Best for
Best for Mac users who stream, podcast or present live with remote guests.
Live Streaming Comparison
Ecamm Live vs. Lightstream
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for console gamers who want overlays, alerts and guests on an Xbox or PlayStation stream straight from the browser.
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Ecamm Live | Lightstream |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $16 / month Standard, billed annually as $192. Pro is $32 per month, billed annually as $384. | lower value Free; Premium $12 / month Premium is $12 billed monthly, or $9 per month on an annual subscription. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of all Standard and Pro features, no credit card required | Free tier |
| Output | Live streams and local recordings | Live streams in 720p, or 1080p on Premium |
| Hosting | Installed locally on macOS 11.2 or newer | Runs in the browser, mixed in the cloud |
| Scenes and sources | Pre-composed scenes with on-screen titles and split screens, from cameras including DSLR and mirrorless models over USB, HDMI capture up to 4K, screen sharing with picture-in-picture, iOS device sharing and NDI sources, which appear in the camera switcher automatically | Browser studio with webcams, screen share, images, video files, text, banners and cloud capture of Xbox and PlayStation games. Up to 3 scenes live on the free tier and 20 on Premium |
| Multistreaming to several platforms | Yes, to up to 10 destinations at the same time on Standard and Pro | Yes, up to 5 destinations at once including custom RTMP, on both tiers |
| Overlays and alerts | Custom overlays and branding, countdowns, scrolling tickers and camera overlays, plus styled viewer comments from social platforms placed into the broadcast | Stream templates and overlays inside the studio, Twitch alerts, and Xsolla Partner Network alerts and overlays; Premium imports alert and overlay URLs from any third-party service |
| Remote guests | Up to ten video guests who join from any web browser, shown as a split screen or a custom layout. Ecamm Interview is a Pro feature | Up to 10 guests on Premium, joining from an invite link, with a volume control for each guest's microphone |
| Platform integrations | Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, Amazon Live, Twitch and LinkedIn, plus most RTMP-compatible servers. Ecamm for Zoom on Pro | Twitch, Facebook and YouTube on the free tier; Premium adds Amazon, DLive, Douyu, Huya, Instagram, LinkedIn, Trovo, X, Vimeo, Wowza and custom RTMP |
| Audio mixing | Automatic stereo audio mix with echo cancellation, system audio from screen sharing and sound effects | Microphone and guest audio with per-guest volume; music and desktop audio come in through browser screen share with audio |
| Local recording | Yes, every broadcast is saved to the Mac automatically, and Pro records isolated audio and video tracks | No, Lightstream does not record broadcasts; the vendor points to the past-broadcast downloads on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook |
| Desktop or browser | Desktop, Mac only, macOS 11.2 or newer | Browser, with the broadcast rendered in the cloud; a mobile remote for iPhone and Android starts and stops the stream and changes scenes |
| API and control | Ecamm's own Stream Deck plugin adds custom actions such as Go Live, Pause, Run Scene, Play Sound, Camera Switcher and Mute, with dial actions on Stream Deck+ and wireless control through the Stream Deck Mobile app. Third-party apps such as ELMC and Beat Sheet can control Ecamm Live once allowed in its Remote Control preferences | Not stated |
| Deployment | On-premise | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Community forum | more entries Email helpdesk, Chat, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Integrations | Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, Amazon Live, Twitch, LinkedIn, Zoom, Elgato Stream Deck, NDI | more entries Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Trovo, Vimeo, Wowza, Xbox, PlayStation, Xsolla Partner Network |
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Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price Ecamm Live From $16 / month Lightstream Free; Premium $12 / month
- Free trial Ecamm Live 14-day free trial of all Standard and Pro features, no credit card required Lightstream Free tier
- Deployment Ecamm Live On-premise Lightstream Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based
- Hosting Ecamm Live Installed locally on macOS 11.2 or newer Lightstream Runs in the browser, mixed in the cloud
- Support Ecamm Live Community forum Lightstream Email helpdesk, Chat, Community forum
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Ecamm Live
Strengths
- Browser-based guests, up to ten on screen at once
- Multistreaming to up to 10 destinations on the Standard plan
- Every broadcast is recorded locally without extra setup
- A 14-day trial with no credit card
Limitations
- Mac only, with no Windows version
- Subscription only, with no free plan
- 4K streaming and isolated recordings require Pro
Lightstream
Strengths
- Streams Xbox and PlayStation games without a capture card
- Simulcasting to 5 destinations on the free tier
- Nothing to install, the studio runs in the browser
Limitations
- Broadcasts are not recorded by Lightstream itself
- The free tier is limited to 720p, 10 hours per stream and a Lightstream Studio logo
- Guests are a Premium feature
- Phone cameras cannot be added as a source without an experimental workaround
Plans
Pricing
Ecamm Live
- Standard $16 Per month, billed annually as $192. Multistreaming to 10 destinations, custom overlays and branding, automatic recording, in-app comment stream.
- Pro $32 Per month, billed annually as $384. Adds Ecamm for Zoom, Ecamm Interview, virtual mic and webcam, 4K streaming, isolated audio and video recording and VIP tech support.
Lightstream
- Free $0 720p, 10 hours per stream, up to 3 scenes, simulcasting to 5 destinations, Lightstream Studio logo on all streams.
- Premium $12 Per month, or $9 per month on an annual subscription. 1080p, 48 hours per stream, up to 20 scenes, 10 guests, logo can be removed.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Ecamm Live
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
Lightstream
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Reviews are not published yet. The form on a tool's page works and reaches us, but nothing from it appears on this site, so no score here is based on a review. The rules below are the ones that will apply once reviews go live.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. We require a working email address and use it to come back to the author, so a review has a reachable sender rather than being anonymous. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on what they tell us, plus the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot have a review removed, cannot buy one, and cannot have one changed. Paid placement and a paid listing have no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Ecamm Live https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/ · checked against the official source on 2026-10-06
Lightstream https://golightstream.com · checked against the official source on 2026-10-13
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.