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Open Broadcaster Software | OBS Review

Worth it

Should I use Open Broadcaster Software | OBS?

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Stream to Twitch, YouTube and many other providers or record your own videos with high quality H264 / AAC encoding. - obsproject.com

· 1 month ago

Buy it if you stream to Twitch/YouTube or record screens and want the free industry standard — 4.6/5 on G2 across 136 reviews. Skip it if you need vendor support, SLAs, or plug-and-play polish; that's paid tools like Wirecast.

Confidence

High. Based on 20+ public sources including G2 reviews, the official site, Wikipedia, and a Google security advisory.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

OBS Studio

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Twitch and YouTube streamers
  • YouTubers and screen recorders
  • Educators and online teachers
  • Zero-budget creators

Not for

  • Teams needing vendor support or SLAs
  • Broadcast pros wanting turnkey production (Wirecast territory)
  • Anyone unwilling to learn streaming setup

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Fake malicious OBS installers spread via paid ads — download only from

medium

Public heap-overflow advisory (GHSA-mf24-5fxf-f4x5); keep the app updated

medium

No paid support: help comes from community forums, Discord, and Reddit

low

Attackers abused OBS's framework in BIOPASS RAT screen-sniffing campaigns; abuse, not product flaw

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Completely free and open source for recording and live streaming
  • Streams to Twitch, YouTube, and many other providers
  • High-quality H264/AAC recording and encoding
  • Rated 4.6/5 across 136 verified G2 reviews
  • Cross-platform across desktop operating systems

Cons

  • Beginners need setup guides; not plug-and-play
  • Documented limitations versus paid rivals like Wirecast
  • Support is community forums and Discord only
  • No dedicated security page on official site

Sources & method

- 14 sources - No active breach; generally safe from the official site, but a heap-overflow advisory and fake ad-delivered installers exist.

official x3review x7security x3news x1
  • Heap overflow advisory, Google security research published advisory GHSA-mf24-5fxf-f4x5 for OBS.
  • Malicious fake OBS installers, SecOps teams reported malicious OBS Studio being delivered through paid ads.
  • BIOPASS RAT abused OBS framework, Malware abused the OBS framework to sniff victim screens — attacker abuse, not an OBS vulnerability.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, open source, no paid tiers ever
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Powerful but beginners rely on setup guides
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Called the gold standard for streaming
  • Support quality: 2/5. Community forums and Discord only
  • Security posture: 3/5. Open advisories exist; fake installers circulate
  • 4.6/5 G2 rating 136 verified reviews
  • $0 Starting price Fully open source
  • Yes Free tier Entire product is free
  • Community-funded Funding Open Collective and Patreon

Pricing

OBS Studio

$0

  • Video recording
  • Live streaming to Twitch/YouTube
  • H264/AAC encoding

Security

No active breach; generally safe from the official site, but a heap-overflow advisory and fake ad-delivered installers exist.

  • Heap overflow advisoryGoogle security research published advisory GHSA-mf24-5fxf-f4x5 for OBS.⁷
  • Malicious fake OBS installersSecOps teams reported malicious OBS Studio being delivered through paid ads.⁸
  • BIOPASS RAT abused OBS frameworkMalware abused the OBS framework to sniff victim screens — attacker abuse, not an OBS vulnerability.⁹

What users say

Users rate OBS 4.6/5 on G2 and treat it as the de facto free standard for streaming and recording.

“OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) is the undisputed gold standard...”
CheckThat.ai comparison
“Yes—Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is generally considered safe when you download it from the official site. It's free, open-source, and widely used by ...”
Facebook community answer
“Ultimate beginners guide to streaming with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) with either Twitch.Tv or Own3d.Tv.”
Reddit, r/letsplay

Companies that could

  • Fox Sports⁵ Uses Wirecast instead
  • France Télévisions⁵ Uses Wirecast instead
  • British Prime Minister's office⁵ Uses Wirecast instead
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources including G2 reviews, the official site, Wikipedia, and a Google security advisory.

Free open-source streaming and recording standard. Ideal for streamers and creators; wrong if you need paid support or plug-and-play.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources including G2 reviews, the official site, Wikipedia, and a Google security advisory.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. OBS — official siteobsproject.com
    official
  2. Open Broadcaster Software Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  3. OBS Studio — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  4. What is OBS? Complete Guide — Wowzawowza.com
    review
  5. OBS 6: Limitations & Alternatives — MacSaleseshop.macsales.com
    review
  6. OBS alternatives — Softonicopen-broadcaster-software.en.softonic.com
    review
  7. Heap overflow advisory GHSA-mf24-5fxf-f4x5 — Google Security Researchgithub.com
    security
  8. WCTP SecOps: malicious OBS via paid ads — LinkedInlinkedin.com
    security
  9. BIOPASS RAT abuses OBS — Picus Securitypicussecurity.com
    security
  10. Beginner streaming guide — Reddit r/letsplayreddit.com
    review
  11. OBS Project funding — Open Collectiveopencollective.com
    official
  12. Is OBS safe? — Facebook answersfacebook.com
    review
  13. PRISM Live Studio comparison — CheckThatcheckthat.ai
    review
  14. OBS Studio — VA OIToit.va.gov
    official

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