13 Top Live Streaming Platforms (+ How to Choose the Right One)

Key takeaways:

• Diverse use cases for live streaming: While social media live-streaming is popular for personal events, businesses use live streaming as a marketing tool to build communities, expand reach, and increase engagement through real-time interaction.
• Monetization opportunities: Successful live streams can generate revenue through paid subscriptions, donations, ad revenue, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.
• Key considerations when choosing a live-streaming platform: Key criteria include video quality (HD/4K), low latency for real-time interaction, security features, and recording capabilities. Built-in editing and media features also enhance user experience.
• Content and audience matter most when choosing a platform: Social media creators should use platforms familiar to their audience, while businesses should opt for professional platforms focused on high-quality video, stability, and security.

Thanks to live streaming technology, distance is no longer a barrier to connection. It allows people to interact in real-time no matter where they are in the world. 

Whether you want to share life’s big moments, like graduations and weddings, with loved ones or engage with followers to grow your business, there’s a live streaming platform designed to meet your needs.

What is a live streaming platform?

Live streaming platforms, which can be websites, apps, or software programs, allow users to broadcast video content in real time. Every live streaming platform will enable you to share live videos with an audience. 

However, some—mainly those catering to business users—offer additional features beyond live broadcasting, such as video storage, editing tools, and more.

Why do people livestream content?

Live streaming on social media is the most well-know use of this technology that lets people broadcast live events to their followers (friends and family). 

However, many people livestream professionally as well. Whether promoting a personal brand or a company, live streaming platforms can be great marketing tools and sources of revenue as well, helping you:

• Build communities by allowing fans or followers to interact with you and each other in real time.
• Increase reach by broadcasting events to global audiences.
• Establish authenticity and transparency by engaging in a live format that lets your audience see you in a more personal, raw, and unedited setting.
• Gain immediate feedback by encouraging viewers to offer real-time reactions and suggestions for your content or product and ask questions directly instead of emailing or contacting a third party, like sales or support. 

Live streaming can also be monetized effectively if your content becomes popular enough. Successful live streams make money via paid subscriptions, where viewers pay a recurring fee for exclusive content or perks—donations, tips, ad revenue sharing, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and more. 

Factors to consider when evaluating live streaming platforms

Like when choosing any other tool, you’ll want to investigate things like ease of use, cost, and support quality when selecting a live-streaming platform. However, the one that’s right for you will depend most on your live streaming goals and how you want to use the platform. 

Some factors to consider in narrowing down your choices include:  

Video quality

• Resolution and bitrate: Platforms offer varying levels of video quality. For the best quality, look for live-streaming platforms that offer HD and 4K streaming options.
• Latency: Look for platforms that offer low-latency streaming, which ensures minimal delay between the broadcaster and viewers, enabling real-time interaction and a more engaging experience.
• Multi-camera support: Vital for live streamers that host complex events requiring several cameras to stream content simultaneously, like concerts or tech conferences.

Security and privacy

• Privacy settings: If you’re more interested in corporate streaming events, prioritize platforms that offer strong access controls instead of social media-based streaming platforms, which give you less control over who can access your content. 
• Security features: Ensure the platform offers encrypted streaming and password protection security. 

Recording capabilities

• High-quality local recording: Being able to record your livestreams is a great option. It enables you to take your live content, improve it, repurpose it, and share it on different channels and platforms. 
• In-platform editing: A platform with built-in editing tools allows you to take your livestreams and chop them up into social media clips and other types of shareable content easily. 

Visual and sound design features 

• Overlays: Make your livestreams pop with the ability to add overlays and designs while recording. Add visual features like animations, widgets, text, and follower counts during the live stream to keep your audience engaged.
• Media board: Often called soundboards, a media board is a handy feature for any live streamer that allows you to insert audio and video clips into your live stream. Media boards are great time savers. Instead of adding clips in post-production, you can play them live.

Co-streaming options

• Invite guests and co-hosts: Look for live streaming platforms with remote guest capabilities that allow you to stream and capture multiple people’s video and audio simultaneously, no matter where they are streaming from. 

Integrations

• Third-party integrations: Check if the platform integrates with other tools you use, such as video editing software, social media platforms, or email marketing tools.
• Multi-casting: If you want to go live on several channels at once, look for platforms that allow you to multicast your stream—live stream on several popular platforms at once. 
• API access: For advanced users, some live streaming platforms offer API access to integrate custom features or embed streams into a business website.

Choosing the best live streaming platform for your needs

The two most important factors that will decide which live platform suits your needs best are defining what type of content you want to create and who your target audience will be. 

Are you a social media personality whose followers already use platforms like X, Facebook Live, Instagram, and YouTube? If so, it’s probably best to stick to the platforms your audience already knows.

If you’re a business that wants to add live streaming content as a new channel, then you should consider professional live-stream platforms that prioritize things like high-quality video, stability, security, and versatility.  

Here’s a look at some of the best and most popular live-streaming services for particular livestreaming niches. 

Best live streaming platforms for podcasting

Riverside

Riverside is known for its high-quality podcast and remote interview recordings, but it also supports live streaming and multi-streaming to platforms like YouTube, Twitch. and Facebook. It's ideal for creators focused on professional-quality audio and video, especially in remote interview settings.

• Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $15/month for individual creators.
• Video quality: Supports 4K resolution and local recording for high-quality audio and video. It allows you to edit videos, export them, and create social clips instantly, all in high-quality video and audio. 
• Monetization options: No built-in monetization; creators can monetize by exporting content to other platforms.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Allows exporting recordings for other platforms and offers multicasting options for most popular platforms. It also enables livestreaming with up to 10 remote guests and co-hosts. 
• Security: Offers end-to-end encryption and 2FA.

While Riverside is most user-friendly for podcasters, it works just as well for corporate streaming, such as a webinar or any other type of live event. You can use Riverside to capture a presentation in top-quality with the Presentation recorder. You can upload slides, assign a presenter and receive a locally-recorded track of your presentation. There’s even a functionality for inviting a behind-the-scenes producer to help you run the live stream so you can focus on your performance. 

Riverside also has a robust editor built-in that lets you repurpose your livestreams to get the most out of them:

• Touch up your recording in the text-based editor so you can repurpose your content for social media. 
• Use  AI transcriptions to trim your video quickly by deleting text in your recording transcript. 
• Add video captions and customize your video’s layout. 
• Fix up audio in a few quick clicks with Magic Audio, which deletes silences and background noises automatically. 
• Isolate key moments in your recordings automatically with the Magic Clips tool and transform them into short clips ideal for social media.

ListenApp

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ListenApp is a podcast-focused platform that provides seamless live streaming, designed specifically for audio creators looking to engage with their listeners in real time.

• Pricing: Free with basic features. Premium plans are available for additional customization and advanced analytics.
• Video quality: Audio-only platform optimized for high-quality audio streaming with minimal latency.
• Monetization options: Includes built-in monetization features like listener donations, subscriptions, and ad integration.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: No native video streaming, but audio streaming can be broadcast to multiple podcast directories simultaneously.
• Security: Offers end-to-end encryption for live streams and user data protection.

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)

OBS is a free, open-source platform perfect for podcasters looking for customizable live streaming video with support for multiple platforms. 

• Pricing: Free, open-source software.
• Video quality: Supports up to 4K resolution and adjustable bitrate, frame rate, and encoding settings.
• Monetization options: No built-in monetization options.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Supports streaming to multiple platforms using restreaming plugins.
• Security: Relies on the security of the platform it streams to.

Best live streaming platforms for gaming and eSports

Twitch

Twitch is the leading platform for live-streaming gaming, eSports, and creative content, known for its massive community engagement and interactive features like chat and emotes. It's ideal for gamers and creators looking to build a dedicated audience.

• Pricing: Free
• Video quality: While Twitch does have 4K streaming options available, you’ll rarely be able to stream in 4K because the platform enforces a maximum bitrate of around 6,000 kbps, which can limit video quality.
• Monetization options: Streamers earn from ads shown on their streams. They also receive a percentage of revenue from channel subscriptions. Viewers can purchase and donate Bits, Twitch’s virtual currency, to support streamers.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: None. 
• Security: Two-factor authentication (2FA) for user accounts.

Kick

Kick is a newer live-streaming website focused on gaming and entertainment, offering creators better revenue splits and higher video quality. It's great for streamers who want more flexible monetization options and fewer restrictions than Twitch.

• Pricing: Free
• Video quality: Supports 4K streaming.
• Monetization options: Streamers keep 95% of their subscription fees. Viewers can also donate directly to streamers. 
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Streamers can restream to platforms like YouTube or Facebook without penalties through Kick. 
• Security: 2FA for user accounts.

Best live streaming platforms for content creators and influencers

YouTube Live

YouTube Live is perfect for content creators looking to reach a large audience.

• Pricing: Free for both streamers and viewers.
• Video quality: Supports up to 4K streaming at 60 FPS.
• Monetization options: Streamers can earn through ads, Super Chat (paid messages from viewers), channel memberships, and YouTube Premium revenue share.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: You can restream to other platforms using third-party tools.
• Security: 2FA, strict moderation tools, and advanced copyright detection systems

TikTok Live

TikTok Live is ideal for influencers, entertainers, and creators who want to engage directly with their audience in real time through short-form content. It's best for live-streaming on mobile devices and interactive experiences.

• Pricing: Free for both creators and viewers.
• Video quality: Supports up to 1080p streaming.
• Monetization options: Viewers can purchase virtual gifts to support streamers, which can be converted into real currency. 
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: TikTok does not officially support restreaming to other platforms.
• Security: 2FA and strict community guidelines.

Best live streaming platforms for business events

Brightcove

Brightcove is designed for enterprises and large-scale broadcasters needing reliable, high-quality live streaming with built-in monetization options. 

• Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing.
• Video quality: Supports HD and 4K video.
• Monetization options: Offers ad-based monetization, pay-per-view, and subscription models for video content.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Supports streaming across web, mobile, and smart TV platforms.
• Security: Enterprise-level security, including Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection, 2FA, and Single Sign-On (SSO).

Wowza

Wowza offers a scalable live-streaming video solution ideal for broadcasters and enterprises needing high-quality streams with low latency. 

• Pricing: Starts at $99/month for streaming services.
• Video quality: Supports 4K streaming and adaptive bitrate technology for smoother playback.
• Monetization options: No direct monetization tools.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: You can stream to multiple platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and custom players via its streaming engine.
• Security: Offers encryption, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and DRM protection.

Vimeo

Vimeo is popular among professionals and businesses for hosting high-quality, ad-free video streams with robust privacy controls.

• Pricing: Paid plans start at $12/month for individuals, with premium plans for live streaming.
• Video quality: Supports 1080p and up to 4K, depending on the plan.
• Monetization options: Creators can sell video subscriptions or offer pay-per-view content.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Vimeo allows streaming to platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn via simulcasting.
• Security: Offers password protection, 2FA, and advanced privacy settings.

Best live streaming platforms for creative arts and performance

StageIt

StageIt is a live-streaming platform for musicians, performers, and entertainers who want to host exclusive, ticketed livestream events. 

• Pricing: Free to start, but the platform takes a 20% earnings cut.
• Video quality: Supports up to 720p for live performances, focusing on low latency rather than high resolution.
• Monetization options: Streamers earn through ticket sales and tips.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: No direct re-streaming capabilities.
• Security: Offers basic security, with private shows limited to ticket holders, and provides password-protected streams.

Best live streaming platforms for courses and training

Udemy Live

Udemy Live is part of Udemy’s e-learning platform, allowing instructors to engage with students through live-streamed lectures and workshops.

• Pricing: Individualized plans are created on a case-by-case basis. 
• Video quality: Supports HD streaming.
• Monetization options: Instructors can charge for live sessions as part of their course offerings, with Udemy taking a percentage of the revenue.
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: No restreaming to other platforms.
• Security: 2FA for instructors and students and content protection through watermarking and encryption.

Crowdcast

Crowdcast is a live-streaming platform that is great for educators and is designed for interactive webinars, Q&A sessions, and virtual events.

• Pricing: Starts at $29/month for the basic plan.
• Video quality: Supports up to 720p streaming.
• Monetization options: Streamers can charge for events, webinars, and workshops via ticket sales or donations. 
• Cross-platform streaming capabilities: Allows streaming to YouTube and Facebook using third-party tools but primarily focused on standalone webinars and events.
• Security: Offers password protection, 2FA, and secure access to live events, with custom privacy settings for hosts.

Prioritize multistreaming to cover all bases 

There’s no one-size-fits-all for live streaming apps, as every user has different needs. If you find it hard to pick just one that fits your needs perfectly, the solution might be to find a live streaming platform that supports multicasting (or multistreaming) to several live streaming platforms simultaneously. 

Platforms like Riverside that offer multistreaming give you a lot of broadcasting freedom, allowing you to direct your broadcast to multiple different platforms, like YouTube and Facebook, and more, at the same time, directly from your Riverside Studio. 

FAQs about live streaming platforms 

Where can I stream live for free?

Some live-streaming platforms are available to use for free. They include Riverside, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check out the information above for more free platforms and information on their key features. We’ve got you covered with various free and paid resources for your broadcast.

What equipment do you need to livestream?

You can livestream with very minimal livestream equipment. Anyone with a device with a live streaming platform, camera, and microphone can technically go live. You could start broadcasting straight from your phone with an iOS or Android live-streaming app.

If you want to upgrade to some equipment that will improve your live stream quality, we recommend using some dedicated equipment. These include a high-quality external camera and microphone, headphones or earphones, and lighting. You may also need to find editing software to adjust a recording of your live-stream footage.

Can Riverside stream to YouTube? 

Yes, Riverside lets you stream on-demand to not only YouTube but also other social channels — all at the same time. With Riverside, you can share your screen and pre-recorded video content in your YouTube livestream. Plus, with the Media Board feature, you can add sound effects and other media during the live broadcast.