Last updated: 2026-01-21

If you want streaming software with cloud storage for recordings, StreamYard, Restream, Riverside, and Streamlabs Talk Studio all give you built-in cloud recordings, while OBS only records locally. For most creators, StreamYard is the best default because it combines easy, reliable live streaming with plan-based cloud storage and automatic recordings on paid plans.

Summary

• Several browser-based tools offer live streaming plus built-in cloud recordings; OBS does not.
• On StreamYard, paid plans auto-record your streams to the cloud, and storage is measured in hours per plan. (StreamYard)
• Restream, Riverside, and Streamlabs Talk Studio store recordings in the cloud for limited days or months, then delete them. (Restream Help Center, Riverside Help Center, Streamlabs Talk Studio)
• OBS has no built-in cloud storage; you record locally and manage uploads yourself. (OBS Forum)

What counts as “streaming software with cloud storage for recordings”?

When people ask for streaming software with cloud storage, they usually want three things:

1. Go live to platforms like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitch.
2. Automatically capture that session as a video file.
3. Have that file saved online so they (or their team) can download, repurpose, and share it later.

Four tools fit this brief very directly:

• StreamYard – browser-based studio with plan-based cloud storage measured in hours, plus automatic recording for paid plans. (StreamYard, StreamYard)
• Restream – records streams to the cloud with retention in days (15–30 days depending on plan). (Restream)
• Riverside – focuses on recording; cloud recordings per participant, stored for about three months. (Riverside)
• Streamlabs Talk Studio – browser-based, keeps recent broadcasts in the cloud for 15–30 days. (Streamlabs Talk Studio)

OBS Studio sits in a different category. It is powerful desktop streaming software, but there is no built-in cloud portion—it runs locally and saves files to your machine. (OBS Forum)

If your priority is “go live + get a downloadable recording without extra setup,” these browser-based tools—especially StreamYard—will feel much simpler than piecing things together yourself.

How does StreamYard handle cloud storage and recording?

On StreamYard, we treat storage as a simple, plan-based bucket measured in hours of recordings.

Our current storage limits include:

• Free: 5 hours
• Core: 50 hours
• Advanced: 50 hours
• Teams: 50 hours
• Business: 700+ hours
  (StreamYard)

A few key points that matter when you are comparing options:

• Live streams auto-record on paid plans. When you are on a paid StreamYard plan, your live streams are automatically recorded in the cloud, so you finish a show and instantly have a replay to download. (StreamYard)
• Local recordings don’t eat cloud space. If you turn on local recording, those higher-quality local tracks do not count against your cloud hours. (StreamYard)
• Individual audio tracks on Advanced. If you do podcasts or heavy post-production, individual audio tracks are available on the Advanced plan as a cloud feature. (StreamYard)

From a pricing standpoint:

• Free plan is free.
• Core plan is $35.99/month billed annually.
• Advanced plan is $68.99/month billed annually.

We also offer a 7-day free trial and often have special offers for new users.

What many creators love is that StreamYard “just works” even for non-technical guests. You can bring people on without downloads, they click a link, and they are in the studio. Users consistently call out the ease of use, quick learning curve, and clean interface, especially compared to more complex setups like OBS or Streamlabs.

For most people who want reliable live streaming plus convenient cloud recordings, this combination—automatic capture, clear storage limits, simple guest experience—is why StreamYard becomes the default.

Which platforms include cloud recording, and what are their retention periods?

Here is a quick overview of how the main tools handle cloud recordings and how long they keep your files.

StreamYard

• Cloud storage measured in hours per plan, from 5 hours on Free up to 700+ on Business. (StreamYard)
• Live streams are automatically recorded on paid plans.
• Local recordings do not count against cloud limits. (StreamYard)

Who this fits: Creators and teams who want straightforward live streaming with predictable storage, plus a studio interface that guests can use without training.

Restream

• Automatically records streams to the cloud on eligible paid plans.
• Recordings are stored for 15 days on Standard and Professional plans and 30 days on Business, then removed. (Restream)
• You need a paid plan to create and access recordings. (Restream)

Who this fits: Multistreamers who are okay with short-term retention and will download assets fairly quickly.

Riverside

• Creates cloud recordings for each participant.
• Once generated, cloud recordings are available for three months, then permanently deleted. (Riverside)

Who this fits: Interview shows and podcasts that want separate tracks per guest and are disciplined about downloading projects within that three‑month window.

Streamlabs Talk Studio

• Saves recent broadcasts in the cloud.
• Recordings are deleted after 15 days for Standard members and 30 days for Pro. (Streamlabs Talk Studio)

Who this fits: Creators who just need a short window to grab replays and clips.

OBS Studio

• No built-in cloud storage.
• Runs locally on your machine; recordings are saved to your drives. (OBS Forum)

Who this fits: Power users who are comfortable managing their own storage, backup, and uploads—and who want deep control over encoding and scenes.

In practice, many creators do not need ultra-long retention inside the platform if they have a simple workflow to download and back up their main content. StreamYard’s hour-based storage, combined with automatic recordings, gives you that workflow with less to think about.

How do cloud recording quality and resolution compare?

When we talk about “quality” here, there are two layers:

1. What the cloud recording itself captures
2. How easy it is to get higher-quality tracks if you want them

Riverside

Riverside’s model is built around recording. It creates cloud recordings for each participant and keeps them for three months. Those cloud MP4 files have a maximum resolution of 720p. (Riverside)

If you want higher‑quality tracks, you rely more on local recordings per participant.

StreamYard

On StreamYard, the focus is smoother live production plus practical recordings for repurposing.

• Live streams on paid plans are automatically recorded to the cloud, ready for download.
• You can also enable local recordings (which do not count against your cloud storage) to get higher‑quality files from each participant when needed. (StreamYard)
• Individual audio tracks are available on the Advanced plan, which is ideal for podcast editing. (StreamYard)

For many shows, the practical difference between “cloud-only” and “cloud + optional local” is big. You get a reliable backup in the cloud every time, plus higher‑quality local files when the content is important enough to justify the extra editing.

Restream and Streamlabs Talk Studio

Restream and Streamlabs Talk Studio both produce downloadable cloud recordings and keep them for relatively short windows (15–30 days). (Restream, Streamlabs Talk Studio)

If you mainly need a replay for social clips or short-term promotion, that can be enough. If you are building a long-running show catalog, you will want a consistent system for downloading and archiving your files elsewhere.

Can you record locally and then upload later?

Yes. With every tool mentioned here, you can record locally on your computer and then upload the file to another platform or storage service.

The bigger question is how much work you want to do yourself versus letting your streaming software handle it.

• On StreamYard, your cloud recording is handled for you on paid plans. You can still enable local recordings for higher‑quality files without burning through cloud hours. (StreamYard)
• On OBS, local recording is the default. There is no cloud layer at all. You are responsible for organizing files, backing them up, and uploading to your host or cloud storage. (OBS Forum)
• On Restream, Riverside, and Streamlabs Talk Studio, local recording is often used as a safety net or for higher‑quality edits, with their cloud recordings acting as a quick-access backup before the retention window expires.

Many teams eventually land on a hybrid: let the platform auto-record to the cloud so nothing is lost, then have a simple habit of downloading and archiving the episodes that matter most.

Does OBS provide built-in cloud recording or storage?

No. OBS Studio does not provide any built-in cloud storage or recording service.

OBS runs locally on your PC. It encodes your stream and either sends it to a live platform (like YouTube or Twitch) or records it as a file on your local drives. There is explicitly no cloud portion built into OBS. (OBS Forum)

If you love OBS for its deep scene control and plugin ecosystem, that can be a great choice—but you will need to add your own cloud solution (Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, etc.) and handle uploads manually or via scripts.

For creators who prioritize simplicity, that extra layer of setup and maintenance is exactly why they move from OBS or Streamlabs to StreamYard. They want a tool where guests can join without downloads, the recording is waiting in the cloud, and they do not have to be their own DevOps team.

When might an alternative be a better fit than StreamYard?

We are confident that StreamYard is the best default for most people who care about easy live streaming, guest friendliness, and built-in cloud recordings. But there are a few scenarios where another option can make sense:

• If you are building a recording-first, non-live studio and need very specific per-guest local recording workflows, Riverside’s approach may be attractive. (Riverside)
• If you want a fully custom, high-control, desktop-only setup and are comfortable managing your own storage, OBS is a strong fit—just know you will not get built-in cloud recordings. (OBS Forum)

For creators and teams who value speed, reliability, and “grandparent test” simplicity for guests, those trade-offs usually point back to StreamYard as the everyday workhorse.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if you want live streaming plus practical cloud storage for recordings, an easy guest experience, and a gentle learning curve.
• Add local recordings on StreamYard when a specific episode or interview deserves higher‑quality files for editing.
• Consider Restream or Streamlabs Talk Studio if you are comfortable with short retention and simply need quick-access replays.
• Choose Riverside or OBS only if you have clear, advanced needs—like recording-first workflows or highly customized local setups—and are willing to manage more complexity yourself.