Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most creators in the U.S., the simplest remote guest software setup is to host and record interviews in a browser-based studio like StreamYard and invite guests with a link, no installs required. If you need deep desktop-level control over scenes and encoding, you can layer a tool like OBS on top of that—but expect more setup and maintenance.

Summary

• Remote guest software lets you bring people into a live or recorded show from anywhere, without studio hardware.
• StreamYard focuses on frictionless guest joins and built-in recording in a browser studio, including separate local tracks per participant on supported plans. (StreamYard Support)
• OBS is a powerful free desktop encoder, but it does not include its own guest calling—you pair it with separate tools and web sources. (OBS)
• For most interview-style shows, start with StreamYard; add OBS only when you truly need advanced scene logic or a hybrid workflow.

What is remote guest software and why does it matter?

When people search for "remote guest software," what they really want is a dependable way to bring guests into an interview, podcast, or webinar without tech drama.

At a minimum, remote guest software should:

• Let guests join from their own devices
• Handle audio and video routing for you
• Give the host control over who’s on screen
• Record or stream the conversation in a usable format

Browser-based studios like StreamYard handle all of that in one place: guests click a link, land in your studio, and you can go live or record in a couple of minutes. (StreamYard Support)

Desktop tools like OBS focus more on production and less on guest management. You typically rely on a separate guest bridge (Zoom, VDO.Ninja, or other) and then capture those feeds into OBS.

If your priority is hitting “go live” on time with guests who are not technical, a browser studio is usually the right starting point.

How does StreamYard handle remote guests?

The core idea at StreamYard is that guests should not need to be engineers to appear on your show.

Here’s what the guest experience looks like:

• You click Invite in the studio and copy a unique guest link. (StreamYard Support)
• You send that link to your guest by email, DM, or calendar invite.
• The guest opens it in a supported browser or the dedicated iOS Guest App, sets their name, camera, and mic, and joins the backstage. (StreamYard Support)
• By default they do not need to create a StreamYard account; you can optionally require authentication if they’re connecting their own destinations.

Inside the studio, you can:

• Host conversations with up to 10 people on screen at once on paid plans, which comfortably covers most interview and panel formats. (StreamYard Support)
• Keep additional people backstage, ready to rotate in as callers or panelists.
• Allow both hosts and guests to share their screens for demos or slides. (StreamYard Support)

This “send a link, they’re in” approach is why many teams treat StreamYard as their default remote guest solution and only bring in other tools when they outgrow basic layouts or need special routing.

StreamYard guest limits and plan-dependent features

Capacity and reach matter once your show grows. The nice part is that you don’t have to learn a new tool just because you added more people.

Key limits and behaviors:

• On free plans, you can have up to 6 people on screen at a time. (StreamYard Support)
• On paid individual plans, you can have up to 10 people on screen, which covers a host plus nine guests for panels, roundtables, and live Q&A. (StreamYard Support)
• Backstage capacity increases on higher tiers, so you can stage more participants than you show at once.

There are two other guest-related capabilities worth knowing about:

1. Guest Destinations
   On paid plans, guests can connect up to two of their own channels (for example, their YouTube and LinkedIn) so your live stream also goes to their audience. Each guest gets up to two destinations, with a cap of six guest destinations per broadcast. (StreamYard Support)

2. Local recordings
   On supported plans, hosts can turn on local recording to capture studio-quality individual audio and video tracks for each participant, recorded on their own device and uploaded in the background. (StreamYard Support)

These two features—guest multistreaming and per-guest local tracks—solve problems that many creators previously tried to patch together with several tools.

Getting per-participant local recordings for remote interviews

If you’re running a serious audio or video podcast, separate tracks per guest are non‑negotiable. You want the ability to fix levels, remove noise, and cut crosstalk without destroying the rest of the mix.

With StreamYard’s local recording:

• Each host and guest is recorded locally on their own device.
• The files are uploaded to the cloud and organized per participant.
• You still get a unified cloud recording for quick repurposing, but you also have the raw isolated tracks for detailed edits. (StreamYard Support)
• Free plans include a limited number of local recording hours per month (for example, 2 hours at the time of writing), while higher plans expand that allowance. (StreamYard Support)

Could you get separate tracks another way? Yes—but it often means asking each guest to record themselves locally in a DAW or screen recorder, or building a complex OBS-based workflow.

For most shows, turning on local recording in StreamYard and downloading those tracks is both faster and more reliable than coaching guests through extra software.

Choosing between StreamYard (browser studio) and OBS (desktop encoder)

There is a real decision to make between a browser studio and a desktop encoder, but it’s not a fair fight if you judge them on the wrong criteria.

OBS is a powerful, free desktop application for recording and live streaming. You can build scenes with windows, images, text, browser sources, capture cards, and more, then stream or record the output. (OBS)

However, OBS does not include built-in guest calling:

• Remote guests usually join via Zoom, Discord, VDO.Ninja, or a similar tool.
• You capture those calls via window capture or by loading a web URL into OBS’s Browser Source. (OBS)

This creates a clear dividing line:

• If you care most about simple guest joins and reliable recording, a browser studio like StreamYard is more direct.
• If you care most about intricate scenes, transitions, and granular local audio processing, OBS can be a useful layer—but you’ll spend time wiring things together.

Many creators in the U.S. find that StreamYard alone covers 90% of their needs: easy guest links, scene presets, local and cloud recording, and multistreaming, all in one browser tab.

How to bring a browser guest into OBS using VDO.Ninja

Some readers come in with a very specific search: “How do I add a remote guest to OBS using VDO.Ninja?” This is a classic hybrid stack: a browser-based guest bridge plus a desktop encoder.

At a high level, the OBS + VDO.Ninja flow looks like this:

1. In VDO.Ninja, you create an invite link and send it to your guest.
2. The guest joins in their browser; VDO.Ninja generates a VIEW link for that camera feed. (VDO.Ninja Docs)
3. In OBS, you add a Browser Source and paste the VIEW link; OBS treats that remote guest like any other source. (OBS)
4. You build scenes around that source, mix audio, and then stream or record from OBS.

This can deliver high-quality video and flexible layouts, especially since OBS’s browser source is quite versatile. But it’s also more moving pieces: one app for guests, one for production, and potentially a third for distribution.

For many interview shows, using StreamYard as the primary remote guest tool is significantly quicker to set up and easier to operate live.

Hybrid workflow: use StreamYard for guest joins and OBS for advanced production

If you want the best of both worlds, you don’t have to choose one or the other.

A practical hybrid setup looks like this:

• You host the conversation and manage guests in StreamYard’s studio.
• You output that show to OBS via OBS’s Virtual Camera or RTMP input.
• You use OBS for extra overlays, scene chaining, or routing into complex setups while StreamYard continues to handle guests, layouts, and recording.

Because StreamYard runs in the browser, your guests never touch OBS; they just see the studio, chat with you, and go live. You or your technical producer can then do additional magic downstream in OBS without adding friction for your guests.

This hybrid model is especially useful for:

• Organizations that already standardized on OBS but want easier guest onboarding
• Events where you feed a composed show into broadcast hardware or internal tools
• Creators who want StreamYard’s local recordings and multistreaming, while still taking advantage of OBS for special scenes

What we recommend

• Default path: Start with StreamYard as your primary remote guest software if your priority is easy, reliable interviews with non-technical guests.
• Upgrade path: Turn on local recordings and Guest Destinations as your show grows, so you get better post-production assets and more reach without changing tools. (StreamYard Support)
• Power-user path: Add OBS on top of StreamYard—or pair OBS with a guest bridge like VDO.Ninja—only when you need custom scenes or complex routing and are comfortable maintaining a more technical setup.