Since the rise of YouTube and Facebook Live, live streaming video has become a popular way to create content. If you are a content creator and would like to take your video production game up a notch, then now may be a great time to learn about the live streaming applications available to you today.
The best thing about live streaming is that you can do it on any device with an internet connection. What does this mean for you? It means that no matter where you are - at the office, out shopping, or even sitting at home - you will always have access to your live stream feed! Live streaming is perfect for vloggers who want to share their life, musicians who want to share their music with the world, talkshow hosts with exciting quests, and so on.
In this article, we'll talk about some of the best live streaming applications for macOS out there, why you should think about live streaming to grow your business, and what you should consider before choosing a streaming application for your Mac computer.
What is live streaming software?
Live streaming applications allow you to broadcast live video content from your computer or mobile device directly online. People can watch this content in real-time, interact with the broadcaster, ask questions, and comment on the video – all while it's going on!
The benefits of live streaming include:
- You get a more personal and transparent connection with your audience.
- It's easy to share on social media platforms.
- The video can be used as marketing material for getting more traffic to your website, products, and services.
- Live streaming can also serve as an excellent way to create awareness around a cause you care about.
How to select a live streaming software for Mac
When it comes to selecting a live streaming application for your Mac computer, you should be aware of a couple of different factors.
- Supported platforms: An excellent live streaming application should be compatible with at least Mac and Windows. And ideally, it should allow you to stream to Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and other similar sites.
- Video and audio quality of the stream: You also want to look for live streaming software that provides high video and audio quality.
- Multistream: to maximize the reach of your live stream, you'll want to have multistream functionality available for your streaming application of choice.
- Recording: By recording your live stream, you'll be able to reuse the content for future videos. Your streaming software should come with recording functionality and allow you to store some video footage.
Top 5 Live Streaming Applications on a Mac
1. Talk Studio
Want to stream directly from your computer but don't want to deal with complicated streaming software? With Talk Studio, ([email protected]) you can stream to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms directly from your browser in only 5 clicks!
While Talk Studio is completely free to use, the standard Talk Studio plan only costs $15 a month and you unlock multistreaming functionality to up three different destinations. What’s more, you can add six additional guests, record four hours of content, and save it for 15 days.
If you want to quickly and easily make your live stream look more professional without spending a lot of money on expensive equipment or investing time in learning new skills that take years to master, this is the package deal for you. You will get access to custom overlays as well as branding options to help you create a professional live streaming experience for your viewers.
To learn more about the features Talk Studio has to offer, you can visit our website and pricing page.
2. Streamlabs
Streamlabs is a leading provider of tools and features for live streamers and content creators. They offer a ton of tools to help you create content. Whether it’s a Logo Maker, video editor, or intro maker, they provide a comprehensive set of tools to produce engaging content.
In March 2020, Streamlabs announced that their streaming software, Streamlabs Desktop, was now available on Mac.
Live streamers familiar with Streamlabs’ products can expect to see everything from the Windows version including:
- Custom Tipping Alerts: Tailor-make the look of on-screen alerts and encourage donations by customizing the layout, animation, message, text, image and more
- Engaging Widgets: Over a dozen engaging widgets designed to increase viewer participation and improve monetization
- Selective Recording: Pick and choose the sources that appear in a recorded video of your live broadcast
- Premium Overlay Themes: Over 250 free overlay themes made from the best designers in the business
- Integrated Chat: An integrated chat window within the software to help streamers keep track of all the viewer chatter on their channel
3. OBS
Since Streamlabs Desktop is a free and open-source streaming software that is based on a fork of OBS, you can expect much of the same features between the two. While features for Streamlabs are built by the company, OBS has support for 3rd party plugins built by other developers. This means that there may be some additional functionality that you can you get when you use OBS.
Many of these features are for advanced use cases and are not needed to start streaming, but can be nice to have. The user interface can be a little difficult to get used to, but if you don’t mind having a little bit of a steeper learning curve then OBS can be an excellent option.
4. Restream
Restream offers all of the same features Talk Studio does, albeit at a slightly higher price point.
For $19 a month, you can stream to 30 platforms and receive one custom/additional destination. You can record up to six hours of video footage that is saved for 15 days. You can also add 10 guests if desired.
If you’d like custom branding options and additional recording time, you can upgrade to their pro plan which is $49 a month.
Overall, Restream costs slightly more than Talk Studio's monthly plan, but it comes with some extra features such as more guests and additional multistream destinations that might be worth the expense if you need them.
In general, Talk Studio offers plenty of value without any unnecessary bells and whistles which makes our service well suited to those who want reliable streaming at an affordable price point.
5. StreamYard
The price for a basic package starts at $25 and includes up to three streaming destinations. Users at this tier also get 10 guests allowed into their streams for four hours of recording time, as well as a variety of background overlays.
The professional package starts at $49 and includes an additional eight hours of recording time, the ability to stream in 1080p, and another 8 potential multistream destinations.
StreamYard is a reliable streaming application, however, you can get everything you need from Talk Studio’s standard plan at a cheaper price point. Furthermore, Talk Studio includes several free features that outperform the competition, such as integrated Alerts with Streamlabs and the ability to accept viewer tips.
Talk Studio is by far one of the best live streaming applications on any platform, thanks to its advanced features such as stream schedule, screen-sharing, and much more. ([email protected])