StreamYard review
Browser-based live production studio with no software install, plus local and cloud recording layered on top as paid-tier features
Unpaid review. We currently earn nothing if you sign up for StreamYard — links here go straight to the vendor. We review it anyway because it's the honest answer, and scores never depend on commissions — how we test.
ToolsGavel verdict
StreamYard's browser-based studio and its $18.99/mo entry price make it a reasonable hybrid pick for anyone who wants live production and basic recording in one subscription, backed by large G2 and Capterra scores. The real caveat is Trustpilot, where two readings disagree sharply (4.1/5 vs. roughly 76% one-star), both pointing to the same underlying theme of billing and cancellation friction. Budget for the $88.99/mo Advanced tier if cloud separate audio tracks matter to you; they aren't available any lower.
Audited price: $14.99/mo billed annually , $18.99/mo month-to-month (advertised: $18.99/mo (Essential, billed monthly), $14.99/mo billed annually) — verified 2026-10-30.
Best for: Creators and small teams who want one browser tab for going live to multiple platforms and recording the session, rather than a dedicated recording tool or a dedicated streaming tool separately
What we liked
- Browser-based live production needs no software install, the core differentiator behind its large G2 (4.5/5, 1,200+ reviews) and Capterra (4.6/5, 850+ reviews) scores (G2 / Capterra)
- Essential's $18.99/mo ($14.99 annual) entry price is the cheapest way into a real paid plan across the four tools compared in [Best Podcast and Video Recording Software](/best/best-podcast-recording-software/) (streamyard.com/pricing)
- The free plan is genuinely usable for single-destination streaming or light recording, no card, 6 on-screen participants, 2 hours a month of local recording (streamyard.com/pricing)
- Large, consistent G2 and Capterra scores at four-figure sample sizes, not a thin review base (G2 / Capterra)
- Doubles as a light recording tool with local multi-track capture on paid tiers, useful for a buyer who wants one subscription to cover both live production and interview recording (streamyard.com/pricing)
What to watch
- Trustpilot's rating is genuinely disputed between two readings: one shows 4.1 out of 5 from 517 reviews, another describes a "Poor" rating with roughly 76% one-star reviews. Behind the lower reading sits a specific complaint: "StreamYard arbitrarily doubled the monthly cost of the core plan without notice, then refused to offer any kind of refund" (Trustpilot)
- Support quality reportedly declined after an AI-bot-first support rollout, with one reviewer describing a week-long wait for a human response (Trustpilot)
- Cloud-based separate audio tracks, the format most podcasters actually want, are gated to the $88.99/mo ($68.99 annual) Advanced tier; the dedicated recording tools in [Best Podcast and Video Recording Software](/best/best-podcast-recording-software/) all offer separate tracks from their entry paid tier (streamyard.com/pricing)
- The free plan can go live to only one destination at a time, confirmed directly in StreamYard's own FAQ; a buyer shopping specifically for multistreaming needs at least the Essential tier (StreamYard FAQ)
How much does StreamYard really cost?
| Advertised price | $18.99/mo (Essential, billed monthly), $14.99/mo billed annually |
|---|---|
| Real monthly cost, billed annually | $14.99/mo |
| Real monthly cost, month-to-month | $18.99/mo |
| Month-to-month premium | +27% over the annual-billing rate |
| The billing catch | Essential includes no cloud recording at all; that only arrives on Core at $44.99/mo ($35.99 billed annually) and up. |
| Permanent free tier | Yes |
| Price last verified | 2026-10-30, against the live pricing page at streamyard.com |
Model seats and billing cycles for StreamYard in the true-cost calculator, or see every audited price in the Pricing Gap Index.
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StreamYard runs a live production studio entirely in the browser: on-screen participant tiles, overlays, custom backgrounds and screen share, streamed simultaneously to multiple destinations with no software to install. Recording is a secondary feature layered on top, local multi-track capture on paid tiers and cloud-based separate audio tracks only on the top self-serve plan. Pricing starts free (1 destination, 2 hours of local recording a month) and runs $18.99 to $88.99 a month across three self-serve tiers, with a custom Business tier above that. G2 rates it 4.5 out of 5 from over 1,200 reviews and Capterra 4.6 from over 850; Trustpilot is genuinely disputed, one reading at 4.1 from 517 reviews, another describing a “Poor” rating with roughly 76% one-star, as of October 2026.
What StreamYard is for
The browser studio is the whole point: open a tab, add guests, add overlays and branding, and go live to YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms at once from the Essential tier up. Core adds the production polish, custom layouts, intro/outro videos, AI clips, and 50 hours of permanent cloud recording. Advanced, the “Most Popular” tier at $88.99/mo ($68.99 annually), adds 4K local recording, cloud-based Individual Audio Tracks for separate per-participant audio, and an “On-Air” webinar mode for up to 100 viewers. That last tier is where StreamYard starts to genuinely overlap with dedicated recording tools, not before it.
What you get on each plan
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Destinations | Participants | Resolution | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | 1 (no multistream) | 6 on-screen | — | 2 hrs/mo local |
| Essential | $18.99 | $14.99 | 2 | — | 1080p | Unlimited streaming (no cloud record) |
| Core | $44.99 | $35.99 | 3 | 10 | — | 50 hrs cloud, 2 hrs pre-recorded |
| Advanced | $88.99 | $68.99 | 8 | 15 backstage | 4K local | 4 hrs pre-recorded, cloud separate tracks |
Note the gap between Core and Advanced: cloud separate audio tracks, the format a podcaster actually wants to edit with, don’t exist below the $88.99/mo tier. A buyer who only wants multistreaming, not separate tracks, never needs to go past Essential or Core.
What users say in reviews
G2 and 
Capterra both rate StreamYard well above 4.5 out of 5 at four-figure sample sizes, with the browser-based studio and the Essential tier’s low entry price as the recurring praise themes. 
Trustpilot is where the picture splits: one search pass found a 4.1-out-of-5 TrustScore from 517 reviews, a second found a “Poor” rating with close to 76% one-star reviews. The two don’t reconcile cleanly, but the complaint content behind the lower reading is specific and repeated: a reported unilateral doubling of the core plan’s price with no refund offered, and a support experience that reviewers say got worse after StreamYard introduced AI-bot-first responses, with one person describing a week-long wait for a human reply.
Who should skip it
Skip StreamYard if separate per-guest audio tracks are the main thing you need and you don’t want to pay $88.99/mo to get them; Riverside and Descript both include separate tracks from their entry paid tier. Skip it too if your main job is dedicated webinar hosting at real scale, registration funnels, automated follow-ups, attendee counts in the thousands; Livestorm and WebinarJam are built around that job, while Restream only adds webinars as a paid add-on capped at 500 attendees. StreamYard earns its spot for the buyer who genuinely wants one tool for casual multistreaming and basic recording, not the best version of either on its own. See the full comparisons in Best Podcast and Video Recording Software and Best Live Streaming and Webinar Software.
Pricing note: StreamYard runs four self-serve tiers plus a custom top tier. Free costs $0, no card: 1 destination (no multistreaming), 6 on-screen participants, 1 seat, and up to 2 hours a month of local recording. Essential runs $18.99/mo or $14.99/mo billed annually (22% off): 2 destinations and full HD (1080p) streaming, with unlimited streaming time but no cloud recording. Core runs $44.99/mo or $35.99/mo annually: 3 destinations, 10 participants, 50 hours of permanent cloud recording plus 2 hours of pre-recorded content, and adds overlays, logos, video clips, custom backgrounds, layouts, intro/outro videos, AI clips and chat overlay. Advanced runs $88.99/mo or $68.99/mo annually (the "Most Popular" tier): 8 destinations, 15 backstage participants, 4K local recording, 4 hours of pre-recorded content, On-Air webinars for up to 100 viewers, cloud-based Individual Audio Tracks (separate per-participant tracks), custom fonts and transcript downloads. Business is custom-priced and sales-gated. All three self-serve paid tiers include a 7-day free trial that requires a credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How much does StreamYard cost?
Free is $0 for 1 destination and 2 hours a month of local recording. Essential runs $18.99/mo or $14.99/mo annually for 2 destinations at 1080p. Core runs $44.99/mo or $35.99/mo annually for 3 destinations, 10 participants and 50 hours of cloud recording. Advanced runs $88.99/mo or $68.99/mo annually for 8 destinations, 4K local recording and cloud separate audio tracks. Business is custom.
Does StreamYard have a free plan, and can I multistream on it?
There's a free plan, but it can't multistream. It covers 1 destination only, 6 on-screen participants, and 2 hours a month of local recording, confirmed directly in StreamYard's own FAQ. Multistreaming to 2 or more destinations at once starts at the $18.99/mo Essential tier.
Can I record separate audio and video tracks per guest on StreamYard?
Local multi-track recording is available on paid tiers, but cloud-based Individual Audio Tracks, separate per-participant audio files, are gated to the $88.99/mo ($68.99 annual) Advanced tier specifically. If separate tracks from your entry paid tier matter more than live production, a dedicated recording tool like Riverside or Descript offers that starting at a lower price.
Is StreamYard good for hosting webinars?
For light use, yes. Advanced's "On-Air" mode supports registration-style webinars for up to 100 viewers. For higher attendee caps or dedicated registration and follow-up automation, compare it against Restream, Livestorm and WebinarJam in Best Live Streaming and Webinar Software.
Is StreamYard's Trustpilot rating something to worry about?
It's unresolved enough to flag rather than ignore. One reading shows 4.1 out of 5 from 517 reviews; another describes a far worse picture, around 76% one-star. The specific complaints behind the lower reading describe a sudden price increase without a refund and difficulty reaching support, so read StreamYard's current terms before committing to an annual plan.
Bottom line
StreamYard's browser-based studio and its $18.99/mo entry price make it a reasonable hybrid pick for anyone who wants live production and basic recording in one subscription, backed by large G2 and Capterra scores. The real caveat is Trustpilot, where two readings disagree sharply (4.1/5 vs. roughly 76% one-star), both pointing to the same underlying theme of billing and cancellation friction. Budget for the $88.99/mo Advanced tier if cloud separate audio tracks matter to you; they aren't available any lower.
Compare StreamYard
Alternatives in Live Streaming & Webinars
Multistreaming to several destinations at once, with clip generation and webinar hosting sold as paid add-ons rather than bundled
Credit-based webinar hosting billed in annual packs, metered by unique attendees rather than storage or session count
Self-serve webinar hosting with marketing automation built in, checkout available at every tier including the top one