Ultra.
Quick Overview
We recognize that the vast number of tools offered by Streamlabs can be a bit overwhelming so we created this guide to point you in the right direction, whether you’re looking to start streaming, launch your own podcast, set up a YouTube channel and much more.
Though most people associate Streamlabs with live streaming, we have a full suite of tools to help content creators of all types. First, we’ll do a brief overview of each of the main tools that Streamlabs offers, with links to helpful YouTube tutorials and articles. We’ll also answer some questions you may have along the way.
Familiar with Streamlabs tools but need guidance on getting started with content creation in general?
Streamers—Learn everything you need to know about starting your own live stream channel at our Streamer University.
YouTubers—Learn the A-Zs of starting your own YouTuber channel at our YouTuber University.
I heard all of the Streamlabs tools cost money. Is this true?
All of the basic features of Streamlabs’ tools are free to use. Creators wishing to access more features can sign up for Streamlabs Ultra, an optional membership that includes perks like multistreaming, VIP support, premium overlays and much more.
Below are all of the applications and tools that fall under the Streamlabs umbrella.
Streamlabs Desktop
The software we are most known for, Streamlabs Desktop, allows you to live stream from your computer to sites like Twitch, YouTube Live, TikTok, and more. Streamlabs Desktop also supports recording, a useful function for people who make YouTube videos, tutorials, and social posts like TikToks with their content. Below are some standout features of Streamlabs Desktop.
Built-in Alerts: Customizable alerts for donations, subscribers, follows, and more.
Themes and Overlays: A variety of free and premium themes and overlays that can be applied with one click.
Widgets: Integrated widgets like chat boxes, event lists, and donation goals.
Performance Optimization: Features like Game Optimized Encoder Settings and Dynamic Bitrate for smoother performance.
Integrated Chatbot: Streamlabs Chatbot for managing chat interactions, commands, and much more.
Hotkeys: Set up hotkeys for switching scenes, starting/stopping streams, and more.
P.S. Many of these features can be controlled via Streamlabs Desktop or your Streamlabs.com Dashboard (the latter particularly if you choose to use some of these features with software other than Streamlabs Desktop if applicable). The Streamlabs Dashboard section below provides more in-depth information about these tools.
Below are some additional standout features that make Streamlabs a great choice no matter where you are in your live streaming journey (available exclusively for Streamlabs Desktop).
Collab Cam
If you’re looking to let others join in on your live stream, Collab Cam allows you to integrate multiple camera feeds into a single stream seamlessly (with just the share of a link). Co-host teammates while gaming, invite a friend to chat, bring in players for a tabletop RPG, or host a video conference.
Dual Output
If you're a multistreamer who loves broadcasting or recording for both horizontal and vertical platforms at the same time, you'll be thrilled with how Dual Output can simplify your content creation process. For instance, while you're live on YouTube, you can also stream to TikTok, provided you meet the live streaming requirements and possess a valid stream key.
Streamlabs Plugin for OBS
The Streamlabs Plugin for OBS integrates Streamlabs' most popular tools directly into OBS, allowing you to manage alerts, overlays, and widgets seamlessly within the OBS interface. This enhances viewer engagement and streamlines your setup, reducing the need for multiple plugins to fully customize your live stream.
Streamlabs Mobile
Go live right from your phone with the Streamlabs Mobile app. You can add overlays, alerts, a chat box, and more.
Check out our YouTube video on streaming mobile games with the Streamlabs Mobile app
Streamlabs Console
Gamers who want to go live straight from their Xbox can add customizations like overlays, alerts, and more with Streamlabs Console.
Check out our YouTube video on how to get started with Streamlabs Console.
Cross Clip
Take Twitch clips, YouTube videos, and any other video footage you want to share and use Cross Clip to format them for apps like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram. Posting content from your streams or YouTube videos on short-form apps is a great way to grow your audience.
This article will walk you through getting started with Cross Clip
Video Editor
Check out this browser-based video editing software that will make your life as a YouTube creator so much easier. Video Editor is intuitive, easy-to-use, and allows you to upload your videos straight to YouTube (no need to download them and take up space on your computer). You can even invite other people to collaborate on editing your videos.
This article will walk you through getting started with Video Editor
Talk Studio
Perfect for anyone who wants to stream with multiple guests, Talk Studio is a browser-based live streaming tool. Talk Studio has a simple, sleek user interface while allowing for a ton of customization. Talk Studio’s teleprompter tool and other impressive features allow you to record, go live, or do both in style.
Podcast Editor
Streamlabs Podcast Editor is a powerful recording and editing tool that simplifies the process of editing audio and video content like Just Chatting streams and podcast episodes. Whether you're a seasoned content creator or just starting out, Podcast Editor enables you to create high-quality content with ease.
Link Space
The tool that ties everything together, Link Space is a link in bio tool that allows you to house all of your social media links in one place. By popping your link into your Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram, you can ensure that your followers will find your content no matter where it is. You can even accept tips, sell your merch, or create a mailing list straight from your Link Space page.
Check out our guide on getting started with Link Space.
Streamlabs Dashboard
Your Streamlabs Dashboard is where you can make most changes to your settings or get to the proper place.
Essential Tools
The Essential tools listed on your dashboard are those we recommend utilizing from day one to help customize and grow your live stream. Below, we explain them in the order they appear on your dashboard. Most of these tools can be used with any streaming software. We have noted features that are exclusive to Streamlabs Desktop and the Streamlabs Plugin for OBS noted below.
Alert Box (free—unlock premium themes with Ultra)
Alerts let you know when someone has followed you, subscribed, or donated. If you have a Streamlabs Alert Box added to your stream, alerts will pop up on your screen allowing you to thank whoever has donated/subbed/etc properly. Alerts are essential for streaming as they encourage viewer participation. Streamlabs Alerts Box can be used in conjunction with your preferred streaming software (e.g. XSplit, OBS Studio etc.).
This article will show you how to set up alerts from start to finish.
Widgets (free—unlock premium themes with Ultra)
Widgets are elements you can use to customize your live streams. The most common widgets are chat boxes, event lists, and goals. There are a lot of different widgets out there, so we recommend researching the different ones we offer and trying a few that you think will enhance your streams. For example, goals can inspire people to follow or donate, and chat boxes can encourage viewers to be active in the chat by engaging with you and others.
Click here to see all of our articles related to widgets.
Tipping (free—unlock premium themes with Ultra)
One of the best tools we offer, your Streamlabs tip page allows you to receive tips from your viewers, even if you aren’t able to monetize through Twitch (or any other streaming platform) yet. You can start accepting tips from your first stream with a Streamlabs tip page no matter which live streaming software you’re using.
This article will show you how to set up a Streamlabs Tip Page. You can also check out this article on Streamlabs Tipping updates to get a better understanding of how to navigate tipping settings through your Streamlabs Dashboard.
Themes and Overlays (Available for Streamlabs Desktop and Streamlabs Plugin for OBS)
If you’ve ever watched a live stream on Twitch, you may have noticed fun and unique designs of the stream—these are called themes or overlays. At Streamlabs, we have thousands of overlays for you to customize your streams. You can switch up your overlays with your mood or stick with similar ones that fit your branding. With so many different overlays in one place, you won’t have to worry about sites where you need to pay per design.
You can view the Streamlabs overlay library here. Don’t forget to check out our guides on navigating our redesigned overlay library and widget themes.
Cloudbot (free—custom naming unlocked with Ultra)
Consider Cloudbot as your very own virtual stream assistant. Not only can you program Streamlabs Cloudbot to monitor your chat for bad actors, you can have it host giveaways, run announcements at timed intervals, and play minigames with your viewers.
Check out our YouTube video on how to use Streamlabs Cloudbot.
Charity (free)
Use your stream to raise money for your favorite charities. Most sites take a cut of your funds, but Streamlabs doesn’t (minus required processing fees). That means more money goes to the charity of your choice.
This article will show you how to start a charity live stream while this article will show you how to host better charity streams.
App Store (Streamlabs Desktop exclusive. Mix of free and Ultra exclusive apps.)
With the Streamlabs App Store, you can download various applications (both third-party and original Streamlabs) to enhance your live streams when using Streamlabs Desktop. Popular apps are Streamlabs Music (to listen to royalty-free music on stream), Stream Timer (useful if you’re doing speedrun challenges and the like), and other interactive apps for gaming and customization.
Click here to see all more content related to the App Store.
Multistream
Multistreaming helps you expand your reach while live streaming, making your content more visible to people across different platforms. With the Multistream feature through Streamlabs, you can go live on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube Live, Trovo, and more simultaneously. You can even enter custom RTMP destinations. Additionally, if you’re approved to stream on TikTok, you can stream to TikTok and one other destination for free with Streamlabs Desktop.
Check out the Ultimate Guide to Multistreaming
Design and Branding Tools
Creating a strong online presence helps to have branding in place. Streamlabs has a ton of free tools to help you give your streams, channel page, and social media pages a professional look. The best part? You don’t have to be an artist or a designer to use our tools or even use Streamlabs Desktop to access the tools below.
P.S. You can find the tools listed below on your Streamlabs.com Dashboard.
Creator Sites (standard edition is free)
With a Streamlabs Creator Site, you can have your tip page, social media links, merch page, and more in one place. If you have a Streamlabs Ultra membership, you can customize your page to match your stream and keep in line with your branding.
This article talks about Creator Sites’ new features.
Merch Store (standard edition is free)
Create and sell your own merch with Streamlabs. We’ll take care of all the ordering, packing, and shipping—all you have to do is upload your designs, add them to products, stock up your store and promote your items to your audience.
Check out our YouTube video on how to start your merch store.
Twitch Panels
Custom panels will give your Twitch page a sleek, professional look. Create customized Twitch Panels quickly and easily with our premade templates.
This article will teach you how to use the Streamlabs Panel Maker tool.
Cross Clip Clip Editor (standard edition is free)
Clicking on Clip Editor from your Streamlabs dashboard will take you to Cross Clip, the video editor we mentioned earlier that lets you format clips to portrait mode for sharing on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
This article will show you how to use Cross Clip to create a gaming montage.
As you can see, Streamlabs is more than well-equipped with the tools you need to get going with live streaming and to grow as a live streamer in general.