OBS Studio Pricing (2026): Is It Really Free?
OBS Studio is completely free. It is open-source software with no paid plans, no watermark and no time limits on recording or streaming.
You can download it for Windows, macOS and Linux and use it for recording, live streaming and video capture at no cost.
To see how this pricing stacks up, open a head-to-head comparison against the closest competitor or browse the full software directory for more options.
OBS Studio plans and prices at a glance
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| OBS Studio | $0 | Not listed |
You can download it for Windows, macOS and Linux and use it for recording, live streaming and video capture at no cost.
Because OBS Studio is free, the real costs are the time it takes to learn and any hardware you add, such as a capture card, microphone or a faster computer for high-quality streams.
Many creators also add free or paid plugins and overlay services. Those are optional and come from third parties, not from OBS itself.
If you want a browser-based studio with guests and multistreaming handled for you, paid tools like StreamYard or Restream save setup time but charge a monthly fee.
Pricing source: official pricing page, verified 2026-10-06.
Which OBS Studio plan fits your workflow
Choose OBS Studio if you want full control over scenes, sources and encoding and are comfortable configuring software yourself.
Choose a paid browser studio if you regularly host remote guests or want simpler multistreaming without extra setup.
What to check before you pay for OBS Studio
Is your computer powerful enough?
OBS encodes video on your machine. High-resolution streaming needs a capable CPU or GPU.
Do you need remote guests?
OBS has no built-in guest system. Browser studios handle guests more easily.
Will you stream to several platforms?
OBS streams to one destination by default. Multistreaming needs a plugin or a relay service.
Model your expected costs with our pricing calculators, or see how we review software for the full evaluation framework we use across every tool in the directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio free?
Yes. OBS Studio is free and open source, with no paid version, watermark or time limit.
How much does OBS Studio cost?
Nothing. OBS Studio costs $0 on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Are there hidden costs with OBS?
OBS itself is free. Optional costs come from hardware and third-party plugins or overlay services.
Is OBS Studio safe to download?
Download it from the official obsproject.com site to get the genuine open-source release.
Sources
Pricing and product details referenced on this page were verified from public sources. Confirm final details directly with the vendor before purchasing.
pricing · verified Oct 6, 2026
Official pricing pageOBS Studio pricing reference