ZLMediaKit

Free plan AndroidAPIiPhoneLinuxMacSelf-hosted+2

What ZLMediaKit is

ZLMediaKit is a free, open-source C++11 streaming media server and client framework for mobile, embedded, and commercial deployments. It supports RTSP, RTMP, HLS, HTTP-FLV, WebSocket-FLV, GB28181, HTTP-TS, WebSocket-TS, HTTP-fMP4, WebSocket-fMP4, MP4, and WebRTC, including conversion between supported protocols. The project states that latency can be below 500 milliseconds and as low as 100 milliseconds, while one machine can support 100,000-level players and 100 Gb/s-level I/O bandwidth. Developers can use its C API, RESTful API, and web hooks; related Java, C#, Spring Boot, and Prometheus exporter projects are listed. Features include clustering, on-demand stream pulling and protocol conversion, playback before publishing, and reconnecting publication after disconnection. Security documentation covers RTSP authentication, HTTP file-access authentication, and SSL certificate hot loading. The MIT-licensed code can run through Docker or self-hosting. A closed-source Pro edition adds options such as transcoding, IPTV, cloud storage, WebRTC clustering, and AI inference.

Who it suits

It suits developers and operators building streaming systems across mobile, embedded, self-hosted, and commercial environments. Teams needing Pro features must handle authorization and its separate licensing terms.

What it does well

Supports many streaming protocols
Protocol conversion is included
C, RESTful, and web hook APIs
Docker deployment instructions provided
MIT-licensed open-source code

What to know first

Third-party dependency licenses may differ
Pro edition is closed-source
Pro support excludes contracts under 5000

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Open-source ZLMediaKit	MIT-licensed project code; third-party dependency licenses may differ	Free
ZLMediaKit Pro	Activation-code licensing; pricing page states contracts start at 5000, without specifying a currency in the text · Feature combinations are configurable; lower channel counts or shorter authorization periods can reduce price; orders under 5000 do not include technical support	On request

As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

ZLMediaKit provides broad protocol support, APIs, clustering, and self-hosting options in an MIT-licensed project. Its Pro edition extends the feature set, but adds authorization, separate builds, and licensing considerations.

Facts from ZLMediaKit's own pages

Custom RTMP destinations: Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Deployment limitation: The Pro repository describes separate binary builds and dependencies for Linux, Linux ARM, Windows, macOS, Docker, and specialized AI inference configurations. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Integrations: It exposes a C API, RESTful API, and web hooks, and the repository lists related Java, C#, Spring Boot, and Prometheus exporter projects. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Latency: The project states latency can be under 500 milliseconds and as low as 100 milliseconds. · docs.zlmediakit.com, 12 Oct 2026
License: The project says its own code uses the MIT license, while some third-party code has separate licenses that commercial users should review. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Product: ZLMediaKit is a C++11 streaming media server and client framework for mobile, embedded, and commercial server use. · docs.zlmediakit.com, 12 Oct 2026
Professional edition: The closed-source Pro edition adds features including transcoding, JT1078, IPTV, S3/MinIO cloud storage, WebRTC clustering, and AI inference. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Professional licensing: Pro requires authorization to enable professional features, and expired or failed authorization leaves the software operating like the open-source edition. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Protocols: It supports RTSP, RTMP, HLS, HTTP-FLV, WebSocket-FLV, GB28181, HTTP-TS, WebSocket-TS, HTTP-fMP4, WebSocket-fMP4, MP4, and WebRTC, including protocol conversion. · docs.zlmediakit.com, 12 Oct 2026
Scale: The project states a single machine can support 100,000-level players and 100 Gb/s-level I/O bandwidth. · docs.zlmediakit.com, 12 Oct 2026
Security: The project documents Basic and Digest authentication for RTSP server and client, HTTP file access authentication, and SSL certificate hot loading. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Self-hosting: The repository provides Docker run instructions for prebuilt ZLMediaKit images and says images can also be built from its Dockerfile. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Streaming features: The open-source feature list includes clustering, on-demand protocol conversion and stream pulling, playback before publishing, and reconnecting publishing after disconnection. · docs.zlmediakit.com, 12 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs questions to GitHub issues and says paid technical support is available through its knowledge community; the Pro pricing page says contracts under 5000 do not include technical support. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Trial: Pro software starts a network-activated trial with 15 days of full features and quota by default on each machine; trial activation requires a non-Docker environment and is normally available once per machine. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026