# OBS Studio vs Owncast

| Attribute | OBS Studio | Owncast |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.9 (28% (low)) | 34.9 (77% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 74 | 48 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | 76,985 | 11,587 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"OBS Studio is a free, open-source application that enables users to mix multiple video and audio sources into scenes and stream them live to various platforms or record to disk. It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux without licensing fees or usage restrictions and is distributed under the GPLv2 license. It is indexed under Screen Recording.","source":"https://obsproject.com","question":"What is OBS Studio?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"OBS Studio is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://obsproject.com","question":"Is OBS Studio free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"OBS Studio supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://obsproject.com","question":"What platforms does OBS Studio support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. OBS Studio can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://obsproject.com","question":"Can OBS Studio be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for OBS Studio. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as OBS Studio not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://obsproject.com/privacy-policy","question":"What security certifications does OBS Studio have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. OBS Studio is published under the GPL-2.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio","question":"Is OBS Studio open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"An open source streaming server that runs on your infrastructure using standard protocols, featuring built-in chat, moderation, custom branding, and no subscription fees or viewer limits. It is indexed under Live Streaming.","source":"https://owncast.online","question":"What is Owncast?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Owncast is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://owncast.online","question":"Is Owncast free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Owncast supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://owncast.online","question":"What platforms does Owncast support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Owncast can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://owncast.online","question":"Can Owncast be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Owncast is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast","question":"Is Owncast open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A desktop program that captures video from multiple sources, composes scenes with transitions, and streams to various platforms. It includes audio mixing with filters and supports plugins and scripting for extended functionality. | An open source streaming server that runs on your infrastructure using standard protocols, featuring built-in chat, moderation, custom branding, and no subscription fees or viewer limits. |
| features.capabilities | `{"deployment_model":"native_desktop","architecture_model":"desktop_local_application","gpl_or_permissive_oss_license":true,"multi_camera_switching_and_scene_management":true}` | `{"pricing_model":"free_open_source","architecture_model":"open_source_local_encoder","gpl_or_permissive_oss_license":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 3 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Mastodon","native":true,"category":"social","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"ActivityPub","native":true,"category":"social","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Webhooks","native":true,"direction":"outbound"}]` |
| language.primary | C | Go |
| license.spdx | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://obsproject.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T12:49:09.287Z"}` | `{"type":"free_open_source","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://owncast.online","retrievedAt":"2026-10-12T15:31:16.668Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| release.cadence_days | 7 | 105 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/33.0.0-beta6","date":"2026-10-02T23:27:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"33.0.0-beta6"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/33.0.0-beta5","date":"2026-10-01T00:09:26Z","type":"prerelease","version":"33.0.0-beta5"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/33.0.0-beta4","date":"2026-09-25T22:29:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"33.0.0-beta4"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.2","date":"2026-08-14T22:43:31Z","type":"stable","version":"32.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.1","date":"2026-07-24T22:58:26Z","type":"stable","version":"32.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.0","date":"2026-07-21T22:25:33Z","type":"stable","version":"32.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.0-rc2","date":"2026-07-16T21:10:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.2.0-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.0-rc1","date":"2026-07-10T23:14:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.2.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.0-beta3","date":"2026-07-03T00:04:20Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.2.0-beta3"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.2.0-beta2","date":"2026-06-22T19:58:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.2.0-beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.2","date":"2026-04-21T20:10:35Z","type":"stable","version":"32.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.1","date":"2026-04-02T19:54:40Z","type":"stable","version":"32.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0","date":"2026-03-11T20:24:32Z","type":"stable","version":"32.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-rc4","date":"2026-03-05T23:56:33Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-rc4"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-rc3","date":"2026-03-04T23:01:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-rc3"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-rc2","date":"2026-02-28T19:37:42Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-rc1","date":"2026-02-06T00:48:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-beta2","date":"2026-01-16T22:48:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.1.0-beta1","date":"2026-01-14T23:27:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"32.1.0-beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/obsproject/obs-studio/releases/tag/32.0.4","date":"2025-12-13T22:02:08Z","type":"stable","version":"32.0.4"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.3.0","date":"2026-09-03T16:31:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.5","date":"2026-04-11T22:44:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.4","date":"2026-01-10T23:34:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.3","date":"2025-05-10T21:14:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.2","date":"2025-05-03T18:45:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.1","date":"2025-01-17T21:21:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.2.0","date":"2025-01-11T23:07:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.1.3","date":"2024-04-07T20:13:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.1.2","date":"2023-11-18T21:17:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.1.1","date":"2023-07-28T20:07:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.1.0","date":"2023-05-30T16:18:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.13","date":"2022-11-27T00:43:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.12","date":"2022-07-09T21:24:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.11","date":"2022-03-05T19:28:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.10","date":"2021-10-06T22:40:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.9","date":"2021-09-26T21:37:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.8","date":"2021-08-11T16:19:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.7","date":"2021-05-15T16:44:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.6","date":"2021-03-08T18:25:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/owncast/owncast/releases/tag/v0.0.5","date":"2021-01-13T07:30:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.0.5"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6 | 4.7 |
| security.trust_center | https://obsproject.com/privacy-policy | https://owncast.online/security |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fobsproject%2Fobs-studio&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":5,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fowncast%2Fowncast&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` |

## Capabilities (Live Streaming)

| Capability | OBS Studio | Owncast |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Architecture model | desktop_local_application | Open source local encoder |
| Simulcast multi destination rtmp output hub | - | - |
| Remote guest browser invites for interviews webrtc | - | - |
| Custom lower thirds graphics and brand overlays | - | - |
| ISO track recording for isolated guest audio video | - | - |
| Hardware encoding acceleration nvenc quicksync | - | - |
| Srt secure reliable transport protocol support | - | - |
| Multi network unified aggregated chat feed | - | - |
| Chroma key green screen and virtual backgrounds | - | - |
| Ndi network device interface feed ingestion | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| Gpl or permissive oss license | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | - | Free open source |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:26:37.729Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*