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Owncast vs SRS (Simple Realtime Server): catalog facts
Owncast	SRS (Simple Realtime Server)
Free Free and open source, with no subscriptions or viewer limits.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Web, Self-hosted	macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Built-in chat with moderation and custom emotes Works with standard streaming protocols and software	Supports a wide range of streaming protocols and codecs Works directly with OBS and FFmpeg
Bandwidth and hosting costs fall on you Requires running and securing your own server	No Windows build Configuration assumes familiarity with streaming protocols
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

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