Lately some online coaches that use Zoom are also considering using StreamYard and are curious about the differences between the two.
Let’s compare Zoom vs StreamYard, and also take a look at video conferencing vs live streaming, so that you can choose which tool meets your needs for your coaching business.
What is Zoom and what is StreamYard?
Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities.
While StreamYard is a platform where you can broadcast from your browser and can stream directly to your social networks.
Pricing: They both offer a free option that you can try before opting for the premium plans to access more features.
StreamYard: Free version and two paid versions, Basic and Professional, which currently cost $20 per month and $39 per month respectively.
Zoom: Free and multiple paid versions, which currently range from $14.99 to $30 per month. There are also separate addons you can buy for more features.
Please check their respective websites for up-to-date plans and pricing.
What’s the difference between Video Conferencing and Live Streaming?
Video conferencing and live streaming are both live! Both can present recorded elements, but the main action of the event is live, rather than a video that simply uploaded to a social media channel.
Simply put:
- Video conferencing is basically a group conversation taking place in a virtual meeting room. By default, everyone is a participant in the conversation.
- Live streaming is one person (or a small group of people) broadcasting their video over a social media platform to an audience, big or small.
Because they both center around online video streams, they have a lot in common.
For example, many webinars are presented as a live stream (one person talking to an audience) but conducted using video conferencing (which would require muting everyone except the host).
More on Zoom vs StreamYard
Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing platforms which can be used for audio conferencing, meeting recordings, webinars, video conferencing meeting and live chat. It gives HD audio, video and screen sharing from your desktop and mobile devices for meeting rooms.
You’ll be able to host and join meetings on desktop or mobile apps as there are apps offered for Mac and PC users as well as Android users. You can share multiple screens and use the virtual backgrounds feature.
If you’re disconnected and you are booted out of a meeting, you can easily get back into the meeting without having to restart the meeting when your connection comes back.
Live streaming is broadcasting in real-time to an online destination. You can go live for a small, private group, or a huge public audience – there are no limits to viewers.
StreamYard is a live-streaming studio in your browser where users can share screens, interview guests, connect and talk about anything.
You can stream directly to YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitch, and other platforms.
It’s the perfect tool for live interviews; you can have up to 10 people in the stream. One of the cool things about StreamYard is that it shows comments on the screen where you can talk about it.
If you signed up through mobile phone and were invited as a guest, unfortunately you don’t have a screen share option. StreamYard is gaining popularity because of the additional broadcast tools and abilities.
Similarities:
- Screen sharing
- Free version with some limitations
- Camera choices on your device or your software
- Mute everyone – it allows only you to speak.
- In app chatting – you can talk chat privately within Zoom or within Streamyard.
- Saved recordings
- Separate audio – you can separate the audio from video (e.g. you can use it for a podcast)
- Great support
- Ease of use.
And here are some of their features and benefits:
Zoom
- Download the app and tools from the website
- Free or starts at $14.99 per month
- Up to 100 participants (or more on higher plans)
- 40 min cap on free plan for groups
- Annotations on mobile phone
- Recording
- Live streaming
- Webinar capabilities
- Screen sharing
- Green room
StreamYard
- Don’t need to download, it works in your web browser
- Free or starts at $20 per month
- Stream up to 20 hrs per month on the free plan
- Being able to highlight comments on the screen and add your own titles
- Have up to 10 guests on your show without any extra software
- Screen sharing
- Add your own brand colours
- Add audience call-to-actions which can be added live to the stream
- You can stream directly to Facebook, Periscope, LinkedIn Live, YouTube, and other custom RTMP outputs.
- You can use greenscreens
Why should you use Zoom?
- Easy to set up, use, and manage. Zoom is just a one click to start or join any meeting; it provides easy collaboration and controls participants.
- A single solution for meetings, webinars, phone, and chat
- Connect via desktop clients, browsers, conference rooms & mobile devices
- Works seamlessly across all your operating systems — PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, so you’re aren’t locked into specific devices.
- More engagement and feels like a live event – presentation with Zoom allows full HD broadcasting so that users can see and feel the presenter’s body language, not just hear them or see slides. As a presenter, you’re not just speaking to your computer, or into a phone, you’re actually presenting to a real live audience.
- Full Video Replays – records all of the videos from multiple presenters and attendees. This allows the whole event to be captured including questions asked by attendees via chat.
Why should you use StreamYard?
- StreamYard is a super straightforward streaming platform. You don’t need to download any tool to use StreamYard simply register with your email address and you will access the dashboard to start streaming or edit your account.
- Fully personalize your streaming, you can add logos, slides, audience comments, GIFs, change the background, and more.
- Control of how much screen space each person’s window takes up, and change it on the fly.
- Multistreaming. StreamYard lets you broadcast via YouTube, Facebook Live, LinkedIn Live, Periscope or Twitch. On both personal and business profiles pages.
- Encourage audience participation. Your audience can make comments and see all the messages on the screen and you’ll be able to reply to them live.
- You can also add a ‘call to action’ to invite your audience to register to your website, buy a product or service live.
Pros and Cons
This comparison table shows some of the pros and cons when comparing Zoom and StreamYard.
| Zoom | StreamYard |
|---|---|
| Pros: • Save video recordings • Up to 1000 participants (with paid addon; 100 to 300 without) • Easy to use • Great for group conversations Cons: • Need to download the app • Lacks most of the bells and whistles that StreamYard offers for on-screen graphics and comments | Pros: • No download required • On-screen branding • Video production features • Multi-streaming (YouTube, FB Live, etc at the same time) Cons: • Allows only 10 people to be interviewed at a time • Free version is limited to 20 hours of streaming per month. |
Final Word
Zoom and StreamYard are both terrific platforms offering many features that coaches will find useful. Although they have many overlapping features, they also differ in other aspects.
It’s possible that you could use both for your coaching business, depending on what kind of conversation or presentation you’re doing.
Ask yourself these questions to help you decide:
- Will my audience appreciate a more polished video presentation? (If yes, StreamYard may be better.)
- Or is this more like a group of people having a conversation with no branding or on-screen graphics needed? (If yes, Zoom may be better.)
I hope this article helps you make an informed choice of when to use either tool as you grow your coaching business!
What do you think?
How do you use Zoom or StreamYard in your coaching business? Comment below and let us know!
I’m especially interested in hearing your thoughts if you’ve used both tools.
