However, there is a lot of confusion among the live streamers about whether OBS is better or Streamlabs is better? In this article, we have given detailed information on what is OBS and what is Streamlabs, along with their applications.
What is OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)?
OBS Studio is a free broadcasting software that comes with high-performance broadcasting features. It is equipped with many interesting features like live streaming, screen capturing, and a webcam for recording videos.
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To improve the quality of video recordings, this open-source platform comes with various extensions and plugin integrations.
Pros of Using OBS
Open Source Code: The OBS studio is a free platform to use for live streaming. It was launched in 2012. Since the platform is open-source, developers can tweak this with customizable effects and plugins. Also, bugs can be easily seen and rectified quickly. Clean User Interface: Not only does this platform come with advanced plugins and integrations but it also sports a clean user interface. All the features needed for broadcasting are available under one dashboard. Even if you are a beginner, no professional help is required. However, to get the best output of the Open Broadcaster Software, you need to tweak it a bit. Interestingly, you can reorganize the entire UI as per your usage. Screen Capturing: You can record and live stream the videos in high quality. Users can record or live stream by setting up multiple sources in the dashboard of OBS. Gamers need not worry about the frame rate, as the OBS auto-adjusts the frame rate as per your game recording. Frequent Updates: In spite of being an old software in the industry, it still gets updates from the developers. No Watermark: Unlike other software in the market, you will not get any watermarks on video recording and live streaming. When it comes to producing high-quality content, developers always look for this feature. Minimal CPU Usage: Low CPU usage is a key feature that makes OBS stand out from the competition. Streamers always look for software that consumes low CPU memory and allows smooth streaming. For other streaming software, you need a PC with highly advanced features. Supports Multi-Platform: OBS supports all major platforms like Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Moreover, OBS is compatible with Mac, Linux, and Windows as well.
Cons of Using OBS
Not Suitable for Beginners: Though the OBS software is good for live streaming, it looks a bit complex for beginners to set up initially. Beginners need to spend a lot of time setting up the dashboard to get the OBS to do what they want. To add additional plugins and extensions to OBS, beginners need to download and install them from Github. This can be quite a daunting task. Missing Certain Streaming Features: OBS is missing out on some important streaming features that Streamlabs offer. There is no chat integrated with OBS, and no stream alerts are present. You need to use third-party software like ‘Stream Elements’ to add any extensions or plugins. No Windows XP Support: If you are a user who has an older version of Windows like (Windows XP), then OBS is not supported on this OS. It is a major drawback of this streaming software.
Streamlabs
Streamlabs is also free software for streaming purposes. It was developed to add more features to the existing OBS studio. It has a simple interface and is easy to set up a dashboard, which is best suitable for beginners. One can easily set up the top parameters according to the system settings. However, the only downside of this software is that it consumes more GPU and system resources.
Pros of Using Streamlabs
Easy to Setup: Unlike OBS studio, which is hard to set up for beginners, the Streamlabs OBS comes with easy installation. You just need to download and install the system files as it is. Once the installation is done, you need to click on the ‘Optimizer’ option, and the system settings get set automatically. Built-in Chat: To engage your gaming audience or the audience in live stream, you can use the built-in chat features. There is no need to open several tabs (like in the case of OBS) to engage with the audience. Themes: To make the streaming even more intuitive, Streamlabs OBS comes with a lot of free themes. Moreover, you can customize these themes at no additional cost. Annotation and Drawing: This feature comes in handy for any trainer or course creator who likes to make study guides for platforms like YouTube, Udemy, etc. There are many preloaded annotation effects that help the course creators explain the content clearly. Easy Payment Setup: Streamlabs supports multiple payment gateways. So, the payment setup is quite easy in the Streamlabs OBS. If the content you are streaming is appealing to the audience, then they can make an immediate donation to you. Interestingly, there is no fee involved in the transactions. Integrated App Store: Unlike other streaming software requiring third-party tools to set up the plugins and integrations, Streamlabs comes with an integrated app store. Users can quickly search and install royalty-free music, intuitive layouts, themes, plugins, etc.,
Cons of Using Streamlabs
No MacOS Support: Like OBS studio, the Streamlabs OBS does not support Mac OS. More CPU Usage: Since the Streamlabs OBS comes with many fancy features like custom themes, widgets, plugins, etc., it consumes a lot of CPU resources and maxes it out. No Sound Commands: The integrated chat feature does not come with any sound alerts. If you need the chatbot sound commands, you need to run them separately.
OBS vs Streamlabs – Which one is Better?
When you compare both OBS and Streamlabs, both have their own set of pros and cons. Since both are open-source software, users can try them and continue with the one that suits their needs. However, if you are looking for streaming software that consumes fewer resources, OBS is the best solution. On the other hand, if you are a gamer with a high-end PC, we recommend using Streamlabs.
