Best Restream Alternative 2026

Unlimited Channels vs Restream's 2-8 Limit

Restream limits you to 2-8 simultaneous channels for $16-239/month. Shoutcast Net offers unlimited channels for $49/month—no channel caps, no watermarks, no hidden fees.

Why Streamers Are Switching

  • Unlimited Channels - Run 2, 5, 10+ streams simultaneously
  • 70% Lower Cost - $49/month vs $239/month for 8 channels
  • No Watermarks - Clean streams on all plans
  • Unlimited Platforms - YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok, custom RTMP
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Restream alternative showing unlimited multistreaming channels vs Restream's 2-8 channel limit with better pricing

Feature Comparison: Restream vs Shoutcast Net

Same capabilities, unlimited channels, 70% lower cost

Restream 2026 Pricing

Channel Limits Apply:
  • Free Plan: Watermark, 0 destinations $0/mo
    With watermark, no multistreaming
  • Standard: 2 destinations $16/mo
    Limited to 2 simultaneous destinations
  • Professional: 5 destinations $41/mo
    Limited to 5 simultaneous destinations
  • Premium: 8 destinations $83/mo
    8 simultaneous destinations
  • Business: 10 destinations $249/mo
    Maximum 10 simultaneous destinations
Need 10+ channels? Not possible with Restream

Shoutcast Net Unlimited

$49/month

Unlimited simultaneous channels

Everything Included:
  • UNLIMITED Channels (not 2, 5, or 8)
  • Unlimited Platforms (YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok, custom RTMP)
  • No Watermarks (clean streams always)
  • Unlimited Streaming Hours (24/7/365)
  • 4K Support (up to 4K60fps)
  • Low Latency (<2 second added delay)
  • Real-Time Analytics (all channels)
  • Custom RTMP Servers (full control)
  • 24/7 Support (live chat, email)
  • Free Migration Help (1-on-1 assistance)
Save $190/month vs Restream Enterprise (8 channels)
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Feature Shoutcast Net Restream 2026
Simultaneous Channels UNLIMITED 2-8 channels max
Depends on plan
Price for 2 Channels $49/month $16/month
Price for 5 Channels $49/month $41-82/month
Price for 8 Channels $49/month $239/month
Price for 10+ Channels $49/month
Still unlimited		 Not Available
Streaming Platforms Unlimited 30+ platforms
Watermarks / Branding None on Any Plan Free plan has watermark
Streaming Hours Unlimited Unlimited on paid plans
Latency <2 seconds 2-5 seconds
Video Quality Up to 4K60 Up to 4K
Custom RTMP Servers All Plans Higher Tiers
Analytics API Included Premium+ only
Support 24/7 Live Chat Email (Priority on Premium)

Real Cost Comparison Examples

Need 3 channels?
Restream: $41/mo (5-channel plan) | Shoutcast Net: $49/mo (unlimited)
Need 8 channels?
Restream: $239/mo | Shoutcast Net: $49/mo (Save $190/mo)
Need 15 channels?
Restream: Impossible | Shoutcast Net: $49/mo (unlimited!)

Plan Overview

Shoutcast Net’s multistreaming is designed for creators, studios, and brands that want to deliver one high‑quality feed to multiple platforms without stacking fees. Instead of paying for bundled features you don’t need, plans map to the number of concurrent live channels you run and how many destinations you push to, with straightforward add‑ons when you scale.

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Entry tiers keep your fixed costs low, and usage‑based add‑ons prevent overbuying. Typical setups push a single RTMP or SRT ingest to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and a custom RTMP endpoint; you can also fan out to LinkedIn Live or any RTMPS target. Transcoding is optional—pass‑through for maximum efficiency or enable per‑destination transcodes where platforms require different bitrates.

  • Creator: from $12/month for 1 channel, 2 destinations included; $2/additional destination
  • Studio: from $29/month for 2 channels, 5 destinations included; $1.50/additional destination
  • Business: from $79/month for 5 channels, 12 destinations included; volume pricing on add‑ons
  • Protocols: RTMP/RTMPS ingest and push; SRT ingest (listener/caller) included
  • Optional cloud transcodes: per‑ladder enablement at flat per‑hour rates

Customers commonly reduce multistreaming spend by 25–45% compared with typical $19–49/month restreaming services, based on plan mix and destination counts.

Implementation Steps

Getting live with Shoutcast Net usually takes under 15 minutes. Create a channel, add destinations, paste stream keys, and point your encoder at a single ingest—Shoutcast Net handles the fan‑out with per‑destination keyframe, protocol, and bitrate conformity checks. For most workflows, we recommend a primary 1080p30 profile at 4.5–6.0 Mbps H.264 (High, Level 4.1), 2‑second keyframe interval (gop=60 at 30 fps), CBR or capped‑CRF, and AAC‑LC 160 kbps stereo, plus a resilient 720p30 fallback at 3.0–3.5 Mbps with identical GOP and audio settings.

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Enable destination‑specific overrides if a platform has stricter requirements (e.g., Facebook prefers max 4 Mbps; set 4000 kbps, keyint=60, vbv-bufsize≈2x bitrate). If you want hands‑off operations, schedule start/stop, auto‑record VOD, and metadata updates via our REST API so recurring shows go live on time even if a human isn’t at the console.

  • Encoder targets: 1080p30 @ 5,000 kbps, keyframe=2s; 720p30 @ 3,200 kbps fallback; AAC‑LC 160 kbps
  • RTMP ingest URL (primary/back‑up) or SRT (listener with passphrase)
  • Add destinations: YouTube (RTMP), Facebook (RTMPS), Twitch (RTMP), Custom RTMP
  • Automation: POST /channels, POST /destinations, PATCH /channels/{id}/schedule, rotate keys via POST /destinations/{id}/rotate
  • Failover: enable active/standby ingest; automatic source failover within ~3 seconds

Typical first‑time setups complete in 8–15 minutes, including destination authentication and encoder verification.

Monitoring & Analytics

Live visibility is built in. The Shoutcast Net dashboard validates ingest bitrate, GOP/IDR cadence, audio sample rate, and per‑destination push status in real time, flagging mismatches (e.g., keyframe drift or codec profile incompatibility) before platforms throttle or reject your stream. You’ll see per‑destination bitrate graphs, reconnect counters, and last‑mile error traces to pinpoint whether issues are at the encoder, the edge, or the platform target.

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For operations at scale, enable alerts and programmatic telemetry. Webhooks, Slack, and email alerts trigger on low bitrate, disconnects, or rapid reconnect loops; our metrics API exposes ingest health, destination RTT, drop reasons, and egress tallies for your own dashboards. Post‑event analytics summarise uptime, average push latency, destination‑level retransmissions, and data egress so you can tune bitrates and budgets confidently.

  • Health checks: GOP=2s, H.264 High@4.1, AAC‑LC 44.1/48 kHz, CBR variance <10%
  • Per‑destination metrics: bitrate, frames dropped, RTT, push success ratio
  • Alerts: low‑bitrate, disconnect, keyframe drift, platform rate‑limit detection
  • APIs: GET /metrics/ingest, GET /metrics/destinations, event webhooks for incident automation

Across all accounts, median added fan‑out latency is under 2 seconds with 99.95% monthly push uptime on monitored destinations.

Business Impact

Multistreaming only pays off if your costs scale with your audience, not with unused features. By aligning pricing to channels and destinations, Shoutcast Net keeps your fixed fees lean; creators often run three or four simultaneous destinations for the cost of a single generic subscription elsewhere. Optional per‑hour transcodes ensure you pay only when you truly need alternate ladders for platform quirks or bandwidth‑limited viewers.

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Consider a common scenario: one weekly show, four destinations, ~20 live hours per month at 1080p. On Shoutcast Net’s Creator plan, that’s $12/month plus two extra destinations at $2 each ($16 total). Add occasional 720p fallback transcodes for two hours per show at a simple per‑hour rate, and you still stay well below the typical restreaming ranges—while gaining alerting, API scheduling, and per‑destination analytics that reduce failed streams and rework.

  • Example: 1 channel, 4 destinations, ~20 hours/month ≈ $16 base (+ optional transcodes as used)
  • Save time: API scheduling and key rotation cut pre‑show prep by 10–15 minutes per event
  • Reduce risk: automated health checks and alerts lower on‑air incidents and refunds

Teams commonly report 30–60% fewer live incidents after enabling automated health checks and alerting.

Start restreaming smarter with Shoutcast Net

Spin up your first multistream in minutes and pay only for the channels and destinations you actually use. Bring your existing encoder, add your destinations, and go live with confidence.

Try Shoutcast Net Multistreaming