"Is Streamlabs OBS better than OBS?" Streamlabs and OBS are popular video recording and streaming tools in the market and you might be wondering which one you should go for.
Each of the two tools offers unique features, albeit there are some similarities that the decision between the two platforms can be daunting. To make your work easier, here is a detailed review of streamlabs vs obs covering their similarities, differences, advantages, and potential drawbacks plus their best alternative in the market.
In this article
Streamlabs VS. OBS Overview
Streamlabs
Founded in 2014, Streamlabs was designed as a live streaming and video content creation. However, this tool also offers screen recording capabilities as you can record and export your video clips directly from your desktop. Whether you want to record long or short content, Streamlabs lets you record them with ease and export directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook among other social media sites.
This tool also lets you edit your videos by transcribing, adding subtitles, and translating them into different languages. You can choose to record from various sources including webcam, game capture, and microphone while using chatbox. Alert box, and event list to elevate your recording experience. Streamlabs also offers integrated themes and an array of overlays that enhance your content. You can select static or animated visuals based on your needs.
OBS
OBS Studio is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of modern-day streaming. It's a free open-source recorder and streaming software for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
OBS supports several major streaming platforms and provides a modular UI that lets you arrange your layout exactly as per your needs. It gives you powerful and simple configuration options. Here, you can add new sources, duplicate the existing sources, and seamlessly customize properties for painless recording.
It also provides custom transitions that let you switch between an unlimited number of scenes from a variety of sources including webcams, browser windows, images, texts, window captures, and capture cards among others. This tool also comes with an intuitive audio mixer with filters like noise gate, noise suppression, and gain.
Streamlabs vs OBS Comparison
| Features | Streamlabs | OBS |
| Unique Features | Built-in chatbox, test button, monetization options | Audio mixing and open-source code |
| Customization | Provides free customization (integrated themes and several overlays to match your live content style) | It provides various settings to customize the interface to fit PC specs. |
| Ease of use | Easy to set up. | Confusing user interface. It is not ideal for beginners. |
| Compatibility | Windows, Mac, and Android | Linux, Windows, and Mac |
| CPU usage | High CPU usage | Low CPU usage |
| Performance | sometimes crashes | Smooth performance |
Streamlabs VS. OBS: Unique Capabilities
Streamlabs provides a built-in chat function that allows you to seamlessly manage chats within the program. Instead of opening other tabs to display viewer feedback, this built-in chat feature integrates them inside this program. It also provides many themes and overlays including static and animated visuals to suit your live content style.
OBS has a unique audio mixing dashboard that lets you create a perfect sound for your live videos and recordings. It gives you additional features like multi-channel settings and noise suppression.
Streamlabs VS OBS: Performance and Stability
OBS Studio is a good choice if you are looking for customization and higher performance. This tool is open-source and utilizes CPU and RAM efficiently. This low CPU usage makes it useful in streaming because it provides smooth streams.
Streamlabs on the other hand provide free customizations, fancy features, and flexibility to stream on mobile devices. All these features, themes, and widgets consume more CPU space. This means it uses more of your PC's resources and hence you need a computer with good hardware to experience smooth recording and streaming.
OBS VS. Streamlabs: Compatibility
| Parameters | OBS | Streamlabs |
| Supported Platforms | Linux, Windows, and Mac | Windows, Mac, and Android. |
| Export Formats | MKV, TS, FLV, MOC, M3U8(HLS), and MP4. However, MKV is the default recording format. | FLV, MOV, MKV, TS, and MP4. The default format is FLV. |
Streamlabs VS. OBS: User Ratings and Reviews
Let's see the users' ratings and reviews of Streamlabs and OBS.
| Platforms | Streamlabs | OBS |
| GetApp | 4.3/5 from 49 reviews | 4.7/5 from 1000 reviews |
| Trustpilot | 3.1/5 from 1438 reviews | 2.8/5 from 8 reviews |
Streamlabs
A user in Trustpilot gives an overall rating of 4/5 and says "Streamlabs is a great platform for both small and established streamers, and the chatbot and cloudbot are a great tool for when you're first starting out." Another user on the Trustpilot platform is not impressed and gives a rating of 2/5 saying "Frequently, when I start the application to launch my stream, something is wrong. Either it disconnects my webcam, switches my mic to some non-existent mic".
Generally speaking, many users are impressed by its collection of recording features and ease of setup. However, many users are complaining about its unstable performance, expensive subscriptions, and a difficult refund policy.
OBS Studio
One user in GetApp gives an overall rating of 4/5 and says "As an open-source software that offers an extremely high screen recording and video recording for professional work, I will recommend OBS for everyone, especially new YouTubers, Facebook content managers, and other digital marketers." Another user on GetApp is impressed by its streaming and recording capabilities, giving a rating of 4.7/5. However, the reviewer is not fully convinced and says "Sometimes it'll overload your system making it lag, it can be very frustrating too."
In general, many users believe OBS Studio has several useful recording features. However, there are many complaints that this software produces lagging videos and sometimes unclear/black videos instead especially if your computer has a low CPU.
Streamlabs VS. OBS: Price Plans
| Tools | Streamlabs | OBS |
| Price Plans | Free version $9 per month for the standard version $17 per month for the pro version. |
It is a free open-source tool |
Streamlabs VS OBS: Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons of Streamlabs:
Pros and Cons of OBS:
Which Is Better: OBS or Streamlabs?
All said and done, which tool stands out in our Streamlabs vs OBS review?
Frankly, these two tools do a great job and they are suited for different needs and use cases.
Streamlabs is more user-friendly and better for beginners because it is quite simple to set up and you can find rich resources on its website. However, it may need to spend money on it.
OBS Studio is a good choice if you want more control and customization in your streaming and recording experience. Additionally, if you are on a budget, OBS Studio is a good choice because it is a free open-source platform. However, its interface is a little bit confusing and may take a long time for you to figure out so it is not a perfect option for beginners.
Bonus: What's the Best Alternative to Streamlabs & OBS?
If you're looking for screen recording software alternatives to Streamlabs and OBS, then you might want to try Wondershare Filmora, which is great, particularly for screen recording and video editing.
This is another popular tool that lets you seamlessly and conveniently record your screen and transform the recordings into pro videos. You can edit your screen recordings using tons of editing features and effects to make your output videos not only attractive but professional.
Key Features:
- Webcam Recording- Record your webcam to add your face in a tutorial, a video call, and a live webinar.
- Audio and Microphone Recording- Record your screen to add narration and voice to illustrate or make your recording livelier.
- Scheduled Time to End Recording- Schedule a time to finish recording tasks so that they can end automatically.
- Display Keystrokes and Mouse Clicks- Provide attractive keystrokes and mouse clicks in diverse colors to make your screen recording clearer and more exciting.
- Customize Screen Recording Area- Record any area and size of your screen without quality loss. You can record an entire screen, target window, and custom area.
- Video and Audio Editing- Provide tons of editing features for both audio and video to make them attractive and professional. They range from basic trimming to advanced features like noise removal, silence detection, and video stabilization among others.
- Versatile and High-Quality Export Options- Export videos up to 4k and 60 FPS, or directly upload to YouTube or other platforms without quality loss.
Conclusion
From our detailed Streamlabs VS OBS review, it's evident that both OBS and Streamlabs cater to a wide range of users thanks to features ranging from traditional live streaming to creating screen recordings. You can also try out Wondershare Filmora which is another excellent software that delivers a marvelous screen recording experience. While OBS and Streamlabs are excellent for live streaming and basic screen recording, Filmora shines as a screen recorder and in the areas of video editing, making it a great choice for users focused on post-production and creating high-quality content.
