Larix Broadcaster vs Play Stream
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Larix Broadcaster
This professional streaming camera app enables high-performance live broadcasting from mobile devices. It supports a wide range of protocols including SRT, RTMP, and NDI, offering advanced features for video and audio contribution. Configure multiple streams, add overlays, and record your broadcasts with ease.
- Multiple streaming protocols (SRT, RTMP, NDI, WebRTC, RTSP, RIST)
- High-performance H.264/HEVC video encoding
- Configurable connection profiles and multi-destination streaming
- Overlay features (image, text, HTML, GPS-based)
- Multi-camera capture and picture-in-picture modes
- Recording and screenshot capabilities
- Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Stream live from your iPhone or iPad - broadcast-quality video to any server, platform, or production switcher. No encoder box, no desktop setup required. Whether you're streaming IRL to Twitch or Kick, covering breaking news in the field, or feeding a remote production over NDI - Larix Broadcaster gives you the tools professional broadcasters rely on. PROTOCOLS & CODECS Supports SRT, RTMP/RTMPS, WebRTC WHIP, NDI HX2, RTSP, RIST, and Zixi. Video encoding in H.264 and H.265/HEVC. Audio in AAC or Opus depending on protocol. Multiple simultaneous outputs available (Premium). CAMERA & VIDEO Multi-camera capture with picture-in-picture and side-by-side modes. Front and back cameras with live switching, portrait and landscape rotation. UltraHD resolution, Dolby Vision HDR, and adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR). USB camera input on iPadOS 17 and later. Center Stage supported on iPad. OVERLAYS & RECORDING Image, text, HTML, and GPS-based overlays. Assign different overlay sets to live, paused, and stand-by states. Record streams as MP4 to iCloud. SEI/NTP metadata insertion for multi-camera sync. PROFESSIONAL FEATURES Talkback audio return via SRT, RTMP, Icecast, and SLDP. NDI tally light for on-air feedback. Stand-by mode for pre-configured stream launch. Larix Grove for sharing connection settings via QR code or deep link. LARIX PREMIUM - $9.99/month Removes the default watermark. Unlocks multiple simultaneous outputs, Talkback, HEVC encoding, advanced overlays, ABR streaming, and more. Manage licenses and control devices remotely via Larix Tuner. Learn more: https://softvelum.com/larix/premium/ RESOURCES Docs: https://softvelum.com/larix/docs/ Video tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhj0_QbtfTw Larix Broadcaster uses Apple's Standard License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Play Stream
This application allows users to play live streams and videos using the RTMP protocol. It also supports playback of 360-degree video streams for URLs containing "360" in their path.
- RTMP stream playback
- Video playback
- 360 video stream support
- Plays animation movies
Read full descriptionHide full description
Play Stream is a stream player which supports play streams via RTMP protocol. With Play Stream you can play videos and live streams. Also player support 360 video streams for urls which contains "360" substring in path. I used "Big Buck BUNNY" animation movie from https://peach.blender.org/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Play Stream at none against Larix Broadcaster's 3. Play Stream also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.6) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). Larix Broadcaster's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (131 vs 21). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Larix Broadcaster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Play Stream asks for nothing beyond the download.
Play Stream holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Larix Broadcaster has 131 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Larix Broadcaster's written reviews are positive against 50% of Play Stream's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Larix Broadcaster ships an update every 3 weeks, Play Stream every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Larix Broadcaster | Play Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (131 ratings) | 3.9 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.1% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Furtree Systems, Inc. | Dmytro Hrebeniuk |
Customer experience
Larix Broadcaster
Play Stream
Bugs and requests
Larix Broadcaster
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes frequently after recent updates
- Overlay rotation bug - upside down in preview mode
- Audio drops when switching between cameras
- Auto-focus triggering every other second during streams
- Audio encoder crashes when changing lenses mid-stream
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Bluetooth microphone crashes entire audio stack
- RTMP connection drops without error messages
- Web widget add button non-functional on iPhone 15
- Stream breaks every few seconds on some devices
- Audio distortion and popping with increasing frequency during long streams
- Garbled audio during streaming
- App crashes on iPhone 7 Plus - camera won't display
- Connection setup issues for RTSP streaming
- Incompatibility with iPad OS 13.1 causing crashes
- Audio interface (PreSonus AudioBox iOne) not recognized reliably
- YouTube streaming no longer works - outdated guide
- Camera won't show on certain iPhone models despite permissions
Requested features
18 requests- Custom resolution and canvas size adjustment
- External SDI/HDMI source support via USB capture cards
- Working video stabilization mode
- In-app feedback mechanism
- Zoom in/out functionality
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Microphone gain/level adjustment for built-in mic
- Pause screen customization with user-selected images/audio
- Watermark/overlay icon support
- Current zoom level indicator
- Browser overlay for live chat and alerts
- Screen recording and streaming capability
- SRTLA protocol support
- Manual and feature documentation
- Lower pricing tiers for limited use cases
- Lifetime license option
- Disable iPhone image stabilization toggle
- 60 FPS support
- Keep stream active when switching apps with audio continuation
Play Stream
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Larix Broadcaster
- Larix Premium$9.991 Month
- NDI Streaming$19.991 Month
- Larix Premium One Year$119.001 Year
Play Stream
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Larix Broadcaster free?
Is Play Stream free?
Which has better reviews, Larix Broadcaster or Play Stream?
Do Larix Broadcaster or Play Stream have ads?
Which is updated more often, Larix Broadcaster or Play Stream?
Other comparisons
