OBS Studio
FreeOBS Studio is a free, open source program for screen recording and live streaming with scenes, sources and plugin support.
About OBS Studio
OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. You build scenes from sources such as screen captures, windows, webcams, images and browser pages, then record them to disk or stream them to a service of your choice.
It is widely used by streamers, educators and anyone recording tutorials or gameplay. The interface has an audio mixer, transitions between scenes, filters for video and audio, hotkeys, and support for plugins that add extra sources and tools. Hardware encoders are supported, and the latest notes mention an update to the NVIDIA SDK that raises the minimum supported driver version to 570.
OBS is volunteer built and released under the GPL, so there is no cost, no account and no watermark. It is more technical than some commercial streaming suites, and a first setup takes some time, but the result is flexible and well supported by guides and community plugins. Windows, macOS and Linux versions are available.
Run the auto-configuration wizard on first launch. On macOS 12, the project says to use OBS Studio 32.1.2 instead.
Version history
1 release tracked- Windows: Fixed plugins not loading on first start after update
- Blocked launch on macOS 12
- NVIDIA SDK 13 raises minimum driver to 570
Frequently asked
Is OBS Studio free?
Yes. It is free and open source under the GPL, with no watermark.
Does it need an account?
No. You only need accounts for the streaming services you broadcast to.
Which platforms does it run on?
Windows, macOS and Linux.
Where does the download link go?
Directly to obsproject.com or the official app store for your platform. PlanetSofts never rehosts installers or adds wrappers, and these links were last verified Oct 6, 2026.