OBS Studio is free, open-source software for recording video and streaming live. It captures your screen, windows, webcams, microphones and capture cards, lets you arrange them into scenes, and either records the result to a file or sends it to a streaming service such as Twitch or YouTube. Version 32.2.2 was released on 14 August 2026.
Who it suits
- Streamers who want full control over scenes, overlays and audio mixing.
- Teachers and support staff recording screen tutorials.
- Anyone who needs a screen recorder without watermarks or time limits.
OBS has a learning curve. If you only want a quick screenshot or a short clip, a simpler capture tool may be faster.
How to get the official version
- Windows: the installer or ZIP from obsproject.com/download, the GitHub releases page, Steam, or the Microsoft Store (linked from the download page).
- macOS: separate disk images for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, from the same download page.
- Linux: the project says OBS is officially distributed as a Flatpak on Flathub and as a PPA for Ubuntu. Ubuntu .deb files are also attached to each GitHub release.
There is no official OBS Studio app for Android or iPhone.
Cost
OBS Studio is free. There are no paid tiers, subscriptions or in-app purchases. The Steam version is also free.
Requirements
The download page lists Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13.0 and newer, and Ubuntu 24.04 or newer through the PPA. For other Linux distributions, use the Flatpak. Performance depends heavily on your GPU and the encoder you choose.
Safety notes
The OBS Project has warned on its official X account that fake OBS websites have been advertised on Google search and that they serve malware. The project says it does not run ads. Type obsproject.com yourself instead of clicking a sponsored result. After downloading from GitHub, you can compare the file’s SHA-256 hash with the values below using Get-FileHash on Windows or shasum -a 256 on macOS.
Questions
Is OBS Studio really free?
Yes. It is released under the GNU GPL version 2 and developed by volunteers and contributors. It does not add watermarks.
Is the Steam version different?
It is the same program distributed through Steam, which handles updates for you. Choose whichever update channel you prefer.
Can I install OBS with winget?
Yes: winget install OBSProject.OBSStudio.
Does OBS work on Windows 7 or 8?
Not the current version. The official download page lists Windows 10 and 11 only.
