Restream vs Streamlabs: cloud relay or streaming software
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Restream Reviews · Updated October 5, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Restream and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. Restream is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Streamlabs is streaming software you install, popular with gamers for its alerts, themes, and widgets; multistreaming comes with its Ultra subscription. Restream is a cloud service: any encoder, Streamlabs included, sends it one feed and it relays it to each platform, or you produce the show in its browser studio with guests.
Pick Streamlabs if you already stream from Streamlabs Desktop and want one subscription for apps, themes, and multistreaming. Pick Restream if you want multistreaming that doesn't depend on your streaming app, combined chat from every platform, or a browser studio for guests.
Restream vs Streamlabs at a glance
| Compared on | Restream | Streamlabs |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cloud multistreaming plus a browser studio | Desktop streaming software plus web tools |
| Free multistreaming | 2 channels | Dual Output only: one vertical, one landscape |
| Paid entry for multistreaming | $19/mo: 3 channels | Ultra, from $15.75/mo |
| Destination limit | 3, 5, or 8 by plan | Not published |
| Works with other encoders | Yes, any RTMP source | It is the encoder |
| Browser studio with guests | Yes, up to 10 on screen | Talk Studio, a separate product: Pro is $17/mo with unlimited destinations and 11 guests |
| Owner | Restream, Inc. (Austin, TX) | Logitech |
| Trustpilot overall | 4.6 (504 reviews) | 4.3 (1,558 reviews) |
| Trustpilot invited / unprompted (latest 50) | 5.0 (45) / 3.0 (5) | 4.88 (42) / 2.0 (8) |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-05. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
Prices from restream.io/pricing and streamlabs.com/ultra, checked October 5, 2026. Streamlabs doesn't publish a monthly-billing price or destination count for Ultra on that page. Talk Studio prices from streamlabs.com/talk-studio/plans. Trustpilot splits use each company's 50 most recent reviews, pulled the same day.
Two different jobs
Streamlabs Desktop builds the stream on your computer: scenes, alerts, overlays. Restream takes a finished stream and sends it to every platform from its servers, so your upload carries one feed no matter how many destinations you add. Plenty of creators use both. The real question is whether you want multistreaming tied to Streamlabs' subscription or kept separate.
Reliability is the common Streamlabs complaint
Streamlabs's recent unprompted Trustpilot reviews describe freezes, disconnects while multistreaming, and refunds refused:
“The most I have been able to get out on stream time with their multi-stream feature is 20-45 minutes.”Keven Taylor, Trustpilot, August 2026
Restream has its own reports of dropped streams and support that blames the user's setup, plus a pattern of billing complaints. Read how to cancel Restream before you commit to an annual plan.
Where Streamlabs wins
- Streaming software, alerts, themes, and widgets in one product
- Ultra starts at $15.75 a month and covers more than multistreaming
- More Trustpilot reviews overall: 1,558
- Talk Studio Pro: a browser studio that multistreams to unlimited destinations for $17 a month ($12 yearly)
- Dual Output on the free plan for one vertical and one landscape platform
Restream vs Streamlabs FAQ
Can I multistream for free with Streamlabs?+
Not to several platforms. Streamlabs' free plan offers Dual Output: one vertical and one landscape platform at once. Multistreaming to more destinations needs Streamlabs Ultra. Restream's Free plan streams to 2 channels of any kind.
Is Restream or Streamlabs cheaper?+
Usually Streamlabs. Its browser studio, Talk Studio, multistreams to unlimited destinations on the Pro plan for $17 a month, and Ultra (desktop multistreaming plus apps and themes) starts at $15.75. Restream starts at $19 a month for 3 channels and has a free plan for 2.
Can I use Restream with Streamlabs Desktop?+
Yes. Restream accepts a stream from any RTMP encoder, Streamlabs Desktop included. Many streamers produce in Streamlabs or OBS and let Restream handle the multistreaming and combined chat.
How do their reviews compare?+
On Trustpilot, Restream rates 4.6 from 504 reviews and Streamlabs 4.3 from 1,558. In each company's 50 most recent (pulled October 5, 2026), Restream's 45 invited average 5.0 and Streamlabs' 42 average 4.88; unprompted, Restream's 5 average 3.0 and Streamlabs' 8 average 2.0. Both unprompted samples are small.