Upstream vs. Restream

Restream is built for live multistreaming. Upstream gives you that plus Live Studio, scheduled pre-recorded broadcasts, 24/7 playback, backups, overlays, and flexible stream slots from the same cloud account. No feature tiers: use each slot however you need.

Start Streaming Free

YouTube Verified Software Encoder

Upstream is a YouTube Verified Software Encoder. Your streams meet the highest technical and legal standards, guaranteed. Choose the best for your stream.

Best-in-class Stream Designer

Upstream’s Stream overlay designer has powerful overlay and branding features. Embed websites & interactive elements, add images & videos, even use custom fonts! Make your stream come alive!

All-in-one live streaming software

Start free with 24 hours every month. Every feature is unlocked: Live Studio, scheduled pre-recorded streams, 24/7 playback, backups, and multistreaming to up to 10 destinations at once.

Compare Upstream & Restream

Restream is strong for live relay and destination coverage. Upstream is the complete streaming suite: live multistreaming, Live Studio, scheduled broadcasts, pre-recorded streams, overlays, backups, 24/7 playback, and no feature tiers.

Upstream

Restream

Flexible stream workflow

Flexible stream slots

Use each slot for live, scheduled, pre-recorded, 24/7, backup, or multistreaming

Live relay, studio, and event workflows; 24/7 playback is less central

Recurring automation

Daily/weekly repeat schedules

Event and playlist scheduling; looping is paid extra

Live playlist edits while running

Edit playlists and overlays on the fly without stopping

Edit scheduled events before the broadcast; less on-the-fly control

24/7 and long-running playback

Run a stream slot continuously from the cloud

No duration cap, but Restream recommends restarting after 24 hours unless on a custom plan

One workflow for live, scheduled, pre-recorded, and 24/7

Live Studio, upload, schedule, design, multistream, backup, and 24/7 control in one flow

Destination-first studio and event workflow; 24/7 playback is less central

Streaming operations

Multistreaming destinations

Up to 10 destinations per stream slot, all features included

Destination limits vary by plan

Custom RTMP destinations

Included

Extra cost for custom RTMP

YouTube API connection

YouTube Connect workflow

OAuth channel connection

Backup / failover stream

Use a dedicated stream slot as backup/failover

Backup workflows available on higher or custom setups

Operator-friendly team roles

Team roles for stream operations

Organizations and workspaces on higher plans

Production and design

Browser live studio

Live Studio included for live shows

Restream Studio

Guest/interview workflow

Guests available in Live Studio

Guest workflow in Restream Studio

Drag-and-drop stream designer

Layered Stream Designer

Studio layouts and graphics, not a full stream designer

Embed websites in the stream

Website layers in the stream canvas

Website player and Studio graphics, not equivalent canvas layers

Interactive widgets and alerts

Widgets, embeds, and visual layers

Studio graphics workflow, less focused on widgets and embedded sources

Custom stream fonts

Custom fonts for branded streams

Not clearly documented for stream output

Monetization and growth

Custom YouTube ad cue points

Cue point control for YouTube monetization

YouTube ad timing handled by destination workflows

YouTube-first 24/7 streaming operations

Built around YouTube stream playout

Broader multistream and live-event platform

Destination-first audience growth

Send viewers to YouTube, Twitch, Kick, and RTMP endpoints

Broad destination coverage

Best fit

Teams that need live multistreaming, scheduled streams, pre-recorded playback, backups, and 24/7 in one product

Destination-first teams focused mainly on broad social distribution

What sets Upstream apart

All-in-one streaming service built for live, scheduled, pre-recorded, 24/7, and multistream workflows.

Upstream is YouTube Verified

YouTube recommends Upstream on the list of Software Encoders. To become a YouTube Verified 24/7 Streaming Software we had to go through a series of rigorous checks and processes to ensure your data is safe and being broadcast in the best possible quality.

Embed Websites

Embed websites to add another layer of interactivity to your stream! Simply paste your URL, choose where you want the website to show up, and set the refresh rate!

Embed Your homepage, graphs, webcams, news - any embeddable website
Add external real-time data to your stream

Multistream to 10 destinations

Multistreaming is one of the best ways to reach new audiences and start getting followers who simply don’t hang out on your primary streaming platform. Stream to up to 10 destinations – all you need is the RTMP/stream keys!

Embed Interactive Livestreaming Alerts & Widgets

Liven up your stream with real-time notifications, sub counts, donations, chat messages and other elements that motivate your community!

Donation notifications
Chat highlights
New Subs / Sub Count
StreamElements Widgets

Embed Interactive Livestreaming Alerts & Widgets

Use Custom Fonts

Use some of our pre-loaded Google Fonts, or load up your own self hosted font via URL!

One-click Streaming (YouTube Connect via API)

Connect your YouTube and Upstream accounts and start your 24/7 livestreams with one click on Upstream! This brings many benefits:

Stop and start streams via Upstream Dashboard (no need to visit YouTube Studio)
Monitor viewer stats through Upstream
Use YouTube Ad Cue Points
Change Title, Description and Thumbnail on Upstream, on-the-fly
Launch new 24/7 streams with just a few clicks

One-click Streaming (YouTube Connect via API)

Features that set Upstream apart

More interactivity, better integration and easier control!

YouTube Verified Streaming Software & Dedicated Servers

Choosing Upstream will ensure your stream meets the highest quality standards. We are proud to be YouTube Verified – You can relax knowing your streams are in good hands and your data is safe!

Upstream Stream Designer: Embed Websites, Images, Videos and Interactive Widgets

Enrich your playlist with images and videos overlays, embed websites, graphs, news. Add sub alerts, donations, countdowns, chat alerts and StreamElements widgets. Spice up your stream and make your loops truly come alive with our Canva-like Designer!

More Storage, More Multistreaming, More Functions

With 100Gb of storage and 10 multistreaming destinations in addition to the advanced features, you truly get more for your money with Upstream.

Incredible Chat Support

Upstream is known for quick and friendly support. Whenever you are in doubt or have questions, let us know and one of us will be right with you!

YouTube Verified Streaming Software & Dedicated Servers

Our reviews

Hear first-hand from our incredible community of customers.

Davone

Super helpful staff if you have any questions. No issues with the platform so far. All minor issues were resolved within the same hour. Their customer service is top notch

Atif

Great Experience. Far better than other streaming services like Go Stream, Live Karo etc. because Upstream provide better bitrate for high quality live streaming for YouTube with pretty budget friendl...

Anthony

I'm a new customer to upstream, but have been using vps for the past year. I've had numerous problems with my previous provider and decided to change. My first day contacting support I met Sebastian...

Nolan Rempel

I'm completely brand-new to the nature of 24/7 livestreams. I needed something a bit specific, Sebastian and Dom were both HUGE helpers in explaining everything so I could easily understand it. On top...

Jordan - MrSpherical

The upstream is amazing, and the stream designer is a really great tool! I can rest assured that the live stream is performing perfectly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are seriously considering sca...

Paint Your Heaven LLC

Just what we needed. AMAZING customer service as well!!

Heidy Cardens

When I decided to run a Stream first I needed to how to do it, and I learned. Then I had to choose a trustworthy platform so I searched many of them, and among all the options I choose Upstream becaus...

Alister

Fantastic service, super helpful support team. Would highly recommend.

Alyssa Farris

I love how easy Upstream is to use - especially for someone like me who has no technical knowledge of servers. The whole process of a 24/7 live stream was overwhelming to me until I found upstream. Su...

Nina

I am brand new to stream a 24 seven I had the most amazing help from Dom & Mario!!! To be honest, their customer service is just as amazing as Apple! And everyone knows that I love Apple I am now curr...

Marc Ryan

results speak for themselves. since going live with upstream my stream got 10k views off an account with 900 followers. this tool helped me tap into a livestreaming market without going live by reusin...

Start with a real free plan.

Sign up free. 24 hours of live streaming every month. Every feature unlocked, no credit card, no watermark. Upgrade to flexible stream slots when you need more capacity.

No credit card
1 stream included
24 hours/month
Full functionality

Start Streaming Free More info

No credit card · 1 stream included · 24 hours/month · Full functionality