OpenBroadcaster

Name: OpenBroadcaster
Author: OpenBroadcaster

by OpenBroadcaster

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What OpenBroadcaster is

OpenBroadcaster is open-source software for radio, television, streaming, and emergency-alert operations. It provides scheduling, automated playout, and streaming tools, with radio workflows for playlists, voice tracking, and program logging. Television tools manage video libraries, scheduled playlists, automated playout, and streaming for community channels. Its media asset management organizes, searches, schedules, and distributes audio, video, images, and documents. CAP emergency alerting can inject audio and visual alerts into a broadcast chain without an extra license or fee. The system is browser-based and self-hosted, with television automation able to run in-house, in virtual machines, or in the cloud. Supported environments include API, Linux, macOS, web, Windows, and Raspberry Pi compatibility is listed. OpenBroadcaster names Icecast, SHOUTcast, YouTube, Twitch, Roku, and Livestream integrations, plus a documented API including RESTful API v2. It is free for commercial use under AGPL3, with no mandatory subscription, unlock code, or dongle.

Who it suits

OpenBroadcaster suits broadcasters of any size, including individuals, small and medium businesses, and communities distributing media over air or the internet. It fits organizations wanting self-hosted broadcast automation and media management.

What it does well

Free commercial use under AGPL3
Radio and television automation tools
CAP alerts without extra license fee
Browser access with documented API
Supports multiple streaming integrations

What to know first

Self-hosting requires operational responsibility
Security updates last approximately three or more years
Large library capacity depends on filesystem inodes

Verdict

OpenBroadcaster combines broadcast scheduling, playout, media management, streaming, and emergency alerts in one self-hosted system. Its free AGPL3 licensing and broad integration list suit broadcasters managing their own infrastructure.

Facts from OpenBroadcaster's own pages

API: The company says it provides a documented API, including a RESTful API v2 launched in 2022. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Audience: The company describes its intended users as broadcasters of any size, including individuals, small and medium businesses, and communities. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Broadcast automation: OpenBroadcaster provides open-source software for radio and TV station scheduling, playout, and streaming. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Capacity: The FAQ estimates that the online media library can hold almost 13 million items, subject to available filesystem inodes. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Company location: OpenBroadcaster lists its address as Tagish, Yukon, Canada. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Custom work: Customers can sponsor development of custom modules for specific integrations or features. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Download options: The download page lists system images for AlertPlayer and Pyrate, with compatibility including Raspberry Pi 2 through 5 and specified AlertPlayer hardware generations. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Emergency alerts: The system supports CAP emergency alerting, including audio and visual alerts that can be injected into a broadcast chain without an extra license or fee. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · openbroadcaster.com, 22 Sept 2026
Headquarters: Tagish, Yukon, Canada · openbroadcaster.com, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: The FAQ describes support for Icecast and Shoutcast streaming, YouTube and Twitch video streams, and Barix receivers for alert audio streams. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Intended users: The company says its solutions are for individuals, small-to-medium-sized businesses, and communities distributing media over air or the internet. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Media library: The radio page says the system can manage 100,000+ media files with playlists, tags, and metadata. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Media management: Its media asset management tools organize, search, schedule, and distribute audio, video, images, and documents. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Open-source license: OpenBroadcaster says its software is free to use, including commercially, under the AGPL3 license, with no mandatory subscription, unlock code, or dongle. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Operating systems: The homepage lists compatibility with Linux, Windows 11, and Raspberry Pi. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Platforms: The home page says the software is compatible with Linux, Windows 11, and Raspberry Pi. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Pricing model: The maker describes the software as free and open source, and says it earns ongoing revenue from customization, developer tools, and technical support. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Purpose: OpenBroadcaster provides open-source radio, television, streaming, and emergency-alert tools for broadcasters of any size. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Radio automation: Its web-based radio tools support scheduling, automated playlists, voice tracking, and program logging. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Resilience: When the OBServer disappears, scheduled media and schedules buffered on a playout device can continue playing uninterrupted. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Security: OpenBroadcaster says remote access uses certificate-based security and that it provides basic security updates for the product’s life, approximately three or more years. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Self-hosting: The company describes a self-hosted platform and says television automation can run in-house, in virtual machines, or in the cloud. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026
Streaming integrations: The streaming page names YouTube, Roku, Twitch, Livestream, Icecast, and SHOUTcast among its platform or service integrations. · openbroadcaster.com, 12 Oct 2026