OBS multistream: stream to several platforms with or without a plugin
OBS Studio sends your stream to one destination. To reach YouTube, Twitch, Kick and Facebook at the same time you can add a plugin to OBS, pay for a cloud relay, or use a program that multistreams on its own. Here is how the options differ and when each one fits.
Multistreaming with OBS: what OBS does and what it does not
OBS Studio is a free, open-source program for recording and streaming. Its built-in stream output sends the show to a single server, with one stream key at a time. If you want the same show on a second platform, something has to make and send another copy.
Streamers solve this in three common ways. Which one fits depends on how much of your OBS setup you want to keep and how much upload speed and computer power you have.
Three ways to multistream from OBS
An OBS multistream plugin
Plugins such as Aitum Multistream and Multiple RTMP outputs add extra outputs inside OBS, so you keep your scenes and sources. Each added output with different video settings needs its own encoder, which costs processor or graphics-card power, and you set up every destination inside OBS.
Best if you already have a detailed OBS setup you want to keep.
A cloud relay
You send one stream to a service and it forwards copies from its own servers. Your upload stays small, but more channels usually mean a monthly fee, and your video passes through the service first.
Best if your upload is too slow for several copies.
A standalone program: MultiStream
MultiStream has its own studio: camera and screen capture, an audio mixer, text overlays and recording. You add each channel once and press Go Live. Channels with the same settings share one encode; every extra channel still uses upload bandwidth.
Best if you want one window and no plugins.
OBS with a plugin or MultiStream: side by side
Neither is better for everyone. This table shows where they differ.
| OBS + multistream plugin | MultiStream | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Install OBS, then the plugin; add each destination's address and key inside OBS | Install one program; add each channel once |
| Studio features | Everything OBS offers, plus its large ecosystem of plugins and filters | Camera and screen capture, audio mixer, text overlays and recording built in |
| Load on your computer | Each output with different settings needs its own encoder | Channels with the same settings share one encode |
| Upload you need | All streams added together | All streams added together |
| Cost | OBS is free; check the licence and price of the plugin you choose | Free for personal and internal business use |
| Where your video travels | Straight from your computer to each platform | By default straight from your device to each platform |
When OBS is the better choice
If your show depends on a complex OBS scene collection, special plugins or filters, keep OBS and add a multistream plugin. Choose MultiStream when you want the simplest route: one program, no plugins to keep updated, and the same stream going to every channel you add.
From download to live without OBS: three steps
- 1
Download MultiStream
Install the free program for Windows or Mac.
- 2
Add your channels
Pick YouTube, Twitch or Facebook (Kick in the Windows app), or paste any RTMP address and stream key.
- 3
Press Go Live
Every channel you switched on starts together.
OBS multistream: questions and answers
Which OBS plugin can multistream?
Two popular choices are Aitum Multistream and Multiple RTMP outputs. Both add extra stream outputs inside OBS Studio. Check each plugin's own page for the current version, licence and instructions, because plugins change independently of OBS.
Is a plugin required to send OBS to Twitch and YouTube together?
Not with its built-in streaming, which sends to one destination. For two or more you add a plugin, use a cloud relay, or use a standalone program such as MultiStream.
Do I need OBS to multistream?
No. MultiStream has camera and screen capture, an audio mixer and text overlays built in, so you can go live on several platforms without OBS or any plugin.
Does multistreaming with an OBS plugin slow my computer down?
It can. Every output that uses different video settings needs its own encode, which uses more processor or graphics-card power, and every output uses upload bandwidth. Watch your processor or graphics-card load, and work out the upload you need with the speed check on the MultiStream page.
Can I use MultiStream instead of OBS?
For broadcasting with a camera, screen capture, an audio mixer and text, yes. OBS has a much larger ecosystem of plugins and filters, so if you rely on those, keep OBS and add a multistream plugin.
How do I set up multistream in OBS with a plugin?
In general: install the plugin, add one output per platform with its server address and stream key, choose the video settings for each output, then start the outputs. Follow the instructions of the plugin you picked, because the menus differ.
Try multistreaming without a plugin
Download MultiStream, add your channels and go live on all of them.
Download free