OBS Studio vs. Vimeo

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
OBS Studio
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, featuring real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Users can create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards.N/A
Vimeo
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Vimeo is a video experience platform. They enable anyone to create high-quality video experiences to connect and bring ideas to life. They proudly serve their growing community of nearly 300 million users — from creative storytellers to globally distributed teams at the world's largest companies.
$9
per month
Pricing
OBS StudioVimeo
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Starter
$9
per month
Standard
$25
per month
Advanced
$65
per month
Enterprise
Contact sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
OBS StudioVimeo
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
OBS StudioVimeo
Considered Both Products
OBS Studio
Chose OBS Studio
Only one reason which is that OBS studio is free and open source and we had team members capable of using it effectively. Other softwares have great prebuilt features which make it super easy to go live for small streams and individual streamers.
Chose OBS Studio
I've tried both Meld and Bandicam in the past. But OBS seems like the best to me. I've been using OBS for a few years now, it's nice that it's free :) not opposed to paying for good software, but OBS seems to be the best of the bunch and it's free, so I've stuck with it …
Chose OBS Studio
I've used Zoom to capture my screen on video. Although the tool is obviously not primarily built to fulfill that function. To capture basic tasks on video, zoom could do the trick but as soon as it gets a bit complex or lengthy, or you need to use multiple video inputs, I would …
Chose OBS Studio
OBS is far more customizable and user-friendly than any other broadcasting software I have found. It keeps things simple while allowing you to customize your layout exactly how you want it - there are more user-friendly options, but none with the customizability of OBS. I would …
Chose OBS Studio
I have also used TinyTake by Mango Apps and I prefer OBS studio because the video quality results are better and OBS allows you to record an unlimited length of the video. OBS also lets you record an entire screen instead of manually having to draw your parameters, which can …
Chose OBS Studio
I first was recommended beta version of mmhmm but it was not available for Windows OS. I tried it when it became available but it was too late for me to switch and I stayed with OBS. OBS did everything I needed and it is free
Chose OBS Studio
I have never use anything like OBS Studio. This is very easy to use. I just saw some reviews online and downloaded OBS Studio. This is free for download, easy to run, no virus and no watermark.OBS Studio is a great programme for advanced users and there are no time limits.
Chose OBS Studio
OBS is the only robust screen capture with a stable graphical user interface that works on Linux (that I could find). That's why I originally chose it. Since the program is cross-platform, I have been able to keep using it. I could switch back to Panopto, now that I am on …
Chose OBS Studio
We checked out a lot of alternatives, which were simply too expensive for us when we are just in the startup stage of livestreaming.
Chose OBS Studio
The fact that it's free is helpful and it is so unique with the level of technology it provides for such a low cost that it is worth trying. Now that we use it every day, why know that there is a paid professional version that offers even more features.

I didn't do a hard …
Chose OBS Studio
Webex has its uses, particularly when meeting viewers need to participate, but we always use OBS Studio when they don't need to interact (just view).
Chose OBS Studio
OBS takes a lot more work to get started with than Google Hangouts, but you get a much more high quality output from it. It even works better with YouTube than Hangout, which is odd since it is also owned by Google. You can not set a poser image on a YouTube live stream when …
Chose OBS Studio
Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder (obsolete, clunky and not always clear what's wrong when it was giving us issues)
Wirecast (too pricey for what we needed)
Vimeo
Chose Vimeo
Vimeo has a more secure hosting environment than Facebook Live. We can push to Facebook from Vimeo, so that eliminated the need for Facebook alone. YouTube has too many ad interactions, and too many suggested videos on the sidebar, so the Vimeo site has a cleaner and more …
Chose Vimeo
It is a similar alternative to Vimeo. It is a cloud-based video platform that offers a suite of tools for businesses to manage, deliver, and monetize their video content.
Chose Vimeo
Vimeo is more reasonably priced and a little more user-friendly. Plus, I like the look of it and that I can use it at a price that doesn't break the bank for a small business like mine. It seems to have more features than these other platforms, so you don't have to have so many …
Chose Vimeo
We have used You Tube, but do not like that an add for ANYTHING may pop up before your video plays. In a setting where there are parents/families or members of our leadership group this can and has led to some very awkward moments that we have had to try and laugh off.
Chose Vimeo
The only thing was the ability to stream pre-recorded videos hosted on Vimeo which recently totally failed to deliver and that's why we are leaving.
Chose Vimeo
Cinesend is a MUCH slicker platform. It integrates well with our website, and provides a much better branded experience. It costs slightly less, and provides much better access to information and user control.

If you have a reasonable level of website knowledge in your company, …
Chose Vimeo
Youtube does not have the ability to livestream from anything other than your computer unless you have more than 1,000 subscribers. Vimeo on the other hand allow you to livestream from mobile, camera etc, you just have to subscribe.

Wistia does not have livestream capability.
Chose Vimeo
We are currently looking at Dacast as an alternative option to Vimeo for many obvious reasons. However, we have not tried Dacast yet, we will be doing a free trial next week. While they offer a lower storage that Vimeo, and cost about 400 more per year than Vimeo, they offer …
Chose Vimeo
Vimeo leaves ClickMeeting in the dust when comparing compatibility on social media and other platforms. Vimeo has also been proven to be much more customizable. In ClickMeeting for example, video formatting may be changed if a certain font is not recognized by ClickMeeting. It …
Chose Vimeo
We publish our films to Vimeo and YouTube, but our films come first to Vimeo by way of Frame.Io, which is our client editing platform. The videos move over from Frame.Io to Vimeo effortlessly, with longer films moving slowly and shorter films moving quickly. After the films are …
Chose Vimeo
For our business applications, the primary competitor to Vimeo is YouTube, although Dailymotion is arguably a competitor for some of our business applications, though not others. The most complete full-featured competitor for our business use cases is YouTube, and I think Vimeo …
Chose Vimeo
We also use YouTube to publish our films, but that is more for SEO sake than for everyday use. Vimeo is the primary way we share films whether via the direct URL or by sharing the video link on our social media.
Chose Vimeo
Dropbox takes much longer to upload than Vimeo. Vimeo is much more user-friendly and allows for more customization.
Chose Vimeo
We also use Youtube to host our videos, but rely principally on Vimeo for hosting them to our site and sharing them with others. Vimeo has a great feature where it allows you to update a video if you ever make changes to it. While the video file changes, the URL and all embeds …
Chose Vimeo
Similar in nature. Integration with MAP and SFDC were a bit more built out and native with Wistia. Folder management is on par with both.
Chose Vimeo
Vimeo is best suited for internal video sharing and proofing as well as video storage for creatives, such as video editors and marketers. I think most organizations who need a simple, lightweight access-controlled video sharing platform should use Vimeo since it is easy enough …
Chose Vimeo
We've tried YouTube in the past, and it's just not as good as Vimeo. Vimeo is a software that's built for professionals. And while it doesn't have the "marketability" of Youtube, it looks and FEELS better than a traditional YouTube setting, which is quickly becoming a platform …
Chose Vimeo
YouTube was the platform we primarily used previously, after having restrictions and having locked out of a couple of accounts we needed a better platform. We also lost some of our videos. We also have an internal app to track client videos and Vimeo supported it better. With …
Chose Vimeo
The only competitor we've used to Vimeo is YouTube. Both offer embedded players, basic view counts, etc... but Vimeo has (in my opinion) easier customization for embed options, security features, and thumbnail selection. Youtube has a better recommendation system and the …
Chose Vimeo
In higher ed we have a couple of options that integrate directly with our LMS (Blackboard/Canvas) that are comparable. Kaltura is outstanding but it's very expensive whereas I've found Viddler(and YouTube) to be much more simplistic. I've worked with other tools that want to …
Chose Vimeo
I recall that we looked at YouTube and Wistia. We were looking for a solid, no-frills solution to host and embed videos within our application, and Vimeo just seemed to do that the best, and at the best price.
Chose Vimeo
We use Zoom for a lot of recordings (webinars, videos, etc.) but it doesn't stack up to Vimeo Pro in terms of features and functionality. So we just use Zoom for recording purposes now.
Chose Vimeo
In my opinion, Vimeo Pro beats these competing products hands down because it has customizable features and just for video. The other services treat your videos only as files (indistinguishable from other file types except by their extension and preview). The ability to offer …
Features
OBS StudioVimeo
Video Marketing
Comparison of Video Marketing features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
5.2
Ratings
36% below category average
Lead generation00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Video personalization00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
eCommerce00 Ratings3.00 Ratings
Support for advertisements00 Ratings2.90 Ratings
Video SEO00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Integration to Marketing Automation00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Video Platform Integrations
Comparison of Video Platform Integrations features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
2.8
Ratings
75% below category average
Integration to Salesforce.com00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Integration to Marketo00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Integration to HubSpot00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Integration to Eloqua00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Integration to LMS00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Video Security
Comparison of Video Security features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
9.7
Ratings
9% above category average
Video access controls00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
User management00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Video link sharing00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Internal video00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
External video00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Video Player
Comparison of Video Player features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
8.8
Ratings
4% above category average
Player customization00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Embedded videos00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Video quality / Bandwidth controls00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Mobile compatibility00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Video Analytics
Comparison of Video Analytics features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
9.0
Ratings
14% above category average
A/B testing00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Streaming quality reports00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Per viewer tracking00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Per video tracking00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Video analytics dashboard00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Video Hosting, Management & Storage
Comparison of Video Hosting, Management & Storage features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
9.5
Ratings
9% above category average
On-Demand video00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Live streaming00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Impact of streaming on network00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Video upload & format support00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Video library / File management00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Video portal00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Video Engagement
Comparison of Video Engagement features of Product A and Product B
OBS Studio
-
Ratings
Vimeo
4.9
Ratings
47% below category average
Audience polling00 Ratings1.10 Ratings
Audience Q&A / Live chat00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Video comments00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Best Alternatives
OBS StudioVimeo
Small Businesses
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
Wistia
Wistia
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
Flipgrid
Flipgrid
Score 1.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Zoom Events & Webinars
Zoom Events & Webinars
Score 8.5 out of 10
Panopto
Panopto
Score 8.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
OBS StudioVimeo
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
OBS StudioVimeo
Likelihood to Recommend
From simple streaming to bigger events, OBS has been able to handle all of it with full confidence from us. Have never questioned if it was going to be unreliable in a specific situation, even with minimal training. Software identified the external input source easily and had no issues setting that up (Blackmagic Mini Recorder), and great for pulling in separate audio from the computer input.
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If you're a small company with one or two employees, I'm sure that Vimeo is great. When it comes to larger organizations and teams, they clearly are treating such customers stepmotherly. You need a basic account in order to be an admin on a Pro-plan team, but you only get basic support (3 days wait). The teams function is riddled with bugs and affects the whole experience. In this case, I would not recommend Vimeo at all.
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Pros
  • Free software for live telecast
  • Open source project for video recording
  • Powerful video recording
  • Written in C and C++
  • Totally virus free and free download
  • Collaborates with Facebook live and YouTube live streaming.
  • Computer screen recording
  • A hub for collectting source and broadcast
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  • Image and Branding - Vimeo has always had an edge on design and branding versus its competitors like YouTube. Using Vimeo as a content delivery platform gives the appearance of being luxurious and having a high-end product.
  • Video Configuration - I've used YouTube through multiple iterations of their video management and configuration options, and Vimeo has continued to beat it hands down, both in ease of use and robustness. I can easily organize my Vimeo videos into tags and playlists while I still struggle with YouTube, where it is quite laborious.
  • User Interaction - Vimeo allows you to capture user email addresses for email lists with ease, something its competitors have not figured out yet. You can easily split your video into chapters and hyperlink from within the video to other areas, features which competitors like YouTube have in some form but not nearly as easy to use or well-implemented as Vimeo.
  • Video Analytics - Vimeo has a full-featured analytics suite that helps content creators understand user interaction and engagement with their videos.
  • Versioning and Collaboration - Vimeo has workflows for video history and for collaboration where you can have a content creator upload a video which enters a pipeline for an editor to approve. I have not used these workflows, but it's pretty cool that they have implemented features like this.
  • Custom Micro-Sites - I have only ever embedded Vimeo videos in websites that I've created, or sent them as links to clients, but I have seen well-designed micro-sites for content creators built using Vimeo. Overall, Vimeo does design and branding very well. Their micro-sites look much better, visually speaking, than competitors like YouTube whose equivalent feature, the YouTube Channel, just seems dry in comparison.
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Cons
  • OBS can be a little clunky sometimes, the lots of features can be a bit overwhelming
  • I can multitask with it, but can't run heavy software like Premiere alongside it
  • No way to make adjustments to file after it's done, have to use After Effects or Premiere for that
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  • The Vimeo videos do not appear on search engine results, it would be better if search engines can find them.
  • The search option can be made better. Looking up for old videos are a hassle sometimes.
  • Can have CC autogeneration option, it would be better.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
I usually extract the links of all lectures from the embed code, but now Vimeo is not allowing that feature. Instead, I have to copy the whole embed code and then extract the URL from the embed code separately. This process has become cumbersome and a bit of hassle since I don't need the whole embed code.
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Usability
Very usable because it is free and has had a lot of people helping to suggest improvements and sponsors have allowed the product to grow in sophistication and suitability across a variety of situations and use needs. It is very logical to use once you get started, although the dashboard can seem intimidating at first.
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The design is clean and intuitive for the most part, which allows for ease of use by both novice and experience users. We are grateful for the ways that the front-end video player is easy to navigate and intuitive to use, and the backend is generally designed the same way. Tools and options are where you expect to find them, and it was easy to navigate the storage on the backend through folders and content filters
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
I use Vimeo all the time, and never had any issues with the system.
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Performance
No answers on this topic
Vimeo does well in performance with systems with ease. I have not encountered any issues with loading pages or slowing down in other software or systems.
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Support Rating
For a free product, a range of support is available. There are plenty of ways to find out answers to questions, because there are probably thousands of people using the product who are willing to share what they have learned. It usually works as designed, so needs for support are limited.
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Terrible support. When I subscribed to Premium we were guaranteed support. However, after the first e-mail I received from them, I never heard from them again. I sent several emails over the course of a couple of weeks acknowledging that due to covid, I did not expect a miracle overnight and that I was keen to work on the issue with them. I have not heard from customer service at all. This is very disappointing. We lost customers due to the poor quality of the livestreams and were left to sort the issue out without their help.
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
Vimeo does provide the legwork of content curation and management of sources. The quality of content is not bad from a viewer's point of view. I think the analytics could use a little bit of improvement, only because my department has a lot of users.
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Alternatives Considered
Only one reason which is that OBS studio is free and open source and we had team members capable of using it effectively. Other softwares have great prebuilt features which make it super easy to go live for small streams and individual streamers.
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Vimeo is more reasonably priced and a little more user-friendly. Plus, I like the look of it and that I can use it at a price that doesn't break the bank for a small business like mine. It seems to have more features than these other platforms, so you don't have to have so many different platforms just for your video needs.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
Vimeo does well with integrating videos in the Absorb LMS that I currently manage.
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Return on Investment
  • It was great to have a platform that is free that I can experiment with without having to use our business capital on.
  • It took time to learn, but it helped me understand a lot of things, so it was a great learning experience.
  • It was a great balance of cost and time with the high-quality product we got from it.
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  • General membership engagement has increased significantly. We are accustomed to 20-35% of users viewing content and that has increased to about 40-60% within the past 5 months.
  • We have found that linking a Vimeo video where the video can be viewed in-app or on the website is when we see most views, rather than redirecting users to the Vimeo account.
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ScreenShots