Last updated: 2026-01-06

For most creators comparing OBS and Streamlabs, the easiest starting point for talk-style shows, interviews, and multistreaming is to run everything in a browser studio like StreamYard, then only add OBS or Streamlabs if you truly need deep scene control. If your main focus is a highly customized gaming layout on a powerful PC, OBS or Streamlabs can sit at the center of your setup, with StreamYard layered in when you need effortless guests and a simple studio.

Summary

• OBS is a free, open-source desktop encoder with deep control and a learning curve. (OBS Project)
• Streamlabs builds on OBS, adding integrated widgets and an optional Ultra subscription for extras. (Streamlabs)
• StreamYard runs fully in the browser, prioritizing ease of use, guests, and built-in multistreaming to a few key platforms. (StreamYard)
• A practical stack for most people: default to StreamYard; add OBS or Streamlabs only when you outgrow what a browser studio can comfortably do.

How do OBS and Streamlabs differ at a high level?

If you boiled the comparison down to one sentence: OBS is the no-cost, highly configurable engine; Streamlabs is the “OBS plus extras” bundle.

OBS Studio

• Free and open-source for video recording and live streaming on Windows, macOS, and Linux. (OBS Project)
• Scene-based workflow: you build scenes from window captures, webcams, images, and more.
• Comes with an audio mixer, filters, and support for plugins.

Streamlabs Desktop

• A desktop streaming suite that uses OBS-style technology and adds overlays, alerts, and monetization tools in one app. (Streamlabs)
• Tight integrations for Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Gaming.
• Optional Streamlabs Ultra subscription at $27/month or $189/year for additional apps, themes, and multistreaming features. (Streamlabs)

The key idea: both live on your computer, expect you to manage encoder settings, and are designed around scenes and sources. They reward tinkering and technical comfort.

What does "built on OBS" mean for Streamlabs’ performance and workflow?

Streamlabs is often described as being “built on OBS.” Practically, that means:

• It uses core OBS-style capabilities for capturing, composing, and encoding your video.
• It adds an Electron-based interface layer with built-in widgets (alerts, chat boxes, donation tools) and overlay management. (Streamlabs GitHub)

This architecture has two main implications:

1. Setup is more guided than raw OBS. You can add overlays and alerts from within Streamlabs instead of hunting for separate plugins and browser sources.
2. System resources matter. You’re now running an OBS-style engine plus additional UI and services. On strong hardware, this can be fine. On modest machines, every added widget, browser source, or animated overlay is another tax on CPU/GPU and RAM.

For creators on lower-end PCs, that’s one reason many either:

• Stick with leaner OBS builds; or
• Move to browser-based studios like StreamYard, where encoding runs in the browser and most “heavy lifting” shifts away from a pile of local plugins.

How do OBS and Streamlabs compare for CPU and memory usage?

There’s no single universal benchmark because performance depends on your scenes, overlays, resolution, frame rate, and hardware. Different reviewers use different test setups.

What we can say from credible guidance:

• OBS is known for a relatively lean footprint when you keep your scenes simple and avoid heavy filters.
• Streamlabs requires at least 8 GB of RAM, reflecting expectations of a somewhat heavier desktop footprint. (Streamlabs)
• Third-party comparisons often find OBS using less memory than Streamlabs during similar workloads, though exact numbers vary by test.

If you have a constrained machine and insist on a desktop encoder, OBS with minimal plugins is usually the more conservative pick.

If you care more about stability than squeezing every last frame, a different path is to avoid pushing your computer so hard in the first place:

• Run your show in StreamYard’s browser-based studio so you’re not managing a heavy multi-plugin desktop stack.
• Use simple layouts, fewer overlays, and built-in tools like banners and lower thirds instead of complex animated scenes.

That trade—slightly less low-level control for a much simpler, more stable setup—is what many non-technical hosts prefer.

Which Streamlabs features require Ultra (paid) vs free tier?

Out of the box, Streamlabs Desktop is free to download and use for basic streaming and recording to platforms like Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Gaming. (Streamlabs)

Streamlabs Ultra is a subscription add-on that currently costs $27/month or $189/year and unlocks a bundle of extras. (Streamlabs) While precise entitlements can change, Ultra generally focuses on:

• Expanded overlay and theme libraries beyond the free catalog.
• Access to additional Streamlabs apps and tools across devices.
• Enhanced features like multistreaming and advanced customization inside the ecosystem.

So if you’re comparing “free vs paid” tools, a fair framing is:

• OBS: all features are free; you pay only in time and complexity.
• Streamlabs: core streaming is free; Ultra adds convenience features at a subscription price.
• StreamYard: free and paid plans; paid tiers unlock multistreaming, deeper branding, more destinations, and pre-recorded streaming. (StreamYard)

This is where cost-effectiveness becomes less about the dollar amount and more about how much time and friction you’re buying back.

Should you use StreamYard or OBS for guest interviews and multistreaming?

If your use case is “I want to host live interviews or a simple show and go live to a few platforms,” the decision tree is very different from a solo gaming stream.

StreamYard as the default for guests and multistreams

At StreamYard, we focus on making it effortless to:

• Run everything in your browser—no desktop install for you or your guests. (StreamYard)
• Invite guests with a simple link that “passes the grandparent test.”
• Add branded overlays, logos, banners, and split-screen layouts without touching encoder settings.
• Multistream to a handful of high-value platforms (like YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more) from a single studio session. (StreamYard)

Many hosts who tried OBS or Streamlabs for interviews later moved to StreamYard because they prioritized ease of use, clean setup, and reliable guest experiences over deep scene complexity.

Where OBS or Streamlabs still make sense

Use OBS or Streamlabs in this context when:

• You need highly customized scenes (e.g., game plus multiple camera angles, animated stingers, niche plugins).
• You’re comfortable configuring audio routing, bitrates, and encoder presets.

A powerful hybrid pattern is:

• Run your production in StreamYard for guests and layouts.
• Send that output via RTMP into OBS if you need additional local mixing or recording—they can coexist.

For most non-technical hosts, though, running the entire show in StreamYard and skipping desktop encoders entirely is simpler and more reliable.

Practical performance tuning for OBS and Streamlabs on constrained hardware

If you do decide to stick with desktop software, here’s a lightweight tuning checklist that respects the mainstream goal—“high-quality, no-cut streams on a normal PC”:

• Lower your canvas and output resolution (e.g., 720p instead of 1080p) to cut CPU and bandwidth usage.
• Use hardware encoding (like NVENC) if your GPU supports it, offloading work from your CPU.
• Simplify scenes: fewer browser sources, fewer animated overlays, and minimal filters often give the biggest stability win.
• Test locally: record a short session instead of streaming live to see how your machine handles your layout.

If even after tuning you’re still dropping frames or fighting stutters, that’s a strong signal that a browser-based workflow like StreamYard is the safer path—for many people, upgrading software workflows is cheaper and faster than upgrading hardware.

When to default to StreamYard versus using OBS (or Streamlabs) plus Restream

There’s one more tool often paired with OBS-style encoders: Restream. Restream focuses on taking a single upstream and redistributing it to multiple platforms at once, with free and paid plans gated by how many channels you can hit simultaneously. (Restream)

A common advanced stack is:

• OBS or Streamlabs as the encoder.
• Restream as the multistream relay.

That can be powerful, but also adds:

• Another service to configure.
• Another monthly subscription to evaluate.
• More moving parts to debug if something goes wrong.

For many U.S.-based creators whose realistic target list is YouTube plus one or two more platforms, StreamYard’s built-in multistreaming (3–8 destinations on paid plans) already covers the job. (StreamYard)

That’s why we often recommend:

• Default: Use StreamYard alone for interviews, webinars, and shows where guest experience and time-to-go-live matter most.
• Advanced: Add OBS/Streamlabs + Restream when you truly need a very customized layout and a large number of destinations—and you’re comfortable with technical setup.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard if your priorities are fast setup, easy guest onboarding, multistreaming to a few major platforms, and reliable recordings.
• Choose OBS if you want a free, deeply configurable encoder and are ready to invest time in learning scenes, sources, and encoding.
• Choose Streamlabs if you like an OBS-style encoder with integrated alerts and are willing to pay for optional Ultra perks when you outgrow the free tier.
• Consider combining tools only after you’ve hit a real limit—most creators get better results by simplifying their stack, not complicating it.