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Streamlabs vs. StreamElements: Which one to choose

Are you deciding between Streamlabs and StreamElements? Learn about their features, pros, and cons to discover which tool best suits your needs.

If you want professional-grade live streams, high-quality streaming software is a must. Software with limited features or difficult controls will quickly tank your stream performance. But with so many options available to streamers today, we know it’s hard to pick the right streaming tools. 

Many creators use two popular streaming solutions: Streamlabs (formerly known as Streamlabs OBS or SLOBS) and StreamElements. In this comparison guide, we’ll see how these two stack up against each other in terms of features, user interface, performance, and more.

What is Streamlabs?

Streamlabs is a streaming solution for many novice live streamers. But with a simple interface and feature-packed presets, Streamlabs is for more than just entry-level content creators. Streamlabs started in 2014 as TwitchAlerts, a tool for adding visual alerts to your Twitch stream, but now it can do much more. Streamlabs uses source code from OBS Studio, the original broadcasting software, and you can use it to stream on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and a few other major platforms. To use Streamlabs, you have to download the software on your computer, so it uses your CPU’s resources to run your stream. 

Main features of Streamlabs

  • App store to unlock more features: Streamlabs offers apps and themes to send custom notifications, auto-send tweets, play music, and more. You need an Ultra subscription to access most of these features.
  • Twitch chatbot: You can download a cloud-based chat client using Streamlabs that works on both Twitch and YouTube.
  • Integrated loyalty programs and donation options: Streamlabs lets you run loyalty programs for viewers from within the software, plus provides customized donation links.
  • Multistreaming: A Streamlabs Ultra subscription lets you go live on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and any custom RTMP destinations simultaneously.
  • Video preview and editor: You can use the Streamlabs video editor to set up scenes and preview them before going live.
  • Video recording: Use Streamlabs to go live or record videos.
  • Mobile app: The Streamlabs mobile app has the functionality of Streamlabs Desktop, essentially turning it into a stream deck. You can also go live on your phone with the Streamlabs mobile app.

Pros of Streamlabs

  • Free to download
  • Free, pre-built stream overlays
  • Create a merch store
  • Quick setup process
  • Customizable alerts
  • Variety of donation payment options
  • Import your scenes and profile from OBS

Cons of Streamlabs

  • Some features require Ultra subscription plan
  • Advanced multistreaming capabilities are paywalled
  • Heavy CPU usage
  • Some merch store options only available for Ultra customers 

What is StreamElements?

StreamElements is a cloud-based live streaming tool that integrates with top streaming platforms. While StreamElements isn’t quite as popular as Streamlabs, it does have some loyal users. The two streaming tools have many similar features and offer content creators similar services. The distinction is that StreamElements is not a live streaming studio, but a platform that hosts and saves your stream layouts in the cloud. You cannot go live from your StreamElements dashboard, but you can save all your stream assets in the cloud to use in broadcasting software like OBS Studio. 

Main features of StreamElements

  • Alerts and overlays: StreamElements has free overlays and alerts that are compatible with Twitch, Trovo, and YouTube. You can make your own with the overlay editor too.
  • Chatbot: The StreamElements chatbot has spam protection and moderation tools that integrate with the loyalty system.
  • Merch: StreamElements lets users create and sell your branded merch with SteamElements taking a commission on each piece you sell.
  • Donation options: SE.Pay is the StreamElements donation and payments feature that allows viewers to send you donations without StreamElements taking a cut.
  • Loyalty program: Create a merch store, run contests, and host giveaways with the StreamElements loyalty program feature.
  • Mobile app: StreamElements has an Android mobile app that lets you stream to Twitch and YouTube from your phone. 

Pros of StreamElements

  • Free download and features
  • Hosted in the cloud
  • Huge library of free templates and widgets made by other users
  • Powerful chatbot
  • Customized donation link
  • Higher profit margin from merch store than Streamlabs 

Cons of StreamElements

  • No app store
  • Limited payout options compared to Streamlabs
  • Need encoding software to go live
  • No multistreaming
  • Mobile app only available for Android 
Read later: How to choose the best streaming software

What are the similarities?

Streamlabs and StreamElements have some overlap when it comes to designing overlays, alerts, and donation options. 

Templates

Both Streamlabs and StreamElements offer premade templates for overlays and alerts. Using these templates to design your stream or customizing your own is a big reason why content creators use both platforms. However, many Streamlabs overlay templates are paywalled, while StreamElements templates are all free. You’ll also have more creative control over your scene with StreamElements, as you can make additions using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. 

Donations

Making money as a live streamer is straightforward when you use either Streamlabs or StreamElements. Both platforms have similar donation options for streamers. You can use either tool to generate a custom donation link for your channel, which your viewers click on to send you donations. Neither Streamlabs nor StreamElements take a cut from your donations. You do have to pay transaction fees depending on the payment method you choose, though. 

Streamlabs can pay out your donations via PayPal, credit and debit cards, Coinbase, Unitpay, and Skrill (which supports international payment methods including paysafecard and Sofort). StreamElements has more limited payout options, offering only PayPal and credit or debit cards. 

Alerts

Alerts are a huge part of the streaming experience, especially on Twitch. Streamlabs and StreamElements both have vast libraries of alert types and offer customization too. With both tools, you can choose sounds, templates, and GIFs for your alerts and easily set them up for free. There’s no major difference between Streamlabs and StreamElements when it comes to alerts. 

Media share

Streamlabs and StreamElements both give you a media share option, so you can set up URL requests for your live chat. With media share, viewers can play music and videos on your stream. Media share is a cool feature, but you do run the risk of a copyright flag on Twitch, YouTube, or the streaming platform you’re using if someone plays copyrighted content. If you want to enrich your stream with music, there are other ways to legally play music on your live streams.

Chatbot

Moderating a live stream chat is harder than it sounds. When you have hundreds of viewers and you’re trying to watch the chat while managing your stream, messages can fall through the cracks. For this reason, both Streamlabs and StreamElements have powerful chatbot features. Each provides great moderation options to prevent spam and inappropriate language in your chat. You can also incorporate loyalty programs, timers, and commands to make your chat more dynamic and engaging. 

What are the differences?

Streamlabs and StreamElements do have a few key differences that you might find useful when deciding which one you’ll use to go live. 

Function

Streamlabs is encoding software that takes video and audio data from sources connected to your computer and converts it into a format suitable for live streaming. StreamElements is not an encoder, but rather a cloud-based tool for designing live stream assets and adding them as browser sources in your encoder. Streamlabs is standalone software, whereas StreamElements is designed to work with OBS Studio. 

By using StreamElements with OBS, making scenes and controlling the overall look and feel of your stream is much easier. It can be difficult to use layouts and overlays with just OBS, which is why StreamElements is a good user-friendly choice for fans of OBS. Streamlabs and StreamElements both have templates, alerts, and chatbots, but you can live stream from the Streamlabs desktop app. You can only stream using StreamElements on the Android mobile app.

CPU usage

As Streamlabs is downloadable software, it uses more CPU resources. StreamElements is cloud-based, so CPU usage isn’t a problem. If you choose StreamElements, however, you still need encoding software installed on your computer to go live, which will use your computer’s resources. But if you use OBS Studio, it puts less stress on your CPU than Streamlabs does. 

Ease of use

Nailing your streaming setup is tough when you’re a beginner. Both Streamlabs and StreamElements are user-friendly, which is why each tool has so many users. However, many find that Streamlabs is easier to use for beginning streamers who are new to going live. The StreamElements interface can be complex, and you need to be familiar with OBS to go live with it.

Customizability

When it comes to asset customization, StreamElements gives you more leeway. Streamlabs offers custom features, but you have to pay for Streamlabs Ultra to get the same range of options that StreamElements provides. With StreamElements, you can choose from templates and make them your own at no charge. 

App store

Another difference between Streamlabs and StreamElements is the app store. Streamlabs offers apps you can add to improve your streaming experience; however, they require a Streamlabs Ultra subscription. While there is no StreamElements app store, anyone can develop and add a widget to customize their experience. You can also download StreamElements widgets other users have made from online galleries like StreamElements Code Gurus, Nerd or Die, Fiverr, or even GitHub. 

Read later: Streamlabs vs. OBS: Which one to choose?

Get a web-based live streaming studio with Restream

Restream Studio has the customization features that both tools offer without requiring a software download to go live. With our live studio, all you need is a web browser, camera, and microphone to start streaming. Plus, you can multistream to over thirty channels simultaneously. 

Restream Studio has plenty of customization options too; you can upload your own logo, background graphics, and overlays. You can even use Restream’s copyright-free background music for your stream and manage the live chat from each of your platforms in one place.

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Streamlabs vs. StreamElements: Which one to choose?

After covering the features, benefits, and disadvantages of Streamlabs and StreamElements, it’s clear that these streaming tools offer similar experiences. So which should you choose?

Try Streamlabs if:

  • You’re a novice and like to have everything in one place.
  • You don’t need too many customization options.
  • You have a higher-end computer for the heavier CPU usage.

Try StreamElements if:

  • You’re familiar with OBS.
  • You like free, extensive customization options.
  • CPU usage is a concern for you. 

Ultimately, it comes down to your preferences and your knowledge of live streaming. Millions of streamers swear by both apps, so you can’t go wrong with either one.