Last updated: 2026-01-18

For most people in the U.S. who need secure, high‑quality recordings with minimal setup, starting with StreamYard’s encrypted browser studio plus local and cloud recording is the most practical path. If you specifically need fully offline, open‑source workflows or custom streaming protocols, a desktop tool like OBS can be a useful complement.

Summary

• StreamYard encrypts audio and video in transit, encrypts cloud recordings at rest, and adds organizational controls like least‑privilege access and 2FA for production systems. (StreamYard Security Overview)
• On paid plans, you get unlimited per‑participant local recording (up to 4K video and 48kHz WAV audio) plus cloud storage measured in hours, so you can choose where your files live. (StreamYard Local Recording)
• OBS records everything locally and is open source, which some teams prefer when they want full control over storage and protocol choices like RTMPS or SRT. (OBS Help)
• For most creators and teams, security plus ease of use (inviting guests, managing recordings, and repurposing content) make StreamYard a strong default and tools like OBS helpful add‑ons, not replacements.

What does “secure video recording software” actually mean?

When people search for secure video recording software, they’re usually asking three questions:

1. Is my stream encrypted while it’s happening?
   That means: if someone tries to snoop on your connection, they only see scrambled data.

2. How are the recordings protected once they’re saved?
   Are cloud files encrypted at rest? If everything is local, how do you lock down the drive?

3. Who inside my organization can access those recordings?
   Access control, 2FA, and least‑privilege permissions matter just as much as encryption.

At StreamYard, in‑studio audio and video are encrypted in transit using TLS and DTLS, and recordings stored in our cloud are encrypted at rest with AES via Google Cloud Platform. (StreamYard Security Overview) That covers the first two questions by default for browser‑based recording.

OBS takes a different path: there are no OBS servers, so recordings go straight to your own storage, and streams go directly from your computer to your chosen platform. (OBS Help) Security then depends on how you configure transport protocols (like RTMPS) and how you secure your machines and drives.

How does StreamYard keep your recordings secure?

From a security lens, StreamYard does three important things:

1. Encrypts traffic into and out of the studio
   We force HTTPS on services using TLS, and the live studio uses DTLS v1.2 for incoming and outgoing video and audio streams. (StreamYard Security Overview) For you and your guests, that means the call is encrypted over the network without any extra setup.

2. Encrypts cloud recordings at rest
   Cloud data is encrypted using GCP‑managed AES at rest, so if you choose to store recordings in the cloud, they’re not just sitting there as raw files. (StreamYard Security Overview)

3. Limits who can touch production systems
   Internally, we use a least‑privilege access model and require 2FA for production systems, which reduces the blast radius if a credential is compromised. (StreamYard Security Overview)

On top of that, you can choose between cloud recordings and local recordings:

• Local per‑participant recording captures each guest’s feed directly on their device, with separate audio and video tracks. (StreamYard Local Recording) Those files then upload back to your workspace, giving you “device‑quality” masters plus a cloud backup.
• Cloud recording on paid plans records broadcasts in HD for up to 10 hours per stream, so long webinars and town halls are automatically captured without you juggling file sizes mid‑event. (StreamYard Paid Plan Features)

If your threat model requires you to own every disk and key, you might still prefer to export and store final files in your own systems—but StreamYard’s defaults give most teams a secure baseline without needing to architect the network from scratch.

How secure is local recording versus cloud recording?

“Local” isn’t automatically safer; it’s just different.

• With local‑only tools like OBS and Bandicam, every recording lands on a drive you control. If your laptop is encrypted, access is locked down, and backups are handled securely, that can be a strong posture. But if the same machine is shared, unencrypted, or synced via consumer cloud drives, there’s more surface area than many people realize.
• With StreamYard, you get a hybrid: local capture per participant (device‑quality 4K video and 48kHz WAV audio) for editing fidelity, plus encrypted cloud copies for access, redundancy, and sharing. (StreamYard Local Recording)

A realistic scenario:

• You record a confidential product briefing with six guests.
• StreamYard captures each guest locally in 4K with uncompressed 48kHz WAV tracks, then uploads them to an encrypted cloud workspace for your team.
• You download only the tracks you need, archive finished masters in your own storage, and remove obsolete drafts from the workspace.

In practice, that combination—device‑quality capture plus encrypted cloud distribution—covers both performance and security needs for most business, education, and creator use cases.

When does OBS make sense as a secure alternative?

OBS is a powerful desktop application for local recording and live streaming, distributed free under an open‑source license. (OBS Studio on Steam) That matters in a few specific situations:

• You need protocol‑level control. OBS can be configured to publish via secure transports like RTMPS (RTMP over TLS), and can integrate with SRT‑based workflows, both of which support encrypted streaming between your machine and the destination. (SRT on Wikipedia)
• You want code auditability. Because OBS is open source, some organizations appreciate being able to review or commission reviews of the code that handles their video pipeline. (OBS Help)
• You’re focused on local scenes and gameplay capture. OBS gives deep control over scenes, sources, and encoders, which is attractive when you’re building complex layouts on a single machine.

The trade‑offs are real:

• There is no built‑in cloud recording; everything depends on your local storage strategy. (OBS Download Page)
• Guest onboarding and multi‑location interviews require third‑party tools (Zoom, Discord, etc.) and extra routing.
• Configuration is flexible but can be overwhelming if your main goal is “record something secure and high‑quality this afternoon.”

For many teams, the sweet spot is using StreamYard as the primary recording and collaboration studio, and bringing in OBS when they need a specialized local or protocol‑heavy workflow.

How do StreamYard, OBS, and Bandicam differ for U.S. teams?

Thinking specifically about U.S. creators, schools, and businesses, here’s how workflows typically break down:

• Multi‑guest interviews, webinars, and podcasts
  StreamYard gives you browser‑based guest links, per‑participant local recording, encrypted transport, and cloud storage measured in hours (free workspaces around 5 hours, common paid plans around 50). (StreamYard Blog – Auto Saved Recordings) OBS can capture the mixed program, but you’ll need extra tools and routing for guests.

• Solo screen or gameplay capture on a Windows PC
  Bandicam and OBS are focused here: local recording to disk, with Bandicam sold as licensed per‑PC software and often bundled with Bandicut for editing. (Bandicam Package Pricing) If you’re rarely hosting guests and prioritize game performance, those tools can pair nicely with StreamYard when you occasionally need a browser‑based studio.

• Commercial licensing and procurement
  Bandicam requires Business licenses for any work‑related or commercial use, priced by the number of PCs. (Bandicam FAQ for Resellers) OBS is free but governed by the GPL for redistribution. StreamYard uses an account‑based SaaS model with free and paid workspaces, plus business offerings for larger teams.

The throughline: if your definition of “secure” includes guest simplicity, encrypted transport, protected cloud archives, and high‑quality masters you can edit anywhere, StreamYard tends to be the easiest nucleus for your stack, with desktop tools as situational add‑ons.

What quality and editing control do you get with StreamYard?

Security isn’t useful if the footage isn’t worth protecting. That’s where quality and workflow come in.

StreamYard focuses on giving you strong masters without turning the studio into a full NLE:

• 4K local recordings on advanced tiers give you high‑fidelity video suitable for professional post‑production. (StreamYard Pricing)
• Per‑participant 48kHz WAV audio provides clean, uncompressed tracks for precise mixing and mastering.
• Color presets and grading controls help you dial in a consistent look that fits your brand or organization without needing a colorist on every call.
• AI Clips uses prompt‑based selection to quickly surface highlight moments so you can cut down long secure recordings into short assets without leaving the browser.

For deeper editorial work—multi‑track mastering, complex structure edits, or frame‑perfect graphics—you still bring recordings into a dedicated editor. That’s intentional: we keep the recording workflow secure, fast, and predictable, and let true editing suites handle the heavy lifting.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default secure recording studio when you need encrypted in‑studio transport, encrypted‑at‑rest cloud storage, and simple guest workflows.
• Lean on local per‑participant recordings in StreamYard for 4K video and 48kHz WAV audio masters, then archive final edits in your own secure storage.
• Add OBS or Bandicam when you have very specific local or gaming‑centric needs, or when you want protocol‑level control and are comfortable managing machine security and storage yourself.
• Start small: record a short internal briefing in StreamYard, review the quality and access controls with your team, and then standardize on the workflow that balances security, simplicity, and the kind of content you actually make.