricing, Upload & Stream, and Help Center articles on looping, playlists, stream duration and custom RTMP
2. Upstream: pricing and free plan
3. StreamYard: plans and pricing and multistreaming help
4. Castr: pricing
5. OneStream Live: pricing and plan comparison and 24/7 streaming
6. Livepush: pricing and free plan
7. Switchboard Live: pricing and FAQ
8. OBS Studio: overview, the Multiple RTMP outputs plugin and datarhei Restreamer
9. Review quoted: Trustpilot page for Restream

All pages checked October 20, 2026.