Larix Broadcaster vs Owncasts
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/
Owncasts
Discover and watch independent live streams from various sources. Receive instant notifications when your favorite streamers go live, ensuring you never miss an update. This app aggregates content from Owncast-powered platforms.
- Watch independent live streams
- Get notified when streamers go live
- Aggregate Owncast-powered content
- On-the-go viewing
Read full descriptionHide full description
Add your favorite Owncast-powered live streams to watch on the go. Get notified when streamers go live so you'll never miss out. If you're an Owncast streamer, you can stream to your personal instance directly from this app!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Larix Broadcaster at 56% against Owncasts's 0%. Larix Broadcaster also leads on ratings volume (131 vs 7). Owncasts's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (3.9 vs 3.6). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Owncasts asks for nothing beyond the download.
Owncasts 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 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Larix Broadcaster's written reviews are positive against 0% of Owncasts'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, Owncasts weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Larix Broadcaster | Owncasts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (131 ratings) | 3.9 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Furtree Systems, Inc. | Gabe Kangas |
Customer experience
Larix Broadcaster
Owncasts
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
Owncasts
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
Owncasts
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Larix Broadcaster free?
Is Owncasts free?
Which has better reviews, Larix Broadcaster or Owncasts?
Do Larix Broadcaster or Owncasts have ads?
Which is updated more often, Larix Broadcaster or Owncasts?
Other comparisons
