Guide to the Best Live Streaming Websites in 2024

The advent of technology has shifted the whole world from traditional data-sharing sources to live-stream sharing. So, remember to record and upload your content on the internet and share it in actual time through live-streaming websites or platforms. Connecting with your beloved audience was never that easy and quick before, but now it is possible with a live-streaming website.

What are Live Streaming Websites?

The term ‘live streaming websites’ stands for those websites that support or host the live streaming service. Here, live streaming means broadcasting a video in real time through websites or other online social platforms. No recorded video is involved in this live-streaming process.

Did you know?

The live streaming platform – Livestream survey found that a percentage of people prefer a brand’s live video to read their content as a blog is about 80%. Similarly, an audience of 82% prefers watching live videos of a brand compared to viewing its social posts. This cements the importance of websites for live streaming and even live TV streaming in the coming

Technology has forever changed the world we live in. We’re online, in one way or another, all day long. Our phones and computers have become reflections of our personalities, our interests, and our identities. They hold much that is important to us.

James Comey

What to Observe for Comparing Live Streaming Websites?

With so many live-streaming websites available, deciding upon one platform as the ideal one for you can get confusing. But there are some features that you can consider while conducting your streaming services 2024 comparison. Some of these include:

• Streaming Time: How long can you use the live stream feature on the live streaming platform, say per month? You can measure it as the number of hours allowed.
• Free Trial Existence: Some websites for live streaming offer a free trial before you purchase their monthly or yearly packages, and others don’t give such an option. Whether you wish to go for a free-trial-providing platform or buy straight, your live stream time is up to you.
• Multistreaming Option: Look for a multistreaming option before booking any streaming services and live streaming platforms in 2024. This option lets you stream live to different platforms simultaneously, expanding your audience. Price Do compare the prices of various top-rated live-streaming websites. It is the total money you must spend to enjoy your desired features.
• Review/ Rating: A live-streaming website with a review or rating of 5 out of 5 stars or an above-average rating of 4-plus will be your ideal streaming platform.

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Best Live Streaming Websites

Let’s skim through the best live-streaming websites for 2024, along with their details.

Instagram Live

Instagram Live stands out among other social networks as a compelling live-streaming platform.

Features:

• Scheduled live broadcasts: Schedule your broadcasts in advance, providing a more organized and anticipated broadcast for your audience;

• Moderator functions: Increase control over your live streams by adding moderators who can manage interactions and maintain a positive atmosphere;

• Upload to the gallery: Save your live streams directly to your device’s gallery, giving you the ability to repurpose content or archive it;

• Live chat feature: Engage with your audience in real-time with the chat feature, promoting live interaction and connection during your live broadcasts;

• Live Icon Visibility: Signal your live activity by displaying a custom icon in real time in your story, maximizing visibility and engaging viewers.

Pros:

• Wide user base: With more than 2.35 billion monthly active users, Instagram provides a wide and diverse audience for your live streams;

• Instant notifications: Followers receive automatic notifications when you go live, increasing the likelihood of immediate viewer engagement;

• Integration with stories: Live streams integrate seamlessly with stories, providing prominent placement at the top of the homepage for greater visibility.

Cons:

• Limited monetization opportunities: Instagram Live may offer fewer monetization opportunities than some specialized streaming platforms;

• Focus on mobile devices: Although Instagram Live is available on browsers, its mobile-first nature may limit certain features for desktop users.

Going into 2024, Instagram Live continues to be a clear choice for creators looking for a combination of user engagement, ease of use, and integration into the broader Instagram ecosystem.

TikTok Live

TikTok Live adds an immersive dimension to the viral video platform by allowing users to interact with their audience in real-time.

Features:

• Multi-guest broadcasting: Amplify your live streams by inviting up to five guests, fostering collaborative and dynamic content creation;

• Moderation and filtering of comments: Maintain a positive atmosphere by adding moderators and filtering comments, ensuring a safe and enjoyable streaming experience;

• Creative tools: Creators can enhance their livestreams by flipping the camera, adding stickers, applying fun effects, and adding a creative touch to the viewing experience;

• Interactive chat: Facilitate live interaction between creators and viewers through chat, encouraging real-time interaction and community building.

Pros:

• Ease of use: With a simple process, users who meet the age and follower criteria (16 years old and at least 1,000 followers) can easily start live streaming with just a few taps;

• Interaction with the audience: TikTok Live emphasizes interaction with viewers, allowing creators to communicate with their audience in a more direct and dynamic way;

• Creative expression: The platform’s creative tools allow creators to add personality and style to their live content, making it visually appealing.

Cons:

• Minimum number of subscribers: The need to have at least 1,000 subscribers can be an obstacle for new or small creators;

• Age restrictions: Restrictions for users over the age of 16, potentially limiting access for younger content creators.

In 2024, TikTok Live will become a vibrant space for creators to unleash their creativity, interact with their audience, and use the platform’s dynamic features for an immersive live broadcast.

StreamYard

Positioned as a user-friendly live streaming studio, StreamYard becomes a one-stop platform for uninterrupted and professional broadcasts, offering access to a wide audience across multiple platforms.

Features:

• Guest invitations: StreamYard facilitates collaborative streaming by enabling users to easily invite guests, facilitating the creation of engaging and interactive content;

• Share screens and slides: Enhance your broadcasts by sharing screens or slides, which is ideal for presentations, tutorials, and collaborative discussions;

• Private chat feature: Chat privately with other participants during live broadcasts, adding a layer of coordination behind the scenes for a smoother experience during the broadcast;

• Display comments: Show comments from your audience in real-time, encouraging viewer interaction and participation;

• Branding options: Brand your broadcasts to give them a professional look and emphasize your visual identity during live broadcasts.

Pros:

• Easy setup: StreamYard is known for its ease of setup and operation, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced streamers;

• Multi-platform broadcasting: Reach a wider audience by broadcasting your content on multiple platforms simultaneously, maximizing your content’s visibility;

• Free plan availability: StreamYard offers a free plan that provides basic features for those starting out in live streaming, with more advanced features available in paid plans starting at $20 per month.

Cons:

The cost of advanced features: While the free plan is a great starting point, access to more advanced features requires a subscription, which starts at $20 per month.

In 2024, StreamYard stands out as the best live streaming solution due to its ease of use, wide range of features, and options that cater to both beginners and experienced content creators.

YouTube Live

Who hasn’t heard of a live-streaming website – YouTube? Its YouTube live’ option further adds to its vast user base. While looking for websites for live streaming, don’t ignore it just because this platform also shares videos on demand with its consumers.

Features:

• Absence of security features;
• Popular live streaming website among consumers;
• Google powers it. Video-sharing is quite easy;
• You can embed videos in other websites.

Pros:

• A Free live TV streaming platform and live streaming website;
• A comforting live streaming platform for viewers as it is a household name worldwide;
• Both viewers and broadcasters find it easy to use;
• Easy to embed video player YouTube hosts both Live and VOD.

Cons:

• You face some limitations on live-streaming;
• Stringent restrictions on content copyrights;
• It promotes distracting third-party ads and branding in your content.

Facebook Live

When you count websites for live streaming, the biggest social media platform, Facebook, also comes to mind. Facebook’s live streaming website provides excellent digital tools to its users for uploading and sharing videos to online communities. Furthermore, you can host live streams on personal profiles, pages, and groups.

Many businesses and organizations rely on Facebook Live to promote their ventures and increase their consumer base.

Features:

• Facebook Live option;
• Facebook Watch;
• A variety of Facebook Groups promote a community feeling globally;
• Endless Facebook Pages;
• Easy video sharing;
• Live comment updates and reacting;
• Paid Facebook ads.

Pros:

•  Free usage;
• A social platform that viewers commonly know;
• Live chat produces engagement and a connection with a newer audience;
• It taps into existing consumer following, maintaining loyal viewers and users.

Cons:

• No monetization;
• Time limits on live videos.

Twitch

You might have heard of the live streaming website ‘Twitch’ which is often considered a live gaming platform. But it’s more than that. Instead, you can stream almost anything from this platform, such as music, sports, etc.

Features

• It allows users to follow creators they like, providing the creators with more fantastic online standing;
• Twitch provides chat rooms one each live stream;
• It allows subscription payments by followers to their liked creators, promoting an affiliate structure;
• Twitch provides its Emoticons and extensions to its creators.

Pros:

• One of the most well-known free live-streaming platforms out there;
• Twitch lets you interact with followers, creating better engagement through its live stream;
• No fee is charged to users and creators;
• A streamer can unlock multiple levels of streaming; the more ‘level up’ he becomes, the more additional features he can enjoy in live streams, like on other live streaming sites.

Cons:

• Sometimes Twitch live-streaming platform faces minor crashes and technical breakdowns;
• Kids playing live games on Twitch are sometimes exposed to sensitive content like violence and swearing.

Conclusion

The advent of technology has shifted the world towards live-stream sharing, enabling easy and quick connection with audiences. Live streaming websites play a crucial role in the modern era, allowing content creators to connect with their audience in real-time. The choice of a live streaming platform depends on individual needs and preferences, considering factors like features, user-friendliness, monetization options, and content restrictions. When comparing live streaming websites, important factors to consider include streaming time, free trial options, multistreaming capabilities, pricing, and user ratings.

If you have read our article to understand what kind of streaming platform you want to develop for your business, you can contact the Ficus Technology team, which will be happy to help you make the right decision and create the perfect live streaming platform.

Sergey Miroshnychenko

CEO AT FICUS TECHNOLOGIES

My company has assisted hundreds of businesses in scaling engineering teams and developing new software solutions from the ground up. Let’s connect.