Google Meet
Video conferencing and collaboration platform
OBS Studio
Capture, compose, and stream video effortlessly across platforms
OBS Studio enables real-time video capture, scene composition, encoding, recording, and live streaming on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with extensive plugin support and a vibrant community.
Overview
Overview
OBS Studio is a free, cross‑platform application for capturing, compositing, encoding, recording, and streaming video content. It targets creators such as gamers, educators, podcasters, and small production teams who need a flexible broadcast solution without licensing costs.
Capabilities
The software lets you build custom scenes from multiple sources—cameras, game windows, desktop capture, audio inputs—and apply filters, transitions, and real‑time effects. Hardware‑accelerated encoders keep latency low while preserving quality, and built‑in support for major streaming services simplifies live distribution.
Deployment
Installers are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the source code is released under GPL‑2.0. A robust plugin ecosystem and scripting interfaces (Lua, Python) enable further customization. Community resources—including documentation, forums, and Discord—provide guidance for both beginners and advanced users.
Highlights
Real‑time capture and mixing of multiple video/audio sources
Customizable scenes with filters, transitions, and plugins
Hardware‑accelerated encoding for low‑latency streaming
Cross‑platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Pros
- Mature, widely adopted with a large user base
- Free under GPL‑2.0 with source code available
- Highly extensible via plugins and scripting
- Supports most major streaming services out of the box
Considerations
- Steeper learning curve for advanced configurations
- Can be CPU/GPU intensive on lower‑end hardware
- Interface may feel cluttered for beginners
- GPL licensing may limit commercial redistribution
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Fit guide
Great for
- Live gamers who need high‑performance streaming
- Educators creating tutorial recordings
- Podcasters combining video and audio sources
- Small studios requiring a free, customizable broadcast solution
Not ideal when
- Casual users wanting one‑click recording without setup
- Mobile‑only creators lacking desktop access
- Teams requiring built‑in video editing tools
- Enterprises needing proprietary licensing
How teams use it
Twitch game streaming
Broadcast high‑quality gameplay live to Twitch with low latency and custom overlays.
Software tutorial recording
Capture screen, webcam, and narration to produce polished instructional videos.
Virtual conference streaming
Mix multiple camera feeds, slides, and chat for professional webinar broadcasts.
Multi‑platform simultaneous streaming
Stream the same feed to YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn using OBS’s multi‑output capabilities.
Tech snapshot
C53%
C++36%
CMake4%
Swift3%
Objective-C3%
Objective-C++2%
Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio free to use?
Yes, OBS Studio is free software released under the GPL‑2.0 license.
Which operating systems does OBS support?
OBS runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Can I add extra functionality?
Yes, OBS offers a plugin API and supports scripts in Lua and Python.
How do I stream to multiple platforms at once?
Use the built‑in multi‑output feature or install a third‑party plugin such as Restream.
Where can I find help or contribute?
Documentation, forums, Discord, and the project’s GitHub repository provide support and contribution guidelines.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 69,864
- Watchers
- 69,864
- Forks
- 8,980
LicenseGPL-2.0
Repo age12 years old
Last commit16 hours ago
Primary languageC
Last synced 3 hours ago