Buffer vs Streamlabs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Buffer
Streamline your social media presence by planning, scheduling, and publishing content across multiple platforms from one app. Engage with your audience and track performance with insightful analytics. Ideal for creators looking to grow their online presence efficiently.
- Cross-platform posting
- Content scheduling
- Idea organization
- Performance analytics
- Calendar view
- Apple Watch app
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Post to every social platform with a single app — simple, flexible, and powerful. Buffer helps creators stay consistent without the busywork. Plan and publish your posts automatically, engage with your audience, and keep track of what’s working, all from your phone. Whether you’re sharing your first TikTok, building an audience on LinkedIn, or running multiple accounts, Buffer gives you the tools to grow without feeling overwhelmed. What’s new in v15.0 • Fresh new design with Apple’s Liquid Glass system • Brand-new Apple Watch app (queues, goals, streaks, ideas) • Capture ideas instantly with the iOS Shortcut, Action Button, or on your wrist • New calendar day view across all channels WHY CREATORS LOVE BUFFER PLAN, SCHEDULE, AND PUBLISH • Share to Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, and more. • Schedule YouTube Shorts, TikToks, Instagram Reels, and Stories. • Cross-post content across platforms with a single tap KEEP YOUR IDEAS ORGANIZED • Save inspiration in a central content library • Use tags to keep ideas organized by theme or campaign • Move ideas straight to your schedule when ready SEE WHAT WORKS • Simple analytics and reports show your top-performing posts • Track growth, clicks, and engagement A CALENDAR BUILT FOR CREATORS • Get an at-a-glance view of your upcoming posts • Drill down from a monthly to weekly view NEED HELP? Our friendly team is here for you with world-class support via email and social. Email: hello@buffer.com Twitter: @buffer Facebook: http://facebook.com/bufferapp Instagram: @buffer Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bufferapp/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bufferapp Privacy Policy: https://buffer.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://buffer.com/legal/terms-of-use/year/2023
Streamlabs
This app enables creators to broadcast live video from their mobile devices to various platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. Stream mobile games or your camera feed, customize your stream with themes and widgets, and engage with viewers through alerts. Monetize your content with tips and ensure stream stability with advanced features.
- Stream to multiple platforms
- Live stream mobile games
- IRL camera streaming
- Stream customization with themes
- Add alerts and widgets
- Collect viewer tips
- Disconnect protection
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Streamlabs is the best free video live streaming app for creators. Stream mobile games or your camera to platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Kick, Facebook, Instagram, and more! STREAM OR MULTISTREAM TO ANY PLATFORM Connect your channels to live stream to the most popular platforms or your custom RTMP destination. With an Ultra subscription you can broadcast video to multiple platforms at the same time, maximizing your growth potential. LIVE STREAM GAMES Share your mobile game skills! Whether it’s Monopoly Go, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Among Us, Clash Royale, Rocket League Sideswipe, Pokemon GO, World of Tanks, or any other mobile game, the app makes it easy to go live and share gameplay with your fans. IRL STREAM Swap between front and rear cameras to stream high quality video to your community. Whether you’re a travel vlogger, musician, podcaster, or just chatting, the app lets you take your audience with you on the go. PERSONALIZE YOUR STREAM Customize your stream’s look with themes in a few easy taps. You can also add your logo, images, and text to your stream. ADD ALERTS & WIDGETS Interact with your viewers and drive audience engagement with Alert Box, Chat Box, Event List, Goals, and more. DISCONNECT PROTECTION With Streamlabs Ultra, your stream won’t go offline even if you lose connection, so you don’t lose your viewers. GET PAID WITH TIPS Set up a Streamlabs Tip Page to start collecting tips directly from your viewers. Plus, thank your tippers with fully-integrated on screen tip alerts. Your fans are waiting! Privacy Policy: https://streamlabs.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://streamlabs.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Buffer at 4.7 against Streamlabs's 3.9. Buffer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (54% vs 29%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Buffer sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Streamlabs sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Buffer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buffer has 35K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Buffer's written reviews are positive against 29% of Streamlabs's.
Buffer ships an update every 5 days, Streamlabs every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.
| Parameter | Buffer | Streamlabs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (35K ratings) — better | 3.9 (1.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews — better | 29.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 35K — better | 1.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #125 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Buffer, Inc. | Streamlabs |
Customer experience
Buffer
Streamlabs
User reviews
Buffer
From 35K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💻 Easy to use
- 🕰️ Convenient scheduling
- 🔍 Helpful for social media management
- 🤖 Automated posting
- 📈 Improved engagement and growth
Room to improve
- 🐛 Stability issues and bugs
- 🔗 Unreliable platform integrations
- 📸 Limited image/video handling capabilities
- 🔒 Frustrating login/authentication problems
- 💰 Expensive paid plans
Streamlabs
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Reliable streaming
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable overlays
- 📢 Good for IRL streaming
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes/disconnections
- 🔇 Audio issues (sync, mute, quality)
- 📱 Limited mobile functionality (no screen recording, overlays)
- 🤔 Confusing settings/UI
Bugs and requests
Buffer
Reported bugs
5 issues- Drafts not registering in visual calendar
- Inability to reorder scheduled posts
- Inconsistent behavior between mobile and desktop versions
- Automatic posting not working as expected
- Issues with image/video quality and formatting
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for Twitter threads
- Improve visual planning and calendar view
- Integrate with more platforms like Slack and Discord
- Allow more customization and control over posts
- Provide better analytics and performance insights
Streamlabs
Reported bugs
4 issues- Attempted to start invalid broadcast session
- Streaming stops unexpectedly
- Overlays not working as expected
- Microphone/audio issues
Requested features
4 requests- Add screen recording support
- Improve audio settings and quality
- Allow more customization and overlays for mobile
- Provide better tutorials and documentation
In-app purchases
Buffer
- Essentials - 1 Channel$5.991 Month
- Essentials+Team: 1 Channel$11.991 Month
- Essentials - 2 Channels$11.991 Month
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- Pro for 1 Month2 variants$14.991 Month
- Essentials - 3 Channels$17.991 Month
- Essentials - 4 Channels$23.991 Month
- Essentials - 5 Channels$29.991 Month
- Essentials - 6 Channels$35.991 Month
- Small Business$99.991 Month
- Small Business for 1 Month$99.991 Month
- Pro for 1 Year$144.991 Year
Streamlabs
- Monthly Ultra$4.991 Month
- Monthly Ultra2 variants$9.991 Month
- Monthly Ultra$18.991 Month
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- Monthly Ultra$27.991 Month
- Yearly Ultra$49.991 Year
- Monthly Ultra+$79.991 Month
- Yearly Ultra$99.991 Year
- Yearly Ultra$119.991 Year
- Yearly Ultra$149.991 Year
- Yearly Ultra$189.991 Year









