The 21 Best Live Streaming Solutions – Everything You Need to Know in 2025

Professionals are using online video content more than ever before, live streaming solutions have become a key resource for corporate communications, video marketing, sales, business development, and beyond while the world transitions to primarily working from home. That is why every business needs a live streaming solution. 

Live streaming is booming in so many different industries. More than 4.6 million people watch music festivals via live streams each year. Likewise, sports live streaming is on the rise, and the global video streaming industry market is now valued at $106 billion. It’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.5% until 2030.

People enjoy watching a vast array of different types of content, which is why having a video streaming solution is so important to the success of modern businesses. 

Incorporating live streaming into your business’s operations requires the support of a live streaming solution. A live streaming solution will not just host your content but provide you with tools to share, protect, and monetize your video content.

In this article, we’re going to review the 21 best live streaming solutions, including a mix of platforms geared towards professionals and some consumer and prosumer alternatives. We’ll compare each platform based on functionality, features, streaming solution costs, and more.

Our aim here is to help you narrow in on the best streaming solutions for you. Let’s begin!

Please keep in mind that live streaming solutions technology and pricing changes regularly. This post reflects the most accurate information as of February 2025.

Table of Contents:

• What is a Live Streaming Solution?
• Streaming Industry Trends and Statistics
• Free Live Streaming Services vs. Professional Solutions
• What is SaaS Video Streaming?
• What to Look for in a Streaming Solution
• The 21 Best Live Video Streaming Solutions
• Top Social Streaming Solutions
• Live Streaming Technology
• FAQs
• Conclusions

Our aim here is to help you narrow in on the best streaming solutions for you. Let’s begin!

What is a Live Streaming Solution?

A live streaming solution is a video hosting platform that supports broadcasting in real-time.

Generally, these platforms are equipped with a collection of professional broadcasting tools and features, like VOD hosting, white-label video players, cloud transcoding tools, privacy and security, monetization support, global delivery, and more. These live streaming solution tools allow you to take control of your content. 

Professional-grade live streaming solutions are often used to broadcast events like concerts, webinars, conferences, sporting events, corporate events, and OTT platform features for streaming over-the-top content. They offer professional broadcast quality tools for any company that needs a live streaming solution. Some of the features include adaptive bitrate streaming, password-protection, superior encryption, and more to help you deliver a smooth and secure live streaming experience. 

Live streaming with a dedicated solution is typically more reliable than social media applications and consumer-grade streaming services. However, there are benefits to using both social media applications, consumer-grade streaming services, and a professional-grade live streaming solution. A combination of all three is perhaps the best for maximum reach. 

Streaming Industry Trends and Statistics

Before we dive into the ins and outs of live streaming solutions, let’s take a quick look at the state of the video streaming industry:

• Live content holds viewers’ attention 10-20x longer than on-demand video content
• 95% of marketers believe that online video content helps to better personify their brands
• 55% of online users watch video content every day
• Video content helps retain a brands message better than static content
• Video is currently used by 89% of businesses for marketing purposes

Free Live Streaming Services vs. Professional Solutions

First, we need to begin by answering a common question people have when considering live video streaming solutions: why use professional-grade live streaming solutions? 

Many businesses and content creators use free consumer-grade or prosumer streaming solutions while they are still starting out. Some of these platforms even include major social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram that offer live streaming features. The main advantage of taking this approach is that it doesn’t require much financial investment, so it allows broadcasters to test the waters without much skin in the game. There is a time and place for free consumer-grade content solutions. 

While free live video streaming solutions are valuable for some purposes, they don’t provide much functionality for hosting video content on a larger scale.

Additionally, free options come with serious privacy and security concerns. They only provide limited or non-existent security features. Monetization tools are either hard to access or not supported at all. Tech support may not be up to your business-standard. So, this may make them unsuitable for businesses that want to monetize their live streams and other on-demand videos. 

When you use one of the top professional solutions for live streaming, you will have to make a financial investment. With this financial investment, you will get control over the content. 

You can customize the look and feel of the video player, control quality settings, access advanced security features and even monetize your content. You get access to top-level tools when you use one of the top live streaming solutions companies.

What is SaaS Video Streaming?

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is a software and delivery model that provides customers with a subscription for their live streaming software and the service it provides and lives in the cloud.

Online software, communications tools, and payroll processing software are all examples of businesses that use the SaaS model. SaaS has become a common delivery model for many applications that businesses use for their cloud video streaming solutions.

SaaS video streaming is a piece of software that provides the broadcaster with a service that answers the problem they are having. These streaming solutions that we will be comparing have created video streaming software to provide to the broadcaster.

The distinct advantage of these solutions is that they run on the cloud. As a result, you don’t need to invest in expensive infrastructure that would otherwise be needed to run live streams that can deliver great viewing experiences. Instead, you just pay a subscription fee and get access to the infrastructure built by these services. 

Dacast is one live streaming solution that uses the SaaS model. Dacast is one of the best solutions for live streaming. 

What to Look for in a Streaming Solution

There are so many different professional-grade video streaming solutions with unique sets of features at different price points. When you’re considering which video solution you should use, there are several features to look for.

1. Security features: password protection, AES encryption, geographic/domain restrictions
2. Monetization: pay-per-view, subscriptions, advertisements
3. Professional business video hosting tools
4. Live streaming support
5. 24/7 tech support

The most important thing to consider when choosing a streaming solution is whether or not it includes the tools you need to reach your specific live streaming goals.

The 21 Best Live Video Streaming Solutions 

Each streaming solution is different since they all come with unique sets of key features, basic functionalities, and pricing. No corporate streaming solution is perfect, but there is one out there that’s right for your business, and now is the time to find it.

Consider all of this while we compare the top 21 live video streaming solutions for 2025 and beyond.

1. Dacast

Overview and Company History:

With offices in Beijing, London, Manila, and San Francisco, Dacast is considered a competitive offering in a crowded marketplace. Dacast is a full-featured, self-service solution for live streaming and VOD hosting. 

Dacast is a unified streaming solution that makes the annual list of the most important, innovative, and interesting live stream companies on the 2021 Streaming Media Magazine’s Top 50 List. This powerful video hosting platform helps companies worldwide scale and monetize their online video content.

Key Features:

• Monetization tools (SVOD,  AVOD), and  pay-per-view (TVOD)
• White label and branding control
• Adaptive bitrate streaming to allow multiple streams with varying bitrates
• RTMP Encoder for ingesting  HLS streaming
• Low latency HTML5 channels for video streaming
• Live encoding support for the top video encoders
• Zoom live streaming integration
• Expo galleries video portal
• Unlimited viewers and live channels
• Video security tools for secure streaming
• Global content delivery with strategic CDN partnerships
• Multi-bitrate streaming
• Player API and  Video API access
• 24/7 tech support

New!

• M3U8 file creation capability to enable adaptive streaming delivery of OTT video content across various devices
• Multistreaming capabilities for simulcasting to multiple platforms at once
• Fully integrated RTMP streaming platform features
• AES encryption for secure video streaming
• Multi-user access on Scale and Custom plans
• Zoom live streaming integration for meetings and live events in real-time
• Expo 2.0 galleries video portal for immersive video experiences

Pros:

• VOD and live stream video hosting
• Real-time analytics
• Ad-free streaming
• Wide range of privacy and security tools
• Mobile device support
• Live stream recording
• China Video Hosting
• Plans for every budget

Cons:

• A large range of features require a bit of an initial learning curve

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: None (but 240p is the recommended minimum)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p or 4K (depends on the user’s hardware and internet)
• Video aspect ratio: No restrictions (but 16:9 is the default)
• Max file size: None
• Max video length: None
• Total file storage: 10-1000GB (depends on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (preferred), MOV, M4V, M2V, AVI, MPG, FLV, WMV, MKV, WEBM, OGV, MXF, ASF, VOB, MTS

Pricing:

Dacast has multiple live streaming pricing plans. Here is a quick summary of all plans:

• Starter: $39/month billed annually (includes 2.4 TB bandwidth and 500 GB storage)
• Event: $63/month billed annually (includes 6 TB bandwidth and 250 GB storage)
• Scale: $165/month billed annually (includes 24 TB bandwidth and 2 TB storage)
• Custom: contact sales for custom pricing plans

Dacast is one of the top live streaming solutions companies you can work with to host your video content. Dacast offers the features of a top-level professional video hosting service at prices every business can afford. 

2. StreamYard

Overview and Company History:

StreamYard, founded by Hopin, is an in-browser live streaming platform. This platform is relatively basic but will do the job for broadcasters with minimal live videos needs.

Since this platform is pretty basic, it is relatively easy to start streaming on StreamYard.

Basic Functionality:

StreamYard is a simple in-browser live broadcasting designed to improve audience engagement. StreamYard does not support on-demand streaming.

Key Features:

StreamYard uses in-browser streaming technology. This provides a wide range of functionality without any downloads necessary. The brand customization features on StreamYard are some of the most valuable.

You can also use the platform for multistreaming and directly stream to top platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Detailed Features:

• Custom branding
• Graphic overlays
• Simulcast to social media platforms
• Multiple on-screen presenters
• Screen sharing 
• Audience engagement tools

Pros:

• Simple to use
• Engaging
• Great for collaborative streams

Cons:

• Very basic platform 
• No monetization
• No VOD
• Limited browser compatibility 

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• StreamYard does not publish upload guidelines and specs.

Pricing:

StreamYard has changed its pricing plans as of late 2024. Here are the annual prices and what they include:

• Core: $431.88/month with unlimited viewers, streaming, and local recording, 2 seats, 3 multistreaming destinations, and more.
• Advanced: $827.88/month with unlimited viewers, streaming, and local recording, 4 seats, 8 multistreaming destinations, and more.
• Teams: $2,867.88/month with unlimited viewers, streaming, and local recording, 10 seats, 8 multistreaming destinations, and more.

StreamYard is great for businesses without a dedicated IT team to support live streaming events. There is no need for additional software or to download anything. They offer unique branding, with the ability to add your logo, colors, overlays, images, and GIFs to the video player. Up to 10 different people can broadcast at once, and they support audience interactions.

3. Restream

Overview and Company History:

Restream is a streaming platform specializing in multistreaming but offering other streaming products. It’s designed to support both beginner streamers and advanced users, offering a variety of tools for managing live streams, such as chat management, scheduling, and in-depth analytics.

Restream Studio is their offering that supports in-browser live streaming. Sports fans like its live sports streaming options, but it is also quite popular among the gaming, tech, government, media, and music industries. Other than the ability to broadcast video in real-time, it’s also designed to increase brand exposure and sales.

Key Features:

• In-browser streaming
• Multistreaming capabilities 
• Features for boosting engagement
• Peer-to-peer streaming support
• Tools for audience interaction
• Brand customization
• Scheduled events

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Tools for collaboration
• On-brand streaming
• Tools for audience engagement 

Cons:

• Not a dedicated streaming platform
• In-browser streaming is secondary to live-stream hosting

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Recommended dimension: 1920 ×1080
• Aspect ratio: Unavailable
• Max file size: 2GB (for pre-recorded streams)
• Max video length: 1-4 hours (depends on plan)
• Total file storage: 10 videos
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MKV, M4V, MOV

Pricing:

Restream has several pricing plans for both individuals and businesses. These include the following plans:

• Free: $0/month (for individuals) with 2-channel multistreaming
• Standard: $16/month (for individuals) with 3-channel multistreaming
• Professional: $39/month (for individuals) with 5-channel multistreaming
• Business: $199/month (for businesses) with 8-channel multistreaming
• Enterprise: Custom pricing and solutions for media and corporate teams

These prices reflect monthly rates when paid monthly, but discounts are available when you pay a full year in advance.

If you need to stream to numerous destinations at once, Restream is a good video streaming solution. 

4. Resi

Overview and Company History:

Founded in 2014, Resi is an end-to-end video broadcasting platform that is equipped with a variety of streaming tools. This company offers all of the tools that broadcasters need to get started with live streaming.

Basic Functionality:

Resi offers a variety of live streaming software in addition to some hardware offerings.

Key Features:

Resi has several notable features including live stream hosting, simulcasting, and encoding technology in addition to a few hardware offerings.

Detailed Features:

• End-to-end live streaming support
• Simulcasting capabilities
• Some encoding support
• Automation tools
• Cloud streaming
• Monitoring tools

Pros:

• Produces high-quality live streams
• Wide range of functionality
• Highly reliable
• Reliable support

Cons:

• Limitations on analytics
• Limitations on chat
• “Dated” interface

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: None
• Maximum dimension: 1920×1080
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Max file size: 15 GB
• Max video length: 6 hours
• Total file storage: Unavailable
• Compatible video formats: MP4

Pricing:

Interested broadcasters must fill out an inquiry form to get information on Resi’s pricing.

Resi boasts that their streams never feature a spinning wheel, but that is achieved by the fact that live streams are delayed about 90 seconds from live. If you are okay with a 90 second delay between when you say something and your viewers see it, then this could be the platform for you.

5. Brightcove

Overview and Company History:

Founded in 2004, Boston-based Brightcove is one of the oldest online video platforms in-game. Its product offerings focus on cloud encoding, live streaming, and VOD (video on demand) hosting.

Brightcove entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons, an Italian software company, for $4.45 per share in a deal valued at $233 million. This acquisition, announced in November 2024, aims to strengthen Brightcove’s platform and expand its technological offerings.

Basic Functionality:

Brightcove’s basics include video cloud hosting, the lift video player, server-side ad insertion, live streaming video, OTT flow for internet TV, encoder for cloud transcoding, and tools for monetization.

Key Features: 

• Access to top-tier CDNs for global content delivery
• Multi-bitrate and adaptive bitrate streaming
• Video API access
• Basic tech support
• Advanced security features
• Monetization tools

Pros:

• Custom video player landing pages
• CRM integration available
• Wide range of professional broadcasting features

Cons:

• High pricing
• No China video delivery

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: Determined by user
• Maximum dimension: Determined by user
• Aspect ratio: No restrictions (since Brightcove uses a responsive player)
• Max file size: No limits on files size
• Max video length: No published limits
• Total file storage: Varies by plan
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MKV, 3GPP

Pricing:

Brightcove builds custom pricing plans to suit enterprise streaming needs. Please contact their sales department to find out the pricing structure for their live streaming features. 

Here is what we currently know about their pricing structure:

• Basic Plan: Starts at $99 per user per month, which includes core video hosting and management functionalities. This plan is well-suited for businesses with basic video needs, such as small content libraries or internal communications​.
• Enterprise-Level Plans: These plans are highly customizable and include advanced features such as live streaming, in-depth analytics, security options, and robust integrations. Pricing is tailored depending on the specific needs of the business, including audience size, storage requirements, and additional services like video monetization and support​.
• Customization Costs: Enterprises may face additional expenses for features like platform customization, data migration, employee training, and ongoing maintenance. These costs can range from a few thousand dollars to significantly more, depending on the complexity of the requirements​.

Free Trial: Brightcove offers a free trial for prospective users to test its features before committing to a subscription, which is a helpful option for evaluating its capabilities in real-world scenarios.

6. StreamShark

Overview and Company History:

Founded in 2011 from research out of the University of Melbourne, StreamShark is another of the best live streaming platforms for pros providing multi-faceted online video functionality. StreamShark is a business wing of MetaCDN. This means that the platform specializes in fast and innovative content delivery.

Basic Functionality:

As a streaming service, this company offers a consumer-grade (B2C) platform and a distinct enterprise platform for streaming. StreamShark is a technology company with reliable video stream delivery expertise for global reach. It excels at making the live streams of large-scale, high-profile events a massive success, with viewers having an exceptional viewing experience.  It is a great live event streaming platform.

Key Features:

Their live event platform offers users the ability to efficiently and reliably manage the different phases of an event’s stream while ensuring maximum reach and reliability of the live stream via its multi-vendor approach and HLS ingests. Additionally, the company focuses overall on providing global video CDN services. If you have a global audience you need to reach, it is one of the top live streaming platforms. 

With the Enterprise package, your business can access advanced features such as peer-to-peer delivery to reduce bandwidth load on corporate networks when conducting a live stream for employees. They also offer end-to-end encryption and 360-degree 4K streams.

Detailed Features:

• Global coverage via a multi-CDN network
• Mobile-compatibility
• Detailed viewer reports
• Customizable live streaming video player
• Privacy controls
• Advertising and customer support
• Multi-CDN

Pros:

• Localized media ingestion
• Video Encoding
• Redistribution
• Increased storage space

Cons:

• No Channel support
• No embeddable playlists
• Fair to no video analytics
• No China video delivery

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: not available
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 500GB, 1TB, 3TB
• Compatible video formats: HLS, WebM VP9, WebM VP8, WebM VP9 DASH, MP4

Pricing:

Monthly live streaming plans with StreamShark begin at $199 per month and include the following:

• Standard: $199/month; includes 1,000 GB of bandwidth; 500 GB of VOD storage an additional overage of $0.10 per GB
• Team: $499/month; includes 4,000 GB of bandwidth; 2,000 GB of storage, and lowers per GB overage prices to $0.09 per GB
• Business: $999/month; includes 9,000 GB of bandwidth; 5,000 GB of storage, and reduces the overage to $0.08 per GB
• Enterprise: Please contact StreamShark for their custom enterprise solutions. These plans include 4k streams, white-glove stream monitoring, enterprise viewer home page, single sign-on SSO support and more.

StreamShark caters both to small and medium size businesses with their monthly live streaming package, and to large corporations that need to host big corporate events. They offer a range of online live streaming packages for businesses.

7. IBM Cloud Video (formerly UStream)

Overview and Company History:

Next up in our online video platform comparison is IBM Video Streaming (formally UStream). Founded in 2007 to connect military service members with family, IBM purchased UStream in 2016.

Around the same time, IBM acquired ClearLeap, a video management system, Cleversafe, a video storage service, and Aspera, a large-file transfer tool. All of these different companies were used to create IBM Cloud Video (now IBM Video Streaming), allowing IBM to become a platform for live streaming and VOD.

Basic Functionality:

IBM Video Streaming is a live streaming company first and foremost. However, it also hosts VOD (Video On Demand) files recorded from previous live streams.

Basic streaming accounts are free, with advertising supporting IBM Video Streaming. Paid accounts remove advertising and grant access to advanced features. Enterprise accounts allow for full custom branding and offer analytics, multiple live channels, content syndication, and more. The more you pay, the more custom live stream services you have access to on IBM  Video Streaming.

IBM offers phone and chat support for Silver, Gold, and Platinum users, as well as for those interested in its 30-day free trial.

Key Features:

IBM Video Streaming provides both a customer-grade and an Enterprise streaming solution. This platform also offers a unique Enterprise Content Delivery Network. Their professional-grade OVP has solutions for live event coverage, video marketing, monetization, marketing, and more. Its inclusivity justifies its elevated price point.

Like Dacast, you also get China access through Hong Kong video hosting, which can help you drive better brand awareness. You also get OTT video management features that can come in handy if you want to launch an OTT service and monetize it. 

Detailed Features:

• Enterprise video streaming
• Enterprise content delivery network
• Video distribution and workflow
• OTT video management
• Video monetization options
• Live streaming 

Pros:

• Reliable platform
• Suitable for larger clients
• Good customer support
• Wide range of features for broadcasters
• Hong Kong (China) video hosting

Cons:

• Additional fees are required in order to stream above 720p resolution
• Poor closed captioning support

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 480p (480 x 270)
• Maximum dimension:  4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: No published aspect ratio
• Max file size: 4 GB
• Max video length: No published limits
• Total file storage: 1TB – 5TB (depends on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MKV, MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MPEG2, H264, H263, MPEG4, VP6, VP8, THEORA, WMV, MP3, AAC-LC, NELLYMOSER, PCM, SPEEX, VORBIS, WMA

Pricing:

The pricing plans for the IBM Cloud Video include:

• Start Trial – Video Streaming: Give it a free test drive for 30 days
• Silver: Affordable Essentials, 100 viewer hours, 5 channels, 1 TB video storage, starting at $145/month
• Gold: Standard business features, 2,000 viewer hours, 10 channels, 2 TB video storage, starting at $729/month
• Platinum: Premium Volume scale, 5,000 viewer hours, 20 channels, 5 TB video storage, starting at $1,460/month
• Custom: Please contact IBM Cloud video for custom plan pricing as well as payment plans

IBM Video Streaming is a great platform for live streaming content for your business, and turning live streams into VOD. That makes it perfect for OTT service providers who want to host live streams and on-demand videos. 

8. Cincopa

Overview and Company History:

Cincopa is a multimedia hosting platform that large organizations use to store their content. In addition to media hosting, Cincopa offers all of the tools that broadcasters need to host high-quality  live streams.

Cincopa offers plans for different budgets. The range of pricing offerings, paired with the flexible functionality of this platform makes it a great tool for many different kinds of broadcasters.

Basic Functionality:

Cincopa’s primary purpose is hosting different types of media files, including video, audio, and images. However, this platform also supports live streaming. 

Key Features:

• Hosting of multimedia content 
• User-facing video portals
• Solutions for multiple use cases
• Access to API
• Professional integrations
• Large collections of media templates

Detailed Features:

• Multimedia hosting
• Live streaming support 
• Powerful video player
• Video monetization
• Integrations for customization
• OTT streaming
• Reliable CDN partnerships
• Secure streaming

Pros:

• High-quality streaming
• Professional streaming experience
• Wide range of useful tools
• Customizable streaming
• Reliable customer support 

Cons:

• Live streaming is a secondary offering
• Some complaints of media storage limits

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 144p
• Maximum dimension: 4K
• Aspect ratio: 4:3, 16:9
• Max file size: 1, 2, 20GB (depending on the plan)
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 5 videos, 40 videos, unlimited videos (depending on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, M4A, F4A,  F4B, F4V, F4P, M2TS, MTS, VOB, MKV, RMVB, M1V, QT, DIV, DIVX, DV, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, MPG, MPEG, MPE, FLV

Pricing:

Cincopa offers four pricing plans for multimedia hosting:

• Plus: $25/month; 50 videos, 75 audio/podcast files, 1 TB monthly traffic
• Corporate: $99/month; 250 videos, 300 audio/podcast files, 2 TB monthly traffic
• Enterprise: $350/month; unlimited videos, audio/podcast files, and monthly traffic
• Custom Enterprise: Custom pricing; dedicated account manager, SSO

Contact Cincopa’s sales team for detailed information on the Custom Enterprise plan where you can optimize your media strategy as per your business growth.

Cincopa is an image and podcast hosting platform that supports live streaming. If you need all three of those video live streaming services in one place, they may be the right platform for your business

9. JW Player

Overview and Company History:

First conceptualized in 2005 as part of a student project, JW Player began as a small piece of open-source code to play audio and video files. This code then became the basic video player for the fledgling YouTube, which continued to use the JW Player until Google acquired the platform in 2006.

Originally, JW Player was best known for its HTML5 video player for VOD content. In recent years, JW has expanded its video offerings beyond on-demand content to include live streaming.

Basic Functionality:

JW Player is perhaps best known for its HTML5 JW video player for VOD content.  This player supports MPEG-DASH playback, CSS skinning, DRM, and other advanced features. The company also now offers JW Live, a full-service live streaming provider.

Key Features:

• Global content delivery
• Video API access with all plans
• Ad-based monetization
• Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming
• Some technical support is available

Pros:

• High-quality video player
• Clean user-interface

Cons:

• Limited monetization options (Only supports AVOD)
• Limited tech support
• No China delivery

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 360p (640 x 360)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3, 2.39:1
• Max file size: 25GB
• Max video length: Not available
• Total file storage: 25GB to 500GB (depending on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, 3GP, FLV

Pricing: 

JW Player essentially offers 4 pricing tiers:

• Stream: This plan offers video delivery, asset management, instant and broadcast live
• Play: This plan offers cloud hosting, HTML5 Player, OTT apps, and mobile SDKs
• Engage: Take advantage of real-time analytics, recommendations, article matching, and custom reports
• Monetize: Use tools like ad insertion, player bidding, outstream ads, and studio DRM

10. Kaltura

Overview and Company History:

With a video management foundation in its open-source software, Kaltura offers a unique focus on the live streaming market. Historically, this company has worked most extensively with educational institutions.

Basic Functionality:

While the Kaltura software is free, it requires an infrastructure of servers for hosting and distribution. This platform represents an alternative to the self-hosted model (e.g., Dacast). That said, Kaltura offers cloud-based video hosting and distribution services for both VOD and live streams.

Key Features:

• Multi-bitrate and adaptive video streaming
• Monetization options (SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD) via integrations
• Powerful security features
• Total video and player API access

Pros:

• Completely customizable
• Very few limits on features thanks to integrations
• Well-suited for advanced broadcasters

Cons:

• The “pay-as-you-go” structure often makes it more expensive to use
• Complicated platform
• Not cut out for beginner broadcasters
• Slow-to-respond tech support

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 180p (320 x 180)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: 2GB
• Max video length: Not available
• Total file storage: 10GB to Unlimited (depends on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: MOV, MP4

Pricing:

Prices are based on the solutions you’re looking for. These billed monthly plans include: 

Webinars:

• Limited trial: $1 for two webinars
• Business: $199/month (or $150/month when billed annually)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Virtual classroom:

• Free trial: 14 days; up to 25 participants per session
• Basic: $19/month (or $17/month when billed annually); up to 8 participants per session and 8 hrs of cloud recording
• Pro: $55/month (or $50/month when billed annually); up to 25 participants per session and 15 hrs of cloud recording
• Business: $125/month (or $115/month when billed annually); up to 100 participants per session and up to 25 hrs of cloud recording
• Business Plus: Custom pricing for up to 300 participants per session, unlimited sessions and custom storage needs

Media Services:

• Annual discounts: Discounted pricing packages available for any scale and use-case, enterprise SLA, and developer support
• Limited trial account: $1 for $100 worth of credits for 30 days for testing and experimentation, with no commitments
• Pay as you go – You pay only for what you use at these credit levels:
• Base plan: $20 one-time annual fee + monthly usage fees

Other services include virtual events, video portal town halls, video messaging, meetings, and more.

11. Muvi

Overview and Company History:

Next up in this review, Muvi is another of the best live stream platforms focused on over-the-top OTT media. This  online video platform is unique in that it functions as a turnkey appliance for OTT broadcasters.

In fact, this model empowers users to launch their own video or  audio streaming platform quickly and easily. Additionally, the platform includes an all-inclusive and fully-featured website, mobile, and TV apps.

Basic Functionality:

Muvi is a PaaS-based video stream platform with an all-in-one OTT solution. Their OTT service allows businesses to launch white-label multi-device streaming, video on demand (VOD), and audio streaming. The platform includes fully managed, end-to-end solutions, all controlled from single streaming video CMS, with no coding or IT team required.

Key Features:

• Various monetization options
• HTML5 all-device video player
• Dashboard management CMS for naming and organizing content
• Support for video and audio streaming
• Various monetization options
• 24/7 support
• White-label platform
• Multi-device streaming options

Pros:

• Comprehensive monetization options
• High scalability and reliability
• 24/7 customer support
• No coding required
• User-friendly interface
• Strong security features

Cons:

• Advanced features come at a higher price
• Limited third-party integrations
• Steep learning curve for beginners

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 144p (256 x 144)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840  x2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: not available
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 1TB, 2TB, 5TB (depending on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, FLV, VOB, M4V, AVI, 3GP, MPG

Pricing:

Muvi has a very wide spectrum of pricing plans divided in 7 categories, namely One, Live, Flex, Player SDK, Playout, TV, and Alie.

The pricing for the Muvi One category includes the following plans:

• Standard: $399/month
• Professional: $1,499/month
• Enterprise: $3,900/month
• Ultimate: Contact sales for price

Each plan has different features, such as the number of concurrent users, hosting options, and add-ons like the Alie recommendation engine.

The pricing breakdown for the Muvi Live plans is as followed:

• Standard: $99/month
• Professional: $299/month
• Enterprise: $799/month

Each plan includes unlimited events and meetings, Ad-free high quality Streaming, enterprise grade security, and custom branding.

Muvi Flex includes the following plans :

• Standard: $199/month
• Professional: $899/month
• Enterprise: $2,899/month

Each plan includes unlimited content and views, with varying features like the number of concurrent users, hosting options, and customization availability.

The Muvi Player SDK pricing includes the following:

• Pay as You Go: $0/month + $0.001 per view (first 100 views are free)
• Enterprise: $499/month + $0.001 per view (first 100,000 views are free each month). You’ll also need to pay $99/month for each additional platform.

Muvi Playout includes the following plans:

• Standard: $199/month
• Professional: $499/month
• Enterprise: $1,999/month

These plans differ in features such as the number of concurrent viewers, channels, and customization options. The Enterprise plan also offers dedicated servers.

The Muvi TV pricing category has only one Standard plan. You’ll have to pay  $9/month and an additional 9% flat commission on content sales. This plan supports global distribution, and features include unlimited content, views, and the ability to publish and monetize quickly.

And the seventh and last category is Muvi Alie which includes the following plans:

• Standard: $199/month
• Professional: $899/month
• Enterprise: $1,499/month

These plans differ in features such as ingestion features, training and recommendation requests.

12. Panopto

Overview and Company History:

Company Background:

Panopto started in 2007 and is now a highly specialized cloud video streaming solution with over 5 million users worldwide. It’s mostly geared toward businesses and universities in the online learning space.

It easily combines live streaming, video management, and on-demand access capabilities. What helps it stand out is its deep integration with many LMSs. Panopto’s ability to provide a mobile-ready solution makes it particularly appealing for learners and employees who need access to content while on the go

Basic Functionality:

Panoptos is best for internal use and is meant to integrate with most learning management systems. The platform has plenty of data protection measures, such as access control, user permissions, and region-specific cloud infrastructure.

Key Features:

• Video cloud solutions
• Live streaming and recording
• Video content management
• Mobile-ready solution
• Lecture-capture and video-search software
• Video analytics
• Access control & security features
• White-label streaming
• Integration with LMS systems
• APIs for further integrations
• Seamless integration with learning management systems
• Switch between slides and webcam
• Good features organize your live streams into specific lectures/ files after the stream ends
• Session recording and creating videos for watching on-demand

Pros:

• Panopto offers custom branding, allowing you to create a video player that reflects your brand
• They have regional cloud infrastructure, allowing for strong storage support
• They offer China video hosting
• You can update user permissions during or after the live broadcast without damaging the video link or other issues
• Videos automatically upload to the folder they need to be in if you’ve selected the source before. You don’t have to manually input the settings or choose the playlist for each live video. It saves the teacher’s time and makes things easy for students.
• The mobile app is a handy tool for all age groups

Cons:

• No version control
• No SEO management
• Steep learning curve
• Responding to questions from your audience can be complex if you’re live-streaming and presenting at the same time
• Editing tools are subpar compared to other cloud streaming services

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max video length: Information not available
• Total file storage: Information not available
• Compatible video formats: AVI, MP4, MPG, WMV, MOV, QT, ASF, 3GP, WMA, MP3, M4V, and more.

Pricing:

Please contact Panopto for their custom pricing plans as these are not included in the company website. You can also schedule a demo before committing. 

After establishing a contract, you have access to unlimited streaming and storage. However, this aspect may represent a potential downside for some streamers as Panopto does not handle any external-facing video content.

13. Vimeo Livestream

Overview and Company History:

Since its founding in 2004, Vimeo has grown to be one of the most well-known video platforms on the internet.

Originally, Vimeo made its mark by offering an ad-free experience for video sharing, which made it an instant hit with creators and audiences. Now, it offers live streaming and enterprise video hosting space, with a range of services targeting businesses of all sizes.

The platform emphasises quality over quantity, which is appealing to many professional creators and businesses. Vimeo offers a cleaner user experience and a vast array of customization options.

Basic Functionality:

Vimeo offers live streaming, video hosting and OTT video delivery services. Vimeo is a cloud-based video streaming platform with comprehensive video hosting and livestreaming functionality. Vimeo has a simplified live streaming interface with features like text and graphic overlays and social share options. It also has plenty of tools that help with greater audience interaction.

Key Features:

What sets Vimeo apart is its offering of a range of proprietary hardware and software for live streaming. These offerings integrate smoothly with their platform, minimizing the fuss of implementing a live streaming program from the hardware on up. 

Vimeo Livestream is quite straightforward to use and has pay-per-view and subscription monetization options. You also get added security in the form of password protection. Additionally, viewer engagement features like Q&A and polls work well to drive a connection with your audience. To make things easier for viewers, you also get automated closed captions and registrant email notifications. 

Detailed Features:

• AI-powered video streaming features
• Custom video player
• Engagement and social analytics
• Privacy controls
• Host live broadcasts and webinars
• Video management
• Custom permissions
• Auto-recording of screens for video creation

Pros:

• Unlimited events and viewers
• No in-stream ads
• Sleek and professional appearance 
• Thoroughly detailed analytics
• Easy to use
• Pay-per-view options

Cons:

• Some issues with connection to an internal server
• No China video delivery
• Limited live streaming and video hosting capabilities
• Requires you to be tech-savvy to take full advantage of its features and have everything running smoothly
• The live event management system is pricier than other services and lacks robust features you’ll find on other platforms
• Buffering times are longer than other cloud video services
• You can’t convert the text in English to other languages.

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Recommended dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: 3GB
• Max video length: Information not available
• Total file storage: Information not available
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (recommended)

Pricing:

Vimeo offers basic video hosting plans that are suitable for content creators and startups. Pricing if billed monthly, is as follows:

• Free: $0/month; 1 GB storage, creation and editing, screen recording
• Starter: $20/month; 100 GB storage, auto closed captioning, custom URLs and video player, privacy tools
• Standard: $41/month; 1 TB storage, engagement and social analytics, AI script generator, teleprompter, brand kit
• Advanced: $108/month; 5 TB storage, stream to multiple destinations, host live broadcasts and webinars, AI-generated chapters and text summaries
• Enterprise: Custom pricing; more storage and bandwidth, advanced AI capabilities, quality events, dedicated support

Vimeo is great if you want to maximize the usage of your content by turning your live streams into VOD content.

Vimeo OTT Pricing:

Vimeo’s OTT solution is priced separately from the regular Vimeo packages. There are two plans: Starter and Enterprise.

• • Starter Pricing: $1/subscriber per month (or 10% of one-time purchases)
  • Enterprise Pricing: Contact sales

This OTT-specific pricing package comes with the Vimeo.com relationship. These plans include all the basics for starting your web-based OTT channel, as well as growing your OTT business online.

For more details, check out our comprehensive guide to Vimeo pricing.

If you are new to live video streaming, Vimeo’s integration of proprietary hardware and software helps simplify the complexity of the live streaming process. If you have an advanced video production team, having to use Vimeo’s integrated proprietary hardware and software may feel limiting to your team.

14. Wowza

Overview and Company History:

Founded in 2005 by David Stubenvoll and Charlie Good, Wowza is a bootstrapped start-up, with live and on-demand live streaming capabilities to phones, tablets, consoles, focusing on greater accessibility, further flexibility, and the best cost-effectiveness.

Basic Functionality:

Wowza offers two main products, the first of which is the Wowza Streaming Engine. This product is widely used in the industry for self-hosted streaming. Wowza streaming services, however, come with the Wowza offering. The Streaming Cloud functionality includes a variety of features aimed at providing low-latency content access to global audiences of all sizes.

Key Features:

• Cloud transcoding
• Support for live streaming and VOD
• White-label video player
• All-device streaming with an HTML5 video player
• API access available
• Reliable customer support

Pros:

• Brand customization tools
• Auto-archiving
• Powerful video CMS
• Ultra HD streaming (4K)
• Wide range of security options

Cons:

• No simulcasting tools
• No support for video monetization
• No reliable video analytics tools

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (320 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: Not available
• Max video length: Not available
• Total file storage: 250 GB (depends on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4, FLV, MP3, SMIL, AMLST, ID3, NGRP

Pricing:

Wowza offers two main tiers: Streaming Cloud and Streaming Engine.

The Wowza Streaming Cloud offers four distinct pricing plans and services. Live Event Pricing, monthly plans include:

• Pay As You Go: $0 per month only pay for usage at a rate of $2.50 per streaming hour and $0.10 per viewer hour
• One Month of Streaming: $149 one-time purchase; includes 15 hours of live streaming and 500 viewing hours
• Plans built for your needs: Best for large audiences and large volume videos, but you should contact Wowza for custom pricing

All the Live Event plans reflect rates when paid monthly and include full brand control, multi-bitrate streaming, and UHD and HD streaming.

The Wowza Streaming Engine has its own professional-grade streaming plans billed annually and includes:

• Basic Monthly: $195/month with the first instance included (Additional instances $195)
• One Month Streaming: $295/month with the first instance included (Additional instances $295)
• Enterprise: Please contact Wowza directly for access to their custom-tailored high volume enterprise solutions

Wowza is a platform that has streaming plans that work for both individuals and businesses. If you need a live streaming portal with plans that will grow with your business, Wowza may be right for you.

Top Social Streaming Solutions

Social media streaming apps like YouTube Live and Facebook Live are not capable of video hosting on a professional level. However, they are useful for promoting content on your website, connecting with your audience,  and building a loyal following for your brand.

Here are a few of the top social media platforms for live streaming and video sharing.

Wowza is an easy-to-use customized platform that makes a great live streaming solution for businesses of all sizes. 

15. LinkedIn Live

Overview and Company History:

LinkedIn is a popular social media platform for professionals to network and gain connections. Since the pandemic’s start, people have had to get creative with building their “Rolodex,” and LinkedIn has come in handy.

LinkedIn recently rolled out LinkedIn Live, a premier business offering that helps brands connect with professionals through live-streamed content. LinkedIn Live requires the support of a custom RTMP  streaming setup (self-hosted) or the support of a third-party streaming platform (like Dacast and the other tools we’ve mentioned above).

The value of streaming to LinkedIn live is that it is possible to target a very specific audience, professionals in your industry. However, this could also be a negative for some broadcasters looking to go beyond this specific audience. 

Basic Functionality:

LinkedIn is primarily a social media platform, and LinkedIn Live is a newly added feature for enhanced engagement. 

Key Features:

LinkedIn Live is a regulated platform that allows brands to connect with professionals in their industry. Even individuals on LinkedIn can use it to go live. However, you have to get approved for live streaming capabilities. But this exclusivity makes it even more valuable. 

Detailed Features:

• Social streaming to a professional audience
• Quality control and exclusivity 
• Designed to boost engagement
• Integrated with LinkedIn Events for virtual event hosting

Pros:

• Free to use
• Very specific audience 
• Helps build brand awareness
• Boosts engagement among an audience

Cons:

• Users must apply for access
• Requires third-party support
• Highly regulated 
• Offers no ability to monetize your content

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Video guidelines and specs depend on the third-party app that you use for support

Pricing:

LinkedIn Live is free to use as long as LinkedIn accepts your application.

To stream on LinkedIn Live, you will want the support of a professional live streaming platform.

16. Twitch

Overview and Company History:

Twitch is a live streaming app that doubles as a social media platform. When Twitch was founded 9 years ago, it went by the name Justin.tv. Justin.tv no longer exists, and the original platform was spun off and sold to Amazon.

Viewers can subscribe to their favorite streamers so that they are alerted when they go live.

Basic Functionality:

Twitch.tv is a consumer-grade platform for independent streamers, and it is especially popular among Esports (video game) streamers.

This site is pretty niche, but it is a great platform if you are trying to reach an audience in the gaming, fantasy, or tech industry.

Key Features:

Twitch is a social network that is primarily meant for Esport live streaming. It’s a great platform for streamers and individuals to quickly gain a large audience and might also be helpful for gaming brands as you can partner with influencers on the platform to grow your reach. 

Detailed Features:

• Viewers can “Tip” streamers
• Primarily used by streamers who broadcast gaming and special interests/hobbies
• Tools for an audience to chat with streamers and each other in real-time

Pros:

• Affordable
• Relatively easy for beginners to use 
• Tools for engagement and community interaction
• Robust chatting features
• Several monetization options

Cons:

• Not designed for professional use
• It May require some encoding tools
• Limited monetization tools
• Strict community guidelines
• Several monetization options, but you need to qualify first by becoming a Twitch Partner or Affiliate.

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: Not available
• Max video length: 48 hours
• Total file storage: Not available
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV

Pricing:

Twitch does not charge content providers to use their platform, but they allow them to make money off of their users. This program is called Twitch Subscriptions, and it includes three tiers:

• Tier 1 subscription: $4.99/month
• Tier 2 subscription: $9.99/month
• Tier 3 subscription: $24.99/month

If you run a gaming business, Twitch is a great live streaming platform. You can also connect a professional streaming service to Twitch for greater functionality and control over your stream.

17. YouTube Live

Overview and Company History:

YouTube was one of the first social broadcasting sites to make  online streaming popular, and it has grown exponentially in the past decade. This Google-owned website is designed for consumers, but many businesses use it while they are getting into broadcasting.

YouTube is not the best live stream hosting platforms since the site has strict limitations on monetization and other professional tools. Additionally, YouTube Live requires that broadcasters give up partial ownership of their content when they upload it to the platform. It is a live stream service that your business can use, but it has major limitations. 

Basic Functionality:

YouTube Live is a free B2C platform for streaming live videos, designed for users with little to no prior broadcasting experience.

Key Features:

YouTube is primarily a consumer-grade video sharing platform. It supports VOD and live streaming, but the most popular content on the platform is on-demand videos. But considering the sheer reach of the platform with over  2 billion monthly active users, your online live streams will get unparalleled reach through YouTube. It’s particularly useful for live streaming events and product launches. 

Detailed Features:

• Ad-based monetization is limited to users with large followings and watch times
• No notable security features
• Popular among consumers
• Powered by Google
• Easy to share videos
• Videos can be embedded in other websites
• No white-label capabilities

Pros:

• Free to use
• YouTube is a household name, so viewers are comfortable using it
• Easy to use (for both viewers and broadcasters)
• Easy to embed video player
• Live and VOD hosting

Cons:

• Cannot remove YouTube Live branding
• Limitations on live streaming
• Strict restrictions on content. For example, if there’s a popular song playing in the background, your video can be abruptly taken down for copyright reasons.
• YouTube Live owns partial rights to your content. For example, if you rely on in-video sponsorships, you may be forced to start giving a cut of your revenue to YouTube in the future.
• Distracting third-party in-stream ads and branding
• YouTube Live will suggest the videos of competitors off to the side, which can drive away potential fans

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (adds padding to videos with other aspect ratios)
• Max file size: 128 GB
• Max video length: 12 hours
• Total file storage: No storage limit
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG4, FLV, AVI, Web M, WMV, MPEG-PS, 3GPP

Pricing:

YouTube is a free platform that allows you to broadcast videos, live stream events, and monetize live videos. However, that free tag comes with a cost, as you don’t have complete control over your content that a professional-grade live streaming platform can offer your business.

18. Dailymotion

Company Background:

Founded in 2005, DailyMotion is a consumer-based streaming platform that provides basic on-demand video hosting support. However, it also has a few professional features for developers and advanced broadcasting.

While some consider it to be the French version of YouTube, it stands out thanks to its fewer limitations and restrictions on video content. This makes it much more appealing to content creators, including independent producers and large companies.

It features a strong content delivery infrastructure and has more flexible monetization and video management options.

Basic Functionality:

With DailyMotion, managing and sharing on-demand or live-stream video to cloud storage is easy. One of its standout features is unlimited streaming bandwidth and video storage for partners, making it a viable option for those with large video libraries or frequent live events.

Key Features:

• Infrastructure for video streaming
• Consumer-grade platform with some professional capabilities
• Specialized tools for developers and partners
• Integrates with many gaming platforms
• Localized to 35 countries and 18 languages
• Offers closed captions and privacy options to limit access to your videos.

Pros:

• DailyMotion offers unlimited streaming bandwidth and video cloud storage if you have lots of video content
• They have a free plan, allowing you to use the platform if you have small video streaming needs
• Through their partnership with Huawei, they offer China video delivery, providing you with support for true global streaming
• It’s easy to integrate various tools with Dailymotion. The self-service resources are helpful if you run into any trouble

Cons:

• Limited support for private cloud video hosting
• Not suited for all professional broadcasters
• The dashboard has many unprofessional ads, especially for bigger businesses and brands
• The Smart TV version doesn’t always work
• You have limited options to edit or customize a video to improve the viewer’s experience while uploading
• The multi-platform support is lacking
• The analytics feature is incredibly limited compared to the other HLS streaming software mentioned in this article

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (adds padding to videos with other aspect ratios)
• Max file size: 128GB
• Max video length: 12 hours
• Total file storage: Unlimited
• Compatible video formats: MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV,  MPEG-PS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM

Pricing:

DailyMotion is free to use, but users can apply for their partner program for advanced broadcasting capabilities.

19. Facebook Live

Overview and Company History:

Regarding video hosting, Facebook offers both “Live” and “Watch,” which allows businesses and organizations to host on-demand content or broadcast live content. 

Live streams can be hosted on personal profiles, pages, and groups, but on-demand “Facebook Watch” videos can only be published on Facebook Pages.

Facebook Live is commonly used by businesses and organizations that are just dipping their toes in live broadcasting. Since it is a free platform, Facebook Live poses many challenges related to video ownership, time limits on videos, monetization, and more.

Aside from those few technical restrictions, live streaming with Facebook Live is valuable for connecting with existing audiences. 

Basic Functionality:

It is common for broadcasters who use premium streaming solutions to connect their accounts to multicast on Facebook and their websites. That allows users to tap into their existing Facebook audiences while accessing the professional tools of a hosting solution.

Key Features:

Facebook is a social media platform with tools for uploading and sharing videos to online communities. The live streaming feature on Facebook gives viewers commenting and reacting capabilities. They can write to you in real-time and you can answer their questions right away. Similarly, the engagements can help increase your reach on the platform and help make your live streams successful.

Detailed Features:

• Facebook Live
• Facebook Watch
• Facebook Groups
• Facebook Pages
• Easy video sharing
• Live commenting and reacting
• Paid ads 
• Some tools for business use

Pros:

• The app is free
• Viewers are familiar with the platform
• Live chat promotes engagement
• Taps into existing following

Cons:

• No monetization options
• Time limits on live videos
• Cannot remove Facebook Live branding

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 720p (1280×720) 
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920×1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, 4:5, 1:1
• Max file size: 4 GB
• Max video length: 90 minutes
• Total file storage: No storage limit
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG4, AVI, 3GPP, WMV, FLV, MKV

Pricing:

Facebook Live works best when integrated with a professional live streaming platform that allows for simultaneous casting to multiple sites. It can allow you to connect to your already-developed Facebook audience.

20. Instagram

Overview and Company History:

Instagram is a popular social media app with various video-sharing features. If you want to broadcast live videos with high production values, the app isn’t for you, but it is great to share pre-recorded videos. 

Basic Functionality:

Both consumers and businesses upload small, shareable clips to the platform to share with followers. Businesses often use Instagram Live to tease the content on their site or app. They add CTAs that lead users to their websites with products or longer videos. Instagram Live is popular for eCommerce businesses and offers sellers the ability to include shoppable and product links in their stories, reels, and live broadcasts.

Key Features:

Instagram is a social media platform for sharing pictures and videos. Basically, Instagram Live is a social network that allows you to live stream music and videos. If you want a dedicated streaming service, it’s better to look at other platforms.

Detailed Features:

• Live streaming on stories
• Video and photo sharing
• Direct messaging tools (which can be used to share posts and interact)
• Minimal privacy controls
• Some business tools

Pros:

• Free to download and use
• Popular among most age groups
• Easy to navigate
• Uploading and sharing is almost instantaneous
• Some business tools
• Supports streaming
• Live shopping

Cons:

• No monetization features
• Poor privacy tools
• Limited streaming hours
• Minimal live streaming features
• You can be temporarily blocked from live streaming if you mistakenly violate Community guidelines
• Stream can be taken down abruptly if the platform hears popular music in the background

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 864 x 1080 (recommended)
• Maximum dimension: 864 x 1080 (recommended)
• Aspect ratio: 9:16, 4:5
• Max file size: 15 MB
• Max video length: Depends on which feature you use
• Total file storage: Unlimited
• Compatible video formats: MP4

Pricing:

It’s free to start a live broadcast on Instagram, though you can only do it on iOS or Android devices. But while Instagram is great for video sharing, you’re going to want to back that up with a professional live streaming service.

21. TikTok

Overview and Company History:

TikTok is a live video streaming app that is still relatively new to the scene, and its algorithm is geared toward growth. That means it’s relatively easy to go viral and build a following on this app, even if it’s by mistake.

TikTok is a social media platform through and through, but when used strategically, businesses can use it to lead viewers to their websites for their intended conversion.

Basic Functionality:

Please note that most TikTok users are Gen Zers, meaning most viewers on the platform are around the age of 25 and younger. This option is best suited for businesses with an audience in that age group.

Key Features:

TikTok has some live streaming tools, but the platform is primarily used for sharing short video clips.  You can get live streaming features on the platform once you cross 1,000 followers. It makes it slightly challenging to get live streaming capabilities, but once you do, you’ll be among the few who have it. 

Detailed Features:

• Highly controlled live streaming tools
• 15-180 second video sharing
• “Dueting” tool, which allows users to use parts of existing videos for their own
• “For You Page” that generates content based on viewers’ interests
• Very young users

Pros:

• Free to download and use
• The algorithm makes it easy to go viral
• Suitable for quick growth
• Generates a “For You” feed page based on viewer behavior
• Because they limit who can go live, when you do get 1,000+ followers, you’re able to stand out with live videos

Cons:

• Extremely limited monetization options
• A 180-second video length limit
• Cannot remove TikTok branding
• Ongoing issues with data privacy
• Not everyone can go live. You need 1,000+ followers.

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 1080 x 1920
• Maximum dimension: 1080 x 1920
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 287.6 MB  on iOS and 72 MB on Android
• Max video length: 3 minutes
• Total file storage: No storage limit
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV

Pricing:

TikTok is free to use, though it supports 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or 3-minute videos. This isn’t long enough for a live stream event, but it can be a way to connect and grow your audience with short sound bites.

Live Streaming Technology

As you compare live streaming solutions, it is important to consider other related technology in terms of compatibility. The reason that this is so important is that all of the moving parts must work together seamlessly.

A few of the other technology requirements include a camera, encoder, mixing software, a switcher, production software, and simulcasting tools. Each of these components is available at a variety of price points for different use cases.

Many of these pieces of technology can be integrated with your live streaming solution as input. Many of the popular live streaming solutions use RTMP ingest, so if you choose a platform with that streaming setup, you’re going to want to choose associated technology that is compatible.

We recommend taking a look at our ultimate guide to live streaming technology to learn more. This guide explains both the backend of live streaming and the different equipment that make it possible.

FAQs

1. What is the best platform for live streaming?

The best live streaming platforms or services that you can use for live videos are:

• Dacast
• StreamYard
• Restream
• Resi
• Brightcove
• StreamShark
• IBM Cloud Video
• Cincopa
• JW Player
• Kaltura

2. What is the most popular video streaming service?

Some of the most popular video streaming services are social media platforms owing to their massive reach and free access to livestreams. The top ones are YouTube Live, Twitch, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and TikTok. LinkedIn also provides live streaming features to a selected number of users.

3. What is the #1 best streaming service?

The top streaming service out there for enterprise users is Dacast. It enables you to easily live stream your videos to viewers all around the globe, including China. Setting up your live streams is easy and you also get features like adaptive bitrate streaming that can help elevate the quality of your viewing experience. 

4. Which server is best for live streaming?

The best sort of servers for live streaming are Nginx web servers. They can run on all major operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Mac. You can easily integrate them with HLS and RTMP for enabling live streaming with ease. This flexibility makes them the top servers to opt for when you want to do live streaming.

5. How do I set up a professional live stream?

Setting up a professional live stream is pretty straightforward. Here are the steps you can follow for the same:

1. Select a professional live streaming service based on your requirements and budget.
2. Purchase and set up equipment for the livestream. 
3. Choose the right settings for your livestream. 
4. Do a trial run to see if the stream is functioning well without any issues. 
5. Share the URL of the livestream with your audience in advance.
6. Start streaming.

Conclusion

There is certainly a wide range of options available when it comes to professional streaming solutions. We hope that this article has helped you to understand the top online streaming solutions that are available today.

We believe that when assessing features and pricing, Dacast is the best live streaming platform for professionals. However, our goal is to provide the most up-to-date information possible to our readers.

If you haven’t decided firmly on which platform is for you, why not try our live streaming solutions for yourself? We offer a 14-day free trial, with no credit card required. Click here to sign up for our free trial and start streaming live today:

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