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Owncast vs Restream: catalog facts
Owncast	Restream
Free Free and open source, with no subscriptions or viewer limits.	Freemium Free sign-up with paid plans for more features.
Web, Self-hosted	Web
Built-in chat with moderation and custom emotes Works with standard streaming protocols and software	Streams to more than 30 destinations at once Studio runs in the browser with no install
Bandwidth and hosting costs fall on you Requires running and securing your own server	Requires an account and an internet connection Streams pass through Restream's servers
Self-hosted	Web application, Hosted service
Open source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.