Streaming on Twitch requires several prerequisites, one of which is good streaming software. Very few options when it comes to available Twitch streaming software are really worth using. The most prominent names among them are OBS, Streamlabs and XSplit.
To someone new to Twitch streaming, these names may sound foreign. Each of these names is recognizable in the Twitch community and will be your best bet when it comes to streaming on the platform.
There are others available but usually these three will be the best known choices. This article will quickly acquaint you with what we consider to be the best Twitch streaming software for Windows and Mac.
Best Twitch Streaming Software for Windows and Mac
For a software to be considered the best for streaming on Twitch, it would require that it be easy to use, have all the essential features one looks for when streaming, and allow you to get the best quality from his streams. All the software we listed in the opening paragraph have these attributes.
But which of these is the best for Windows? Which one for MacOS? We’ll dive into answering both of these questions while providing installation instructions and a list of reasons why you should choose them over all others.
Best Twitch Streaming Software for Windows
There is no definite answer when it comes to PC streaming on Twitch. Streamlabs, OBS, and Xsplit are all pretty good to use on most platforms. Where they differ is what makes the most sense why you would choose one over the other.
Streamlabs is specifically designed for use with Twitch (although it can be used for most platforms) as it has a multitude of different ways to incorporate deeper interactions with your audience. Streamlabs is also developed by the same studio that brought us OBS.
So if we look at it from a different angle, your choice really ends up being an OBS vs Twitch-tuned Xsplit. When it comes to ease of use, Xsplit really prevails. However, for everything else, we had to give the win to Streamlabs.
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Streamlabs comes with a wide range of built-in features to help create the perfect interactive streaming environment. You’ll get built-in alerts along with built-in chat to increase audience engagement. There’s an auto-tweet feature that lets your followers know when you’re live, and unique topics to spice up your stream.
Streamlabs is free and open source software, which means you and many other creators can design your own Streamlabs apps and modifications and place them in the Streamlabs App Store. For stream interactivity and personalization, Streamlabs is undoubtedly the best choice for streaming on Twitch.
How to install?
To download and install Streamlabs OBS:
- Navigate to the official website and click the big, green download button on the main page.
- Once downloaded, launch Streamlabs setup and click Right on the User Account Control window to get started.
- Follow the on-screen installation instructions to complete the process.
Set up for the first time
- You will first be asked to sign in with your streaming account.
- Requires logging into your Twitch account and allowing Streamlabs access to your account.
- After logging in, if you have used OBS before, you will be asked to enter your profile. This is a convenient feature that allows all scenes set up in OBS to be imported into Streamlabs exactly as they were originally.
- For those who don’t have a previous OBS profile, click Fresh start button.
- Next, set up your Mic and Webcam (if you have one).
- Add a theme.
- Next, Streamlabs will try to optimize your stream settings to the best of their ability.
- After optimization, you will be asked to enable multithreading. This is only important if you plan to stream from multiple platforms. We will ignore this for now.
- Finally, you will be introduced to the Streamlabs OBS editor which looks almost identical to the standard OBS editor.
- Add source by clicking + icon above the source list.
- The settings menu is relatively easy to understand so making any changes to the optimized settings provided by Streamlabs should be simple and hassle-free.
- Play around with some features, like Layout Editor and dashboardto make your Stream different from others before clicking Not up yet button.
Best Twitch Streaming Software for MacOS
MacOS is like a stepchild of the gaming world. It is often left in the cold, unloved and abandoned. Even Linux has been noticed by more gamers In recent years. The same is true of Twitch streaming software options. The choice is extremely limited but luckily there is still OBS.
You used to have to install Bootstrap to use OBS on a Mac. No more. OBS now offers a direct download and install executable for MacOS users. Unfortunately, its Streamlabs version is currently not available for MacOS. It currently supports iOS though, so there’s still hope for the future.
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All the same features as Streamlabs except widgets, themes and interactive chat. You’ll still have access to high-performance real-time video/audio capture, an intuitive audio mixer, and an easy-to-use layout.
How to install?
- Go Official website and click macOS 10.12+ button (or whatever version is current at the time).
- In the same way, once .pkg . file downloaded, launch the OBS setup, and continue through the on-screen setup wizard.
- You may need to provide an administrative password to complete the installation.
Set up for the first time
- When you first launch the OBS Studio software, you will be asked if you want to run the automatic configuration wizard. This will try to optimize your OBS for best performance. We suggest you choose Right.
- You will then be asked if you want to optimize more for streaming or recording. Since this article is about streaming, that’s the option we chose.
- Select your desired video settings in the next window.
- Next, choose the service that you will be streaming to. Some services may request a Stream Key, which you can obtain by selecting Get Stream Key.
- You will then be directed to log into your account. This will take you to where your stream key is located.
- Copy the Stream Key and paste it into the area provided by OBS.
You’ll now be able to stream to Twitch whenever OBS launches.
- You can create Scene by clicking + and select the program windows.
- When you’re ready to go live, tap Start streaming button.
Now you’re ready to stream on Twitch using the best software available. If you have any thoughts or questions regarding the article, feel free to comment below.
