Restream.io Review – Live Stream on Multiple Platforms with Ease

Are you a live stream broadcaster or aspiring to be one?

Want to increase your audience through the quality and reach of your live stream video content?

If yes, Restream is just what you need!

Regarding leveling up live video streaming and multi-streaming broadcasts; Restream features come in very handy for beginners as well as experts.

In this article, we are going to provide you with those very features of Restream and answer some of the questions which may come to your mind if you plan to gain some profit and reach from live streaming and multi-streaming.

Restream Review – Introduction

Centered in Austin, Texas, United States, Restream is a cloud service that allows individuals to reach out to multiple platforms with the help of live streaming.

Its primary duty is to help users to stream their videos across popular social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, etc., and boost their online visibility. It allows users to customize their streams and engage with their audience in real-time.

The main power of this service, which makes it different from any other platform, is that it allows users to broadcast their video content to more than 30 social platforms. In recent years, Restream has gained more than 8 million broadcasts per month, reaching over 600 million viewers.

Features of Restream 

The best features which make Restream a very promising live streaming platform for users include the following:

Ease of Use

One of the key features which made Restream gain popularity is its simple yet easy usage. Because it is a cloud-based application, Restream doesn’t cause any trouble while installing video editing tools.

This means that all you need is a PC with good internet connectivity.

Getting started with Restream is also very simple. First, you need to navigate your way to the Restream website and create your brand-new free account by signing up with your username, email, and password.

After finishing, you will land on the Restream dashboard. It’s from there that you can quickly link to some of the most popular streaming channels and start streaming live videos.

Another amazing thing about Restream is that it offers an engaging onboarding guide that will briefly explain all its main functionalities, like how to customize titles, add more channels, do third-party integration, and many more. If you want to stream on one of the paid channels, you need to go for the Restream paid plan.

Live Video Streaming

The “Restream Live Studio” area of Restream allows its users to stream on over 30 social platforms simultaneously from their browser without any exclusive system requirements. One just needs a good internet connection and the latest browser to manage and control your video streams.

Here you get access to many robust tools for managing your live video streams, such as sharing your screen, editing the video backgrounds, changing the chat interface, or adding more streaming channels, etc.

Restream also doesn’t need any separate cameras for recording videos.

You can stream directly with the help of your PC camera and microphone. Your live stream content will be published simultaneously on several platforms, and you don’t need to publish them manually. Restream has made it no longer necessary to choose one platform for streaming.

You can easily stream from multiple platforms at once!

Streams on Multiple Platforms

The main fundamental quality that makes Restream different and preferable than other similar services is its ability to let its users broadcast across multiple channels. The basic free plan itself allows access to more than 30+ platforms.

Also, if you need access to additional exclusive options like Akamai, Facebook Live (public pages or groups), Custom RTMP, etc., you need to switch to the paid plans.

Among such options, Custom RTMP will allow you unlimited access to several channels, which you can add to your restream account. Restream only has to keep a check on a few things in your content, including maintaining good control of each stream length, the number of stored videos, as well as the video length.

Each of the plans will come with its own limitations according to the amount paid by an individual.

Streaming pre-recorded videos

An exceptional feature that Restream offers, other than live streaming, is the provision of pre-recorded videos. Pre-recorded videos often lead to well-optimized presentations and are also equally as necessary as live video streaming.

These are mainly useful for those occasions that require immediate audience meet-ups. One can simply schedule a live stream in advance and share the link with the desired audience. This feature is very beneficial for online course creators as it prepares the videos before starting the lessons.

Real-time channel toggling

Real-time channel toggling is a Restream feature that makes streaming channels easier.

It enables on-air or off-air streaming on any of the added channels on your dashboard without the requirement of restarting the encoder or the need to be offline, interrupting the ongoing stream.

This implies that you could quickly cease streaming on YouTube (or any platform you were using) and yet be able to resume the stream on another platform like Facebook.

In other words, this feature gives you the ability to manage all your added channels and platforms and apply other required changes while letting your stream remain undisturbed.

Restream Scheduler

The Restream Scheduler is another interesting feature of Restream, which was launched in November 2017. This special tool enables users to send their live streams or recorded videos for a limited time to the server of Restream server.

To access this, you need to go to the events section by clicking on the calendar icon from the left side of the menu.

While scheduling the live stream, you have to mention the specific time and the destination of the stream. Once you meet the requirements, your live streaming will be saved as a video and uploaded to the selected platform at the selected time and date.

However, it is essential to remember that you cannot stream two different videos at once. Whether it is live or a pre-recorded stream, you can schedule one stream after another consecutively with a gap of one minute in between. With this said, you can create an event that can run for 24 hours!

If you want to provide your audience with a smooth viewing experience, Restream will direct you to consider using HandBrake. HandBrake is a free application or tool that helps with optimizing videos, particularly for live streaming purposes. It constricts the pre-recorded videos without causing any harm to the quality of the videos.

It improves streaming speed and makes your video work smoothly on a variety of streaming channels without interrupting your stream.

Real-time Analytics

The feature of Restream which could help you have a more business-like approach to your live-streaming is Restream Analytics. Details of the feature are available in the ‘Analytics’ section of the Restream dashboard.

With Restream Analytics, users can get a more accurate and deeper understanding of the performance of the live stream with the help of 4 different types of metrics named:

(i) Stream Metrics, (ii) Chat Metrics, (iii) Audience Metrics, and (iv) Followers Metrics.

• The Stream Metrics calculates the number of streams and platforms you have broadcast in a particular time span.
• The Chat Metrics calculates the number of unique chatters who sent the highest number of chats, the total number of received chat messages, and even the most popular phrases used in the chats.
• With the help of Audience Metrics, you will get calculated details of the number of your viewer audience, the number of times your streams were viewed, and the time of your stream when they reached a high.
• Lastly, the Followers Metrics show the total number of followers of your channel, the number of followers you lost or gained, and the growth rate of new followers you received while streaming.

This is a very recent feature which one can rarely find in any other live streaming application.

Since all the analytics related to the stream are collected in a single section, users do not need to navigate every social platform to get the details of their stream. This has been a beneficial tool for digital marketers.

Cross-platform chat

Restream Cross-Platform is a feature that helps users to handle the chats they receive. It is a new free-enabled addition to Restream, which shows and allows you to reply specifically and separately to all incoming chats from all of your platforms.

All the chats from your viewers will be displayed directly right before you on the screen.

This feature also has a relay bot that acts as a negotiator and brings messages from different platforms into the chat. The relay bot in Restream allows audiences from diverse communities to engage with each other. This makes your streams more interactive and builds your community more quickly.

Since it allows audiences from different platforms to communicate, it has become a wonderful way to help different communities across multiple platforms come together and unite. This is the main reason the feature is called a “Cross-Platform” Chat since it allows cross-platform discussions among users.

Also, not to mention, this engagement will definitely be very beneficial for you as well. With audiences interacting in a more engaging way, it will make your platform unique, and this uniqueness will create a great amount of reach across the world.

Great Customer Service

Restream has a very kind and supportive 24/7 customer support service that everyone recommends. You can get in touch with the Restream customer service representatives via live chat, documentation, and other helpful mediums.

In addition to this, Restream also offers a detailed support page where you can find answers to all common questions and step-by-step guides for live streaming workflows. All you have to do is simply type in your query, and you’ll get the most appropriate solution within no time.

Restream Pricing and Plans

Restream pricing is divided into two different categories for individual users and company users.

The Individual Plans include:

Free Plan : The Restream basic free plan is infinitely free for any individual user. This suggests that users don’t have to pay anything at any point in time unless they need to access any premium third-party applications.

Standard Plan : In the Restream Standard Plan, individuals will be either charged a monthly $19 or a collective alternative of a monthly $16 if the user opts for yearly billing.

Professional Plan : In the case of the Restream Professional Plan, individuals have to pay either a monthly $49 or a collective alternative of a monthly $41 if they opt for the yearly billing.

The Plans designed for company users:

Premium Plan : The Restream Premium Plan has a monthly payment of $99 or a collective alternative of $83 per month if you go for yearly billing.

Business Plan : The Restream Business Plan has a monthly payment of $299 or a collective alternative of $249 per month if you go for yearly billing.

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Restream Pros

• The very basic plan of Restream is infinitely free of cost and contains enough features for beginners.
• It has a built-in user-friendly interface which comes in very handy for beginners.
• It is easier to set up Restream than various other similar software.
• It allows both its free plan users and paid plan users to live stream on more than 30+ platforms.
• It also allows both its free plan users and paid plan users to upload and broadcast pre-recorded videos.
• Users can build their own streaming channel on the platform for free.
• The Restream servers are less clogged and problematic in comparison to other software.
• Since all the chats are put together by the Cross-Platform Chat tool, it is easy for the user to observe and engage with the audience.
• A special chatting feature on Restream allows its users to boost their video engagement with chat interactions.
• Restream Analytics provides users with an accurate and deeper understanding of their streaming channels, audience, chats, and followers.
• Considering that Restream is entirely cloud-based, there’s absolutely no need to install it on your PC.
• It helps to notify updates on users’ platforms or channels.
• The user can stream from multiple cameras at once.
• With Restream, users can easily record their live streams for hours and then convert them into vlogging videos or podcasts.
• In the Restream Live Studio, the user has the liberty to invite other broadcasters to participate in their live streams.
• Restream can work well on all popular operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Restream Cons

• The user can access the whole HD-streaming setup only after subscribing to the monthly $49 Professional setup.
• The price of Restream’s paid subscription is higher than other similar platforms.
• You cannot, unfortunately, use restream for 2K and 4K video streaming resolutions.
• There are a lot of limitations in Restream, which include the storage amount for pre-recorded videos along with the capacity of each uploaded video.
• Only paid subscribers can get access to stream Facebook Live (public pages or groups) or YouTube gaming.
• Only users of the Professional Plan or other higher plans are granted permission to stream pre-recorded videos.
• The Premium and Business plans, which are made for only company users, can only have the priority customer support feature.
• The user cannot remove Restream watermarks from the broadcast video until and unless they upgrade to the Restream Professional Subscription Plan.
• In Restream, one cannot stream two different video content separately at once.
• The user’s video streaming quality will largely be influenced by the strength of the internet connection.
• Robust video editing tools are not provided in Restream, and one has to download such tools separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Restream safe to use?

It is definitely safe to use Restream, granted that the user sets up their live stream channels in the correct manner.

Is Restream really free?

As mentioned earlier, the basic plan of Restream for individual users is absolutely free of cost. With the plan, users can stream across more than 30 different live streaming platforms. If you require access to the extra features like recording and streaming with a whole HD setup, you need to select the paid plans for individual users – the Standard Plan and the Professional Plan.

The company’s users have to select between either the Premium Plan or the Business Plan.

Does Restream reduce quality?

Restream has a lot of limitations regarding video quality. This is mainly because Restream is dependent mainly on the strength of the network connectivity a user is working on. Thus, your live streaming could face a lot of problems, and broadcasting quality might be reduced because of a weak internet connection.

What can you do with Restream for Free?

Although there are many advanced features accessible through the Paid Plans, the Basic Free Plan delivers quite a lot. If you’re just a novice who is new to the world of live streaming or already have a small stream, then this free package is more than adequate for your needs.

Basic Restream free version for users offers:

• Flexible steam access to more than 30 platforms.
• The capability of working well with third-party software.
• It allows screen sharing.
• It provides on-screen comments and captions.
• It has a cross-platform chat and a relay bot feature.
• Messages are delivered quickly in 15 seconds.
• It contains unique overlapping layouts and templates.
• It detects how well your stream is performing within a given time.

Final Verdict of Our Review

Restream is definitely a great service for both expert and novice streamers and vloggers.

It provides broadcasters with quite an engaging way to work while they work on live streaming and multi-streaming.

Restream is the only tool that allows you to stream on multiple platforms, be present at 4-5 places at once without breaking a sweat.

With lots of pros, it has some cons too. Overall, it is a platform worth trying if you want to connect with more people and grow your business.