Restream vs Wave.video Comparison 2026
Restream does one job, take a live feed and multistream it to up to eight platforms at once with unified chat, free for 2 channels and $19 a month for 3 with no branding. Wave.video does three jobs on one bill: an editor, a video host with stated bandwidth and storage allowances, and live streaming to several destinations, from a free plan of fifteen watermarked minutes and 10GB a month. Restream is the tool if live distribution is the whole need. Wave.video is the tool if the same video also needs editing and a home to embed from.
Stream to eight platforms from one encoder
Editing, hosting and streaming on one plan
At a glance
- Wave.video starts cheaper, at $16.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Restream | Wave.video | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19 | From $16 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
Restream
Stream to eight platforms from one encoder
Restream takes one video feed and pushes it to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and the rest at once, then pulls every chat back into one window so a host can read them all. The free tier does two destinations, which is enough to test whether multistreaming suits your show. Recording storage clears after fifteen days on the cheaper plans.
Only on this side
- Works with TikTok
- Works with Podcast
Wave.video
Editing, hosting and streaming on one plan
Wave.video puts three things on one bill that are normally three subscriptions: an editor, a video host with embeds, and live streaming out to several destinations at once. The hosting side states its bandwidth and storage allowances rather than claiming they are unlimited, and charges per gigabyte beyond them. It suits somebody whose video mostly ends up on their own site.
Our note
The stated allowances are worth more than they look, because most bundled hosting hides its limits until you cross one. Compare the traffic ceiling against your actual monthly views before assuming the bundle is cheaper than buying separately.
Why people weigh these two
- Wave.video instead of Restream
- Wave.video folds editing and hosting in alongside the streaming, a free tier and paid from $16 against Restream's $19, for somebody who wants the clips repurposed afterward without a separate editor.
- Restream instead of Wave.video
- Restream pushes to eight platforms from one encoder, with a free tier and plans from $19, streaming-only rather than the editor and host Wave.video adds.
Which one should you pick
Choose Restream if multistreaming and unified chat are the entire job: the free plan already reaches 2 channels, and $19 a month removes the branding and adds a third. Cloud recordings clear after 15 days on the cheaper plans, so pull anything worth keeping before then, and Business at $239 a month reaches 8 channels with a website player and team seats.
Choose Wave.video if editing and hosting are also needed, since it replaces three separate subscriptions with one: an editor, embeddable video hosting with stated bandwidth rather than a vague unlimited claim, and multistreaming. Compare its hosting ceiling, 150GB of traffic on the lower tier and 500GB on the next, against actual monthly views before assuming the bundle is cheaper than buying pieces separately, since overage runs 10 cents a gigabyte. The free plan caps recording at fifteen minutes with a watermark.
Common questions
- Does Restream include a video editor like Wave.video does?
- No. Restream is built around taking a live feed and multistreaming it, with cloud recording, but no editing tools. Wave.video bundles a basic editor into every plan, including the free one, alongside its hosting and streaming.
- Which one can host video for embedding on my own site?
- Wave.video can: it states its embed count and bandwidth allowance by tier, 150GB of traffic on the lower paid tier and 500GB on the next, with overage at 10 cents a gigabyte. Restream has no video hosting product; its cloud recordings clear after 15 or 30 days depending on plan.
- How many platforms can each one stream to at once?
- Restream reaches up to 8 at once on its Business tier, with the free plan covering 2. Wave.video also multistreams to several destinations, though a maximum destination count is not stated the way Restream's plan cards state one.
- Is Wave.video's pricing monthly or annual?
- That is not clearly stated. The pricing page shows a monthly and annual toggle with no label on which rate the listed cards reflect, so treat the $16, $24 and $48 figures as unconfirmed on cadence. Restream's prices are explicitly monthly, with annual billing saving 20 percent as a separate option.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.