OBS Studio is free, open-source software for recording your screen and streaming live to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and anywhere else that accepts RTMP. It composites multiple sources — screen, webcam, images, browser overlays — into scenes you switch between mid-broadcast. There is no watermark, no recording time limit and no paid tier.
Why Choose OBS Studio?
Most free screen recorders stamp a watermark on your video, cap you at a few minutes, or both. OBS Studio does neither. It is open source, records for as long as your disk allows, and exports clean footage you can publish or sell.
It is also what the platforms themselves assume you are using. Streaming guides for Twitch and YouTube are written around OBS scenes and sources, and most overlay packs and alert services ship OBS-ready browser sources. That ecosystem is worth more day to day than any single feature.
The honest trade-off is the learning curve. OBS is a small production studio rather than a record button, and the first session involves setting up a scene before anything happens. Budget twenty minutes; after that it is faster than anything else.
OBS Studio Features
- Unlimited scenes and sources — build a full layout of screen, webcam, logo and alerts, then switch between scenes live
- Streams direct to major platforms — YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Live and any RTMP destination
- High-performance recording to MP4 or MKV, with NVENC, AMD and Intel hardware encoding so gameplay does not stutter
- Per-source audio mixer with noise suppression, gain and a noise gate built in
- Studio Mode — preview the next scene before you cut to it, the way a broadcast desk works
- No watermark and no time limit, which is the whole reason to use a free screen recorder no watermark
- Plugin ecosystem for virtual camera, replay buffer, stream decks and scene automation
How to Set Up OBS Studio
- Ask for the official link. Use the request button on this page and we send you the current obsproject.com address — the only safe OBS download.
- Run the auto-configuration wizard on first launch. It tests your machine and network and sets a sensible resolution and bitrate, which is far better than guessing.
- Add a source. In the Sources box press +, then Display Capture to record the whole screen, or Game Capture for a specific game. Add Video Capture Device for your webcam on top.
- Check your audio. Desktop Audio is your system sound, Mic/Aux is your microphone. Watch both meters move before you record anything — silent audio is the most common OBS mistake.
- Record or stream. Start Recording saves locally; Start Streaming needs your stream key from YouTube or Twitch, pasted into Settings → Stream.
Downloading OBS Studio in India
OBS is the same worldwide — no India build, no regional licence, nothing to pay. An OBS Studio download in India gets the identical package from obsproject.com.
Streaming from India, the setting that matters most is upload bitrate rather than the download. If your connection is modest, 720p at a lower bitrate produces a far better stream than 1080p that keeps dropping frames.
Is OBS Studio really free?
Open Source. Source code is public; free to use, study and modify. You can download and use it without paying, and without creating an account with us.
How to download OBS Studio safely
Use the request button on this page and we will email you the current link for obsproject.com — the publisher's own website — so you receive the authentic, digitally signed build. We do not host, mirror, patch or repackage this software in any way.
Avoid third-party "download manager" sites offering OBS Studio. They commonly wrap the genuine installer in their own bundler, which is how adware and browser hijackers get onto a machine that the user believed was clean.
Alternatives to OBS Studio
Other free screen capture & recording software worth comparing before you decide:
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Frequently asked questions
Is OBS Studio really free?
Yes, entirely. OBS Studio is open source under the GPL. There is no paid version, no watermark, no recording limit and no account. You can use footage recorded with it commercially.
Does OBS Studio put a watermark on recordings?
No. Recordings and streams are clean. This is the main reason people move to OBS from free recorders that stamp a logo on every export.
Is OBS Studio safe to download?
Yes, from obsproject.com. It carries no bundled software. As with any popular free tool, the risk is entirely in downloading from a mirror rather than the project's own site.
Can OBS record gameplay without slowing the game?
Usually yes, if you enable hardware encoding — NVENC on NVIDIA cards, or the AMD and Intel equivalents — in Settings → Output. That moves the work onto the GPU's dedicated encoder instead of the CPU.
Can I stream to YouTube and Twitch at the same time?
Not with stock OBS, which sends one stream at a time. Multi-streaming needs either a plugin or a restreaming service that takes your single stream and forwards it to several platforms.
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People also search for
The terms visitors use to find this page. Each one lands here because it describes the same program.
Searches from India
OBS Studio is identical worldwide — these are search phrasings, not different downloads. Every one of them gets the same official build from obsproject.com.