Frequently Asked Questions

Meld Studio is a free streaming and recording app for content creators. It works on Windows and macOS and lets you stream to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok, Facebook Live, and any custom RTMP destination, with built-in effects, multitrack audio, and 4K recording. It's designed as a modern alternative to broadcasting software like OBS or Streamlabs, with no plugins required.

Yes. Meld Studio is free to download and use on Windows and macOS, with no time limits, watermarks, or paywalled core features. Meld Spark is an optional paid feature for streamers who want to generate custom overlays and widgets from a description.

Yes. Meld Studio is built by Meld Studio, Inc. and downloadable directly from meldstudio.co. We don't bundle adware, trackers, or third-party installers. You can review our policies at meldstudio.co/privacy and meldstudio.co/transparency.

Meld Studio is built by Meld Studio, Inc., a team of streamers and engineers making professional broadcasting tools that don't require plugins or technical setup to look great.

Streaming software is the application that captures your gameplay, camera, microphone, and overlay graphics and broadcasts everything as a single live video to platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Kick, or TikTok. It's the production layer between your computer and your audience. Without it, you can't go live or layer in alerts, chat boxes, scenes, or branded visuals.

For anything more than a basic phone or webcam stream, yes. Streaming software is what lets you combine multiple sources (game capture, camera, microphone, overlays, alerts) into a single broadcast and send it to your platform. Apps like Meld Studio also let you record locally, multistream to several platforms at once, and apply professional video effects.

Streaming sends your video live to a platform like Twitch or YouTube. Recording saves your video as a local file for editing or uploading later. Meld Studio supports both at the same time, so you can stream to a platform and record a high-quality local copy in parallel. That's useful for VOD highlights, post-stream clips, and YouTube uploads.

For most streamers, a modern Windows PC or Mac with a recent multi-core CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a dedicated graphics card is enough to stream comfortably at 1080p 60fps. Higher-quality streams (4K, multiple cameras, heavier effects) benefit from a stronger GPU. Meld Studio is built to use fewer system resources than older streaming software, so you can stream and play demanding games on the same machine.

Yes. Meld Studio runs natively on macOS with full Apple Silicon support. You can download the Mac version at meldstudio.co/download.

Yes. Meld Studio runs on Windows 10 and 11. You can download the Windows version at meldstudio.co/download.

Not currently. Meld Studio is available on Windows and macOS. We don't have a Linux version at this time.

Meld Studio runs on Windows 10 or 11 and macOS with full Apple Silicon support. We recommend a modern multi-core CPU, at least 8GB of RAM, and a dedicated graphics card for the smoothest experience, especially when streaming demanding games. For specific minimum and recommended specs, see meldstudio.co/download.

Meld Studio supports all major streaming platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok Live, and Facebook Live, as well as any custom RTMP destination. You can stream to one platform or multiple at once with no plugins required.

Yes. Meld Studio includes built-in multistreaming, so you can broadcast to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok, and Facebook Live simultaneously. No third-party services or plugins are required.

Yes. Meld Studio is a full recording app as well as a streaming app. You can record in high quality for post-production and editing, with options for different file formats and bitrates. You can also stream and record at the same time, so you have a clean local copy of every broadcast.

Yes. Meld Studio supports 4K recording for creators who want maximum quality for editing, YouTube uploads, or post-stream content.

Yes. Meld Studio records multitrack audio, so you can isolate individual audio sources (game audio, microphone, music, calls) in post-production. This makes it much easier to edit your VODs, balance audio, or repurpose content for YouTube.

Yes. Meld Studio includes a library of built-in video effects covering blur, glow, color correction, gradients, duotones, distortions, and 3D transforms. Effects are applied in real time and don't require third-party plugins.

Yes. Meld Studio supports chroma key directly, so you can remove your background without any extra plugins or external software.

Yes. Meld Studio works with standard capture cards, so you can stream console gameplay, a second PC, or any external video source.

Yes. You can add multiple camera inputs in Meld Studio and switch between them, layer them, or apply different effects to each one.

Yes. Meld Studio works with Elgato Stream Deck for hotkeys, scene switching, and other live controls.

Yes. Meld Studio supports Spout2, which lets you bring in VTuber avatars from VTube Studio, VSeeFace, and other VTubing software with no plugins required.

No. Meld Studio is designed to work out of the box. Effects, audio processing, multistreaming, chroma key, and other features that typically require plugins in other software are built in. This is one of the biggest differences between Meld and traditional streaming software like OBS.

That depends on what you need. Meld Studio is faster to set up than OBS, requires no plugins, and includes built-in effects, multistreaming, and audio tools that OBS users typically have to install separately. OBS has a longer track record and a larger ecosystem of community plugins. Many creators find Meld easier to get started with and lighter on system resources. For a side-by-side breakdown, see meldstudio.co/obs-to-meld.

Meld Studio and Streamlabs Desktop both aim to be more polished than OBS, but Meld is built from the ground up rather than as a fork. That means Meld has its own engine, its own interface, and tends to use fewer system resources. Streamlabs has a larger built-in widget marketplace, while Meld Studio includes Spark for generating custom overlays from a description. For a full side-by-side, see meldstudio.co/streamlabs-to-meld.

Twitch Studio is a basic streaming app built specifically for Twitch beginners. It works only with Twitch and has limited customization. Meld Studio supports Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok, and more, with multistreaming, advanced audio, video effects, and unlimited customization. Twitch Studio is a fine first step. Meld Studio is what most creators move to when they outgrow it.

Switching from OBS to Meld Studio is designed to be smooth. Most of your sources (cameras, capture cards, audio inputs, browser overlays) can be recreated in Meld in a few minutes, and many creators find Meld faster to set up from scratch than OBS was originally. For step-by-step migration help, see meldstudio.co/obs-to-meld.

Meld Spark is a chat-based creative tool built into Meld Studio. You describe what you want, like a chat overlay, alert, countdown timer, or chat-controlled mini game, and Spark builds it directly onto your canvas. Spark is optional and has a free tier plus paid plans. Read more at meldstudio.co/spark.

No. Spark is completely optional. Meld Studio's core streaming, recording, and broadcasting features are free and fully usable without ever opening Spark.