VIBRESIA

Live video compared

vMix vs OBS Studio: a paid Windows switcher or free streaming software?

By Syd Lawrence, a visual artist and developer who makes Vibresia. Facts last checked 2 November 2026; updated 2 November 2026.

If you want to record and stream live video without paying for software, pick OBS Studio: it is free and open source and it runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. If you are running a multi-camera production on a Windows PC and want switching, recording and streaming in one application, pick vMix, which starts at US$60 for a one-off licence and has no macOS version at all. Where the two meet is a live stream that needs a proper production switcher, and there the machine in front of you and the budget behind it settle the answer.

vMixOBS Studio
What it isA live video production and streaming switcher for Windows that mixes cameras, network sources and media, then records and streams the result.Free and open source software for live video recording and streaming, built around scenes that mix camera, screen, media and audio sources.
PriceUS$60, one-timeFree
Runs onWindowsMac, Windows, Linux
RequirementsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit only, with a 2GHz quad-core processor and 4GB of memory, and a dedicated NVIDIA card with 2GB or more recommended for 4KmacOS 13.0 or newer, or Windows 10 or 11, with an OpenGL 3.3-compatible GPU
Free versionThe trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days.Free, with every feature, and the source published
Known forMixes cameras, capture cards, NDI, OMT and SRT sources with transitions, overlays and titles, and records and streams the same production at the same timeIt captures and mixes several video and audio sources into switchable scenes, with per-source filters, an audio mixer and hotkeys
Best forOperators of live multi-camera productions on a Windows PC who need switching, recording and streaming in one application, from churches and sport to esports, podcasts and conference streams.People who need a live or recorded video feed on screen, saved to a file or sent to a streaming service, and who want the same tool on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Control and connections

vMixOBS Studio
MIDIYes: vMix accepts MIDI from controllers for shortcuts, and can send MIDI out to lights and faders through its Activators feature.No: OBS Studio has no built-in MIDI source, filter or action, and MIDI control comes from community plug-ins such as obs-midi-mg.
OSCNot that we could findNo: OBS Studio does not speak OSC natively, and OSC is handled by community scripts and companion applications built on its WebSocket API.
SyphonNo: vMix has no Syphon input or output, because there is no macOS version of vMix, and Mac sources reach vMix through NDI or OMT scan converters instead.Yes: OBS Studio includes a macOS module that reads Syphon servers, so Syphon video can be used as a source on a Mac; it has no Syphon output.
SpoutNot that we could findNo: OBS Studio has no built-in Spout support, and Spout video is shared with it through the third-party OBS Spout plug-in, which is Windows only.
NDIYes: vMix receives NDI sources from the network and sends its output over NDI, with up to four independently configurable NDI outputs in the 4K, Pro and Max editions.No: OBS Studio ships no NDI support of its own, and NDI input, main output and a per-source filter come from the DistroAV plug-in.
DMXNot that we could findNo: OBS Studio has no DMX support of its own, and DMX over Art-Net control is offered by community tools such as ArtNetOBS.
Video in and outYes: vMix ingests video from cameras, capture cards, video files, NDI, OMT and SRT, and outputs it by recording, streaming and sending it to monitors and other machines.Yes: OBS Studio produces video output as recordings, live streams, projector outputs and a virtual camera that other applications can read.

Every row comes from the app's own documentation, on the date shown in the sources below. "Not that we could find" means we could not find it documented, not that the app cannot do it.

Pick vMix if

you are running a multi-camera production on a Windows PC and want switching, recording, streaming and instant replay in one application. vMix mixes cameras, capture cards and network sources, sends its output to other machines over NDI, and the full feature set is US$50 a month on the vMix Max subscription.

Pick OBS Studio if

you want the same application on a Mac, Windows and Linux, or you would rather not pay for software at all. OBS Studio costs nothing, its source is published, and every feature is included.

Why people compare them

They come up together because both take several sources, let you switch between them, and send the result out as a recording or a live stream. vMix is a live video production and streaming switcher for Windows that mixes cameras, network sources and media, then records and streams the result. OBS Studio is free and open source software for live video recording and streaming, built around scenes that mix camera, screen, media and audio sources.

The difference that settles most comparisons is not the feature list. vMix runs on Windows and nothing else, while OBS Studio runs on Mac, Windows, Linux. One of them is paid and the other is free.

Both are production tools rather than performers: you set up your sources, choose where the output goes, and then let it run. Neither one turns music into pictures by itself, and both expect you to bring the content.

Where vMix wins

It handles the sources and the output together. Mixes cameras, capture cards, NDI, OMT and SRT sources with transitions, overlays and titles, and records and streams the same production at the same time

It can send its output to more than one machine. Sends program output to other machines over NDI, with up to four independently configurable NDI outputs in the 4K, Pro and Max editions

It does more than switch. Handles remote guests with vMix Call for up to eight callers, and slow-motion instant replay for up to eight cameras

Control from the desk is built in. vMix accepts MIDI from controllers for shortcuts, and can send MIDI out to lights and faders through its Activators feature. Can be scripted, driven from a web controller, or controlled from MIDI devices and PTZ cameras from the 4K edition upwards

The trial runs the paid edition. The trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days.

It names the machine it expects. vMix's stated requirements: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit only, with a 2GHz quad-core processor and 4GB of memory, and a dedicated NVIDIA card with 2GB or more recommended for 4K

Where OBS Studio wins

There is no paid tier to move up to. It is free and open source under the GNU General Public License version 2, with the source published and community plug-ins listed on the project's forum

The same application runs on all three systems. It runs the same application on Windows, macOS and Linux

Scenes come with filters, a mixer and hotkeys. It captures and mixes several video and audio sources into switchable scenes, with per-source filters, an audio mixer and hotkeys

Other programs can drive it. It has shipped a WebSocket API inside the application since version 28, alongside Lua and Python scripting and a plug-in system

There is a mode for rehearsing. It includes Studio Mode, a multiview that monitors eight scenes at once, and customisable transitions for running a live show

The result goes out in several ways. OBS Studio produces video output as recordings, live streams, projector outputs and a virtual camera that other applications can read.

It reads Syphon video on a Mac. OBS Studio includes a macOS module that reads Syphon servers, so Syphon video can be used as a source on a Mac; it has no Syphon output.

Where both fall short

Neither is ready the moment you open it. OBS Studio wants its scenes, its sources and its encoder chosen. On a Mac, OBS Studio needs Screen Recording permission before it can capture the desktop, windows or applications, alongside Camera, Microphone and Accessibility permissions. vMix wants its inputs and outputs set up as well.

The connections are where they differ most. vMix has MIDI in and out and NDI in and out built in, and the control interfaces its documentation lists are an HTTP web API and a TCP API on port 8099. No OSC reference appears in the vMix 29 user guide, and neither the vMix feature list nor that guide mentions DMX or lighting control. OBS Studio has no built-in MIDI source, filter or action, no NDI support of its own, no Spout support and no DMX support of its own: each of those comes from a community plug-in.

Both ask for a machine that can keep up. CPU requirements vary considerably depending on the chosen encoder, resolution, frame rate and scene complexity. vMix's stated requirements: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit only, with a 2GHz quad-core processor and 4GB of memory, and a dedicated NVIDIA card with 2GB or more recommended for 4K

Neither is a music visualiser. Both are general tools for video, and both expect you to bring the content. If what you want is pictures that react to what the Mac is playing, with nothing to prepare, that is a different job from either of these.

What it costs

vMix charges in US dollars, and the one-off licences are Basic HD at US$60, HD at US$350, 4K at US$700 and Pro at US$1,200, each one including twelve months of free version updates. The subscription edition, vMix Max, is US$50 a month and carries the same features as Pro, with free version updates while it is paid for.

The cheapest edition, Basic HD at 60 dollars, is limited to four total inputs, three of them cameras or NDI, 1920 by 1080 output and one overlay channel, and it leaves out vMix Call, MultiCorder, Instant Replay, scripting, PTZ control, the Mix input and the extra outputs.

OBS Studio costs nothing. Its licence is the GNU General Public License version 2, and every feature is included. The add-ons that give it NDI, Spout, DMX and MIDI are maintained by other people, so they depend on those projects rather than on OBS Studio itself.

Questions people ask

Does vMix run on a Mac?

No. There is no macOS version of vMix, as it cannot be installed directly on OSX and can only be installed on Windows via Boot Camp on older Intel Macs. OBS Studio runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, so it is the one of the two that runs on a Mac.

Which one is cheaper?

OBS Studio. It is free with every feature included and its source is published. vMix starts at US$60 for a one-off licence, with one-off licences at US$350, US$700 and US$1,200 for the higher editions, and vMix Max at US$50 a month.

Can I try vMix before I pay for it?

Yes. The trial lasts 60 days and runs vMix Pro with all its features, including 4K, MultiCorder and full Instant Replay. A paid licence is needed after the 60 days. OBS Studio needs no trial, because it is free from the start.

Can OBS Studio do MIDI, NDI or DMX?

Not on its own. OBS Studio has no built-in MIDI source, filter or action, and MIDI control comes from community plug-ins such as obs-midi-mg. OBS Studio ships no NDI support of its own, and NDI input, main output and a per-source filter come from the DistroAV plug-in. OBS Studio has no DMX support of its own, and DMX over Art-Net control is offered by community tools such as ArtNetOBS. vMix takes MIDI in and sends MIDI out, and receives NDI and sends it back, with no plug-in to install.

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Sources

Every fact about another app on this page comes from the source listed for it, on the date shown. Some of OBS Studio's facts come from third-party pages, marked as such below. We make Vibresia, so we've tried to say where each of the others is the better choice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.