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What’s the difference between OBS and Streamlabs?

What's the difference between the two biggest stream broadcasting programs?
Image of Michael Hassall
Michael Hassall
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Published: Nov 19, 2021 10:35 am

When you start streaming, you’ll be faced with the inevitable task of deciding which broadcasting software to use. There are many choices, but the two most popular are OBS and Streamlabs. But what’s the difference between these two similarly named programs?

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OBS, or Open Broadcaster Software, is a free and open-source screen capture and broadcasting program. It is completely non-profit and fully customizable by any outside developer. Streamlabs is also a free screen capture and broadcasting app based on the OBS software but has several accessibility features and premium products associated with it.

Related: How to add a chat overlay in OBS and Streamlabs OBS

Streamlabs is in no way associated with OBS, apart from the fact it uses the open-source code from OBS as the base for its platform. Confusingly, Streamlabs also used to be called Streamlabs OBS before it changed its name following the controversy.

This controversy stemmed from a series of callouts of Streamlabs for their use of open source and not-so open-source software in their products. After being called out by Lightstream, a software that enhances games console streaming, other companies such as Elgato and the developers of OBS spoke out about Streamlabs' use of their trademarks and naming conventions. Ultimately, Streamlabs changed its name's Streamlabs OBS product to just Streamlabs.

Major Difference between Streamlabs and OBS

Image via Streamlabs

Streamlabs offers a premium subscription called Prime that provides themes, multiple platform streaming, apps that help you produce overlays, and more. It also helps find paid sponsorships and create merchandise.

OBS does not offer these services but is completely free at all times and allows for even greater customization. However, starting to make this customization on your own can be bewildering at first. You might have to create assets from scratch or use free sources online for things like stream layouts, chat boxes, and everything else besides.

Imagine that Streamlabs is a box of crayons and a coloring book—you have free reign to color, but only within the lines. OBS is a blank canvas and a pencil. You have to draw everything from scratch, and it will take time to learn, but you have complete freedom to make what you want.

Looking for more information on streaming and broadcasting? Check out How to reduce Stream Delay on Twitch on Pro Game Guides.

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Author
Image of Michael Hassall
Michael Hassall
Michael lives in the UK, but wishes he lived in Eorzea. A life-long gamer, Four years ago, he ditched a "real" job to write about video games for a living, and hasn't looked back. When not guiding players how to get the latest mounts, crafting recipes, and in-game goodies, he spends his time nurturing an unhealthy addiction to MMOs and gacha games.