Last updated: 2026-01-10

For most teams in the U.S. looking for streaming software for webinars, starting with a browser-based studio like StreamYard On‑Air gives you the fastest path to a polished event with registration, branding, and high-quality recordings. If you need deep, technical control over scenes and encoders, pairing a desktop tool like OBS with a webinar platform or multistreaming service can make sense—at the cost of more setup and maintenance.

Summary

• StreamYard is a browser-based studio, so hosts and guests can join without downloads while still getting professional webinar production and recordings.StreamYard On‑Air
• StreamYard On‑Air adds webinar workflows like registration forms, watch pages, and automated recording delivery on paid plans.Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air
• Desktop tools like OBS and Streamlabs offer advanced scene control but require local installation, capable hardware, and more technical setup.OBS Studio
• Restream is useful when you mainly care about sending one stream to many channels, while StreamYard is usually simpler when you also need a full webinar experience with guests and lead capture.Restream pricing

What should “streaming software for webinars” actually do?

When people search for streaming software for webinars, they’re rarely asking for codecs or bitrates. They want a reliable, low-stress way to:

• Go live (or pre-recorded “as live”) without tech drama.
• Invite guests who are not technical—and still have things work.
• Capture high-quality recordings they can repurpose later.
• Collect registrations and emails to follow up with attendees.
• Add branding and layouts that make the webinar feel like “their show,” not a generic meeting.

That’s where browser-based studios built for webinars have a big advantage. StreamYard runs entirely in the browser, so you and your guests don’t have to download anything, which is a major reason many hosts describe it as more intuitive and “passing the grandparent test.”StreamYard On‑Air

Browser-based vs desktop webinar studios: which should you choose?

A useful way to think about webinar software is: do you want a browser studio or a desktop encoder?

Browser-based studios (StreamYard, Restream Studio):

• Run in Chrome/Edge/Safari—no installation.
• Handle encoding and distribution in the cloud.
• Emphasize simple layouts, branding, and guest workflows.

Desktop encoders (OBS, Streamlabs Desktop):

• Require installation and configuration on Windows/macOS (OBS also supports Linux).OBS Studio
• Depend heavily on your CPU/GPU and internet connection.
• Offer granular control over scenes, sources, and encoders.

For most webinar use cases—customer training, lead-gen webinars, town halls—a browser workflow trades a bit of low-level control for a lot of reliability and speed. That’s why many creators who tried OBS or Streamlabs later switch to StreamYard, explicitly saying they prefer its ease of use over complex setups.

If you’re producing a highly stylized show with intricate scene choreography and you enjoy tinkering, OBS or Streamlabs might be worth the effort. But for mainstream webinar needs, browser-first tools usually deliver better outcomes with less friction.

How does StreamYard handle core webinar needs?

When you host a webinar, three moments really matter: getting people registered, delivering a smooth live experience, and following up with great recordings.

1. Registration and lead capture
On paid plans, StreamYard On‑Air lets you create a webinar with a customizable registration form, so you can collect attendee emails and other fields you care about.Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air This means your “streaming software” isn’t just pushing video; it’s also quietly building your list.

2. A low-friction live experience
StreamYard is browser-based, so your guests join from a link instead of hunting for a download.StreamYard On‑Air Hosts consistently point out that guests can join easily and reliably, even if they’re not tech savvy. You can bring up to 10 people on screen with additional backstage participants, which covers most panel, interview, and Q&A formats.

You also have studio-style controls—layouts, screen sharing, overlays, and team seats—so multiple producers can help run the show. That’s a big upgrade from a typical “meeting app” experience when you want your webinar to feel like a broadcast.

3. High-quality recordings and follow-up
On paid plans, StreamYard records broadcasts in HD (up to 10 hours per stream) in the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about local files or disk space.StreamYard’s paid plan features You can also schedule pre‑recorded videos to stream as live (up to 8 hours, depending on plan), which is ideal for “evergreen” webinars.StreamYard’s paid plan features

If you enable on‑demand access, StreamYard emails attendees a recording link within minutes after the webinar ends, saving you from manual follow-up.Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air

On top of that, trimming tools are built in and available on all plans—including Free—so you can clean up your replay without leaving StreamYard.Streaming software with built-in editor

How does StreamYard compare with OBS and Streamlabs for webinars?

OBS and Streamlabs are impressive, especially if you care about advanced production.

OBS Studio is free and open source, built for video recording and live streaming on desktop.OBS Studio You can create scenes made up of multiple sources—window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, capture cards—and switch between them with precision.OBS Studio on Steam Streamlabs layers on overlays, alerts, and monetization features; some of its multistream and advanced visuals live behind a paid Ultra subscription.Streamlabs FAQ

Where these tools excel:

• Highly customized scenes and transitions.
• Deep control over encoders and bitrates.
• Integrations for alerts and donations (especially for gaming).

Where many webinar hosts struggle with them:

• You’re responsible for configuring everything—from audio routing to output settings.
• Stability depends on your computer and network.
• There’s no built-in registration, watch page, or automated follow-up.

A common pattern is to use OBS or Streamlabs to send a polished feed into a webinar or video platform. That works, but it introduces more moving parts. Many teams find they’d rather keep life simpler: run the show directly in a browser studio, let the platform handle encoding, and focus on content.

This is why a lot of creators explicitly say they prioritize ease of use over complex setups like OBS or Streamlabs and default to StreamYard for webinars and remote guests.

Multistreaming webinars: when do Restream and StreamYard make sense?

Multistreaming—sending one webinar to several destinations at once—is powerful, but most U.S. teams only need a handful of platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, maybe X).

Restream is built primarily around multistreaming: it relays your video to multiple channels and adds its own browser-based studio. Its pricing highlights that even the Free plan offers multistreaming to two channels, with higher paid tiers unlocking more channels, longer uploads, and higher-resolution studio options.Restream pricing

StreamYard’s paid plans also support multistreaming, letting you send a single broadcast to several platforms at the same time directly from the studio.StreamYard’s paid plan features For typical webinar workflows, this often covers what you actually need—simulcasting to a couple of major platforms while still having a dedicated watch page and registration via On‑Air.

If your primary goal is maximum platform coverage, including many niche destinations, Restream can be helpful. But if you care equally about the webinar experience—registration, branded layouts, guest management, and polished recordings—many teams find it more straightforward to keep everything inside StreamYard and use multistreaming there when needed.

How to collect and export webinar registrations in StreamYard

Let’s walk through a simple scenario.

You’re hosting a lead-gen webinar for a new product. You want people to sign up, attend live, and then receive a replay.

With StreamYard On‑Air on paid plans, you would:

1. Create an On‑Air webinar and customize the registration form fields (name, email, maybe company or role).Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air
2. Share the registration link in email and on social.
3. Go live in the browser studio; the chat on the watch page opens 10 minutes before start time and stays active 10 minutes after, so early birds and lingerers can interact.Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air
4. After the event, export the registration and attendee data to your CRM or email tool.
5. Let StreamYard automatically send attendees an email with a recording link if you’ve enabled on‑demand viewing.Create a Webinar with StreamYard On‑Air

You end up with a clean, end‑to‑end flow—from sign‑up to replay—without stitching together multiple tools.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default streaming software for webinars if you value ease of use, guest friendliness, and end‑to‑end webinar workflows (registration, live delivery, and replay) in a browser-based studio.
• Consider OBS or Streamlabs when you specifically need advanced scene control and are comfortable managing desktop encoders; in many day-to-day webinar scenarios, that extra complexity doesn’t translate into better outcomes.
• Reach for Restream if your top priority is sending one stream to a larger mix of social destinations, while recognizing that StreamYard’s built-in multistreaming typically covers the mainstream platforms most webinars rely on.
• If you’re unsure, start with StreamYard’s free plan to get a feel for the studio and editing tools, then layer on On‑Air webinar features and multistreaming as your events grow.Is StreamYard free?