Facebook Live vs. OBS Studio

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Facebook Live
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Facebook supports livestreaming on its own platform, with Facebook Live. Users can go live on Facebook to broadcast a conversation, performance, Q&A or virtual event.N/A
OBS Studio
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, featuring real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Users can create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards.
$0
Pricing
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Small Businesses
OBS Studio
OBS Studio
Score 8.6 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.4 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.4 out of 10
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(2 ratings)
9.5
(10 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Facebook LiveOBS Studio
Likelihood to Recommend
Meta Platforms Inc
Facebook live works well if you want to broadcast a meeting, webinar, or event to a lot of people, giving them an opportunity to interact in the comments. If you're looking for something more internal or don't want the information to be public, don't use Facebook live. It's great for broadcasts!
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Open Source
From simple streaming to bigger events, OBS has been able to handle all of it with full confidence from us. Have never questioned if it was going to be unreliable in a specific situation, even with minimal training. Software identified the external input source easily and had no issues setting that up (Blackmagic Mini Recorder), and great for pulling in separate audio from the computer input.
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Pros
Meta Platforms Inc
  • Global coverage
  • Real time video
  • Increase captive audience size
  • Increase reach of the event
  • Storage of data and video
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Open Source
  • OBS Studio makes it easy to connect with streaming service providers
  • OBS Studio makes it easy to switch from source to source during your broadcast
  • OBS Studio makes it easy to design and edit what your viewers will see.
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Cons
Meta Platforms Inc
  • Can be glitchy
  • Doesn't integrate well with every software
  • Comments glitch
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Open Source
  • editing-montaging videos
  • easier way to adjust webcam image (templates)
  • i wish mic choice would show up in the window. sometimes the wrong mic is selected and notice too late (after recording)
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Usability
Meta Platforms Inc
No answers on this topic
Open Source
Very usable because it is free and has had a lot of people helping to suggest improvements and sponsors have allowed the product to grow in sophistication and suitability across a variety of situations and use needs. It is very logical to use once you get started, although the dashboard can seem intimidating at first.
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Support Rating
Meta Platforms Inc
No answers on this topic
Open Source
For a free product, a range of support is available. There are plenty of ways to find out answers to questions, because there are probably thousands of people using the product who are willing to share what they have learned. It usually works as designed, so needs for support are limited.
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Alternatives Considered
Meta Platforms Inc
Facebook Live is similar to StreamYard, although it serves a slightly different purpose. We like using both together. StreamYard can allow you to bring multiple people into the Facebook live stream, although offers some new glitches as well. Facebook live is smoother and works better for our advertisement / informational broadcasts.
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Open Source
I have also used TinyTake by Mango Apps and I prefer OBS studio because the video quality results are better and OBS allows you to record an unlimited length of the video. OBS also lets you record an entire screen instead of manually having to draw your parameters, which can create oddly sizes videos if you miss by a few pixels.
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Return on Investment
Meta Platforms Inc
  • Higher coverage
  • Higher cost for setup of equipment
  • Mobile phone gives limited screen coverage
  • Live streaming has 2 second delay
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Open Source
  • Cost is free, so any benefits are immense in terms of investment.
  • Learning curve is steep, so time can be a cost.
  • Flexibility is probably the biggest benefit to the people that use it.
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ScreenShots