StreamYard Pricing (2026): Full Comparison of Plans, Differences, Features & Discounts

Last updated: April 2026 — All prices and features verified against StreamYard’s official pricing page.

StreamYard costs between $0 and $299 per month depending on the plan you choose. The free tier works for testing, Core runs $44.99/month ($35.99 billed annually), Advanced is $88.99/month ($68.99 annually), and Business starts at $299/month ($249 annually). Annual billing saves roughly 22% across all individual plans. Every paid plan includes a 7-day free trial so you can test before committing.

I’ve been using StreamYard on the Advanced plan for months now, and I’ve put together this full pricing breakdown so you can figure out which tier actually makes sense for your podcast or live show — without overpaying for features you’ll never touch. If you want to see the software in action before diving into the numbers, watch my full walkthrough below where I set up a studio from scratch and record a session live.

Click here to try StreamYard free for 7 days →

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StreamYard Pricing at a Glance

Here’s the full plan comparison as of April 2026. I’ve verified every number against StreamYard’s official pricing page. Note that StreamYard hides their pricing behind a signup wall, so this table saves you that step.

Prices current as of April 2026. Check the official StreamYard pricing page for the latest.

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StreamYard Plans Explained: What You Actually Get at Each Tier

StreamYard restructured their plans in August 2024, consolidating what used to be scattered tiers into five clear options: Free, Core, Advanced, Business, and Enterprise. The individual plans (Free through Advanced) are for single users only — StreamYard’s plan usage policy explicitly prohibits sharing these accounts across team members. If you need multiple seats, you’re looking at Business or Enterprise.

Here’s what each plan actually delivers and who should be using it.

Free Plan ($0/month)

Best for: First-timers who want to test whether StreamYard’s workflow fits their show before spending anything.

The free plan gives you access to StreamYard’s full studio interface — you can add banners, display live comments, bring on guests, and stream to one platform. The tradeoffs are real, though: the StreamYard logo stays on your broadcast, you’re capped at 2 hours of local recording per month, video quality tops out around 720p, and you can only have 6 people on screen at once.

That said, the free plan is genuinely useful for a test drive. When I first set up StreamYard, it took about three minutes to get into the studio and start a recording. The interface is browser-based — no software to download, no complicated setup. You enter your credit card info, start the trial, answer a few questions about how you want things configured, and you’re on the dashboard. If you’re coming from OBS and finding the learning curve too steep, the free plan is a low-risk way to see if StreamYard’s simplicity is worth the eventual subscription.

The limitation that matters most for podcasters is the 2-hour monthly recording cap. If you’re doing even one weekly episode, you’ll burn through that immediately. The free plan is for evaluation, not production.

Core Plan ($44.99/month or $35.99/month billed annually)

Best for: Solo podcasters and content creators who need professional-quality output without team features.

Annual cost: $431.88/year (saves ~$108 vs. monthly billing).

Core is where StreamYard becomes a real production tool. The StreamYard logo disappears, video quality jumps to 1080p, and you unlock multistreaming to 3 destinations simultaneously — so you can broadcast to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook (or any combination) in a single session. You also get unlimited local recordings, which is the feature that makes Core viable for weekly podcast production.

The features I use most on the paid plans are the reusable studios and the intro/outro video support. You can set up your entire show layout — scenes, banners, call-to-action overlays, background music — save it, and jump straight into recording next time without rebuilding anything. During my walkthrough, I set up a 10-second countdown timer as an intro, recorded a segment, then played an outro and ended the recording, all without leaving the interface. For podcasters who record remotely with guests, Core also lets you invite people into the studio with a simple link — no accounts or downloads required on their end.

Core also includes AI clips, which auto-generates short-form clips from your recordings in the correct aspect ratios for social media. You get a full transcript of every recording, which you can copy and turn into a blog post or use for show notes. The 50 hours of permanent cloud storage means your recordings stay accessible without cluttering your local drive.

For most solo podcasters, Core is the sweet spot. It covers everything you need for a professional video podcast without paying for team features or 4K quality you might not need.

Advanced Plan ($88.99/month or $68.99/month billed annually)

Best for: Creators running multi-camera shows, webinar hosts, and podcasters who need 4K recording quality or more than 3 streaming destinations.

Annual cost: $827.88/year (saves ~$240 vs. monthly billing).

Advanced is the plan I demo in my video, and it’s the one I’d recommend if you’re producing a show that needs to look polished across multiple platforms. The jump from Core gets you 4K local recording, 8 simultaneous streaming destinations (instead of 3), support for an extra camera angle, 15 backstage participants, and downloadable transcripts.

The backstage participant feature is worth highlighting. In a live show or webinar, you can have up to 15 people in a “green room” who aren’t visible to viewers — great for producers, guests waiting to come on, or a technical director managing the broadcast. Combined with the 10 on-screen participants, you can run a fairly large production without anyone seeing the behind-the-scenes chaos. If you’re doing live streaming as part of your podcast workflow, this matters.

The 4K recording is really about future-proofing your archive. Even if you’re publishing at 1080p today, having 4K source files means you can repurpose footage later as display standards change. If you’ve invested in a good camera for podcasting, you’ll want a recording platform that doesn’t bottleneck your video quality.

The on-air webinar feature also opens up Advanced for educators, coaches, and consultants who want to run structured events with larger audiences — something Core doesn’t support.

Business Plan ($299/month or $249/month billed annually)

Best for: Agencies, production teams, and organizations that need multiple seats, priority support, and enterprise-scale storage.

Annual cost: $2,988/year.

Business is everything from Advanced turned up. You get 2–10 seats (so your whole team can access the account), 10 streaming destinations, priority support, 700+ hours of cloud storage, a greenroom feature, and on-air webinars supporting 1,000+ viewers. This is the tier for podcast networks, media companies, and agencies managing multiple shows.

The multi-seat access is the real differentiator. On Core and Advanced, only one person can control the account. On Business, you and a co-host or producer can both log in with separate credentials, set up studios independently, and manage recordings without sharing a single login. If you’re running a podcast setup for two people or more, this saves a lot of coordination headaches.

For a deeper look at whether the Business tier is worth the jump from Advanced, including a breakdown of the enterprise-specific features, check out my full StreamYard overview.

Enterprise Plan (Custom Pricing)

Best for: Large organizations needing SSO, SLAs, security reviews, and dedicated account management.

StreamYard doesn’t publish Enterprise pricing — you’ll need to contact their sales team for a quote. On top of everything in Business, Enterprise adds multiple Spaces (separate workspaces within one organization), extra user roles for granular permissions, a dedicated support and account manager, SSO (Single Sign-On) for IT compliance, uptime SLAs, and a formal security review process. This is built for companies where IT procurement is involved and compliance requirements are non-negotiable.

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Which StreamYard Plan Should You Pick?

Choosing the right tier comes down to three questions: how many platforms do you stream to, whether you need team access, and how important video quality is to your workflow.

If you’re a solo podcaster recording interviews or solo episodes and publishing to one or two platforms, Core is your plan. The 1080p quality, unlimited recordings, and 3-destination multistreaming cover the needs of 90% of independent podcasters. Pair it with a solid podcast microphone and decent lighting, and you’ve got a professional setup.

If you’re producing a multi-camera show, running webinars, or streaming to more than 3 platforms, go with Advanced. The 4K recording, 8 destinations, and backstage participants justify the price bump if you’re treating your show like a production, not a hobby. This also makes sense if you need transcripts for repurposing your podcast content across blog posts and social media.

If you have a co-host, producer, or team that needs their own login and you’re running shows at scale, Business is the only plan that supports multiple seats. The priority support alone might be worth it for teams that can’t afford downtime during a scheduled live broadcast.

If you’re just exploring and want to see how StreamYard compares to your current setup — whether that’s OBS with a capture card, Zoom, or another platform — start with the free plan or the 7-day trial on Core. You’ll know within a single recording session whether StreamYard fits your workflow.

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How StreamYard Pricing Compares to Alternatives

StreamYard isn’t the only option for remote podcast recording and live streaming. Here’s how its pricing stacks up against the platforms podcasters compare it to most often.

The quick takeaway: StreamYard costs more than most alternatives at the entry level, but its browser-based workflow and built-in multistreaming make it significantly easier to use than tools like OBS. If you primarily care about audio recording quality and don’t need live streaming at all, Squadcast or Riverside might be better fits. If you’re a podcaster who also live streams — or wants to start — StreamYard’s all-in-one approach saves you from stitching together separate tools. See our full roundup of livestreaming platforms for podcasters for a broader comparison.

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What I Like (and Don’t Like) About StreamYard After Using It

After spending months on the Advanced plan producing shows, recording interviews, and testing every feature I could find, here’s where StreamYard earns its price — and where it falls short.

The setup is absurdly fast. You sign up, enter your payment info for the trial, answer a few questions, and you’re in the studio. From clicking “Create Recording” to being live on camera takes maybe 30 seconds. Contrast that with OBS, which has a steep learning curve and requires configuring sources, scenes, and encoding settings before you can do anything.

Scene management is a real production tool. You can plan out your entire show as a sequence of scenes — an intro countdown, a solo talking-head segment, a side-by-side interview layout, a screen-share for demos — and jump between them during recording. This is the kind of workflow that used to require dedicated switching hardware or complex OBS scene collections. If you’re using a live streaming equipment setup, StreamYard can replace most of the software layer.

The built-in editing and clip creation save real time. After recording, StreamYard gives you a transcript, lets you make cuts inside the platform, and auto-generates clips in the right aspect ratios for social media. You can literally go from recording to publishing a reel without opening another app. For podcasters looking to repurpose content efficiently, this is a significant time saver.

The music library is a nice bonus with a caveat. StreamYard includes a library of background and intro music you can play during your stream — lo-fi beats, waiting room music, that kind of thing. It’s convenient, but make sure you understand the licensing. They warn you clearly: don’t upload copyrighted tracks. If you need royalty-free music for your podcast, I’d still recommend sourcing it separately so you own the license outright.

What I don’t love: StreamYard hides their pricing page behind a wall, which is frustrating for people trying to comparison shop. The jump from free to $44.99/month is steep — there’s no $15–20 tier for creators who just need branding removal and maybe 720p multistreaming. And some users on Capterra have reported issues with local recordings disappearing or audio cutting out after the August 2024 plan restructure. I haven’t experienced these problems personally, but they’re worth knowing about if you rely heavily on local recordings as your primary file source.

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Click here to try StreamYard free for 7 days →

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StreamYard Pricing FAQs

How much does StreamYard cost per month?

StreamYard’s paid plans start at $44.99/month for Core and go up to $299/month for Business. If you pay annually, Core drops to $35.99/month and Advanced drops to $68.99/month — a 22% savings. The free plan costs nothing but includes StreamYard branding and recording limits.

How much does StreamYard cost per year?

On annual billing, Core costs $431.88/year, Advanced costs $827.88/year, and Business costs $2,988/year. Monthly billing is more expensive: $539.88/year for Core, $1,067.88/year for Advanced, and $3,588/year for Business.

Is StreamYard free forever?

Yes, the free plan is genuinely free with no time limit and no credit card required. You can use it indefinitely, but you’ll have the StreamYard logo on your broadcasts, recording is capped at 2 hours/month, and video quality is limited to standard definition.

Does StreamYard offer a free trial?

Yes. Both the Core and Advanced plans include a 7-day free trial. You’ll need to enter payment information, but you can cancel before the trial ends without being charged. This gives you full access to paid features so you can evaluate the platform properly.

Can you use StreamYard for podcast recording without live streaming?

Absolutely. StreamYard works just as well for recording-only sessions as it does for live streams. When you start a new session, you can choose “Recording” instead of “Live Stream” — you’ll get the same studio interface, scene management, and guest capabilities without broadcasting anything publicly. Many podcasters use StreamYard purely as a remote recording platform.

What’s the difference between Core and Advanced?

The three biggest differences are video quality (1080p vs. 4K), streaming destinations (3 vs. 8), and backstage participants (none vs. 15). Advanced also adds on-air webinar support, downloadable transcripts, custom fonts, and an extra camera angle. For most solo podcasters, Core covers everything you need. Advanced makes sense when you’re running larger productions or need archival-quality 4K footage.

Is StreamYard better than Riverside for podcasting?

They serve different needs. StreamYard is stronger for live streaming and multiplatform broadcasting, while Riverside focuses on studio-quality local recording with separate audio and video tracks per participant. If your show is primarily live or you want to simulcast to multiple platforms, StreamYard is the better choice. If you only record and want the highest possible audio quality, Riverside may be a better fit.

Is StreamYard better than OBS?

StreamYard is far easier to use — you can be recording within minutes of signing up, with zero software installation. OBS is free and infinitely customizable, but the learning curve is significant. If you want plug-and-play simplicity with multistreaming built in, StreamYard wins. If you want granular control over every encoding setting and don’t mind the setup time, OBS is hard to beat on flexibility.

What happens when you cancel StreamYard?

If you cancel a paid plan, your account reverts to the free tier at the end of your billing cycle. You keep access to any recordings you’ve downloaded, but cloud-stored recordings beyond the free tier’s storage limit may become inaccessible. StreamYard doesn’t delete your account — you can always upgrade again later.

Can you share a StreamYard account with a co-host?

Not on the individual plans. Core and Advanced are explicitly for single-user use under StreamYard’s plan usage policy. If you need multiple people to manage the account, create studios, or access recordings independently, you’ll need the Business plan, which includes 2–10 seats. Your co-host can still join any session as a guest on any plan — they just can’t log in and manage the account.

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Related StreamYard & Recording Guides

If you’re evaluating StreamYard, these guides will help you make a more informed decision and get the most out of whichever platform you choose:

• StreamYard vs Riverside — Full Comparison
• StreamYard vs OBS — Which Should You Use?
• StreamYard vs Zoom — Live Streaming & Webinars
• StreamYard vs Streamlabs — Which Is Overrated?
• Restream vs StreamYard — Multistreaming Compared
• Best Remote Podcast Recording Software
• Livestreaming Platforms for Podcasters
• Squadcast Pricing Breakdown
• Zencastr Pricing Breakdown
• Best Video Podcast Platforms
• Complete Podcast Equipment Guide
• Best Cameras for Podcasting
• Podcast Lighting Setups

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Final Verdict: Is StreamYard Worth the Price?

StreamYard isn’t the cheapest option in the remote recording and streaming space, but it might be the easiest to use. The browser-based workflow means zero software to install, zero drivers to troubleshoot, and zero encoding headaches. For podcasters who want to record interviews, stream live shows, or do both — and don’t want to spend hours learning OBS — StreamYard’s Core plan at $35.99/month (annual) is one of the best values in the space.

If you’re still unsure, start with the free plan or the 7-day trial on Core. You’ll know within one recording session whether StreamYard fits your workflow. And if it doesn’t, check out our full guide to livestreaming platforms for podcasters for alternatives.

Click here to try StreamYard free for 7 days →