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Best Streaming Software

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Today, if you want to build your business you need to get closer to your customers, show transparency, and build trust. A great way to do that is by streaming live video and getting your audience involved. StreamYard is the best streaming software for most. Use live chat as you stream so you can interact with your viewers and stream your content across multiple social sites at the same time with one click.

The Best Streaming Software for Most

StreamYard logo

StreamYard

Best for Most

Adaptable, easy to use, and affordable, StreamYard is the best way to go from nothing to powerful live streaming capability today. Set up live stream videos to broadcast across multiple channels or even record ahead of time and then air your prerecorded session when scheduled.

StreamYard brings live streaming video to your business model with ease. You don’t have to be a videographer to create branded, professional-looking live videos. It’s a piece of cake and you can stream with up to 10 people on the same screen. 

StreamYard is the gold standard used by some of the biggest and most important businesses in the world. Interview, teach, and engage all while letting your audience experience direct, in-the-moment interaction with you. You can include viewers’ comments on the screen during a live feed, for example.

The Best Streaming Software Options to Consider:

  1. StreamYard – Best for most
  2. Livestorm – Best for live streaming online courses
  3. Restream – Best for gaining views across social media
  4. Resi – Best for guaranteed live streaming stability
  5. Melon – Best for creators going live in just five clicks
  6. Webinar.net – Best for business presentations and training

When It Makes Sense to Invest Into Streaming Software

If you want to get your viewers more engaged with your brand, your channel, or your new idea for a product, live streaming is the fastest and most potent way to get your target audience’s attention. 

You know by now that video is the best way to get your audience engaged and excited about your business. If you want your business to stay relevant, you need to adapt to stream information about what you’re doing and how. 

This all helps customers trust your brand and see it as a living, breathing entity—not just an office or a bunch of salespeople asking for their business. 

Say you are a marketing firm that wants to do a big push for a new idea for several of your clients. Instead of doing each pitch individually, do a live stream. Engage with each client at the same time, making it an organic experience where questions can be asked once and you can answer them once. 

Set up a fundraiser or grow your business in a new market by educating prospects on why they should trust your brand over another. 

With all these cases, live streaming software makes this so simple. 

If you are looking for a way to interact more with your customers, build trust, show transparency, and share your journey with customers on a larger scale, streaming software is the next step on  a proven path to growing your influence.

#1 – StreamYard — Best for Most

StreamYard logo

StreamYard

Best for Most

Adaptable, easy to use, and affordable, StreamYard is the best way to go from nothing to powerful live streaming capability today. Set up live stream videos to broadcast across multiple channels or even record ahead of time and then air your prerecorded session when scheduled.

StreamYard makes sharing your message with the world easy. There are currently millions of users praising how simple this streaming software is to use. 

It’s web-based, so there is no software to download to your hard drive. And you’ll stream over a secure and dedicated network. 

The interface is intuitive and makes creating authentic stories and live moments a snap. This software is for creators, marketers, and organizational leaders of all kinds—even politicians use it to launch social media campaigns. 

You can live stream and record at the same time, plus preview your recording before you send it out. Stream pre-recorded clips, as well, you don’t have to perform live and worry about making mistakes. 

For group collaboration, add team members to the platform and set different permission levels for each team member. 

You can take things a step further with StreamYard’s custom workspaces. These are backstage areas where up to 15 people can communicate in a private chat during your live video, so things come out flawless from start to end. 

If you want to get really creative, use StreamYard’s green screen for a custom background or share your screen so other people can see what you see, all while multi-streaming on up to eight different destinations at once. 

If you have a message you want to get out to the masses, StreamYard has the capacity to do it. 

There are three plans to choose from. There’s a free plan and two paid tiers, Basic and Professional.

Paying for a plan removes StreamYard’s branding from your videos and opens up a wide array of useful features for you to use.

StreamYard lets you build connections for your business, and elevate your brand even further than just text and blog posts can. 

Start for free, try StreamYard out, then move to the Basic plan or higher, just like millions of influencers, small business owners, and big brands have.

#2 – Livestorm — Best for Live Streaming Online Courses 

Livestorm logo

Livestorm

Best for Online Courses

Elevate your teaching ability with Livestorm, one of the best ways to teach and instruct online. Whether you're upskilling employees, coaching others, or selling your knowledge to the interested masses, you can build and present fantastic course, then stream them to attendees with ease.

Online courses and instruction are a big part of the emerging uses of live streaming for businesses and Livestorm is leading the charge. 

If you are looking to stand out in the online course space, there is no more powerful way than teaching your expertise live. 

Sure, Facebook is good for question and answer sessions, but you can’t scale a business that way. 

With this software, you can create massively engaging courses and really make sure your students are learning what you’re teaching in real time. 

The best part is that Livestorm works for any field you work in—it’s not just for teachers, it’s for coaches too. You can set up meetings and create a safe place for tutoring or mentorship. 

Livestorm is also a breeze to set up. In minutes you can have an online class up and running. 

Plus, you can use whatever online tools you’re using now. The platform integrates with over 1,000 over pieces of software like Slack or your favorite CRM. Or, use Livestorm’s built-in online course features. 

Plus, easily expand your reach by using the built-in promotion software that incorporates email. 

If you have knowledge to share, this platform makes you look professional and gives you the feedback you need. Get statistics like who’s showing up and test scores to see who needs extra attention and who’s thriving within your teaching style. 

This browser-based software also makes your teachings accessible wherever an internet connection is, on any device. 

Use the chat function to facilitate discussions among attendees, plus use online polls and quizzes to grasp feedback and gauge progress in real-time. 

You can also do traditional recordings and release them to the class once they’re ready, but you still have the power to drip the courses and then give tests to your students. This helps both you and the student feel comfortable that they will learn what you’re teaching. 

What we love so much about this platform is that it’s dynamic. Not only can you live stream but you can make this a learning environment like no one else online is using right now. 

Chatting with Livestorm support is a click away, along with the help center to help you with other features. 

You have three options for pricing: Starter (which is free), Premium or Enterprise. 

On the Premium plan, you can choose between monthly or annual billing. Pay either $99/month billed annually or $109 each month. 

The Enterprise plan requires you to call and get a custom quote. 

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you’re a coach, teacher, educational institution, startup, or an enterprise. You can make your online education for your customers, students, or employees much more engaging and memorable with Livestorm.

#3 – Restream — Best for Gaining Views Across Social Media 

Restream logo

Restream

Best for Social Media

Elevate your streaming and social media games at the same time with Restream. This platform can push your streams to over 30 social sites, boosting your reach a ton. Plus, you get fantastic tools for engaging viewers and analyzing your effectiveness on every channel.

If you’re looking to get your TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube views up, then Restream can help you do just that. 

In fact, if you want to monopolize eyeballs on social sites most of us don’t even know exist, you need this software. 

That’s because you can reach millions of people, engage with them, and monetize your audience all from one place in Restream. 

If you’re reading this and thinking, “This is only for aspiring influencers interested in streaming their face and content to social media,” think again. 

What’s amazing is this software is quite simple, but that’s why it works so well. It just makes your viewers stay glued to your video. 

Restream’s features are straightforward, but pretty darn cool, like being able to multistream to over 30 platforms at once, displaying a chat box on your live stream screen, and updating metadata across all of them at once. 

You can also chat with all your viewers from one central dashboard, no matter what platform they are responding from. This is handy and makes your engagement with each viewer easy. You won’t ever miss a comment. 

All your live streams will go out to everyone on the platforms they prefer as long as you have an account set up.

That means tons of eyeballs will learn about your brand, product release, training offer, or event in a matter of seconds. That’s enough to open the floodgates for leads and new sales. 

Plus, you get deep analytics to show where most of your engagement comes from, then decide if you want to put more effort there or work more on areas where your content isn’t hitting hard enough. 

Restream’s scheduler lets you record your videos and then stream them live without you lifting a finger. Yes, it’s all automated. You don’t have to worry about constant uploads every week. You can set it all up and have your audience grow without breaking a sweat. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Restream lets you add calls to action, do interviews and Q&As in your streams, run webinars and workshops, and much more. 

When it comes to pricing, it’s different for individuals than it is for companies. That’s something we have not often seen before. 

Individuals can choose from a limited free plan or two paid tiers. Companies have a wider array of packages, ranging from free forever to $249 per month. 

Of course, you get a boatload of useful features for each step up you take. 

Restream is a potent way to leverage live streaming on social media. We find it refreshing and so do so many other businesses and entrepreneurs who have jumped onto the live streaming wave of relationship building.

If you want to create a tribe of followers faster than you could have imagined, Restream has the best platform built for streaming to over 30 social media outlets all at once.

#4 – Resi — Best for Guaranteed Live Streaming Stability

Resi logo

Resi

Best for Stream Stability

What good is live streaming if you can't count on its reliability and accessibility? Resi is a platform built to handle anything you or your viewers can throw at it, with features that make it easier for you to stream and easier for your audience to access your broadcasts.

Resi stands for resilient streaming. They give you a 100% guarantee on their platform, even through a complete internet outage. 

You can always count on your live stream to stay stable when you give your pitch, your webinar, or just when you want to share your thoughts with your audience. 

You also have the option to automate your streaming, meaning you can set it up once for all the platforms you cast on, then sync up with one click. Say you run a recurring event like a marketing seminar each week. The live stream will run itself after your first simple set up. 

Let their viewers watch live streams on any device. You remove all excuses for people to say they can’t attend, by making it easier than ever to be a part of the event. Events can even be embedded into your website if you want.

Stream with 1080p resolution to Facebook and YouTube and even stream in up to 16 different languages, so you can broaden your market reach all from a single platform. 

You also have access to world-class support, even on the weekends. This is key for when you have those one-off problems where your live stream isn’t showing up how you expect. 

But this doesn’t happen often since this resilient software makes sure your streaming is synced fast and without delays. They simply don’t have the encoder problems many other streaming services have. 

You also have access to clear documentation that can help you solve the problem you’re having on your own, if you want to go it alone. 

Resi really shines through with three ways to stream. You can use the hardware encoder, software encoder, or upload and automate pre-produced videos. 

Web-based streaming with Resi makes the cloud even more useful to you, because you get fewer buffering wheels and, thus, more reliable engagement. 

Pricing is custom—just fill out the web form with your information and they will provide you with a custom quote. 

Even if you are just getting started and are small now, you want a provider that can grow with you. Resi fits the bill if you have to have a service that works when you need it to work. 

Get your quote today from Resi and see for yourself.

#5 – Melon — Best for Going Live In Just Five Clicks

Melon logo

Melon

Best for Streaming with Ease

Take all the headaches out of live streaming your videos with the web-based Melon platform. In no time at all, you can set up or schedule a stream and invite attendees. Even if you're tech-averse, Melon will bring your efforts into the 21st century with no stress on your end.

Melon is quick and easy to start with. It only takes five clicks to personalize your streaming experience, invite guests without needing them to have an account, and even schedule your stream and send it to your viewers ahead of time. 

There is nothing to install. Melon is 100% web-based so you don’t have to update software or worry about it not running properly. 

It’s built for the folks who hate tech but need it to run a business. 

This takes the head-banging difficulty out of rounding out your viewership. Instead, everyone will be ready to engage and get the most out of your event, rather than waiting for a link to be sent when it’s time to start. 

Personalize your stream with your own branding. Add your logo, overlays, custom backgrounds and more. You can customize your cast with complete control over the look and feel. 

Build a social media empire with multi-streaming and do it in one click. All you have to do is select where you want your content to go and Melon takes care of the rest. It’s really that simple. 

Let’s say you want to add monetization to the mix. That’s fairly simple. All you have to do is set up a donation station and you’re done. You can use live streams to generate revenue without the need for sponsors or ads. 

The support you get is stellar, too. You can find support right on the homepage of the website, and the link drops down into a flood of information, tutorials, product features, a quick setup guide, and more. 

The layout couldn’t be easier to grasp, either, and pricing is likewise straightforward and simple to understand. 

Above you can see you have a free plan. This allows you to stream up to four hours, accept donations, and you have limited branding customization. You do get the Melon watermark on your live stream. But it’s free, so that’s to be expected. 

The other two plans include more storage and fewer limitations. 

The best thing about Melon is you get streaming fast. Even on the free forever plan, you can have up to two participants. You don’t get multi-streaming, but you get enough to see if you like the reliability and the feel of using Melon. 

All you have to do now is sign up on Melon’s site and get streaming in five little clicks. The benefits that live streaming provides to your audience is more than enough reason for you to get started today.

#6 – Webinar.net — Best for Business Presentations and Training

Webinar.net logo

Webinar.net

Best for Presentations & Training

Built with corporate needs in mind, Webinar.net helps you make livestreamed internal presentations, training sessions, and more a cinch. With no limits on the number of attendees, this is the perfect tool for distributed workforces or country-spanning companies that need to give the same access to information to everyone, everywhere.

Webinar.net is focused on trainers and corporate presenters of the world. They look to help anyone that needs a new way to present ideas in a way that doesn’t put viewers to sleep. 

You might have heard that the webinar is dead, but that’s not true at all. Webinar.net breathes life into this tried and tested presentation method. 

This software is 100% web based so there is no downloading at all. That’s a big deal in this space.

You can customize just about everything, making every presentation you create an engaging masterpiece. Create custom layouts for your webinar with the software’s builder. You have resizable windows, for one example, to highlight what’s important without using an entire slide. 

You can also create webinar templates so you don’t have to start from scratch. 

Not only can you stream live webinars, but you don’t have a limit on attendees with Webinar.net. No caps, no surprises. 

If you don’t want to do it live you can also pre-record it until you get it just right, then schedule to play it live. 

How does a pre-recorded webinar make your life easier? First, you can turn them into on-demand webinars, so your visitors can just watch it when it’s convenient for them. 

Second, play it live and spend your time answering questions and engaging with your viewers during the presentation. Address things in the moment instead of waiting until the end. 

You also have a one-on-one presenter-to-attendee chat feature, so you can answer questions to one individual. 

Presenters for your training sessions and presentations also have their own exclusive chat, so everyone included knows who’s up next and when. There will be no dead air for the handoff when moving to a new topic.

Pricing is customized and based on your needs. You don’t have to worry about paying for something you don’t need. You can start by requesting a demo and have a webinar expert walk you through the software and answer any questions you have. 

If you want to jump right in, start your free Webinar.net trial today with the most customizable webinar software on the planet. 

Methodology for Choosing the Best Streaming Software

When you’re looking for a streaming provider, it’s because you want to share your media with your audience in a way that’s immediate and engaging. 

We want to make sure you can do that as easily as possible while still getting all the benefits you expect for the money you spend. Our methodology points out exactly what is most important when looking for streaming software. 

This guide will provide you with what you need to make the best decision for your business and give you all the reasons for picking a provider that meets your needs. 

A Few Clicks Is All You Need

If you can’t figure out how to stream, quickly and easily you won’t want to keep using the software. 

We don’t want you to quit before you get going. So, we talk about the ease of getting started and setting up with each provider. Plus, we show the importance of being able to navigate the software easily. 

You shouldn’t need a background in videography just to stream to your audience, so in every review we explain the best and worst of the ease of use based on our research. 

One thing that really helps in that regard is when a provider is entirely web-based. When streams are done over the cloud, you and your attendees don’t have to download any software. 

Plus, you don’t have to fret about updates. It’s something that can seem like no big deal, until you fire up your app and it’s running glitchy because the provider decided to push an update last night you didn’t notice. 

Now your morning stream is running late, because you have to wait for the new version to download. 

We talk about this further in the reviews above and highlight which providers are web-based and which are not. 

Having a web-based provider not only makes it easy to start streaming, it helps because you can store your media on the cloud instead of your computer, plus access it from anywhere. 

So, even when you’re on vacation, if you want to do a live stream for your YouTube channel or marketing team, just pick up your phone and get started. 

Multiplatform Streaming Will Change Everything

You should be able to send your stream to multiple platforms at the same time. If you can’t, you’re limiting your exposure. 

Depending on what you are using the streaming service for, having the ability to grow your following on several different platforms can mean tons of new customers and revenue with just one stream. 

It saves you so much time, because now you don’t have to upload videos to or set up scheduled streams on multiple different platforms. 

Talk about your new product, teach a seminar, or do a question-and-answer stream with viewers in real-time on Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms seamlessly at the same time. 

Multi-platform streaming allows you to interact with your viewers in a way that was never possible before. 

Quality Support That Really Helps

At times you will need help, even if the software is easy to use. There are questions that you just might not have until you dive into using the software—things like if you can stream from a camera or how you can integrate other pieces of software. 

You want a provider that has a good knowledge base and a good community of followers so you have excellent support available to you. 

You don’t need to be a tech-savvy software guru to use streaming software. We feel information that gets you results should be quick and easy to find. 

Oftentimes this can be overlooked and will cause you a big problem once you’re knee-deep in using the software. Lucky for you, we examine the quality of support in each review. 

That way, when you do find a provider that makes the cut, you won’t have to worry if they have the tutorials and service available to help you solve any problems. 

A Feature Set You Can Count On 

The cool thing about streaming software is the features you get access to that are above and beyond just broadcasting your face and content out for the world to see. 

You will find features that are similar among all the options available, but what you will also find is unique features that cater to specific industries and people such as yourself. 

Features like live chat, which lets you leverage comments in the stream’s feed so you can answer instantly, giving your viewers the attention they may not be accustomed to. Which speaks volumes about your service and commitment to them. 

There are also video archive features that let you take your streams and save them for new customers and clients in the future. Some providers even let you make little highlight reels from your videos, so you can engineer the perfect little clipshow and export it. 

And, of course, there’s monetization. Now, this is different for every provider, but some let you earn revenue by making streams exclusive to subscribers or having a tip jar or equivalent. 

Yes, you have your typical advertising revenue, but monetization can be done in several ways now with streaming software. 

There are countless other features you can use to improve your relationship with your viewers and make money. We dive deep into them so you know exactly what each provider offers. 

StreamYard logo

StreamYard

Best for Most

Adaptable, easy to use, and affordable, StreamYard is the best way to go from nothing to powerful live streaming capability today. Set up live stream videos to broadcast across multiple channels or even record ahead of time and then air your prerecorded session when scheduled.

Conclusion

The best streaming software will easily bring you closer to your viewers, help you build better relationships so they trust you, and let them into your world. You can use video in real-time to give your followers an experience like never before and give them the opportunity to learn as much about your brand and you as possible.


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