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Recommended
Aleksandar P.
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I mostly like that it is FREE. And is easy to use, don't have any of "pay to have" moments. Doesn't ruin performance of device you are using, while recording. It is easy to setup, really customizable. And very streamer friendly! All good about this app!
Probably that new users can have problem with understanding Scenes and all that about making right scene to record or use. But thats is learnable!
Verified reviewer
Media Production, 10,001+ employees
Used monthly for 2+ years
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I typically deploy systems with OBS as secondary systems (not absolutly vital) so that if they are not 100% flawless, it's not the end of the world. But once you have both a hardware and OS setup that works, and you know how to run it, it's pretty solid.
First and foremost, it Free! In my company setting we also use Telestream's Wirecast, which is a bit more user-friendly and has a bit more support, but also costs several hundred for each license and requires annual costs for version upgrades and support. I can install OBS on any system I want without having to worry about licensing issues.
There a relatively limited number of certified compatible capture devices that work with OBS. That said, other capture devices DO work, but it's more of a 'Try and Find Out' thing, or search the web forums and hope.
sergio b.
Marketing and Advertising, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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Muy buena herramienta aunque es necesario tener buen internet para que no salga cortada la transmisión
La manera fácil de usarla pero también de vincular la transmisión hacia otros canales como Youtube o Twich
No había mucha información dentro de la app sobre cómo hacer la configuración en una primera instancia para obtener los videos como uno lo necesita, pero viendo tutoriales se soluciona
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Diego M.
Accounting, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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It is very intuitive and you will rarely need help to do something very specific, and it has many good features to be Free!
Setting everything up can be tricky if you don't have any notion of it
Alex E.
Hospital & Health Care, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Overall, OBS is a fantastic product that I recommend to anyone wishing to stream on PC. They have plenty of features and options to choose from. The broadcasting is great, and I will continue to use and recommend this product.
I love that OBS allows me to stream on twitch.tv. However I also love that OBS allows me to twitch on other platforms if I decide to leave twitch as well. I enjoy using the many features of OBS including the "Live" function as well as the "Record" function. This means while livestreaming I can also record for use of the footage later. The computer options for OBS are plentiful too. You can set your overall settings to either use more CPU or less, depending on the quality that you want to stream. Overall, for being a free software, I would highly recommend OBS for anyone trying to get into PC streaming.
OBS has its occasional crashes. These crashes don't often produce an error report and especially during the middle of a stream/recording can be a hassle. Another downfall to OBS is that sometimes it is the cause behind server to broadcaster communication meaning that your stream will go down simply because OBS is communicating with the platform correctly.
Avery M.
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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During the pandemic, I decided to start live streaming. OBS was the first program that was suggested for me to use. I think it helped me become more creative with my streaming capabilities, and it allowed me to stream with confidence. Definitely an A1 software.
The simplistic overlay was something that impressed me the first time I used OBS. The layout was easy enough to understand. I did watch a tutorial to figure out what everything does, but in the end it was very easy to grasp. For first time streamers, this will probably be your Go-To program besides Streamlabs, and I recommend this before ANYTHING. OBS makes streaming possibilities a reality, and with it's inclusion to upload templates from Stream Elements, it's simple to drag and create the best outlay for your streaming needs!
There were plenty of times where my video output would not work, or my audio microphone decides to not come through. It became frustrating at times, and I would have to restart the program to hope that it works again. Most times it did indeed fix itself, but there were times where it would not work for me.
Ismaël Huberson C.
Apparel & Fashion, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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OBS Studio is a great streaming and screen capture software.
OBS Studio is an excellent tool for people who want to stream live video. It's free and open source. I use this to stream video games and tutorials to my followers.
OBS Studio is complete for a free streaming software.
Jeff V.
Construction, 51-200 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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It's ease of use. We have a production team that, may I say, are not the most technically advanced but are able to follow simple directions. OBS Studio allows us to easily record our Sunday services directly from the Google Meet streaming service presented on the OBS Studio laptop. Once Google took away the ability to record (this was removed for non-profit accounts), we switched over to OBS Studio, and have been happy ever since.
No Cons about the software. The only Con is that we have to use another piece of software to record our Service instead of a direct download from Google Meet. OBS has come through for the last 16 months.
Bruno A.
Industrial Automation, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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We currently continue with the streaming service, as it is easier to reach our customers and they tell us that they are satisfied with the service we provide. The benefits that this software offers us are ease of connection, transmission in good quality, closer to our clients.
This software is fascinating, it allows you to record and mix sounds in real time and above all with good video and audio quality. In the company we use it to transmit the courses that we offer through our web pages and this software is very good and has everything necessary to provide a quality transmission. The software is simple to use, it can be programmed in scenes to facilitate its use and handling. The integration has been easy in our business processes, as it has allowed us to reach many people with the streaming service.
This software is excellent, in my time of use it has not given me problems and it has worked correctly, personally its characteristics are very good. Aspects of the software are easy to use, there are plenty of tutorials on how to use it so it's not a problem. The integration to the company has been easy and very accepted by our clients.
David W.
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Overall, OBS is a great option ESPECIALLY for a non-profit with budget limitations.
OBS functions on a much higher level than one would expect from a free software. The ease of using scenes combined with the ability to layer elements in each scene makes OBS one of the most recommended softwares for video streaming among free and paid options. OBS gets the job done.
OBS has some infrequent issues with losing setup details and losing audio / video sync that seem to be related to allowing the software to "idle" for too long. We have resolved almost all of those issues by not bringing the software up until we are within 10 minutes of streaming.
peter a.
Information Technology and Services, 501-1,000 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I have grown to love it use compared to Vmix as it is simple to use
The setup is easy and straight forward. Recording and streaming at the same time is seamless as you do not experience breaks.
The recorded file sizes are a little big. Hope it be compressed an still have quality maintained.
Angelica O.
Computer Networking, 10,001+ employees
Used daily for 6-12 months
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I continue to use this software, not only for lessons, but also as a video editor and to record other content of interest to me. Very positive experience
I have used this software throughout the lockdown period during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, it was a very helpful tool for telematic lessons as all my university professors were forced to take lessons online and unfortunately they were different and less interactive than face-to-face ones. Thanks to OBS I was able to record audio and video of the lessons and important pieces of them, to be able to listen to them at any time.It is also very useful for those who want to undertake online streaming.
Initially I had difficulty understanding and fully understanding the features and how to use it, as it is a "professional" software, and it would be nice if it could be more accessible to everyone.Very often the audio connection was problematic as the software was unable to "recognize" the presence of headphones or other external devices and it was necessary to configure each time
Verified reviewer
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, 51-200 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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Overall, our experience of OBS has been fantastic, and I’d highly recommend this piece of software for any users that need something to make tutorials or just record what they are doing for future purposes
Oh so I was just a quickly screen record it allows you to highlight the cursor which lets us highlight why uses which part of the screen we are working on and we use it for all of our tutorial making now it is an excellent
It can be quite tricky to set up if you are a new user, but once you’ve set it up a few times you will quickly get the hang of it
Blake E.
Computer Software, 201-500 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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I was using it for streaming, and let me have a great experience. I will not switch to any other program for a long time.
Open Broadcast Software has allowed me to stream from my computer to people on twitch. It is a lightweight application that allows the user to record, stream, store and so much more. It is very easy to use and if you are looking to stream, would highly recommend it! You can stream in great quality, depending on your internet. Set up multiple scenes for easy transitioning and change the window you are capturing by 2 clicks. Streamlabs has built a more streamlined version of this as well, which makes streaming even easier.
It can be tricky figuring out how to use some of the features but a simple google search is more than enough.
Erwin Geovanny M.
Legal Services, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Un poco complicada, pero en terminos generales es el mas compatible con las plataformas de streaming
Permite capturar la pantalla de forma personalizada, evitando secciones q no desea,os mostrar
La configuracion requiere de muchos pasos, que una persona que se inicia en streaming no podria hacerlo con facilidad
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Hans M.
Higher Education, 501-1,000 employees
Used monthly for less than 6 months
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Overall, we had a really positive experience with OBS after some initial misgivings. We plan to use it every semester now for our capstone classes. This is a good exercise for our broadcast majors who are used to working in a live studio. I think it also taught them to me a bit more mobile and flexible when working with online video.
I looked for a livestream solution for a long time and talked with a lot of paid programs, such as Livestream and XSplit. When I learned there was a version of OBS for Mac, I took the plunge and tried it. I can't believe how easy it was. We used it to livestream a web show for our capstone project magazine Valley REality. The students were quickly able to figure out how to incorporate text overlays and multiple cameras in the stream.
There were some issues with connecting the livestream to Facebook and I wish there was an easier way to test the stream before we published it. We had to look up some things online to determine how to preview the stream. We had an issue connecting some cameras, but that wasn't an issue with OBS. That had to do mostly with the cameras. We also had some of live video get really choppy on the livestream and we weren't able to find a solution just by googling it. It would have been nice to have some live support to help with this, but I understand as open source software, you have to rely on the community.
Kian L.
Entertainment, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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OBS is my bread and butter; anytime I need to record videos I use OBS. Anytime I go live on Youtube, I use OBS. It can be barebones or it can be extremely advanced. it has a LOT going for it.
OBS Studio has everything you need to record or livestream: browsing overlays, plugins, pc-specific setting optimization, advanced tools for tracking stream analytics, you name it and it's there.
This software falls 2nd to Streamlabs OBS in simplicity; SLOBS is a little more performance-friendly and also has much more in terms of customization overlays from top tier designers and artists.
Roberta T.
Entertainment, self-employed
Used daily for 6-12 months
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While some of the functionality I would like in the program is not built in. I have found workarounds like running 2 instances of OBS so my media and cam/audio input are recorded separately. It gives me much more control over volume regulation.
Recorded content from Display Recording is very clean and higher quality than I got from a paid product.
I wish there were more features built in. I would happily pay for this program if it had the ability to record sources separately without a plug in. I would also like for it to remember my settings.
Ridwan A.
Broadcast Media, 51-200 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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I am a fan of OBS which you already know if you have read the review. It is a screen recorder and it is the best. Don't freak out with its control, give it some love and time it will return the favor ten fold
What not to love. Its lightweight, feature rich and can record long videos. OBS gives you flexibility not available in most screen recorder. Once I start using it I never looked back once. Other screen recorder require you to tell it what to do each time. OBS doesn't have that problem. Once I setup my profiles it is just selecting profiles. And it can handle anything. No need for configuring every time you launch.
OBS has a little difficult learning curve but I will suggest you to watch an YouTube tutorial if necessary cause once you get the hang of it you will save hours throughout your use of OBS. Another thing I miss time to time is a video cutter. I believe it will be a nice addition.
MICHAEL H.
Entertainment, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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I started using OBS in 2015. Live streaming required a broadcasting software solution, and I chose OBS because it was FREE. I have friends who use a competitor to OBS. OBS has the ability to totally customize your stream settings. You can mute and unmute your microphone(incase of a sneeze), you can turn on and off your webcam feed. When you are customizing your stream's layout and look, OBS makes it easier with a live preview window. OBS is the best FREE option on the market for internet based broadcasting.
The thing I like the most about OBS besides the fact that it operates as intended, is that it is absolutely FREE.
OBS's user interface is not as friendly to use for the beginner, but with the wealth spring of knowledge on the Internet, driven by the fact the it is FREE, you can learn how to achieve your desired action or effect.
Alessandro D.
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 10,001+ employees
Used monthly for 2+ years
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It's a very customizable, free and highly compatible sw which you can use for many different things. Since it's open source, if you have some problems, you can find tons of forums and videos because the community is ample. It's not perfect but definitely worth the price (again, it's free!): recommended. Go check it out.
OBS is free, open source and is compatible with Linux, Windows and and MacOS. It's fairly simple to use and it's highly customizable (choose quality, format, framerate, sample rate, number of audio channels, decay rate, set hotkeys and much more). You can preset many different scenes and screens, so it's easy to switch between different windows during the recording/streaming. It's easy to manipulate...
Sometimes there could be strange bugs, difficult to solve... like there's an issue that may affect PCs with 2 different GPU. You'd have to tweak between the setting of your PC in order to let OBS know which one is active. Otherwise you might get a black screen suddenly while recording.
Gabriele A.
Professional Training & Coaching, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I know there are a lot of other competitors as good as OBS Studio, but you have to pay for all of them or they are shareware. OBS Studio is 100% free and so are the plug-ins!
Functionality, possibility of expansion and integration with the system. And what about the forum? There you can find an infinity of expansions and plug-ins to boost OBS Studio in every way you can only imagine!
The CMD/CTRL-Z feature is missing! I can't believe it has never been implemented in it and I always need to re-do some things from zero cause of it.
Gian Angelo D.
Marketing and Advertising, self-employed
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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I really loved OBS especially because it's pretty much free and includes almost all the services you need. If you're casting online for a course or a conference or even for your gaming, OBS is one gigantic software that deserve a top spot for those who need screen capture software.
Making a course? Doing a podcast? Making a video resume? Streaming your game? OBS can do it all and with a little setup, you can make it look great. There are unlimited ways for you to mix and match what you want to appear in your stream and at the same time, it can also be used as a regular video screen capture software. It's a small but effective way to record or cast your computer screen (or with some tinkering, your console!) online or on-video. I've been using it for a long time for my personal projects and OBS has never let me down yet.
To make the most out of this software, you really have to study the features it provides. There's a steep learning curve for those who are not tech savvy however, once you learn everything there is to learn, it gets easy and efficient.
Praison T.
Information Technology and Services, 10,001+ employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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This is one of the best and most free platforms for streaming, recording, and screen-capturing. Streaming on OBS is very helpful in Managing Broadcasts, adding new Broadcast settings, and easy to stream live in Multiple Platforms like Facebook, Youtube, etc.,
Need more inBuild Plugins for transitions, effects, and Presets for Lower thirds.
Lorenzo S.
Civic & Social Organization, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Lo utilizo para hacer videotutoriales sobre el manejo de software, es sencillo de utilizar y no hay conflictos entre programas.
Captura la pantalla sin requerir muchos recursos de nuestra computadora, además de trabajar con múltiples fuentes de video o audio.
En ocasiones suele haber problemas con la captura de audio, no hay buena eliminación de ruido si trabajas en espacios con ruido ambiental.
Showing original review in Spanish. See translation