Our verdict: Meld Studio is a modern alternative to OBS for streamers who do not want to assemble plugins. Multistreaming, a combined chat, alerts, widgets and move transitions are built in, and it imports OBS scenes. It is younger than OBS, still on 0.x version numbers, and installs as an App Installer package rather than a classic setup file.
About Meld Studio
Meld Studio is made by Meld Studio, Inc. It streams to Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok Live, Facebook Live and custom RTMP targets at once, with separate landscape and portrait canvases. A multi-chat panel merges Twitch, YouTube and Kick chat, and chat overlays, alerts, goals and follower counters are built in instead of coming from third-party services.
Recording supports 4K and up to 8 audio tracks, including a VOD track for Twitch. Effects such as color grading, chroma key and transitions run on the GPU, and third-party audio plugins are supported. Meld states the app is free with no watermarks, time limits or hidden fees, and its Meld Multi cloud multistreaming service is free too. Meld Spark builds overlays, alerts and widgets from a text description.
What it does well
- Multistreaming. Streams to several platforms at once, locally or through the free Meld Multi cloud service.
- Multi-chat. Combines Twitch, YouTube and Kick chat in one panel inside the app.
- Built-in widgets. Chat overlay, alerts, donation goals and follower counts without extra tools.
- Multi-track recording. Records up to 8 audio tracks, including a separate VOD track.
- OBS scene import. Brings existing OBS scenes into Meld with one click.
Who it is for
Good fit
Twitch, YouTube and Kick streamers who want a polished all-in-one app without plugins.
Look elsewhere
Users on older PCs without DirectX 12 GPUs, or who rely on OBS plugins that Meld lacks.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free with no watermark or limits
- Multistreaming and multi-chat built in
- Alerts and widgets without third-party tools
- Imports OBS scenes
Cons
- Still on 0.x version numbers
- App Installer package, not a classic setup file
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than OBS
How to install Meld Studio
The Windows download is an App Installer package (MeldStudio.appinstaller), so Windows must have Microsoft's App Installer up to date; if installation fails, update it from the Microsoft Store. Meld updates itself automatically. Use the one-click OBS import to bring over existing scenes.
Questions about Meld Studio
Is Meld Studio free?
Yes. Meld states the app is 100% free with no watermarks, time limits or hidden fees, and its Meld Multi cloud multistreaming service is free as well.
Can Meld Studio import my OBS setup?
Yes. It can bring OBS scenes into Meld with a click, which makes switching easier.
What does Meld Studio need on Windows?
Windows 10 or later, 64-bit, and a GPU with DirectX 12 support.
