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OBS Studio vs vMix

By ChurchTechStack · Prices and facts from each vendor's own pages, with sources. Anything we couldn't confirm is left out.

OBS Studio

Free (open source)
VS

vMix

$60 lifetime (Basic HD)

Both are software you run on a computer in the booth to mix cameras, slides and audio into a stream. OBS is free; vMix is a paid Windows app with more built-in production tools.

This is usually a conversation between the tech volunteer and whoever approves the budget.

At a glance

OBS StudiovMix
Starting priceFree (open source)$60 lifetime (Basic HD)
Pricing modelopen sourcelifetime or $50/mo
Who it's forSmaller churches with a tech-minded volunteer and a decent computer.Churches running multicam productions on a capable Windows PC.
Pricing sourceofficial pricing pageofficial pricing page

Pricing, in plain terms

OBS Studio

  • Free and open source (GPL).

From OBS Studio, checked 2026-10-29.

vMix

  • Lifetime licenses: Basic HD $60, HD $350, 4K $700, Pro $1,200, each with 12 months of free updates.
  • MAX subscription: $50/month.

From vMix purchase, checked 2026-10-29.

Key features

OBS Studio

  • Scenes and sources: Mix cameras, slides and graphics.
  • Stream to any platform: YouTube, Facebook or any RTMP service.
  • Recording: Record services locally.
  • Stream Deck control: Simplifies volunteer operation.
  • Studio Mode: Preview and line up the next scene before you send it live.
  • Audio mixer and plugins: Mix multiple audio sources and extend OBS with community plugins.

vMix

  • Multicam switching: Live video mixing.
  • Graphics and titles: Built-in production graphics.
  • NDI support: Network video sources.
  • Zoom integration: Multiple inputs on HD and above.
  • Recording and streaming: All in one app.
  • Remote callers: Bring remote guests into the production.

👍 What each does well

OBS Studio

  • Free and reliable for smaller churches. A constant bitrate fixed one church's YouTube buffering. source
  • Flexible scenes and Stream Deck control source
  • Free, open source, with cameras, slides, lower thirds and audio mixing in one tool source

vMix

  • Solved many OBS limitations for one church source
  • Multicam, graphics and NDI in one app source
  • Built-in animated titles, NDI and ATEM integration, and multi-camera recording source

⚠️ Where each falls short

OBS Studio

  • Weeks to train new volunteers, and it often depends on one tech person source
  • Strains the PC, which becomes a single point of failure source
  • No vendor support, cloud archive or monitoring source

vMix

  • Steep learning curve, and the Windows PC is a single point of failure source
  • Costs about $600–1,000 a year, per one church AV guide source
  • Windows only source
  • Needs a capable PC with a discrete GPU, and Basic HD is limited to four inputs source
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Our verdict

OBS Studio is the right start for budget-conscious churches with one dependable tech volunteer. It's free, flexible and handles scenes, lower thirds and audio mixing. Training new volunteers can take weeks, and there's no vendor support.

vMix fits a trained team doing multicam services. It has animated titles, NDI and ATEM integration, and licenses from $60 lifetime (Basic HD caps you at four inputs) up to $1,200, or $50 a month. It's Windows only and needs a capable PC with a discrete GPU.

Read the full reviews: OBS Studio review · vMix review

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