If you’re looking for the best Facebook Live Stream Software for Mac and Windows PC right now, you’re in the right place!
Whether it’s multi-person interviews, live screen sharing, on-screen chat, or just fancy branding animations and tools – third-party Facebook Live software on PC and Mac can unlock a HUGE range of functionality you just can’t get with Facebook’s standard apps.
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There are so many great Facebook live options out there on both Mac and Windows. There’s BeLive, vMix, ReStream, Wirecast, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS Studio), eCamm Live, Zoom, StreamYard… the list goes on!
Each has their own unique strengths, weaknesses, cool live stream display features and price tags.
So which one is the best option for you? We’ve tested all the leading options and have narrowed it down to the top free and paid options that we recommend.
In this review we’ll compare the pros and cons of each software to help you find the best one for your Facebook live streaming.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Facebook Live Producer
- OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
- StreamYard
- Ecamm Live
- ManyCam
- Professional Options: vMix & Wirecast
Let’s dive in.
Facebook Live Producer
The simplest and most basic option for going live on Facebook is just to do it directly through the Facebook website.
You can either go to the Facebook website, go to New Post and select Livestream. Or you can go to facebook.com/liveproducer.
This requires no additional software or anything else that needs to be downloaded and installed.
But because this is the most basic option, there’s also not many other tools or features built-in.
You can’t add in titles, videos, guests, or anything else. You’re limited to just sharing your webcam (or whichever camera is attached to your computer) and your computer screen.
OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software)
OBS is an awesome Facebook live streaming software that’s 100% free. Which might be why it also happens to be one of the most popular options out there!
It works on Mac, PC and Linux. It packs in a lot of advanced features and controls that you’d normally only see in professional-level software.
However, the interface and usability of the app isn’t very intuitive.
So if you’re an absolute beginner or even an intermediate user, there will be quite a big learning curve. It will take some time to get up to speed and be able to use OBS Studio quickly & fluently.
It’s definitely not impossible but there are options that we’ll cover which have a lot of the same functionality as OBS but with a far more intuitive interface.
Having said that, because OBS is so popular there are a ton of resources available. This includes everything from YouTube videos to support forums that will help you get up to speed.
Overall, OBS is an awesome option for anyone who wants a free Facebook live streaming software, who is an intermediate to advanced user, or who is willing to put in the time to learn it.
StreamYard
StreamYard is a Facebook live streaming software that runs in your browser, meaning you don’t need to download and install anything! So it will run on pretty much any computer out there, even low powered computers like a Chromebook.
This also means it will work in the browser of your iPhone or Android device.
Top StreamYard Features
StreamYard isn’t at the same level as options like OBS or other professional grade software when it comes to advanced features. But it still has some awesome tools. Let’s take a look.
Easy To Use Interface
When it comes to the overall interface and usability, we’d say that StreamYard comes out on top. It’s hands down the simplest and most intuitive while still packing in a really decent amount of features.
This makes tasks like sharing your computer screen, adding graphic overlays and bringing guests into your live stream incredibly easy.
Quickly Add Guests
Our favorite feature would have to be how easy it is to add guests to your livestream. You can add up to 10 guests at a time. All you need to do is click a button which generates a unique link that you can share out with anyone you want to come onto your livestream.
The person can click the link on any device and they’ll appear in your Green Room which is essentially a waiting room. From there you can bring them into your live stream. There’s even a private chat you can use for communicating with other guests.
Easily Switch Between Scenes
It’s also super easy for you to switch between different scenes and layouts while you’re live. For example you could switch from a 50/50 screen split with you on one side and your guest on the other, to a full screen display just with the click of a button.
Built-In Simulcasting
Also known as multicasting, this is where you can stream to multiple platforms at once. So if you want to stream to YouTube as well as Facebook, all you need to do is select an additional destination that you want to broadcast to.
All the hard work is done on StreamYard’s end and you don’t need any extra services or platforms.
StreamYard Pricing
There is a free version of StreamYard available but it adds a StreamYard watermark to your livestreams. If you want to remove their branding, which we strongly recommend, you’ll need to jump on a paid plan.
Here are the different pricing options available:
- Free
- Basic – $20 per month
- Professional – $39 per month
Check out the full pricing information here.
Overall, StreamYard is an incredible live streaming software and it’s also one of our personal favorites. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an advanced user who doesn’t necessarily want to dive in and configure things up, SteamYard is worth checking out.
You don’t have the ability to dial in every minor detail but we don’t think that’s a bad thing for the majority of users.
Ecamm Live
Ecamm Live is another Facebook live streaming software that we personally love and we think you’ll love it too.
It’s only available on Mac (sorry PC users) and it packs a punch when it comes to ease of use AND functionality.
Top Ecamm Live Features
Ecamm Live is a mix of the advanced features and controls you find in OBS alongside the intuitive interface in StreamYard.
It isn’t AS advanced as OBS and it’s not AS easy to use as StreamYard but it is a great combination of all those things.
Great User Experience
One of the standout features of Ecamm Live is the user experience.
An example of this is zooming in during a screen share. You can literally just pinch to zoom in on your trackpad and it will zoom in on your computer screen.
There’s no need to find the little resize handles or fiddle with a slider bar while you’re live.
This is just one case in Ecamm Live where a task is incredibly easy to do and there are more examples littered throughout the software. Why can’t all tasks be this easy on every platform?!
You can easily bring in titles, graphics, video files and anything like that. All you need to do is drag and drop them and they’ll be added to your live stream instantly.
Awesome Guest Feature
Like StreamYard, Ecamm Live has a really powerful guest or interview feature.
It’s probably not as seamless as StreamYard’s feature but you can access to next level controls. Not only can you tweak and adjust what your cameras look like but you can also tweak and adjust what your guest’s cameras look like as well.
For example, you could resize their camera or you could add a green screen effect.
Easily Configure Presets
Ecamm Live makes it really easy for you to configure different presets and different scenes while you’re live. Similar to StreamYard, you can switch from a full screen to 50/50 screen to something else really easily. You can get granular with the adjustments to get the look you’re after.
Supports Multistreaming
There’s built-in support for services like Switchboard and Restream if you want to do multistreaming to multiple locations at once.
Unfortunately this isn’t directly built into the app yet. But it is on their roadmap for something they plan to have in the future.
Ecamm Live Pricing
There are two pricing options for Ecamm Live:
- Standard: $16 per month
- Pro: $32 per month
The Standard plan has a lot of the core functionality and it will let you bring in up to 5 guests to your live stream but only through Skype. If you want to unlock access to the Ecamm Live interview feature and other things like 4K recording, you’ll need to jump on the Pro plan.
Check out the full Ecamm Live pricing here.
Overall, Ecamm Live is an incredible combination of advanced tools while still being really easy to use. Even as a complete beginner you could jump in and figure everything out while still having access to those pro-level tools.
ManyCam
For the PC users who wish Ecamm Live had a Windows version, ManyCam is for you. It works on both Mac and Pc.
In terms of the interface and usability, it’s very simple, clean and much easier to jump into than OBS. However, it’s still not as easy as StreamYard or Ecamm Live but you’ll still be able to get a livestream up and running super quickly.
ManyCam Features
It is missing some of the more advanced features such as the ability to bring in guests to your live stream. But there are still some great features inside ManyCam.
Titles & Stickers
Once again, this live streaming software makes it really easy to bring in titles, graphics, countdown timers and that sort of thing.
They also have stickers, GIFs and filters that can be great to have some fun while you’re live!
Easily Save Presets
One thing we love about Manycam is how easy it is to save presets. If there are certain graphics or animations that you’re using for multiple live streams, you can save them in a gallery for easy access.
Multicasting
You have the ability to live stream to multiple platforms directly built into Manycam. This isn’t done through a third party service which does mean you’ll need a solid internet connection as it will push out one feed to Facebook and one feed to YouTub for example, taking up twice the bandwidth.
Manycam Pricing
There are three different pricing options to choose from:
- Standard: $29 per month
- Studio: $59 per month
- Premium: $79 per month
The right plan for you will depend on how many devices you want to install it on, how many video sources you want access to and whether you want HD or 4K streaming.
You can check out the full pricing guide here.
Overall, ManyCam is another really solid option. If you’re an absolute beginner up to an intermediate user, this will be easy to use while still having some room to grow into those more advanced features.
PRO TIP: If you’re looking for awesome graphics, animations and titles to use in your live streams, you can’t go past Placeit. It’s an awesome tool that we use for creating all kinds of cool stuff in our live streams.
Pro Options: vMix & Wirecast
If you want the absolute pro level live streaming software that has the most amount of control and allows you to dial everything in exactly how you want it, then vMix or Wirecast will be the one for you.
We’ve bundled these together because they’re both incredibly similar when it comes to featuresets. The biggest differentiating factor is that vMix is PC-only while Wirecast is available on Mac & PC.
Let’s take a closer look.
vMix & Wirecast Features
As we mentioned, these Facebook live streaming software have very similar pro-level features.
Guest Feature
vMix and Wirecast have built-in guest features similar to Ecamm Live’s, but they’re next level in terms of what you can customize.
Great Hardware Support
Both options have great hardware support for external peripherals. This lets you take your live streams to the next level.
Audio Control
There’s a ton of functionality built in when it comes to audio. You can dial everything in and get your live sounding exactly how you want it.
ISO Recording
This is an absolute standout feature in these live streaming software.
ISO recording or isolated recording is when you have multiple video feeds in your live stream and the software records each of those feeds as a separate video file while you’re live.
So when your live stream is finished and you want to edit it down, you’re not just left with the single recording.
You can upload this into your video editing software and edit the footage using multiple different camera angles.
This is a really powerful tool for repurposing your livestream or even for creating content without needing to go live.
Usability
While they do have all these advanced features, controls and functionality built-in they’re also still really easy to navigate, especially while you’re live.
So if something goes wrong or you need to adjust something while you’re live, you don’t need to go diving into too many menus to sort it out.
It’s fairly intuitive but there will be a big learning curve if you’re a beginner. But if you’re at that intermediate to advanced level, it’s definitely not going to be too overwhelming.
vMix Pricing
There’s a one time fee for lifetime access to vMix. You can choose from a lot of different pricing options depending on which features you want access to:
- Basic: Free
- Basic HD: $60
- HD: $350
- 4K: $700
- PRO: $1200
It’s awesome that there’s a free plan available but this does have a lot of restrictions. The right plan for you will depend on how many guests you want to be able to have, how many inputs and whether you want access to ISO recording.
You can check out all the pricing options here.
Wirecast Pricing
Like vMix, Wirecast is a one time fee. There are two pricing options available:
- Wirecast Studio: $599
- Wirecast Pro: $799
You can see all the pricing details here.
Overall, both vMix and Wirecast are incredible options if you’re looking for really professional live streaming software. You can’t go wrong with either one.
Best Facebook Live Streaming Software?
Out of all those options, our top picks for best Facebook live streaming software are StreamYard and Ecamm Live.
If we’re going live with friends to hang out and have fun, StreamYard would be our top choice. They just make it so easy to switch between presets, bring guests in and things like that.
If we’re doing something more professional such as a webinar or live training where we want to customize things up and have an extra level of control, that’s where we’ll go with Ecamm Live.
Now you know our top recommendations for the best Facebook live streaming software, if you want to learn how to create your own custom animations, graphics, titles and intros to use in your live stream – check out our Complete Tutorial.
Recommended Gear & Resources
Check out an up-to-date list of all the gear, software & tools we use and recommend right now at Primal Video on our resources page here!
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