StreamYard vs Zencastr: Which is Best For Paocasting in 2025?

by | Last updated Dec 10, 2025

Winner
StreamYard
4.5
  • Own Branding
  • Multistreaming
  • Live Recording
  • Fast Engagement
  • Easy Podcasting 
  • Free Plan available
  • Sign Up for their paid plans
Runner Up
zencastr
3.5
  • AI Editing
  • Remote Recording
  • Video And Audio Hosting
  • Monetization
  • Async Recording
  • Free Trial available
  • Paid Plans from $18/month
StreamYard vs Zencastr

Have you ever tried making a podcast and felt lost? 

Messy setups and bad sound can ruin your show.

You spend hours fixing problems instead of creating content. 

Good news! We’re breaking down StreamYard vs Zencastr to see which is best for podcasting. 

Overview

To provide a clear comparison.

We’ve tested both StreamYard and Zencastr in real life.

This involved recording multiple sessions with various setups, evaluating audio and video quality, and testing their ease of use.

Our goal was to give a practical, hands-on look at how these platforms perform.

streamyard CTA
4.5out of 5

Need a professional look without complicated software? Streamyard makes it easy. Give it a shot and elevate your livestream!

Pricing: It has a free plan. Sign Up for their paid plans.

Key Features:

  • Multistreaming.
  • Screen Sharing.
  • Guest Invitations.
zencastr
3.5out of 5

Zencastr: Elevate Your Podcast to Pro Level. Get 2 Hours Back, Every Time. Free Trial Awaits. Give it a exploration today.

Pricing: It has a free trial. Paid plan starts at $18/month.

Key Features:

  • Separate audio tracks
  • live soundboard
  • built-in VoIP.

What is StreamYard?

StreamYard? Think easy live streaming.

You can bring guests on. Right into your browser.

No downloads are needed. 

It’s built for live shows and podcasts. Simple stuff.

Also, explore our StreamYard Alterknatives.

Streamyard Introduction

Our Take

streamyard CTA

StreamYard is a fantastic option for live streaming and recording, especially for beginners. It’s user-friendly, affordable, and packed with features to make your streams look professional.

Key Benefits

  • Multistreaming: Go live on multiple platforms at once (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.).
  • Easy Branding: Customize your live stream with logos, overlays, and backgrounds.
  • Guest Invites: Bring up to 10 guests on your stream with a simple link.
  • No Software Downloads: Works directly in your browser.

Pricing

They have arranged different pricing plans chosen for you. Sign Up to get your required plan.

Streamyard Pricing

Pros

  • It’s super easy to use.
  • Great for multistreaming.
  • Affordable pricing.
  • Works in your browser.
  • Branding options.

Cons

  • Basic editing tools.
  • Free plan limitations.
  • Occasional glitche.
  • No mobile app.

What is Zencastr?

Zencastr? It’s all about audio.

Think podcast recording. Remote guests are easy.

Separate audio tracks are the key. It’s for clean, pro sound.

Also, explore our Zencastr Alternatikves.

Zencastr Introduction

Our Take

zencastr

Ready to record studio-quality audio without the studio? Zencastr has millions of recordings to prove it works. Explore it today!

Key Benefits

  • Studio-quality audio recordings: Capture lossless audio tracks for each participant, ensuring crystal-clear sound.
  • Cloud-based storage: Automatically save your recordings to the cloud for easy access and sharing.
  • Post-production tools: Edit and enhance your recordings directly within the platform.
  • Transcriptions: Automatically generate transcripts of your recordings.
  • Live editing: Edit your recordings in real time during the session.

Pricing

All the plans will be billed annually.

  • Standard: $18/month.
  • Grow: $24/month.
  • Scale: $40/month.
  • Business: $80/month.
Zencastr Pricing

Pros

  • User-friendly interface.
  • It has great sound quality, even with spotty internet.
  • Guests don’t need to download anything.
  • Lots of helpful podcasting features.
  • Free plan available.

Cons

  • The free plan has limitations.
  • There is no offline recording option.
  • The learning curve for advanced features.
  • Paid plans may be pricey for some.

Feature Comparison

StreamYard and Zencastr offer fundamentally different approaches to media creation.

StreamYard is a powerful, user friendly platform focused on live streaming and distribution to major platforms.

Zencastr is a dedicated podcast host and recording studio tool specializing in capturing local recordings for pristine, multi-track audio file quality.

This comparison details their key features for live streams versus on-demand podcast episodes.

1. Core Service and Primary Output

  • StreamYard: The core service is real-time live streaming and broadcast management. Its primary output is simultaneous live streams across major platforms like youtube live, and the video file of the recorded broadcast.
  • Zencastr: The core service is high-fidelity audio and video capture. Its primary output is the raw, local recordings of each speaker’s audio file and audio track, ensuring recording high quality audio for post-production editing.

2. Recording Technology and Quality

  • Zencastr: Utilizes local recordings technology to capture each person’s voice locally, guaranteeing recording high quality audio and minimal audio quality issues, regardless of the internet connection. This is essential for professional podcast recordings.
  • StreamYard: Focuses on the stability of the live stream and hd streaming. While it records recorded videos, the file quality is dependent on the host’s upload speed, as its priority is stable distribution to the youtube channel and other major platforms.
Youtube Video

3. Distribution and Workflow

  • StreamYard: Excels at multi stream distribution, allowing users to start streaming and pushing live streams and pre recorded video content to multiple destinations simultaneously. Streamyard’s incredible software streamlines the live workflow.
  • Zencastr: Focuses on the content creation side and the podcast production process. Its primary distribution is delivering the raw audio files to the podcast host for traditional editing and on-demand publishing.

4. Post-Production and Editing

  • Zencastr: Provides tools to quickly produce podcast episodes and handle the initial podcast production process, including features like post roll instant publish. The goal is to deliver clean, raw files for advanced editing.
  • StreamYard: Offers basic editing for recorded videos (trimming) and allows users to upload pre recorded video segments into the live stream. For deep post-production editing, the video file must be exported.

5. Content Format Focus

  • StreamYard: Is ideal for live video distribution, Q&A sessions, and video podcasts that emphasize real-time interaction and visual presentation to the youtube channel. You can use virtual backgrounds to enhance the presentation.
  • Zencastr: Is primarily built for podcast episodes and podcast recordings. While it supports video recording, its reputation and core features emphasize capturing the audio track with the highest fidelity.

6. Interview Management and Setup

  • StreamYard: The streamyard studio is highly user friendly and designed to easily bring on remote guests for live streams via a simple link, making live interviews and video podcasts straightforward.
  • Zencastr: Focuses on creating a dedicated recording room for professional podcast recordings. The podcast host invites guests to this isolated session to ensure the quality of the local recordings.
Youtube Video

7. Reliability and File Redundancy

  • Zencastr: The reliance on local recordings and recording high quality audio ensures that the podcast audio and podcast recordings are complete and high-quality, even if the internet connection is unstable mid-session.
  • StreamYard: Focuses on broadcast stability. While it records recorded videos, the file is often dependent on the cloud connection, though streamyard’s incredible software is generally reliable.

8. Access and Devices

  • StreamYard: The platform is browser based, making it highly accessible to most people who want to start streaming from any computer without a dedicated software install.
  • Zencastr: Is also browser based but offers specialized compatibility for mobile devices and various browser versions to ensure the highest quality local recordings from remote locations.

9. Features and Scalability

  • Zencastr: Offers unlimited recording time on its premium plans for both audio file and video assets. It is optimized for the podcast production process and the capture of clean, separate tracks.
  • StreamYard: The streamyard studio offers a range of features for branding, overlays, and multi stream distribution. It provides robust live video streaming capabilities to scale up your audience.

What to Look For in a Podcasting Tool?

  • Audio Quality: Prioritize platforms offering high-quality audio recording, especially for professional podcasts.
  • Video Capabilities: If video is essential, evaluate the platform’s video recording and streaming features.
  • Remote Guest Management: Look for tools that simplify remote interviews and guest management.
  • Editing & Post-Production: Consider the platform’s editing tools and integrations with external editing software.
  • Ease of Use: Choose a platform with an intuitive user interface, especially if you’re a beginner.
  • Multistreaming: If you plan to stream live, evaluate the platform’s multistreaming capabilities.
  • Pricing & Scalability: Consider your budget and the platform’s pricing plans, ensuring they scale with your podcast’s growth.
  • Integration: Consider integrations with other tools you use.
  • Customer support: Evaluate the level of support offered.

Final Verdict 

So, which one wins?

For most podcasters, it’s StreamYard. 

It’s just easier. You can stream live. You can bring on guests.

It’s simple. If you need studio-quality audio, Zencastr is good.

But it’s more about audio.

StreamYard is also better for video. Both are available for a free trial. We tested them.

We know what works.

If you want to make the best podcast, StreamYard is the better recording platform and podcasting software for most people.

It just helps you record audio and video without too much trouble.

More of Streamyard

Let’s see how Streamyard stacks up against these other streaming and recording platforms:

  • Streamyard vs Riverside: Streamyard is great for simple live interviews. Riverside prioritizes high-quality local audio and video recording for each guest, which is excellent for podcasts that also do live video.
  • Streamyard vs Restream: Both Streamyard and Restream are easy to use for multistreaming your live video to many platforms. Streamyard is known for its simple guest invitation and on-screen layout tools.
  • Streamyard vs Zencastr: Streamyard is for live video conversations and streaming. Zencastr is specifically for recording high-quality audio for podcasts with remote guests, not live video.
  • Streamyard vs Ecamm: Streamyard is a browser-based platform known for its ease of use. Ecamm Live is macOS software with more advanced control and features for live streaming and recording.
  • Streamyard vs Streamlabs: Streamyard is a simple, browser-based tool for live streaming with guests. Streamlabs is software you download with many features for stream customization, alerts, and overlays.
  • Streamyard vs Castr: Streamyard focuses on user-friendly live streaming with guest participation. Castr is a more robust platform for reliable live video streaming to multiple destinations.

More of Zencastr

Let’s see how Zencastr stacks up against these other recording and streaming platforms:

  • Zencastr vs Riverside: Both prioritize high-quality remote audio recording with local track capture. Riverside also offers robust video recording capabilities, which Zencastr lacks.
  • Zencastr vs Restream: Zencastr is specifically for high-quality audio recording for podcasts. Restream is primarily for live video streaming to multiple platforms, with recording as a secondary feature.
  • Zencastr vs Streamyard: Zencastr focuses on clean audio recording for podcasts. Streamyard is a browser-based tool mainly for live video streaming and recording conversations.
  • Zencastr vs Ecamm: Zencastr is designed for straightforward remote audio recording. Ecamm Live, for Mac users, offers extensive live streaming and recording features, including audio.
  • Zencastr vs Streamlabs: Zencastr is dedicated to high-quality podcast audio recording. Streamlabs is popular for live video streaming with audience engagement tools and recording features.
  • Zencastr vs Castr: Zencastr excels in remote audio recording for podcasts. Castr is a platform focused on reliable live video streaming to various destinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which podcast recording software offers the best studio-quality audio?

Zencastr is often praised for its studio quality audio. It records separate audio tracks for each guest, which makes editing easier and ensures clear sound. However, StreamYard offers good audio and easy video recording.

Can I use StreamYard for just audio podcasting?

Yes, you can. While StreamYard is known for video, you can use it to record audio-only podcasts. Turn off the camera. It’s still a functional podcast recording software.

Does Zencastr offer video recording capabilities?

Yes, Zencastr does offer video recording. However, its main strength is high-quality audio recording. If video is your primary focus, StreamYard may be a better fit.

Is either platform suitable for beginners in podcasting?

StreamYard is generally considered more beginner-friendly. Its interface is intuitive, and it’s easy to set up. Zencastr has a steeper learning curve, particularly for those new to audio editing.

Which platform is better for live podcasting with multiple guests?

StreamYard is better for live podcasting with multiple guests. It allows easy guest invites and an on-screen display. It also handles live chat and streaming to various platforms.

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