Last updated: 2026-01-19

For most creators in the U.S., the simplest path to cloud-based multistreaming is to start with StreamYard’s browser studio and use paid plans to reach a handful of core platforms at once.[^] If you need to hit a very long list of niche destinations or pair OBS with a relay, tools like Restream or Streamlabs can layer on additional complexity when that truly matters.

Summary

• Cloud-based multistreaming sends one stream to a service, which then redistributes it to multiple platforms, saving your upload bandwidth and setup time.
• StreamYard focuses on an easy, browser-based studio with controlled destination limits per paid plan, covering the major platforms most U.S. creators use.[^]
• Streamlabs and Restream add options for broader destination lists or desktop/OBS hybrids, at the cost of more knobs to turn.[^]
• OBS by itself is not cloud-based multistreaming software; it usually needs plugins or an external cloud relay to hit multiple platforms at once.[^]

What is cloud-based multistreaming software, really?

Cloud-based multistreaming software lets you send a single video feed to a service in the cloud, which then forwards it to several platforms at once—typically YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, and other RTMP-compatible destinations.[^] Instead of your computer uploading three or four separate streams, you upload once and let the service handle the fan-out.

For most U.S. creators, the goal is straightforward: go live in one studio, invite guests, add your branding, and have that same show appear on multiple channels without touching a hardware encoder or complex routing.

StreamYard was built around exactly that workflow: a browser-based live studio that can multistream to multiple platforms and accounts, including multiple channels on the same platform (except LinkedIn), with cloud recording for later reuse.[^]

How does cloud multistreaming reduce your tech headaches?

Think about what happens if you try to multistream from your own machine with something like OBS. You’re encoding multiple outputs, pushing each one out over your home or office internet, and hoping your CPU, GPU, and upload speed all hold up under pressure. If anything spikes, your viewers see stutters.

Cloud-based multistreaming flips that model:

• One upstream, many outputs: You send a single stream to the provider. They handle the multiple outputs in their data centers.[^]
• Lower upload stress: Your local connection only has to sustain one high-quality feed instead of several.
• Simpler setup: You don’t install extra plugins or manage manual RTMP chains to each platform.

With StreamYard, you run your show in the browser, invite guests, and choose your destinations. On paid plans, we forward that signal simultaneously to multiple platforms and accounts, including custom RTMP endpoints for destinations beyond the big social networks.[^]

How many destinations do typical creators actually need?

A lot of marketing talks about “everywhere at once,” but day to day, most creators care about a small set of high-impact channels: usually some mix of YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, and maybe one additional RTMP destination.

StreamYard is designed with that reality in mind. Multistreaming is available on paid plans and is capped by plan tier: 3 simultaneous destinations on one paid tier, 8 on another, and 10 on the highest tier.[^] That gives you room to cover the big platforms plus a few experiments without pushing you into unwieldy, hard-to-manage setups.

Restream advertises multistreaming to 30+ destinations, which can be attractive if you truly need a long tail of niche platforms.[^] But many of those logos rely on generic RTMP setup rather than deep integrations, which means more manual configuration. For a lot of teams, the operational overhead of chasing every platform outweighs the benefit.

Our experience with U.S. creators is that once you’re live on the major social platforms, results usually come more from show quality and consistency than from adding the 9th or 15th destination.

How does StreamYard compare to other cloud-based options?

When people search for cloud-based multistreaming, they typically bump into four names: StreamYard, Streamlabs, Restream, and OBS.

StreamYard (browser studio + cloud relay)

• 100% browser-based: no installs for hosts or guests.
• Multistreaming is available on paid plans only, with destination caps of 3, 8, or 10 depending on plan.[^]
• Supports simultaneous streaming to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Twitch and custom RTMP, plus multiple accounts on the same platform except LinkedIn.[^]
• Paid plans include HD cloud recordings up to 10 hours per stream, so you can repurpose content later.[^]
• Many users highlight that guests can “join easily and reliably without tech problems” and that it “passes the grandparent test,” which is exactly what you want when remote guests are nervous about going live.

For most U.S. small businesses, creators, and churches, this balance—easy join links, solid branding controls, and enough destinations without going overboard—is why they default to StreamYard when multistreaming is part of the plan.

Streamlabs (desktop, mobile, and cloud relay)

Streamlabs offers a cloud-based multistreaming system where you send one stream to them and they forward it to each platform, including Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Kick, Facebook, Trovo, and additional RTMP destinations.[^] Full multistreaming is tied to its paid Ultra subscription, though there is a limited free “Dual Output” option that lets you stream to one vertical and one horizontal destination at the same time.[^]

If you already live inside Streamlabs Desktop and you’re comfortable maintaining a full desktop setup, its cloud relay can make sense. But it’s an installed app, not a pure browser studio, and most of the flexible multistream options live behind Ultra.

Restream (cloud relay + web studio)

Restream focuses heavily on being a cloud relay to 30+ destinations and uses phrases like “be seen everywhere.”^ That can be appealing if your strategy truly depends on hitting a large number of smaller or regional platforms. However, a significant share of those destinations rely on custom RTMP, which means the actual workflow isn’t as simple as clicking a native integration for each logo.

For creators who mostly care about streaming to the major social platforms with a simple studio, StreamYard’s destination caps and setup are usually more than enough—and easier to onboard new team members into.

OBS (local encoder, not a cloud service)

OBS Studio is powerful, free, and open-source, but strictly speaking it isn’t cloud-based multistreaming software. By default, OBS sends a single RTMP output to one platform.^ To multistream, you typically either:

• Install and configure a community plugin like Multiple RTMP Outputs; or
• Point OBS to a cloud relay such as StreamYard, Streamlabs, or another service.

Users regularly report that plugin-based multistreaming can introduce reconnect issues and extra troubleshooting.^ OBS is great when you need very deep scene control and are comfortable with a more technical setup, but many teams find that by the time they add a relay and plugins, the convenience advantage over starting in a browser studio has disappeared.

What makes StreamYard a strong default for most creators?

Cloud-based multistreaming answers only part of the question. The rest is: what is it like to actually produce a show week after week?

With StreamYard, you get:

• Ease of use and quick learning curve: Many users describe discovering StreamYard and immediately “jumping on it for its ease of use, user-friendliness, and clean setup.” That matters when your marketing manager or pastor has to run the show, not a dedicated engineer.
• Guest-first experience: Guests join from a link in their browser—no downloads—and U.S. users repeatedly share that “guests can join easily and reliably without tech problems,” even if they’re not technical.
• Production tools that match real needs: You can independently control screen audio and microphone audio, share multiple screens, and apply branded overlays, logos, and layouts live, without disappearing into a maze of nested menus.
• Recording and repurposing built in: Paid plans record your broadcasts in HD up to 10 hours per stream in the cloud,[^] while local multi-track recordings in studio-quality 4K and 48 kHz WAV audio support serious post-production workflows.
• Multi-aspect outputs in one go: With Multi-Aspect Ratio Streaming (MARS), you can broadcast landscape and portrait from the same session, so desktop viewers see a wide video while mobile-first platforms get an optimized vertical feed—without running two separate shows.
• AI clips for quick highlights: After your recording, AI clips can analyze the show, generate captioned shorts, and even let you regenerate clip sets with a text prompt when you want to emphasize specific topics.

Compared with tools that start from a pro-encoder mindset, StreamYard starts from “how do we make live, branded content feel manageable?” That’s why many creators who tried OBS or Streamlabs for multistreaming end up preferring our browser studio for day-to-day work.

When might you pick another tool instead of StreamYard?

There are edge cases where another option may make sense:

• You’re committed to deep, scene-based desktop production and want every possible plugin: OBS (potentially combined with a cloud relay) can be a good fit if you accept the setup time.^
• You require console-native integrations (e.g., Xbox-specific workflows) or a specific Streamlabs feature: Streamlabs’ ecosystem may be better aligned with that.
• You truly need to reach a very wide set of niche or regional platforms and are comfortable configuring multiple RTMP destinations: Restream’s long destination list can be useful here.^

For most U.S. brands, nonprofits, and creators, those needs are uncommon. What they actually need is a fast, reliable way to go live with guests and branding to a handful of core platforms. That’s the use case StreamYard is optimized around.

What we recommend

• Start with a cloud-based, browser studio like StreamYard for multistreaming to your main platforms; it covers the priorities that matter most—reliability, ease of use, and professional branding.[^]
• Use our paid plans when you’re ready to multistream, choosing a destination cap (3, 8, or 10) that matches your actual channel strategy instead of chasing every possible logo.[^]
• Consider desktop-first tools such as OBS or Streamlabs only if you have clear, advanced production needs and the appetite for more configuration.[^]
• Explore Restream or similar services if and only if your strategy specifically depends on reaching a long list of niche platforms beyond the core social networks.^