Free live streaming software for Windows: the honest options

Free live streaming software for Windows in 2026: OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, the vMix trial, a browser studio and StreamLive Pro Studio (free, coming).

Updated November 5, 2026 · 6 min read

The free live streaming software for Windows you can download today is OBS Studio, which is free and open source, and Streamlabs Desktop, a free app with paid Ultra plans. vMix is not free, but it has a free fully functional 60-day trial. StreamLive Pro Studio, a desktop app for Windows from StreamLive Pro, is free software too, but today it is a 0.5.0 test version with no public download.

"Free" means different things for each of these, and the catch is usually multistreaming, guests or the end of a trial. This guide shows what each option really gives you on a Windows PC for nothing, what costs money later, and how to choose. Facts about other companies come from their own pages, checked 5 November 2026 (links in Sources).

The options in one table

Software	Free in what sense	Windows	Several networks at once	What costs money
OBS Studio	Free and open source	Windows 10 and 11	Through plugins or a relay; each destination is another upload	Nothing from OBS itself
Streamlabs Desktop	Free app	Windows 10 or newer	Free: one vertical and one horizontal platform; more on Ultra	Ultra and Ultra+ plans
vMix	Free fully functional 60-day trial	Windows 10 and 11	Streams to several destinations, per its page	Paid editions or the vMix Max subscription after the trial
StreamLive Pro browser studio	7-day trial, no card; no free plan	Any modern browser on Windows	One upload, our servers send to each network	A Creator, Pro or Studio plan after the trial
StreamLive Pro Studio	Free to download and use when released	Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, DirectX 12 GPU	Free: several networks at once with your own stream keys, each its own upload. Managed lives with one upload on the StreamLive Pro platform	Nothing for the app; the StreamLive Pro platform by subscription; not downloadable today

OBS Studio

OBS describes itself as "free and open source software for video recording and live streaming" and supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 (obsproject.com, checked 5 November 2026). Scenes, sources, a mixer and recording are all included, at no cost, with no trial and no watermark.

What it does not do on its own is send one live to several services. That takes community plugins or a relay service, and with plugins every extra destination is another full upload from your own connection. On a home connection that limits you quickly. How to do it either way: OBS settings for multistreaming to several networks.

Choose OBS if you want a free, mature, complete studio and you stream to one place, or you are happy to add a relay for more.

Streamlabs Desktop

Streamlabs Desktop is a free app for Windows 10 or newer. Its free plan includes Dual Output, which sends to one vertical and one horizontal platform at once, and one guest or camera through Collab Cam. Multistreaming to several destinations, up to 11 guests and more cloud storage are on the paid Ultra plan (streamlabs.com/ultra, checked 5 November 2026). It also has alerts, widgets and tipping for streamers.

Choose Streamlabs Desktop if you stream games or creator content and want audience tools in a free app.

vMix: a free trial, not a free app

vMix offers a "free fully functional 60 day trial" (vmix.com/software, checked 5 November 2026). After that you buy an edition (the page names vMix 4K and vMix PRO) or subscribe to vMix Max. Its requirements list Windows 10 and 11 only (supported hardware, checked 5 November 2026). The trial is a good way to learn vMix or cover one event, but it is not a free long-term option. If you already use vMix and are looking for a way to stop paying for it, see A vMix alternative that runs in the browser.

The StreamLive Pro browser studio

Not an app at all: you open Live stream in StreamLive Pro on your Windows PC, choose Browser Studio, and produce in a Chrome or Edge tab. You get Preview and Program, 8 overlay channels, screen share, green screen, guests by link and a phone as a camera, and one upload reaches every network you picked because our servers send it on. Shorts with captions are cut after the broadcast.

It is not free: there is a 7-day trial with no card, then a paid plan. We list it because it is often the shortest route for a Windows user who needs several networks and guests, and because the trial lets you try it before paying. Plans: /pricing?lang=en.

StreamLive Pro Studio for Windows (coming)

StreamLive Pro Studio is our desktop app, built for Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, with a DirectX 12 graphics card. It is a 0.5.0 release candidate with no public download and no date, and it is not in the Microsoft Store. When it is released it is free to download and use, with no plan, for switching, overlays, titles, green screen, the mixer, noise suppression, recording every camera to its own file, PTZ, NDI, capture cards and going live to several networks at once with your own stream keys or custom RTMP and SRT outputs (each output is its own upload from your connection). A StreamLive Pro account adds the platform: AI Shorts, scheduling, managed lives through your connected networks (one upload, our servers send it to each network) and comments, with a 7-day free trial. Overview: StreamLive Pro Studio: free live production software, Windows and Mac.

Steps

A free setup on a Windows PC that you can follow today:

Install OBS Studio. Download it from obsproject.com, not from a download site.
Add your sources. Add the camera, the microphone, and a screen or window capture for slides.
Pick a hardware H.264 encoder. OBS recommends hardware encoders such as NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF or Intel Quick Sync for performance (OBS: Hardware encoding, checked 5 November 2026). Details: OBS settings for multistreaming to several networks.
Paste one network's stream key. Put it in the OBS stream settings and go live to that network.
Record locally. Record at the same time if you want a file for editing.
Add more networks. When one network is not enough, either add a relay, or send OBS to StreamLive Pro on a paid plan with Stream from software like OBS (RTMP / SRT) so one upload reaches every network: Connect OBS to StreamLive Pro and multistream.

Common mistakes

Counting a trial as free. The vMix trial ends after 60 days, and the StreamLive Pro trial after 7. Plan for what happens next.
Adding three destinations as plugins on a slow line. Three outputs mean three uploads. Check your upload first: Upload speed and bitrate for multistreaming.
Downloading from unofficial sites. Take installers from the maker's own site. There is no public StreamLive Pro Studio build, so any download offered under that name is not ours.
Encoding on the processor when the graphics card can do it. Use the hardware encoder in your software's settings, or a busy PC drops frames.

Where StreamLive Pro fits

StreamLive Pro is the part that takes one stream, from a browser tab or from OBS, Streamlabs or vMix, and sends it to every network, then cuts Shorts and publishes them. The web service is paid, with a 7-day trial; StreamLive Pro Studio, the desktop app, will be free when it is released,.

Sources

OBS Studio home page, checked 5 November 2026: obsproject.com
OBS hardware encoding article, checked 5 November 2026: obsproject.com/kb/hardware-encoding
Streamlabs Ultra page and plan comparison, checked 5 November 2026: streamlabs.com/ultra
vMix software page, checked 5 November 2026: vmix.com/software
vMix system requirements, checked 5 November 2026: vmix.com/software/supported-hardware.aspx

Frequently asked questions

What is free live streaming software for Windows?

OBS Studio is free and open source, and Streamlabs Desktop is a free app with paid plans. vMix has a free 60-day trial. StreamLive Pro Studio is free too, but it is not released yet.

Is there a free vMix alternative for Windows?

OBS Studio is the main free one. StreamLive Pro Studio, with Preview and Program in a vMix-like layout, is free, but it is not downloadable today.

Can I multistream for free on Windows?

With OBS plugins, yes, but each destination is another upload from your connection. Streamlabs' free plan sends to one vertical and one horizontal platform at once.

Is StreamLive Pro Studio free?

Yes. StreamLive Pro Studio is free, professional streaming software, and everything in it works for free: switching, overlays, titles, green screen, the mixer, recording, PTZ, NDI and going live to several networks at once with your own stream keys. A StreamLive Pro account adds the platform: AI Shorts, scheduling, managed lives through your connected networks, and comments, with a 7-day free trial. It is not downloadable yet: version 0.5.0 is in testing.

Is the StreamLive Pro web service free?

No. The browser studio and the cloud services have a 7-day trial with no card, then paid plans. There is no free plan for them.

Can I download StreamLive Pro Studio for Windows now?

No. It is a 0.5.0 test version with no public download and no date. The download links will appear on the desktop page when it is released.

Keep reading

Ecamm Live for Windows: does it exist, what to use instead

Is there Ecamm Live for Windows? Ecamm says it is built for Mac. What Windows users use instead: vMix, OBS, Streamlabs, a browser studio, StreamLive Pro Studio.

Browser studio, OBS or a desktop app: which to stream from

Browser studio, OBS or a desktop app for live streaming: what each needs, where each is stronger, and how to choose for your show, with a decision table.

Live streaming apps and software compared (2026)

Desktop, browser and phone live streaming tools in one table: OBS, Streamlabs, vMix, Ecamm, PRISM, Larix and StreamLive Pro, checked 5 November 2026.

Live streaming on a Mac without installing software

Go live from a Mac with nothing to install: the browser studio in Safari or Chrome, the macOS permissions to allow, and when an app is still better.

Want to try it? 7-day trial, no credit card.

Start free

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