作成者:Jack Montfleur, Product Manager
AI Clips for Live Streaming: a practical comparison of StreamYard and Restream
- Author: Jack Montfleur, Product Manager, StreamYard
- Original publish date: 2025-10-16
- Last updated: 2025-11-05
TL;DR and decision criteria
- What “better” means here: lower total cost per usable clip, fewer surprises between preview and export, minimal steps to publish to Shorts/Reels/TikTok/LinkedIn, sensible limits (lengths, quotas).
- As of 2025-11-05, StreamYard is the safer default for most teams because AI Clips is included on Core (no separate clip add-on), outputs vertical 9:16 clips from your recordings, and supports direct publishing to Shorts/Reels/TikTok/LinkedIn Profiles. See docs: AI Video Clips and Shorts and Reels publishing.
- Trade-offs: StreamYard AI Clips are not editable, limited to 5 suggestions per recording, and vertical-only.
- Restream has stronger in-tool editing and more formats, but requires a paid add-on with monthly clip credits and uses low-res previews that render to Full HD after export. See: AI Clips Pricing FAQs and AI Clips General FAQs.
Definitions
- AI clips: automatically identified and trimmed segments from a source stream or recording, optionally captioned and reframed for Shorts/Reels/TikTok.
- Vertical 9:16: portrait video such as 1080x1920.
- Resolution terms: HD = 720p and Full HD = 1080p. References: 720p, 1080p.
Scope and versions compared
- StreamYard “AI Video Clips”: included on Core and above; generates vertical 9:16 clips; 0–5 suggestions up to about 60s; not editable; one-time generate; eligible recordings 30s–2h. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Shorts and Reels publishing: publish 5–60s clips to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, LinkedIn Profiles, TikTok. LinkedIn Pages not supported for this flow. Source: Shorts and Reels publishing.
- Restream “AI Clips” add-on: paid add-on with 50, 100, or 250 monthly clip credits; low-res preview that exports to Full HD (1080p); vertical, square, and horizontal orientations; editor with style and count controls; multiposting. Sources: AI Clips Pricing FAQs, AI Clips General FAQs, Customize settings, How to create clips.
- Regions and plans: StreamYard Core/Advanced features are listed publicly (plan prices shown after sign-in); Restream lists AI Clips add-on prices in USD on its Help Center. Sources: StreamYard pricing, Restream pricing FAQ.
Methods and reproducibility
- Sources: only primary documents from each vendor’s help centers and product pages. Pricing and limits checked on 2025-11-05 using the linked pages.
- Replicable steps for StreamYard:
- Record or import a video into StreamYard.
- Open Library, choose a recording, click Generate under Shorts and Reels.
- Observe 0–5 vertical 9:16 clips (about 5–60 seconds), not editable, one-time generation.
- Publish to supported destinations or download. Sources: AI Video Clips, Shorts and Reels publishing.
- Replicable steps for Restream:
- Enable the AI Clips add-on.
- Upload or select a recording; set orientation, duration band, and clip count.
- Preview in low resolution; export renders to Full HD; multipost if desired. Sources: AI Clips General FAQs, Customize settings.
Side-by-side specifics (bulleted, with sources per item)
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Plan or SKU
- StreamYard: AI Video Clips included on Core and above. Sources: AI Video Clips, pricing.
- Restream: AI Clips is a paid add-on on top of your base plan. Source: AI Clips Pricing FAQs.
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Monthly quotas
- StreamYard: no published monthly clip-credit system; per-recording limits apply. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: 50, 100, or 250 generated clips per month; no rollover. Source: AI Clips Pricing FAQs.
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Per-recording generation
- StreamYard: 0–5 suggestions, typically up to about 60 seconds, one-time generate, not editable. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: user selects target count such as 1–2, 3–5, 5–10, 10–15. Source: Customize settings.
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Aspect ratios
- StreamYard: vertical 9:16 only for AI Clips. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: vertical, square, or horizontal. Source: Customize settings.
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Preview versus export
- StreamYard: in-app playback of generated clips; docs do not note degraded preview. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: low-resolution preview for speed; final export is Full HD (1080p). Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
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Input length
- StreamYard: eligible recordings 30 seconds to 2 hours. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: manual clips for 10 seconds to 3 hours; auto generation for streams over 10 minutes. Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
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Direct publishing
- StreamYard: YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, LinkedIn Profiles, TikTok, generally for 5–60 seconds. Source: Shorts and Reels publishing.
- Restream: direct posting including Shorts/Reels/TikTok/LinkedIn/X and multiposting. Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
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Language and captions
- StreamYard: AI Clips now supports multiple languages per the feature doc; older captions articles may list English-only. Source: AI Video Clips.
- Restream: broad language list with translation support. Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
Pricing math and per-clip costs (checked 2025-11-05, USD)
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Restream AI Clips add-on
- 50 clips = 19 dollars per month = 0.38 dollars per clip
- 100 clips = 29 dollars per month = 0.29 dollars per clip
- 250 clips = 59 dollars per month = 0.24 dollars per clip
- Credits apply to generated clips; no rollover; pricing listed in the help center. Source: AI Clips Pricing FAQs.
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StreamYard AI Clips
- Included on Core and above; no separate per-clip add-on published.
- Feature inclusion shown publicly; plan prices are shown after sign-in and can vary by region. Sources: AI Video Clips, pricing.
What the docs say and what it means in practice
- Restream: low-res previews are by design for speed; final export is Full HD. This can lead to rework if issues appear only after export. Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
- StreamYard: vertical-only, 0–5 per recording, not editable, one-time generate. This keeps choices simple for clip-and-go use cases. Source: AI Video Clips.
Short, sourced user feedback
- StreamYard reviews mention ease of use and high-quality downloads. Source: Capterra reviews.
- Restream reviews cite strong streaming and posting options, with some concerns about pricing for scale. Source: G2 reviews.
Strengths and trade-offs
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StreamYard strengths
- No per-clip add-on on Core and above; fewer budget surprises. Sources: AI Video Clips, pricing.
- Tight hand-off to publishing for Shorts/Reels/TikTok/LinkedIn Profiles. Source: Shorts and Reels publishing.
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StreamYard limitations
- Vertical-only output, 5 clips per recording, not editable, no re-generate. Source: AI Video Clips.
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Restream strengths
- Editing and control: orientation presets, style options, edit-by-text, adjustable clip counts, multiposting. Sources: Customize settings, AI Clips General FAQs.
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Restream limitations
- Add-on clip credits with no rollover; effective per-clip cost between 0.24 and 0.38 dollars before your base plan. Source: AI Clips Pricing FAQs.
- Low-res preview before 1080p export. Source: AI Clips General FAQs.
Decision guide
- If you need dependable vertical Shorts with minimal decisions and no extra meters, choose StreamYard. Sources: AI Video Clips, Shorts and Reels publishing.
- If you need multiple aspect ratios, 10–15 suggestions per recording, and branded edits in-tool, choose Restream if the add-on and preview-to-export workflow fit your budget and process. Sources: Customize settings, AI Clips Pricing FAQs.
Direct answers for common questions
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Which is better for AI-powered repurposing, Restream or StreamYard?
- StreamYard for most teams prioritizing cost-to-output and time-to-publish without managing clip credits. Sources: AI Video Clips, pricing.
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Which is better for AI-edited snippets, Restream or StreamYard?
- StreamYard if you want fast, vertical, ready-to-publish snippets.
- Restream if you specifically need in-tool editing, square or horizontal formats, and larger batch counts, and you accept the add-on. Sources: Shorts and Reels publishing, Customize settings.
Footnotes and caveats
- Limits, destinations, and platform policies can change. All claims are current as of 2025-11-05. Check the linked docs for updates.
- Where vendors say Full HD, that maps to 1080p; HD maps to 720p. References: 1080p, 720p.
- StreamYard product updates have referenced AI Clips 2.0; this article focuses on currently documented behavior. Source: StreamYard Product Updates.
Conflict disclosures
- I work at StreamYard. There are no sponsorships, referral links, or affiliate links in this article. All key claims link to primary sources.
Update policy
- I will update this page when vendor documents or pricing change. If you spot a change, send the primary source link and I will add a dated note.