If you run one YouTube channel, the lowest-cost Livepush alternative may be to stream directly with OBS rather than pay for a multistreaming service. Livepush Creators is relevant when you specifically need its 24/7 schedule channel and video looping; its subscription cost can be divided by an estimated 720 streaming hours to make a comparison, but that is not an hourly fee.
The right choice depends on whether you need production tools, cloud distribution to several destinations, or an always-on schedule. The figures below are vendor-listed subscription prices checked in October 2026; verify the current plan and checkout terms before committing, since prices and eligibility can change.
Which Livepush plan supports 24/7 streaming?
Livepush describes its Creators plan as including a 24/7 schedule channel and video looping. That makes it the plan to examine if your specific need is a repeating, always-on broadcast rather than occasional events. Livepush lists Creators at $39 per month, or $32.50 per month when billed annually, according to its Help Center as listed in October 2026.
Do not read “unlimited hours” as a promise that every account has a channel which runs continuously on a schedule. The plan feature matters: a 24/7 schedule channel is a distinct capability, while a high or uncapped number of streaming hours is a usage allowance. Check Livepush’s current plan and pricing information and its product documentation for what is included in the plan available to you.
The alternative is not necessarily another paid cloud tool. If your channel is a single YouTube destination and you are comfortable operating streaming software, OBS Studio can send your programme directly to YouTube. This replaces a cloud relay with a locally run production and encoder workflow; it does not provide the same managed scheduling experience as Livepush Creators.
Current monthly and annual subscription prices
For a single-channel creator, these options solve different problems. OBS is a local tool, Restream is useful for distribution to multiple destinations, Livepush offers cloud streaming and schedule features, and StreamYard combines a browser studio with distribution. The table is a feature-and-price orientation, not a universal ranking.
| Option | Listed price and term | Relevant fit for one YouTube channel | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBS Studio direct to YouTube | Free; OBS Project describes the software as free and open source | You want to avoid a subscription and can run production locally | You operate the computer, software, connection and stream yourself |
| Restream Free | Free; two channels, with Restream branding | You want to explore a cloud relay or may add a second destination | Branding and plan limits apply; confirm current terms |
| Restream Standard | $19/month; three channels | You expect to distribute to several endpoints | Paid destination capacity may be unnecessary for one channel |
| Restream Professional | $49/month; five channels, Full HD 1080p streaming and 4K recording | You need the listed quality or recording features as well as distribution | Those extras do not make it the lowest-cost single-destination setup |
| Livepush Free | Free; 20 streaming hours per month and up to 10 platforms | You need to test the workflow or stream within the stated monthly allowance | The listed hour cap makes it unsuitable for a full month of continuous use |
| Livepush Pro | $15/month, or $13/month billed annually | You need more streaming time or cloud fan-out, without the Creators schedule feature | It is not the listed plan with a 24/7 schedule channel |
| Livepush Creators | $39/month, or $32.50/month billed annually | You need the 24/7 schedule channel and video looping | The arithmetic later divides the subscription by assumed hours; it is not pay-as-you-go |
| StreamYard | Product page advertises a first-year annual entry price of $20/month for new users | You prioritise a browser studio and guest workflow | This is an advertised first-year offer, not a permanent or universal rate |
Restream prices and plan details above are as listed by Restream in October 2026. Livepush details are as listed by Livepush’s Help Center in October 2026. StreamYard’s destination counts—three on Core, eight on Advanced and ten on Business—are as listed by its Help Center in October 2026; its advertised first-year rate is subject to eligibility and current checkout terms. Treat each vendor’s billing selector as authoritative for your location, taxes, renewal price and plan availability.
The free Restream option may be enough if you want to try a cloud workflow and accept its branding. Its two-channel limit has little extra value if you will only use one destination, but you do not have to buy a paid tier simply because it supports more. See the Restream free plan and Standard comparison for current terms before choosing it.
For a solo YouTube stream, a browser studio has a different cost-benefit calculation. StreamYard can be useful if you host guests, want a browser-based production environment or regularly change layouts without building an OBS scene setup. If the programme is a fixed playlist running unattended, those production conveniences may not be the thing you need. Its support page lists destination caps by plan; check the StreamYard multistreaming limits and current product price rather than assuming that the promotional entry price will renew at the same amount.
How the 720-hour estimate works
A 30-day month contains 720 hours: 24 hours multiplied by 30 days. Dividing a monthly subscription price by 720 gives an average subscription cost per assumed broadcast hour only if you use the service continuously for that entire period. It makes unlike billing terms easier to picture, but it does not change the amount you are charged.
For example, a $39 monthly subscription divided by 720 comes to about $0.054 per assumed hour, or roughly 5.4 cents. That is simply $39 spread across the hours in a hypothetical full 30-day schedule. You still pay the subscription amount for the billing period, whether your stream runs all month or only part of it, subject to the vendor’s terms.
A calendar month is not always exactly 30 days. A 31-day month contains 744 hours and a 28-day month contains 672 hours. Using 720 consistently keeps the comparison easy to read, but it is an approximation rather than a forecast of actual use, billed time or savings.
The annual-billing calculation needs the same care. Take the stated annual-billing monthly equivalent and divide it by 720 to get a comparable average for one assumed month. The annual payment itself is a commitment billed under the vendor’s annual terms; it is not a monthly payment just because a vendor displays an equivalent monthly amount.
Approximate cost per hour on monthly billing
For Livepush Creators at $39 per month, the calculation is $39 ÷ 720 = approximately $0.054 per hour, or about 5.4 cents. This is the average subscription cost per hour if you actually use the schedule continuously over a 30-day month. It is not a separate hourly charge, and the subscription does not become cheaper in a month when you stream fewer hours.
The distinction is useful when comparing an always-on use case with a short event. If you broadcast a few services or lessons each week, dividing by 720 makes the subscription appear cheaper per hour than your actual use would justify. For a rough estimate based on your own schedule, divide the monthly subscription by the hours you expect to stream, while remembering that the vendor still charges its subscription price rather than that computed amount.
For a local OBS workflow, the software itself has no subscription fee, but “free” does not mean no operating cost or effort. Your computer must stay on and encode, your connection must remain usable, and you are responsible for recovering from interruptions. A creator using a household computer for work or family use may prefer a paid managed workflow for the reduced hands-on burden, even with one destination.
YouTube’s live encoder guidance recommends H.264 bitrates of 5 Mbps for 1080p at 30 frames per second and 6 Mbps for 1080p at 60 frames per second, alongside a two-second keyframe interval and constant bitrate encoding. These are platform recommendations, not a promise that a particular laptop or broadband plan will cope. Check your own output and connection before leaving a stream unattended; our guide to diagnosing dropped frames when network bitrate is stable explains why a stable network reading does not rule out encoder or rendering trouble.
If you decide to stream directly, OBS Project describes OBS Studio as free and open-source software for recording and live streaming. It supports local scene and audio workflows, but it is not a cloud relay: the machine running it is part of the broadcast chain. YouTube recommends RTMPS, a secure extension of RTMP, in its encoder guidance. Start with the recommended settings for a 1080p prerecorded YouTube stream if your programme is a prepared video rather than a live camera production.
Approximate cost per hour on annual billing
Livepush lists Creators at $32.50 per month when billed annually, according to its Help Center as listed in October 2026. Using the same assumed 720-hour month, $32.50 ÷ 720 is approximately $0.045 per hour, or about 4.5 cents. It remains an average allocation of a subscription equivalent across assumed continuous use, not an hourly fee.
The annual and monthly figures should not be mistaken for two ways of paying the same amount each month. Annual billing means you are charged according to the vendor’s annual billing arrangement, and the monthly equivalent is a way to express the listed annual rate for comparison. Check the actual amount at checkout, renewal conditions, cancellation rules, taxes and whether the offer applies to your account before selecting it.
The same distinction applies when comparing services. Restream’s monthly figures, Livepush’s annual equivalents and a first-year StreamYard offer are not necessarily the same billing commitment. A useful comparison records both the price and term, then asks whether the included features solve a real problem. If you only send a continuous programme to YouTube, five or ten destination slots do not lower the subscription cost unless you use the other features too.
For a channel that loops prerecorded material, video preparation also matters. A file with inconsistent levels or unsuitable encoding can create problems regardless of which distribution route you choose. Our explanation of H.264 High or Main profile for playlist videos can help you think through the source file before deciding that the platform itself is at fault.
Why unlimited hours are not the same as a 24/7 channel
An hours allowance answers how much stream time a plan permits under its terms. A schedule channel answers whether a service offers a particular way to arrange continuous or recurring broadcasts. Those are not interchangeable claims. Livepush Pro removes the Free plan’s 20-hour monthly cap according to its Help Center, but the listed plan feature for a 24/7 schedule channel is on Creators.
Even when a service permits extended streaming, you still need to confirm how it handles the content and operation you intend: whether you can loop your file, how schedules work, what happens after a dropped broadcast and whether the relevant platform or account has its own restrictions. Do not infer those details from the word “unlimited”. Read the current feature descriptions and test a representative stream before relying on an unattended setup.
Direct OBS streaming has the opposite trade-off. You control the production locally and avoid paying a relay to distribute one feed, but the computer, software, power and internet connection become your responsibility. If a household router restarts overnight, or a computer sleeps to save power, the stream can stop. A cloud service may reduce the need to keep your own computer running, but it is still important to understand what the specific plan offers rather than assume uninterrupted operation is guaranteed.
A relay becomes more useful as destinations multiply. It can accept one outbound feed and distribute it to connected services, which may avoid running separate encoders or uploads from your connection. Restream’s paid channel counts or Livepush’s platform capacity could then have practical value. If you have one YouTube endpoint, a relay’s extra destinations may be capacity you are not using.
Production requirements can be a better reason to pay than destination count. A devotional programme with a host, guest singer and changing scene layouts may benefit from a studio built around guests and live production. A static study ambience stream may need reliable looping and monitoring more than a browser control room. StreamYard is designed around browser production and distribution; OBS offers local production; neither is automatically the right answer for every always-on schedule.
StreamNeo is relevant when the recurring burden is keeping a personal computer on and recovering a prerecorded YouTube broadcast after a drop: you upload the video and provide your stream key, then the broadcast can run with your computer off and restart automatically if interrupted. It is YouTube-only, so it does not solve a need to send the same programme to several destinations.
Before choosing, write down the workflow rather than starting with a brand: one YouTube endpoint or several, prerecorded loop or live production, guest needs, desired video quality, and who will notice and fix a failure at night. Then compare the plan’s actual schedule and recovery features with that list. For a local encoder, review your settings for a 24/7 playlist stream and run a test through the hours when the channel would usually be unattended.
If you want a cloud service, compare the total commitment rather than only the displayed monthly equivalent. For a local route, account for the computer being dedicated, the time needed to set up scenes or playlists, and the possibility that you will have to intervene. Neither route guarantees a specific uptime or a particular audience result; the sensible choice is the one whose operating responsibilities you can support.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Is Livepush Creators’ hourly price about five cents?
Only as a rough average if you divide the listed $39 monthly subscription by an assumed 720 hours. It is not a metered rate or a separate hourly charge. Your subscription is billed under Livepush’s terms whether you stream continuously or not.
Is Livepush Pro enough for a 24/7 schedule channel?
Livepush’s Help Center lists Pro as removing the Free plan’s 20-hour cap, while it lists the 24/7 schedule channel and video looping on Creators. Check the current plan description before subscribing, because an hours allowance and a schedule feature are different things.
What is the cheapest alternative for one YouTube channel?
OBS Studio is free and open source, so it can be the lowest subscription-cost route if you are comfortable running an encoder on your own computer. You take responsibility for local setup, power, internet and stream recovery rather than paying for a cloud distribution workflow.
Should I choose monthly or annual billing?
Monthly billing costs more per month in the listed Livepush Creators comparison, but it avoids treating an annual equivalent as if it were a monthly commitment. Annual billing may suit you if you have checked the upfront charge, renewal terms and cancellation policy and expect to use the service for the period.