Streamlabs or StreamElements: Which Is Better for Alerts?
1 min read
Both are free, and both play a custom WEBM alert without trouble. The difference is how they work: Streamlabs suits streamers who want one ready-made app with everything in it, and StreamElements suits streamers on OBS who want cloud tools they edit from the browser.
The comparison
| Streamlabs | StreamElements | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A full streaming app (Streamlabs Desktop) plus web widgets | Cloud widgets you add to OBS as a Browser Source |
| Custom alerts | Upload a video or image and a sound per alert | The same, from the overlay editor |
| Tip page | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Beginners who want everything in one place | OBS users who want a lighter setup |
When to pick Streamlabs
- You're streaming for the first time and want one app for the stream, alerts and chat.
- Your PC is powerful: the all-in-one app uses more resources than plain OBS.
When to pick StreamElements
- You use OBS Studio and want to keep it light.
- You want to edit your overlay from any device in the browser and see changes on stream right away.
Before you decide
- Check the tool supports your platform and the events you want (follows, subs, donations); support differs by platform and changes over time.
- Check which payment methods the tip page offers in your viewers' countries.
- The same alert file works in both, so switching later doesn't mean buying a new alert.
Quick questions
Can I use both at once? Yes, but turn each alert type on in only one tool, so the alert doesn't play twice.
Do Flix Store alerts work in both? Yes. They arrive as a transparent-background WEBM that you upload as the alert file in either one. Browse the alerts