Honest review
Upstream Review
YouTube Verified 24/7 streaming with a Stream Designer and multistreaming
Updated August 5, 2026
Starting priceFrom $24/mo yearly / $30/mo monthly1080p/30fps Lite plan ($24/mo yearly, $30 monthly). Pricing scales with stream slots, resolution, and frame rate; 4K from $63/mo yearly ($70 monthly). Includes stream designer, scheduler, Live Studio, and multistreaming to 10 platforms.
Best forDesigned 24/7 streams with overlays and multistream reach
Websiteupstream.so
Strengths & limitations
What Upstream does well, and where it falls short
An honest breakdown based on published features, third-party reviews, and their own disclosures.
What's good
- YouTube Verified software encoder
- Stream Designer: overlays, embedded websites, widgets, custom fonts
- Multistream to up to 10 destinations
- Well-reviewed, responsive chat support
- Up to 100GB storage on higher plans (65GB on Lite)
Where it falls short
- Subscription pricing adds up versus pay-as-you-go
- The Stream Designer has a learning curve
- Some quality and storage limits sit on higher tiers
Feature breakdown
Upstream feature checklist
Every feature we've verified against Upstream's published materials, organized by category.
| Feature | Upstream |
|---|---|
| 1Pricing & access | |
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription | ✕ |
| Free trial (no card) | Free, 24h/mo |
| Starting price | From $24/mo yr / $30 mo |
| 720p 30-day price | $24/mo yr / $30 mo |
| 1080p 30-day price | $24/mo yr / $30 mo |
| 1440p / 2K 30-day price | $63/mo yr / $70 mo |
| 2160p / 4K 30-day price | $63/mo yr / $70 mo |
| 2Streaming quality | |
| 720p / 30fps | ✓ |
| 1080p / Full HD | ✓ |
| 60fps | ✓ |
| Up to 4K @ 60fps | ✓ |
| Vertical / portrait streaming | ✓ |
| HDR streaming publicly documented | ✕ |
| 3Production & design | |
| Stream designer / layout builder | ✓ |
| Image, video & logo overlays | ✓ |
| Embed live websites & graphs | ✓ |
| Interactive alerts & widgets | ✓ |
| Custom fonts in overlays | ✓ |
| Browser Live Studio (camera) | ✓ |
| 4Sources & inputs | |
| MP4 / MKV / AVI / MOV upload | ✓ |
| Separate audio track (music / voiceover) | ✓ |
| Import from Google Drive / Dropbox | ✕ |
| Playlists with custom ordering | ✓ |
| Custom loop logic (shuffle, loop counts) | ✓ |
| Edit the stream live (swap / skip / reorder) | ✓ |
| 5Destinations | |
| YouTube (one-click OAuth) | ✓ |
| Custom RTMP (any platform) | ✓ |
| Twitch / Facebook / Kick / TikTok | ✓ |
| Multistream to several destinations | ✓ |
| One-click YouTube (no stream key) | ✓ |
| SRT ingest | ✕ |
| 6Lifecycle & automation | |
| True 24/7 continuous loop | ✓ |
| YouTube broadcast lifecycle automation | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✓ |
| MCP / agent integration | ✕ |
| YouTube ad cue points | ✓ |
| Edit title / description / thumbnail live | ✕ |
| Public API | ✕ |
| Unlimited loop without manual rescheduling | ✓ |
| 7Limits & inclusions | |
| Storage included | 100GB |
| Concurrent streams / slots | 1 |
| Max multistream destinations | 10 |
| Videos per playlist | No published limit |
| Max upload size / length | ✕ |
| Team / multi-user access | ✓ |
| No watermark | ✓ |
| 8Reliability & support | |
| Automatic monitoring & recovery | ✓ |
| Backup streams | ✓ |
| Chat / email support | ✓ |
| Uptime guarantee / compensation | ✓ |
| In-app viewer analytics | ✕ |
| 9Trust & account | |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.7 (200) |
| YouTube-Verified encoder | ✓ |
| Two-factor authentication | ✓ |
Pricing & access
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription
- Upstream
- ✕
Free trial (no card)
- Upstream
- Free, 24h/mo
Starting price
- Upstream
- From $24/mo yr / $30 mo
720p 30-day price
- Upstream
- $24/mo yr / $30 mo
1080p 30-day price
- Upstream
- $24/mo yr / $30 mo
1440p / 2K 30-day price
- Upstream
- $63/mo yr / $70 mo
2160p / 4K 30-day price
- Upstream
- $63/mo yr / $70 mo
Streaming quality
720p / 30fps
- Upstream
- ✓
1080p / Full HD
- Upstream
- ✓
60fps
- Upstream
- ✓
Up to 4K @ 60fps
- Upstream
- ✓
Vertical / portrait streaming
- Upstream
- ✓
HDR streaming publicly documented
- Upstream
- ✕
Production & design
Stream designer / layout builder
- Upstream
- ✓
Image, video & logo overlays
- Upstream
- ✓
Embed live websites & graphs
- Upstream
- ✓
Interactive alerts & widgets
- Upstream
- ✓
Custom fonts in overlays
- Upstream
- ✓
Browser Live Studio (camera)
- Upstream
- ✓
Sources & inputs
MP4 / MKV / AVI / MOV upload
- Upstream
- ✓
Separate audio track (music / voiceover)
- Upstream
- ✓
Import from Google Drive / Dropbox
- Upstream
- ✕
Playlists with custom ordering
- Upstream
- ✓
Custom loop logic (shuffle, loop counts)
- Upstream
- ✓
Edit the stream live (swap / skip / reorder)
- Upstream
- ✓
Destinations
YouTube (one-click OAuth)
- Upstream
- ✓
Custom RTMP (any platform)
- Upstream
- ✓
Twitch / Facebook / Kick / TikTok
- Upstream
- ✓
Multistream to several destinations
- Upstream
- ✓
One-click YouTube (no stream key)
- Upstream
- ✓
SRT ingest
- Upstream
- ✕
Lifecycle & automation
True 24/7 continuous loop
- Upstream
- ✓
YouTube broadcast lifecycle automation
- Upstream
- ✓
Scheduling
- Upstream
- ✓
MCP / agent integration
- Upstream
- ✕
YouTube ad cue points
- Upstream
- ✓
Edit title / description / thumbnail live
- Upstream
- ✕
Public API
- Upstream
- ✕
Unlimited loop without manual rescheduling
- Upstream
- ✓
Limits & inclusions
Storage included
- Upstream
- 100GB
Concurrent streams / slots
- Upstream
- 1
Max multistream destinations
- Upstream
- 10
Videos per playlist
- Upstream
- No published limit
Max upload size / length
- Upstream
- ✕
Team / multi-user access
- Upstream
- ✓
No watermark
- Upstream
- ✓
Reliability & support
Automatic monitoring & recovery
- Upstream
- ✓
Backup streams
- Upstream
- ✓
Chat / email support
- Upstream
- ✓
Uptime guarantee / compensation
- Upstream
- ✓
In-app viewer analytics
- Upstream
- ✕
Trust & account
Trustpilot rating
- Upstream
- 4.7 (200)
YouTube-Verified encoder
- Upstream
- ✓
Two-factor authentication
- Upstream
- ✓
Considering an alternative?
Streamloop is built for 24/7 looping
If you want a 24/7 channel with flexible billing and no designer to learn, Streamloop loops your uploaded video or playlist to YouTube and any RTMP destination at up to 4K. Choose pay-as-you-go credits or an optional monthly credit plan, with automatic recovery.
FAQ
Upstream FAQ
Common questions about Upstream's features, pricing, and fit
What is Upstream?
Upstream is a YouTube Verified software encoder for 24/7 streams, with a Stream Designer for overlays and multistreaming to several destinations.
How much does Upstream cost?
Upstream costs $30 per month, or $288 per year ($24/month equivalent). Its free plan includes 24 hours of streaming per month.
Does Upstream have a free tier?
Yes, a free plan with 24 hours per month and no card required.
What are the best Upstream alternatives?
Streamloop for pay-as-you-go 24/7 looping, plus Castr, Restream and Runnel.live depending on your needs.
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