Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most people in the U.S. who want screen recording and streaming in one place, start with StreamYard’s browser-based studio and use it for both live shows and reusable recordings. If you need deep hardware-level controls or do not stream at all, consider OBS for advanced local setups or Loom for simple async videos.

Summary

• StreamYard gives you a combined, browser-based studio for screen recording, live streaming, and local multi-track files.
• OBS is powerful desktop software for local recording and streaming if you’re comfortable tuning encoders and scenes.
• Loom focuses on quick, shareable screen recordings and does not offer live streaming.
• For most presenter-led demos, interviews, and recurring shows, StreamYard covers everything with less setup than other tools.

What does “screen recording and streaming software combined” actually mean?

When people type this phrase, they’re usually looking for one tool that can:

• Capture a clear screen demo with a presenter on camera.
• Go live to platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, or Facebook from that same view.
• Save a high-quality recording they can repurpose later.

StreamYard’s studio is built exactly around that workflow: you enter in your browser, share your screen, bring your camera on, invite guests, and choose whether to go live, record only, or both. StreamYard supports cloud recording as well as local recordings with separate files for each participant, so your live show becomes a library of reusable clips for shorts, podcasts, or courses. (StreamYard pricing)

By contrast, OBS bundles screen capture and streaming in a desktop app with many technical dials, and Loom bundles screen capture with instant sharing but no live broadcast. (OBS Studio, Loom live screen recorder)

Why is StreamYard the best default for combined recording + streaming?

If you’re a creator, coach, marketer, or team lead, the job is not to master encoders—it’s to get a great session live and repurpose it quickly.

At StreamYard, we optimize for that outcome:

• Fast, browser-based start. You open a link in your browser—no heavy installs—then add your mic, camera, and screen share. This fits locked-down work laptops and Chromebooks where desktop apps like OBS can be a non-starter. (StreamYard pricing)
• Presenter-led layouts that feel like TV. You can put your screen front and center, tuck your camera in a corner, or flip it so you’re main stage and the screen is secondary. Branded overlays, logos, and backgrounds apply live, so your recording already looks like a finished show.
• Independent audio control. You can balance or mute system/screen audio separately from your microphone, which is critical when you’re demoing software while speaking over it.
• Local multi-track recordings. StreamYard supports local recordings for each host and guest, giving you separate audio and video files per person—ideal for editing podcasts and vertical clips after the show. (Local recording overview)
• Landscape and portrait from one session. With multi-aspect-ratio streaming (MARS), you can create landscape and portrait outputs from the same studio session, including to platforms like YouTube, reducing the need to re-record content. (MARS guide)

For most U.S. users, this means you can host a weekly show, run a product webinar, or record a course and get both a polished live stream and clean editing files without touching encoder settings.

How does StreamYard compare to OBS for streaming and recording together?

OBS Studio is a powerful alternative when you want to run everything on your own machine.

Where OBS is strong:

• You can stream and record at the same time by starting both outputs in the interface. (OBS quick start)
• OBS lets you choose separate encoders and presets for your stream and your local recording, so you could stream at a bandwidth-efficient setting while keeping a higher-quality local file. (OBS overview)
• If your hardware supports it, you can offload encoding to GPU options like NVENC, QuickSync, or AMD encoders. (OBS overview)

Those are real advantages if you’re:

• Streaming gameplay and squeezing every frame out of your GPU.
• Running a production PC with capture cards and many scenes.

Where StreamYard is usually the better fit:

• Ease of use. OBS expects you to configure scenes, sources, bitrates, and encoders. StreamYard handles the pipeline in the background so you can stay focused on your content.
• Cloud + local together. On paid plans, cloud recordings can automatically capture your streams (up to 10–24 hours per stream, depending on plan), and local recordings remain available for higher-quality tracks, bounded mainly by your device and storage. (Recording limits)
• Guest-friendly remote interviews. In OBS, you typically route guests through separate tools and bring them in as sources. In StreamYard, guests join via a link in their browser and can share screens, making remote interviews and panels much simpler.

A useful rule of thumb: use OBS when you know you want to tune encoders and build complex scenes on a powerful PC; use StreamYard when you want to be live and recording in minutes with a collaborative studio that runs reliably on typical laptops.

How does StreamYard compare to Loom for screen recording?

Loom is another popular option people find when searching for screen recording and streaming together, even though it does not offer live streaming.

What Loom does well:

• Fast screen + camera bubble recording for async updates.
• Instant share links, comments, and workspace organization.
• AI-powered summaries and transcripts on certain paid plans. (Loom pricing)

However, Loom’s free Starter plan limits you to 5-minute recordings and 25 videos per person, which quickly becomes tight for tutorials, walkthroughs, or recurring demos. (Starter plan FAQ) And critically, Loom does not provide live streaming—you record, then share. (Loom live screen recorder)

StreamYard, on the other hand, is built for presenter-led recordings that can be live or pre-recorded:

• You can run long-form demos or interviews, not just quick 5-minute clips.
• You get a full live studio with multi-participant screen sharing for collaborative product walkthroughs.
• You can schedule pre-recorded streams and let them go live automatically at a set time, useful for product launches or polished webinars. (Pre-recorded streaming)

In many teams, Loom works nicely as a side tool for quick async feedback, while StreamYard is the home base for flagship launches, webinars, and content you want to repurpose across channels.

Can I record higher-quality local files while streaming lower-resolution from StreamYard?

This is a common workflow question: you want a bandwidth-friendly live stream but the cleanest possible edit later.

On StreamYard, local recordings capture each participant’s audio and video on their own device and then upload those files, independent of what viewers see in the live stream. That means your local files are not limited by transient network issues that might affect the live show. (Local recording overview)

Practically, you can:

• Stream in a resolution and bitrate that suits your connection.
• Rely on local multi-track files for post-production, where you can crop, reframe vertical clips, and clean audio.

You get the same “stream low, keep high” benefit that advanced OBS users configure, but with far less setup.

How does pricing work when I want my whole team using one studio?

Pricing models matter a lot when you are deciding between tools for a team.

• StreamYard uses pricing per workspace rather than per user, so multiple collaborators can operate from one shared studio and brand without multiplying subscription costs. There is a Free plan, and for new users in the U.S., the Core plan is typically around $20/month and Advanced around $39/month (billed annually for the first year), plus we provide a 7-day free trial and regular new-user offers. (StreamYard pricing)
• Loom prices per user, with the Business tier starting from around $15 per user per month in the U.S., and its free Starter plan capped at 25 videos and 5-minute recordings. (Loom pricing)

For a small team that wants to co-host shows, share a unified brand, and reuse recordings, a per-workspace model is often more cost-effective than multiplying a per-user license across everyone.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default combined screen recording and streaming studio, especially for presenter-led demos, interviews, launches, and recurring shows.
• Add OBS only if you specifically need hardware encoder control, on-premise-only workflows, or intricate scene graphs and are comfortable configuring them.
• Layer in Loom for quick async clips and feedback when you don’t need to go live, but rely on StreamYard for anything public-facing or multi-participant.
• Start with StreamYard’s browser studio, experiment with local multi-track recordings and pre-recorded streams, and only reach for heavier tools if you clearly outgrow this workflow.