Whether you are just starting out or you are an established content creator, finding the right Twitch streaming software can be a daunting task. While there are some free and “free” options on the market, many programs require a paid subscription to unlock all the customization and monetization features such as merchandise stores, donation pages, overlays, and custom alerts. Streaming beginners can also be confused by how deeply some streaming software handles audio and video.
However, if you are willing to do a little research and watch some video tutorials, you can make an amazing branding for your first time or anniversary broadcast. Many programs use the open source OBS Studio code as a base, which means that if you’re already using OBS, you can migrate your settings, scenes, and filters. Others, like X-Split, use their own code and often have steeper learning curves, so they’re better suited to experienced content creators looking for additional control over their brand and better ways to expand their audience.
To help you find the right Twitch streaming software for you, I have compiled a list of the best ones available. I’ve broken down their features, customer support, customization options, and pricing to help you find the one that best suits your business style as well as your wallet.
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- Premium and free versions
- Custom widgets and overlays
- Great for beginners and experienced content creators
- Merch Store is available to subscribers only
- The All-Star Rewards Program is outdated and sometimes hidden
- No lifetime license option
StreamLabs OBS is one of the most popular options for streaming on Twitch, and for good reason. The basic version of the software is completely free, which is good news for anyone who is just starting out and may not want to invest a lot of money right away. But as your audience grows and you become more familiar with what works for you, you can choose to pay either a $19 monthly subscription or $149 for a full year to access more features.
Premium features include the ability to create a custom merchandise store, a dedicated page for viewers to send donations, access to more custom overlays, broadcast to multiple sites at once, and dedicated creator support. Support includes help securing products for reviews, brand endorsements, and other paid opportunities as well as enhanced troubleshooting for any issues you might have. Both the free and premium versions let you add donation tools and instructions, create custom overlays for different scenes, and create polls and giveaways to keep your audience engaged and entertained.
- free forever
- strong community
- Unlimited customization
- steeper learning curve than other software
- No overlay or widget store
OBS Studio is a completely free streaming software on which a lot of other options are based. If you are familiar with StreamLabs or Stream Elements, you will be able to quickly understand how OBS Studio works. Since it is open source, you will be able to join a strong community of programmers that provide patches, bug fixes, and even tweaks; The downside though is a rather steep learning curve as you have to create all the overlays, alerts, and tools.
Another downside is that you can only stream to one streaming site at a time, which somewhat limits your audience if you’re a more popular streamer. However, if you are just starting out, it is easier to manage your broadcasts to one location. OBS allows you to fully customize your broadcast, including audio filters to improve compression and reduce background noise, virtually unlimited scene creation, the ability to record and live broadcasts at the same time, and hotkeys for your most frequently used actions such as scene transitions and pause or start streaming and recording.
- free forever
- Dedicated support team
- big community
- Stream Elements takes a cut of merchandise sales, brand deals, and donations
- Limited Analytical Tools
Stream Elements is another streaming software based on OBS Studio source code, which is similar to StreamLabs. The difference between them is that Stream Elements is completely free for everyone, and it offers all the high-quality features like StreamLabs without a firewall. Along with streaming live to Twitch, YouTube, or even Facebook, you can create or download custom overlays, widgets, and alerts, create a commerce store, enable a chatbot to help moderate your chat, and set up custom tips and donation pages.
You can also create contests, giveaways and loyalty programs for your audience to keep them engaged with the broadcast. And if you run into technical issues or need help getting started, Stream Elements has a dedicated troubleshooting support team, a library of video tutorials, and a dedicated Discord server for connecting with other users.
- Lifetime license available
- Lifetime updates and customer support
- Unlimited customization and multi streaming
- The free basic version is very limited
- steep learning curve
- No native support for macOS or Linux
X-Split is a live streaming software aimed at content creators with a large audience. Broadcaster has a free basic version with limited functionality, which is great for testing if you’re considering making the switch.
To access all the features, you will have to upgrade to a paid subscription, which is around $15 per month or $60 for a full year. You can even buy a lifetime license for $200, which is a one-time down payment that lets you use X-Split for as long as you want to create content. With a paid subscription, you can stream to multiple sites simultaneously to expand your audience, create unlimited scenes to stream different types of content, and have a dedicated support team to troubleshoot technical issues.
And with paid subscriptions, you’ll get lifetime updates to keep X-Split and your content engaging and interesting for returning viewers and newcomers to your chat. You can even integrate other programs like Zoom and Discord or add GIFs, still images, and music to your broadcast for more exciting content and easier collaboration with other creators. X-Split is great for pre-recorded content like YouTube, allowing you to record multiple scenes at once for easier post-production and editing.
- free
- Ensure integration of Twitch plugins
- Real-time stats monitoring
- Simplified user interface
- Unstable beta build
- There are no customization options yet
- Limited compatibility with games and browsers
Twitch threw its hat into the ring with the introduction of Twitch Studio streaming. This program has been designed from the ground up with beginners in mind, with the goal of providing a simpler and more streamlined experience to help a novice or novice get started. The program is completely free, and has the added benefit of guaranteed integration with Twitch plugins such as chat leaderboards, audio clips, and social media posting. You will also be able to monitor real-time stats such as uptime, number of viewers, number of followers and subscribers, and the status of your internet connection.
The drawback is that Twitch Studio seems very limited compared to other streaming software, as it lacks any kind of customization options for overlays and alerts. It’s also, at the time of writing, in beta, which means it will likely have a lot of issues supporting different games and browsers. However, Twitch Studio is a great option if you’re just getting started and want to get a feel for how streaming works before diving into more involved programs like StreamLabs or X-Split.
In my opinion, StreamLabs OBS is the best live streaming software if you want to get started on Twitch (or any live streaming site). The basic version is completely free, and allows you to create your own overlays for start, end, BRB, and live scenes as well as alerts for donations, followers, and subscriptions. And when you’ve built a decent audience, you can sign up for premium features (which require a monthly or yearly fee) to create a more advanced overlay, create a commerce store, and support creators for sponsorships and product deals.
|
Twitch streaming software |
price |
Stream to multiple sites |
Custom Overlays |
|
StreamLabs OBS |
Free / $19 |
Twitch, Facebook, YouTube |
yes |
|
OBS |
free |
number |
yes |
|
Stream items |
free |
Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Truffaut |
yes |
|
X Split |
$15 |
Twitch, YouTube, Facebook |
yes |
|
Twitch Studio |
free |
number |
yes |
Each streaming program will have a learning curve, although some will be steeper than others. The best streaming software for you will be the one that fits your budget and has a strong community. The more engaged the community, the better chance you have of finding tutorials for creating overlays and alerts as well as support for creators when you need to troubleshoot issues or grow your audience.
|
choose this Twitch streaming software… |
If you need… |
|
StreamLabs OBS |
Easy-to-use streaming software with both free and paid options |
|
OBS |
Open source streaming software |
|
Stream items |
Totally free streaming software |
|
X Split |
An excellent program for experienced content creators |
|
Twitch Studio |
Easy to use and easy to use program for beginners |
I chose most of the free or “free” options for this list, because I wanted to focus on helping livestream newcomers get started. There are a few options as premium as X-Split, but it’s geared toward professional content creators and streaming companies who need powerful features for a truly unique brand.
A large number of Twitch players use StreamLabs OBS to stream games, music, and podcasts. That’s because it has a basic free option that lets you get started right away while providing premium features (for a fee) to experienced content creators who need more control over their streaming format as well as things like a merchandise store.
If you want to stream PC games, you don’t need a capture card, just some screen recording software. However, if you want to stream console games, it is recommended to use a capture card as it allows you to record footage during gameplay while also playing live monitoring. They can also capture 4K gameplay at higher frame rates for smoother playback.
Starting a live stream on Twitch is very simple, since you really need a good internet connection, a game and some capture software. This nude setup will allow you to broadcast your gameplay, but it won’t do much to show your personality and convince people to actually watch you.
If you want to attract and grow an audience and community, you’ll also need at least a decent mic (you can check out our list of the best mics for broadcasting) to comment and chat with your viewers. You can also set up a webcam to show your face, or to track the facial expressions of VTuber models.
And if you really want to get into the weeds: you can buy the Elgato Stream Deck for better control of scene transitions, audio cues, recording and live streaming, and other integrations. You can also incorporate fun lighting into your webcam background to keep the broadcast visually interesting, or set up rewards for your chats to redeem to keep them engaged.
There are quite a few other options on the market if you are looking for a program that will allow you to capture your gameplay and live broadcasts on Twitch. Here is a short list of other options that I thought were great: