StreamYard vs Restream: Which Wins for a Live Podcast?

This post contains affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no cost to you. StreamYard and Restream are both among them. See our Affiliate Disclosure. Pricing as of October 2026, re-read on both pricing pages on October 27.

StreamYard Core is still the better buy for a live interview podcast. At $35.99 a month billed yearly it streams to 3 places, records every guest on a separate track, and keeps 50 hours of recordings. The cheap end changed in October, though. StreamYard’s new Essential plan is $14.99 a month billed yearly, a little under Restream Standard’s $16. Restream still gives you more at that price: 3 channels instead of 2, no logo on screen, and a recording of every stream.

Key takeaways

StreamYard Essential, new in October 2026, costs $18.99 a month billed monthly or $14.99 a month billed yearly, and streams to 2 destinations in 1080p with the StreamYard logo on screen.
Restream Standard costs $19 a month billed monthly or $16 a month billed yearly ($190), and streams to 3 channels with no Restream branding.
StreamYard Core costs $44.99 a month billed monthly or $35.99 a month billed yearly, and is the first StreamYard plan whose pricing card lists unlimited local recordings, recorded live streams, and 50 hours of permanent storage.
Restream’s pricing table lists split feed downloads, which save each guest separately, only from Professional, at $49 a month billed monthly or $39 billed yearly ($470).
Restream keeps recordings for 15 days on Standard and Professional and 30 days on Business, while StreamYard Core keeps 50 hours of recordings with no expiry date.
StreamYard’s refund policy takes requests within 20 days of a monthly charge or 60 days of a yearly one, though its pricing page still advertises 7 days. Restream’s 7-day money-back guarantee covers first-time subscribers only.

StreamYard vs Restream at a glance

The table uses StreamYard’s pricing page and Restream’s pricing page, both read with the monthly and yearly toggles on October 27, 2026, plus the help-center articles named below. Yearly totals are billed amounts where the vendor prints one and our math where it does not.

	StreamYard	Restream
Cheapest paid plan, billed monthly	Essential, $18.99	Standard, $19
Cheapest paid plan, billed yearly	$14.99 a month ($179.88)	$16 a month ($190)
Destinations on that plan	2	3
Branding on that plan	StreamYard logo stays	No Restream branding
Studio video on that plan	Full HD (1080p)	720p
People on screen on that plan	6	10
Live stream recorded on that plan	Not listed, starts on Core	Yes, kept 15 days
Separate track for each guest	Unlimited from Core, $35.99 a month yearly	Professional and up, $39 a month yearly
Recording storage	50 hours, permanent, on Core	15 days on Standard and Professional
Free plan	StreamYard logo, 2 hours of local recordings a month, 6 on screen	2 channels with Restream branding, no recordings listed
Refund window	20 days on monthly, 60 on yearly, per its refund policy	7 days, first-time subscribers

StreamYard pricing page on yearly billing showing Essential at 14 dollars 99 a month, Core at 35 dollars 99, and Advanced at 68 dollars 99, with Essential listing 2 multistream destinations and Core listing unlimited local recordings and 50 hours of permanent storage.

Restream pricing page on yearly billing showing Free at 0 dollars, Standard at 16 dollars, Professional at 39 dollars, and Business at 199 dollars a month, with channels, clips, and webinar add-ons listed for each.

Which is cheaper, StreamYard or Restream?

For multistreaming alone, it is closer than it used to be. StreamYard Essential works out to $179.88 a year billed yearly against $190 for Restream Standard, so StreamYard is $10.12 cheaper. Month to month the gap is one cent, $18.99 against $19. Restream gives you more for that money, though: 3 channels instead of 2, no logo, 10 people on screen instead of 6, and a recording of each stream, kept for 15 days. And if you need 3 destinations without a logo, Restream Standard is $241.88 a year cheaper than StreamYard Core.

Add per-guest recording and the order flips. StreamYard Core includes it for $35.99 a month billed yearly, or $431.88 a year. Restream needs Professional, which is $470 a year, so StreamYard is $38.12 cheaper and keeps your files longer. Restream also sells Clips from +$19 a month and Webinars from +$99 a month as add-ons, where StreamYard Core lists AI clips in the plan.

Which is better for recording a podcast with guests?

StreamYard. Per its local recording article, each participant is recorded on their own device, you get a separate audio file and video file per person, and the audio downloads as WAV. You tick “Record locally for each participant” in the studio before the session starts. Our StreamYard review walks through the session and what makes uploads fail.

Buy Core for this, not Essential. StreamYard’s pricing page puts unlimited local recordings on Core, and Essential’s card adds nothing to recording beyond the free plan’s 2 hours a month. The help center still says every paid plan records locally without a limit, but that article doesn’t mention Essential, so treat the pricing card as the rule. If you want to try Essential anyway, check the recording settings during its 7-day trial before you count on it.

StreamYard Settings window on the Recording tab with Record locally for each participant ticked and Record audio and video selected, above a Cloud recording section.

Restream has the same feature in a less finished state. Its local recording article labels it beta, says it is a paid feature, and requires desktop Chrome or another Chromium browser. It says guests who join from a phone are not included during the beta, and that only the host downloads the files. Files export as a ZIP with XML timelines for Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. Layouts, overlays, and backgrounds are not recorded.

Then there is the clock. Restream’s pricing table keeps recordings for 15 days on Standard and Professional, and its recordings article says you need a paid plan for streams to be recorded at all. Download after every show. StreamYard Core holds 50 hours with no expiry, though past 50 hours the studio stops recording until you clear space.

Which is better for multistreaming?

Restream, on price and reach. Standard streams to 3 channels at once, Professional to 5, and Business to 8, and its FAQ says you can stream from one place to 30-plus social channels. It also works with other software: its FAQ says you can use any third-party streaming software or its own web studio. Restream says it can stream audio only, with a static image or black screen.

StreamYard Essential streams to 2 destinations, Core to 3, and Advanced to 8. Custom RTMP destinations and guest destinations, which let a guest stream to their own channel, start on Core. For a podcast that goes to YouTube and one more place, Essential’s 2 is enough. The extra channels matter only if you stream to several platforms at once.

What do the free plans include?

StreamYard Free keeps the StreamYard logo on your streams, allows 6 people on screen, and includes 2 hours of local recordings a month. It is enough to test whether your guests can join from a link and whether the studio suits you. Restream Free streams to 2 channels with Restream branding. Its pricing table lists no cloud recordings on Free, and its recordings article says a paid plan is required, so a free Restream stream leaves you no file to edit.

What are the catches?

StreamYard is for individuals. Its pricing page marks Essential, Core, and Advanced as individual-use plans, and our StreamYard pricing guide covers the Business plan for companies.
StreamYard Essential keeps the logo and doesn’t record your streams. No-logo streaming, recorded live streams, and unlimited local recordings all start on Core.
StreamYard recording stops at 50 hours. You can keep streaming, but the studio stops recording until you free space or buy more.
Restream recordings expire. 15 days on Standard and Professional, 30 on Business.
Restream’s Standard studio is 720p. Full HD starts on Professional, per its pricing table.
Neither is a podcast host. You still need a host to publish an RSS feed. See our guide to choosing a podcast host.
The refund windows differ. StreamYard’s refund policy, updated September 22, 2026, takes requests within 20 days of a monthly charge or 60 days of a yearly one, though its pricing page still says 7 days, so ask early. Restream’s help center says its 7-day guarantee covers first-time subscribers and not auto-renewals.

Which should you buy?

A live interview show with remote guests: StreamYard Core, $35.99 a month billed yearly. Start StreamYard’s 7-day free trial. The downside: 50 hours of storage fills fast, and it is for individual use only.

YouTube plus one more place, on the smallest budget: StreamYard Essential, $14.99 a month billed yearly. It is the cheapest paid plan on either side. The downside: the StreamYard logo stays on screen, and your live streams are not recorded.

Three or more channels, no logo, or a studio you already own: Restream Standard, $16 a month billed yearly. Try Restream free. The downside: no per-guest recording until Professional, a 720p studio, and 15-day storage.

Guests recorded separately on Restream: Restream Professional, $39 a month billed yearly, if you also want 5 channels and 4K recording. The downside: it costs $38.12 a year more than StreamYard Core, and local recording is in beta.

Audio-first show that you edit heavily: neither. See StreamYard vs Riverside, and our live streaming software guide for the wider field.

FAQ

Is Restream cheaper than StreamYard?

Not at the bottom anymore. StreamYard Essential is $14.99 a month billed yearly against $16 for Restream Standard, though Restream streams to 3 channels with no branding against Essential’s 2 with StreamYard’s logo. Once you need each guest recorded separately, Restream Professional at $39 billed yearly costs more than StreamYard Core at $35.99.

What is StreamYard Essential?

StreamYard’s cheapest paid plan, added in October 2026: $18.99 a month, or $14.99 a month billed yearly. It adds unlimited streaming, multistreaming to 2 destinations, and 1080p to the free plan. The StreamYard logo stays, and unlimited local recordings start on Core.

Can StreamYard record each guest separately?

Yes. Its local recording saves a separate audio and video file for each participant. The free plan allows 2 hours a month, and the pricing page lists unlimited local recordings from Core.

Does Restream have a free plan?

Yes. Restream Free streams to 2 channels with Restream branding. Its pricing table lists no cloud recordings on that plan.

How long does Restream keep recordings?

15 days on Standard and Professional, 30 days on Business, per its pricing table. Download each recording after the show.

Can I use Restream with other streaming software?

Yes. Restream’s FAQ says you can use any third-party streaming software or its own web-based Studio.

Do StreamYard or Restream host a podcast?

No. Neither publishes an RSS feed for Apple Podcasts or Spotify, so you still need a podcast host.

Re-checked against the pricing pages of StreamYard and Restream, StreamYard’s local recording article and refund policy, and Restream’s local recording, recordings, and refund articles on October 27, 2026.