---
title: "OBS Studio Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2026"
description: "Review of OBS Studio Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs."
source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/"
page_type: "product"
language: "en"
---

[Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/)

/

[Screen Recording Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/screen-recording/)

/

OBS Studio

Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee.

Overview

[Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/reviews/)[Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/alternatives/)

# OBS Studio Review

Custom quote Free version 1 plan

On this page

-   Overview
    
-   User Interface
    
-   Popular Alternatives
    
-   Pros and Cons
    
-   Pricing and Plans
    
-   Features
    
-   Integrations
    
-   User Reviews
    
-   Popular Comparisons
    

## Overview

OBS Studio

4.7

[(1075)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/reviews/)

Pricing

Pricing available upon request

Top Alternatives

### About OBS Studio

We still do not consent to being listed here.

## OBS Studio User Interface

## Popular OBS Studio Alternatives

Main Product

OBS Studio

4.7

[(1075)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.13Ease of use
-   4.82Value for money
-   4.16Customer support
-   4.59Functionality

Pricing

Available upon request

Alternative Product

[Slack](https://www.softwareadvice.com/remote-support/slack-profile/)

4.7

[(24166)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/remote-support/slack-profile/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.61Ease of use
-   4.55Value for money
-   4.43Customer support
-   4.56Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $8.75 per month

Alternative Product

[Wistia](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-hosting/wistia-profile/)

4.7

[(172)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-hosting/wistia-profile/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.65Ease of use
-   4.25Value for money
-   4.57Customer support
-   4.50Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $19.00 per month

Alternative Product

[Microsoft Teams](https://www.softwareadvice.com/voip/microsoft-teams-profile/)

4.5

[(11108)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/voip/microsoft-teams-profile/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.38Ease of use
-   4.44Value for money
-   4.24Customer support
-   4.39Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $4.00 per month

Alternative Product

[Snagit](https://www.softwareadvice.com/screen-recording/snagit-profile/)

4.7

[(500)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/screen-recording/snagit-profile/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.68Ease of use
-   4.57Value for money
-   4.43Customer support
-   4.62Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $39.00 per year

Alternative Product

[Zoom Workplace](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/101384-Zoom-Video-Conferencing/)

4.6

[(14648)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/101384-Zoom-Video-Conferencing/reviews/)

Ratings Breakdown

-   4.59Ease of use
-   4.52Value for money
-   4.36Customer support
-   4.54Functionality

Pricing

Starting at $14.99 per month

## OBS Studio Pros and Cons

We analyzed 1,075 verified reviews for OBS Studio to find out what actual users really think.

Select to learn more

Cost-Effective And Feature-Rich

OBS Studio is completely free to use, with no hidden costs, watermarks, or paywalls. It provides a wide range of professional features and plugin support that rival paid alternatives, making it accessible for beginners and professionals without budget concerns.

Versatile Screen Capture Options

With OBS Studio, users can record their screens, capture audio, and include webcam footage simultaneously. The software supports high-quality recordings, multiple sources, and customization, making it suitable for tutorials, gameplay, and presentations without performance issues or watermarks.

Flexible Streaming And Control

OBS Studio offers robust streaming tools with customizable scenes, audio controls, and plugin support. Users can easily switch between sources, manage cameras and microphones, and integrate with platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Its open-source nature and wide feature set make it a go-to for both live streaming and video recording.

Settings Can Be Confusing

Configuring OBS Studio involves navigating numerous settings and technical terms, which can be difficult for users without prior knowledge. Updates may change options or disrupt configurations, and finding or adjusting specific settings can be tedious and unintuitive.

Steep Learning Curve Required

Getting started with OBS Studio often demands time spent on external tutorials and guides, as in-app help and onboarding are limited. Beginners may find the software daunting, with many features requiring research and experimentation to use effectively.

Complex Interface For Beginners

OBS Studio's interface can feel overwhelming to new users, with many menus, tabs, and options that are not always intuitive. Navigating and understanding the software often requires prior experience or extra effort, making it less user-friendly for those unfamiliar with similar tools.

## OBS Studio Pricing and Plans

Starting price: Pricing available upon request

Free Trial

Free Version

Basic

Pricing available upon request

No plan information available

## OBS Studio Features

-   Popular features found in Screen Recording
    
    Annotations
    
    Audio Capture
    
    File Sharing
    
    Multi-Screen Recording
    
    Video Editing
    
    YouTube Uploading
    
-   More features of OBS Studio
    
    Animation
    
    API
    
    Conferencing
    
    Live Streaming Production
    
    Real-time Broadcasting
    
    Video Streaming
    

## OBS Studio Integrations

YouTube

Integration rated 4.7 from 29 reviews

Zoom Workplace

Integration rated 4.7 from 14 reviews

## OBS Studio User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.7

Ratings Breakdown

5

71%

4

25%

3

3%

2

0%

1

1%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.1

Value for money

4.8

Customer support

4.2

Functionality

4.6

GB

Gift B.

Verified reviewer

Music

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed January 2023

Best Software App For Gameplay Streams

5

Very good experience, always my top choice for streaming purposes.

Ratings Breakdown

5

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Customer support

Previously 4

5

Functionality

Pros:

The most I like in the software is the ease of the interface and user-friendly features. It is very easy to learn and compared to other screen recording apps I used, it has more detailed features. I also like the shortcut keys for any commands I need while streaming.

Cons:

The small fonts sometimes that I have to read and there must be a way to enlarge them but I haven't found out where.

Reasons for switching to OBS Studio

OBS Studio offers more and is more advanced.

Read More

VR

Verified

Reviewer

Entertainment

Self-Employed

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2025

Best streaming software?!

5

I've been using this program for years now for streaming, recording clips and podcasting and I can't find anything better!

Ratings Breakdown

4

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Customer support

5

Functionality

Pros:

I love that it's easy to integrate the platforms I'm going to use to stream, it's easy to update stream information (stream information dock), it's really easy to record and use it as a studio software for podcasting, it seems pretty safe when it comes to security, it's pretty quick and reliable and allows me to add as many features to my scenes as I see fit. All of this for free!

Cons:

Some of the features are pretty technical so some homework is needed to fully take advantage. It's not as intuitive and I don't remember it having like a tutorial run through of the program.

Read More

VR

Verified

Reviewer

Entertainment

Self-Employed

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2021

Essential For Streaming and Recording

4

OBS is the easiest video recording/streaming software you can use. The amount of settings can be overwhelming to a new user, but there are tons of guides available although some may be outdated with UI changes in newer versions. However, most users would only need to change the settings once and forget about it, making it really fast to get started every time you want to record or stream. Getting the settings just right might take time as there is no one setting that fits everyone, but it's well worth the effort. Highly recommended for anyone who is looking for a recording or streaming software.

Ratings Breakdown

4

Ease of use

4

Functionality

Pros:

Having tried a number of other video recording / streaming software, OBS is easily the one that is easiest to use and work with. Most of the settings just need to be set once and you're pretty much set for good, making it quick and easy to use without much setup time. Even a complete beginner can get started within minutes, although it's recommended to spend some time adjusting the settings.

Cons:

OBS has been streamlined a lot more in recent years, but there are still a lot of options that can be daunting to use or adjust for most people, although this can be a huge plus for those who knows how to tweak the settings. Although it can be used right away even by new users, it's recommended to spend at least a couple of hours to learn and adjust some of the more important settings to match your usage and setup.

Read More

VD

Void D.

Verified reviewer

Graphic Design

Self-Employed

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed July 2025

OBS Review

5

OBS is generally a really great program. It has a little bit of a learning curve, but I think that is more than made up for with its robust set of features, being free and open source, and the massive amount of community made plugins

Ratings Breakdown

4

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Functionality

Pros:

OBS is a great free, open source software that allows recording and streaming of video, as well as many community-made plugins to help improve experience and provide additional features

Cons:

OBS pushes out extremely frequent updates. While this may seem helpful, it's annoying to have to constantly update the software. I'd rather have an auto-update feature or have updates be consolidated in to larger, less frequent ones

Read More

AL

Amber L.

Verified reviewer

Non-Profit Organization Management

501-1000 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed July 2025

Save yourself explaining things repeatedly!

4

Overall for a free software I am really impressed. It is easy to use out of the box. I have recommended to several colleagues who have also enjoyed using it for tutorials and walkthrough videos.

Ratings Breakdown

4

Ease of use

5

Value for money

4

Customer support

4

Functionality

Pros:

It is simple to record video SOPs to upload to our intranet and share with colleagues. This saves me a lot of time answering the same questions repeatedly.

Cons:

It can be difficult to set the audio levels at first. I filmed some videos that were way too quiet (whilst using a headset microphone) and I had to refilm.

Read More

CD

Caleb D.

Verified reviewer

Writing and Editing

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed April 2025

OBS: Objectively, the Best Video Recording Software

5

My experience with OBS has been nothing but positive. It's free, open-source, easy to learn, and quick to use, and it produces high-quality video and audio recordings. I appreciate that it's so simple but allows you to customize the audio levels of different audio sources.

Ratings Breakdown

5

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Customer support

5

Functionality

Pros:

I use OBS to record video and audio from client calls. I prefer OBS to system-default recording methods because I can set OBS to record specific screens and audio sources. When multiple programs are contributing to recorded audio, I can use OBS to raise/lower the volume of audio pulled from certain programs. It's handy when multiple people are on a call and talking over one another; I can keep change their individual volumes without altering the volume of their voices in the recording.

Cons:

There is very little that I don't like about OBS Studio. Sometimes I have to reset the folder that files are automatically saved to. It changes back to the default option more often than I'd like.

Read More

SB

Simone B.

Verified reviewer

Religious Institutions

2-10 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed February 2025

Obviously a Big Solution

5

It has been a big help during the pandemic season when I discovered it and I started to do many useful things for my job by remotely on a streaming platform.

Ratings Breakdown

5

Ease of use

5

Value for money

3

Customer support

5

Functionality

Pros:

It is free and this is a huge difference for people who wants to start their streamer experience

Cons:

Only that maybe it can be easy to restart a streaming service without doing so many steps, maybe automatic when sometimes the network fails and then is reconnected after a second.

Read More

DB

David B.

Verified reviewer

Photography

2-10 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed May 2025

Highly customisable, very well written screen recording software

5

I have a very positive experience of OBS Studio. We use it to record tutorials, mainly, but I've occasionally tested its other functions. I've never known it to break, and I love that there are so many settings to customise.

Ratings Breakdown

4

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Functionality

Pros:

Highly customisable screen recording software. It's possible to use as a web-cam for videoconferencing.

Cons:

The interface is a little fiddly to get used to at first, but after a little practice, this isn't an issue.

Read More

TB

Tanner B.

Verified reviewer

Online Media

Self-Employed

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed May 2025

Easy to use and get started

5

Simple to use out of the box with limitless customization. I’d recommend this to anyone looking to get started live-streaming or recording from their PC.

Ratings Breakdown

5

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Customer support

5

Functionality

Pros:

Open Broadcast Software is an out of the box, easy to use software to get started live-streaming to your desired platform. The vast amount of customization offers unlimited creativity and fun to add to your stream.

Cons:

OBS offers what can seem overwhelming of an amount of features. I’ve been using this service for 5+ years and I still find something new every week.

Read More

CB

Cynthia B.

Verified reviewer

Professional Training & Coaching

51-200 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed January 2025

The best for both seasoned streamers and amateurs

5

As mentioned above, I use it for both work and personal endeavors. I keep coming back to it and prefer it over other media management software. Until something better comes in the horizon (which hasn't been the case) I'll stick to it.

Ratings Breakdown

5

Ease of use

5

Value for money

5

Customer support

5

Functionality

Pros:

This is great for personal media management or large broadcasts. The great stuff is personalization as it adjusts to the needs of every event or stream that you need to prepare, keeping the settings in a single machine.

Cons:

It could be a bit more intuitive or implement some automatization.

Read More

Showing 1 - 10 of 1075 Reviews

[See All Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/reviews/)

## OBS Studio Popular Comparisons

[Microsoft Teams vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/voip/microsoft-teams-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[Snagit vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/vs/snagit/)[Camtasia vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-making/camtasia-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[Loom vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-making/loom-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[Bandicam vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/screen-recording/bandicam-screen-recorder-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[AVS Video Editor vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-making/avs-video-editor-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[GoTo Meeting vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/collaboration/gotomeeting-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[ScreenPal vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/vs/screenpal/)[OneTake AI vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/vs/onetake-ai/)[Screencastify vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/vs/screencastify/)[Kaltura Video Platform vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-making/kaltura-video-platform-profile/vs/obs-studio/)[GoTo Webinar vs OBS Studio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/event-management/gotowebinar-profile/vs/obs-studio/)

[Compare All Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/obs-studio-profile/alternatives/)

## See what companies are saying about Software Advice