Looking for an Upstream alternative as your channel grows? Gyre turns your pre-recorded videos into a 24/7 live stream on YouTube, and from four streams at 1080p60 it costs $20.54 a stream billed annually, against $27 on Upstream. The gap grows with every stream you add.
| CATEGORY | GYRE | UPSTREAM |
|---|---|---|
| Longest single stream | ✓Live on YouTube since February 2022, over 4.5 years |
Not published |
| YouTube status | ✓YouTube Live verified encoder, on YouTube's official list |
Also a Live verified encoder |
| Uptime | ✓99.9% |
Status page: 100% for cloud streaming over the last 30 days |
| Infrastructure | ✓Your own server on every plan |
Streams run in isolated containers on dedicated servers, per its security page |
| CATEGORY | GYRE | UPSTREAM |
|---|---|---|
| 4 streams at 1080p60 | ✓$20.54 a stream · Start+ |
$27 a stream |
| 24 streams at 1080p60 | ✓$421 a month · 3× Pro+ |
$648 a month |
| 1 stream in 4K at 60fps | ✓$82.17 a month · Start+ |
$108 a month |
| 1 stream | $49 a month, 60fps included, or $488 a year | ✓$36 a month billed yearly at 1080p60 ($40 monthly); $30 monthly at 1080p30 |
| CATEGORY | GYRE | UPSTREAM |
|---|---|---|
| 60fps and 4K | ✓In the plan, no add-ons |
1080p30 by default, extra for 60fps and 4K |
| Testing real 24/7 | ✓7-day trial: 168h nonstop
WHY 168 HOURS MATTER
24 hours shows you the dashboard, not the result. Views, watch time and ranking build up while a live stream stays on air, so a 24/7 stream needs days, not hours, to show what it can do.
7×more airtime than 24 hours to see real results on your own channel
|
Free plan: 24h a month |
| Live studio | Pre-recorded 24/7 only | ✓Browser studio with guests, RTMP input |
| API and team roles | API and team roles on Enterprise | ✓API, MCP and team roles on every plan |
Upstream features and Upstream uptime terms come from its public pages, checked in November 2026. Choosing the best 24/7 live streaming software for your channel? See the full list of Gyre features.
Upstream’s price per stream stops falling at four streams. Gyre’s keeps dropping as your plan grows. The 24/7 live stream cost depends on how many you run: for one stream, Upstream has the cheapest 24/7 live stream, while Gyre pricing wins from four streams.
Upstream at 1080p60: $27 a stream billed yearly, $30 monthly from four streams; $36 a month billed yearly or $40 monthly for a single stream.
Each live stream is a separate live video on your channel, with its own title, thumbnail and audience. Many Gyre customers run 10 to 30 streams on one channel. With Google sign-in, Gyre creates the broadcast on your channel through the YouTube API. Set a start time in the calendar and Gyre starts it for you.
We pick the cheapest combination of Gyre plans for your number of streams. Want to see how much your channel could earn with 24/7 streaming? Try the 24/7 revenue calculator.
A 24/7 stream needs days, not hours, to show what it can do. Looking for an Upstream free trial of real 24/7? Upstream offers a free plan with 24 hours of streaming a month instead. The Gyre free trial runs a 24/7 live stream for 7 days, 168 hours nonstop, and stays free if you cancel before day 7.
Upstream publishes an Upstream vs Gyre page that presents it as a Gyre alternative. Is Upstream better than Gyre? Here is what that page says and how Gyre works today.
Source: upstream.so/
For 8 Full HD streams at 60 fps, Gyre's PRO+ at $169 a month beats Upstream's $240.
Three Pro+ plans give you 24 Full HD streams at 60fps for $507 a month, against $720 on Upstream.
$2,556 saved a yearat 24 streams on monthly billingGyre has a 7-day trial that needs a card and turns into Start+ at $99 a month unless you cancel.
That's right: 168 hours of continuous Full HD to test your channel. Cancel any time before day 7, or pick another plan yourself.
Yearly prices of $488, $986 and $1,684.
That's right: Start, Start+ and Pro+ cost $488, $986 and $1,684 a year, 17% less than paying monthly. That is $40.67, $20.54 and $17.54 a stream per month.
Playlists and scheduling start at $99 a month on Gyre.
Playlists and the scheduler come with every plan, including Start at $49.
Moving up from Start to Start+ or PRO+ puts you on a new server, and your files and streams are lost.
When you upgrade from any plan, Gyre moves your files and active streams over for you.
For a single stream, yes. Upstream costs $30 a month at 1080p30 or $40 at 1080p60, while Gyre Start costs $49 with 60fps included. From four streams up, Gyre is cheaper per stream at 1080p60: $20.54 on annual billing against $27 on Upstream. At 1080p30, Upstream is cheaper from four streams: $20 a stream, or $16 billed yearly.
Among Upstream alternatives, Gyre is built for multiple 24/7 live streams on one channel: cloud 24/7 live streaming where each stream gets its own playlist and schedule, and 60fps comes on every paid plan. From four streams up, Gyre costs less per stream at 1080p60: $20.54 on Start+ and $17.54 on Pro+ billed annually, against $27 on Upstream. Every paid plan also includes conversion credits, and unused ones carry over.
Yes. Upstream streams 1080p at 30fps by default, and 60fps and 4K cost extra: from four streams, $27 a stream at 1080p60 billed yearly, and $108 a month for one 4K stream at 60fps. On Gyre, 60fps comes on every paid plan, and 4K comes with Start+ and Pro+ at the same price: a 4K stream uses four Full HD slots, so Start+ runs four Full HD streams or one 4K stream, and Pro+ runs eight Full HD or two 4K. At 4K30 Upstream is cheaper: $63 a month billed yearly, against $82.17 on Gyre Start+.
Yes, both are. Gyre and Upstream are both on YouTube’s official list, linked in the sources below. So the choice comes down to price per stream, 60fps and 4K, and how you want to test 24/7 streaming.
Not everything. Upstream has a browser studio for live shows with guests, RTMP input, and an API, MCP and team roles on every plan. Gyre streams pre-recorded video only, and its API and team roles come with Enterprise. For 24/7 streams of pre-recorded videos, Gyre does the same job with 60fps and 4K in the plan.
Yes, and for a full week: Upstream's free plan gives 24 hours a month. The 7-day trial runs one Full HD stream for 168 hours nonstop, with playlists, the scheduler and a Gyre watermark. It needs a credit card. We ask for a card because a nonstop stream runs on a real server. You won't be charged today. After day 7 it converts to Start+, four Full HD streams for $99 a month, unless you pick another plan or cancel.
Yes. Each platform gets its own stream slot, with its own playlist and schedule, all from one Gyre account. Gyre streams to 8 platforms: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, X, Kick, Telegram and Mixcloud. Facebook and Instagram limit a single live broadcast to about 8 and 4 hours.
Yes. Gyre streams from its own servers, so you don't need a computer, OBS or an encoder running on your side. Upload your videos or import them from Google Drive or Dropbox, build a playlist, connect YouTube with Google sign-in, and go live with a 24/7 live stream on YouTube that keeps running when your computer is off. Upstream also runs in the cloud, in isolated containers; the difference is 60fps and 4K without add-ons and the price per stream. Step-by-step guide: Can you stream prerecorded videos as live on YouTube?
Yes, if your channel is monetized. A Gyre stream is a standard YouTube live stream, so YouTube's mid-roll options work as usual: automatic breaks, scheduled breaks, or breaks you insert from the Live Control Room. Gyre doesn't place ad breaks itself; you manage them in YouTube Studio.
We're the Gyre team, and this page makes our case. We compare like for like: the same video quality, the same number of streams and the same billing period. Every claim about Upstream comes from its public pages, checked in November 2026. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected] and we'll correct it.
Upstream and its logo are trademarks of their owner. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Upstream.
