Choose how to go live: Web Studio vs. OBS

ApexStream gives you two ways to broadcast: produce your show right in your browser with Web Studio, or send a feed in from streaming software like OBS (or another encoder) and let ApexStream multistream it out. Here's how to pick.

Use Web Studio if you want an all-in-one production studio

Web Studio runs entirely in your browser — there's nothing to install. It's the better fit if you want:

• To bring on remote guests with just a link, with no downloads or accounts required for them.
• Built-in scenes and layouts (Full Camera, Split Screen, Picture-in-Picture, and more), plus overlays like your logo, a scrolling ticker, or a countdown timer.
• A screen share or extra camera source without configuring anything outside ApexStream.
• The simplest path to going live: open Web Studio, switch on your destinations, and click Go Live.

Use OBS (or another encoder) if you already have a broadcasting setup

If you already produce your show in dedicated streaming software — for advanced scene composition, capture cards, plugins, or a workflow you've already built — connect it to ApexStream instead:

1. In your dashboard's stream setup settings, find your ingest URL and stream key, and pick a protocol — RTMP, RTMPS, or, on Creator plans and above, SRT.
2. Enter that server URL and stream key into OBS's (or your encoder's) stream settings.
3. Start streaming from your software. ApexStream receives your feed and sends it out to every destination you've switched on, the same as it would from Web Studio.

For the steadiest stream, use CBR rate control, a 2-second keyframe interval, and the H.264 codec, and keep your bitrate within your plan's cap.

Good to know: You're not locked into one or the other. Some creators use Web Studio for guest interviews and switch to OBS for more advanced productions — either way, the same multistreaming, destinations, and plan limits apply.