One Rec vs StreamYard
StreamYard is the browser-based live streaming platform, polished for multi-guest shows with on-screen comments, polls, and banners. After the Bending Spoons acquisition (2024), Core jumped to $35.99–44.99/month. One Rec is a desktop screen recorder with a live streaming studio (in alpha) that streams up to 1080p60, starts free, and costs a fraction of StreamYard's current pricing.
Short answer
One Rec vs StreamYard: StreamYard is still best-in-class for audience-interactive live shows with on-screen comments, polls, banners, and webinars. One Rec is better if you want a desktop app that combines screen recording and editing with live streaming, at a much lower price.
TL;DR
Quick verdict
- One Rec free includes streaming to 1 destination at 720p30, 2 live hours a month, with no guests. StreamYard free watermarks streams, caps under 1080p, limits to 6 on-screen participants, and allows only 2 hrs/month recording.
- StreamYard Core is $35.99/month annual ($44.99 monthly) after 2024's price hike. One Rec Pro is $19/month with 10 destinations, 1080p60 streaming and 4K export.
- One Rec is a desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) with streaming up to 1080p60 on Pro. StreamYard is browser-only and caps live streams at 1080p regardless of plan.
- StreamYard wins on live show production: on-screen comments, polls, Q&A, banners, tickers, lower-thirds, webinars. One Rec covers most streaming needs but lacks those audience-interactive layers.
Feature comparison
How they compare
Verified feature-by-feature breakdown of One Rec vs StreamYard.
| Feature | One Rec | StreamYard |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & plans | ||
| Free tier | 1 destination at 720p30, 2 live hrs/mo, no guests | StreamYard logo, <1080p, 2 hrs/mo rec, 1 seat, 6 participants |
| Entry paid tier | $9/month (Creator) | $35.99/month annual ($44.99 monthly) (Core) |
| Advanced tier | $19/month (Pro) | $68.99/month annual ($88.99 monthly) |
| Watermark on free | Included | Included |
| Platforms & architecture | ||
| Desktop app | Included | Browser-only |
| macOS / Windows / Linux | Included | Browser on all three |
| Recording | ||
| Screen recording with auto-zoom and cursor effects | Included | Not included |
| Custom backgrounds (screen) | Included | Not included |
| Editing | ||
| Multi-track timeline editor | Region-based: zooms, trims, annotations, masks | Not included |
| AI & captions | ||
| AI captions (local) | Included | Cloud, downloadable on Advanced |
| Live streaming & sharing | ||
| Live streaming (multi-RTMP) | 1 / 3 / 10 / 25 destinations by plan | 3 (Core) / 8 (Advanced) |
| Max live stream resolution | 1080p60 (Pro) | 1080p max (all plans) |
| Local recording while streaming | Included | Per-participant tracks |
| Max local recording resolution | Screen's native resolution, 30 fps | 4K (Advanced plan) |
| Scene management | Included | Included |
| Guest invites via URL | Creator and up | Included |
| On-screen audience comments | Not included | Included |
| Polls and Q&A | Not included | Included |
| Banners, tickers, lower-thirds | Basic overlays | Extensive |
| Webinars with registration | Webinar plan: hosted watch page, 100 viewers | Advanced plan |
One Rec strengths
Where One Rec wins
1080p60 streaming on Pro, 4K export
One Rec Pro streams at up to 1080p60 to 10 destinations and exports recordings in 4K. Recording happens at your screen's native resolution, so a 4K display gives 4K source footage. StreamYard's 4K applies to local recording files on Advanced.
A screen recorder and editor bundled
One Rec is also a screen recorder with auto-zoom, cursor effects, custom backgrounds, frame styles, and a timeline editor. StreamYard's screen sharing is a basic browser capture.
Much lower price post-2024
After Bending Spoons acquired StreamYard in April 2024, prices increased 80–368%. StreamYard Core is now $35.99/month annual. One Rec Pro is $19/month, about half, with 4K export and a screen recorder included.
A desktop app
One Rec runs as a desktop app on macOS, Windows and Linux. StreamYard is browser-based, so it runs inside a browser tab.
Honest take
When StreamYard might be a better fit
Here's where StreamYard might suit you better.
You produce audience-interactive live shows
StreamYard's on-screen comment overlays, polls, Q&A, and multi-guest spotlight layouts are built for live show formats. If your streams depend on showing viewer comments on-screen, that's StreamYard's lane.
You need extensive branded overlays during streams
StreamYard ships logos, overlays, banners, tickers, lower-thirds, and custom intros/outros. For heavily-branded live productions, the graphics layer is more developed than One Rec's.
You host webinars with registration
StreamYard Advanced includes webinar features: registration pages, attendee management, downloadable transcripts, and gated access. One Rec's Webinar plan ($49/month) adds a hosted watch page for up to 100 live viewers with 30-day replays, but its webinar tooling is newer and lighter.
Your guests join from random browsers and devices
StreamYard is browser-native end to end. Guests click a link and are live with no install. One Rec guests also join from a browser link (on Creator and up), and its studio is still in alpha.
Decision helper
Which one should you pick?
Pick the column that sounds most like you.
Pick One Rec if…
- You want a desktop app for both live streams and screen recordings
- You also record screen content and want auto-zoom and cursor polish on recordings
- You want to pay $0–19/month, not $35.99+/month
- You stream to more than 3 destinations at once (10 on Pro, 25 on Team)
- You're on Linux, or your team mixes platforms
Pick StreamYard if…
- Your streams depend on on-screen audience comments, polls, and Q&A
- You produce branded live shows with extensive overlays, tickers, and lower-thirds
- You host webinars with registration pages and attendee management
- Guests joining from any browser with zero install is load-bearing
- You prefer a pure browser workflow over desktop app installs
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
| Plan | One Rec | StreamYard |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 720p export with logo + 1 stream destination | Watermark, <1080p, 2 hrs/mo rec |
| Entry paid tier | $9/month (Creator) | $35.99/month annual (Core) |
| 4K + advanced features | $19/month (Pro, 4K export, 1080p60 live) | $68.99/month annual (Advanced, 4K local rec only) |
| Live stream max resolution | 1080p60 (Pro) | 1080p (all plans) |
| Multi-destination streams | 1 (Free) / 3 (Creator) / 10 (Pro) / 25 (Team) | 3 (Core) / 8 (Advanced) |
Free tier
- One Rec
- 720p export with logo + 1 stream destination
- StreamYard
- Watermark, <1080p, 2 hrs/mo rec
Entry paid tier
- One Rec
- $9/month (Creator)
- StreamYard
- $35.99/month annual (Core)
4K + advanced features
- One Rec
- $19/month (Pro, 4K export, 1080p60 live)
- StreamYard
- $68.99/month annual (Advanced, 4K local rec only)
Live stream max resolution
- One Rec
- 1080p60 (Pro)
- StreamYard
- 1080p (all plans)
Multi-destination streams
- One Rec
- 1 (Free) / 3 (Creator) / 10 (Pro) / 25 (Team)
- StreamYard
- 3 (Core) / 8 (Advanced)
Total cost of ownership
Cost over time
Real numbers for common scenarios, One Rec vs StreamYard.
| Scenario | One Rec | StreamYard | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo creator, 1 year (comparable features) | $228 (Pro) | $431.88 (Core annual) | ~$204/year |
| Advanced features, 1 year | $228 (Pro) | $827.88 (Advanced annual) | ~$600/year |
Solo creator, 1 year (comparable features)
- One Rec
- $228 (Pro)
- StreamYard
- $431.88 (Core annual)
- Savings
- ~$204/year
Advanced features, 1 year
- One Rec
- $228 (Pro)
- StreamYard
- $827.88 (Advanced annual)
- Savings
- ~$600/year
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
For most solo and small-team streaming, yes. Scenes, guest invites (Creator and up), multi-destination RTMP and screen sharing all work, though the studio is still in alpha. StreamYard still wins on on-screen audience comments, polls/Q&A overlays, branded banners/tickers, and webinars with registration.
Yes. One Rec has presets for YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, and LinkedIn or X work through a custom RTMP server. Destinations are capped by plan: 1 on Free, 3 on Creator, 10 on Pro, 25 on Team. StreamYard caps this at 3 destinations (Core) or 8 (Advanced).
Both top out at 1080p for live streams. One Rec streams at 720p30 on Free, up to 1080p30 or 720p60 on Creator, and 1080p60 on Pro. StreamYard's 4K label on Advanced refers to local recording files.
No, that's outdated. After Bending Spoons acquired StreamYard in April 2024, prices increased substantially. The current entry paid tier (Core) is $35.99/month billed annually or $44.99/month billed monthly. Advanced is $68.99/$88.99, Business is $249/$299.
Partly. One Rec's Webinar plan ($49/month) adds a hosted watch page for up to 100 live viewers, 500 viewer-hours and 20 stream hours a month, plus 30-day replays. It doesn't have StreamYard's Q&A overlays. If your workflow is formal webinars, StreamYard Advanced or Riverside Webinar are more mature fits.
See for yourself.
No account needed to record, edit or export, and no time limit on recordings. Try it on your next video.
Facts verified against StreamYard (official website) on April 22, 2026. Spot something outdated? Let us know.