Frequently Asked Questions

Switcher runs on Mac, iPad, or iPhone. You can also bring your Mac webcam or your Mac/PC screen into a Switcher production using the free Switcher Cast companion app (available for macOS and Windows).

Most Switcher productions run off one person's Apple device with everyone else's phones joining as cameras. Borrow a friend's iPhone, use a family member’s old iPhone, or consider investing in a base-model iPad

Up to 9 camera angles simultaneously. That includes iPhones, iPads, Androids, NDI cameras, HDMI cameras, Mac webcams, and screen shares — mix and match however you like.

Switcher is compatible with more cameras than ever, and whatever gear you already own, chances are it works.

• Apple devices: Use the cameras built into any iPhone, iPad, or even MacOS as a live source right out of the box. The Switcher live production app can also be used on iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.
• Android devices: Connect any Android phones and tablets as wireless camera sources via the free Switcher for Android companion app
• HDMI devices: Use Accsoon SeeMo to connect any device with an HDMI output — DSLRs, GoPros, PCs, Nintendo Switches, and more.
  
• NDI cameras (Beta): Switcher now supports NDI-licensed hardware, including professional cameras from manufacturers like PTZOptics, BirdDog, Mevo, NearStream, OBSbot, and many others, all over Wi-Fi. See How to use NDI cameras with Switcher to get started.
  
• Add Mac native cameras or connected webcams
• Screenshare your desktop from Mac or PC via the Switcher Cast companion app

The Switcher for Android app turns any Android phone or tablet into a wireless camera angle. You'll need one Apple device (Mac, iPad, or iPhone) to run Switcher as the production hub.

You'll need an iOS/macOS device to run the Switcher video production app, an HDMI camera, and an Accsoon SeeMo iOS/HDMI adapter. The SeeMo acts as your capture card; the iOS/macOS app is your encoder.

Yes! As of version 13.17.0, Switcher supports NDI (Network Device Interface) cameras in Beta. NDI is a professional video standard that lets cameras and software communicate over a standard Wi-Fi or ethernet network — no extra cables required. Switcher holds an NDI license, which means it's compatible with any NDI-licensed hardware. To get started, see How to use NDI Cameras with Switcher (Beta).

Here's what you'll need:

• Switcher version 13.17.0 or later on a compatible iOS or macOS device
• An NDI camera with NDI mode enabled
• All devices on the same Wi-Fi network (and the same frequency band — 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz)

For full setup steps, see How to use NDI Cameras with Switcher (Beta). 

Switcher Cast is a free companion app for macOS and Windows that lets you bring your Mac webcam or PC/Mac screen into a Switcher production as a live source. It's how you add a desktop, browser window, presentation, or game capture to your stream. No extra hardware required.

Yes. Switcher has built-in Chroma Key, so you can overlay a live camera feed on any custom background (no external software or hardware required). Just set up your green screen, enable Chroma Key in the app, and drop in whatever background you want.

Up to 5 remote guests at a time. They join via smartphone or webcam (no app to install) and can share their screens during the broadcast.

Just a smartphone or a computer! Guests can join from nearly any device with a browser and a camera — you simply send them a URL, which they open to join your video chat. Guests don’t need a Switcher account and they don’t need to download the Switcher app.

Live editing is the process of making real-time edits to your live stream or editing a recorded video as you go. With live editing, you can change camera angles and add logos,  graphics, transitions, sound effects, and other multimedia elements in just a few taps. You can also choose multiview templates to change the layout of your content to picture-in-picture, split screen, and more. In short: Live editing helps you eliminate the post-production video editing process.

Director Mode captures full HD video and audio from every connected source for the entire duration of your broadcast — not just what's showing in the program feed. That means after you wrap, you've got raw footage from every angle to work with in post-production.

Yes, totally — lots of people use Switcher this way! Even if you don’t want to live stream, Switcher lets you record multiple angles without having to edit footage together in post-production. (Check out Director Mode to help you capture and access multiple angles of footage for the entire duration of your recording, for those post-broadcast recaps or post-production editing.)

You can record now and live stream it later or you can take pre-recorded videos and repurpose them on social media.

After signing up for your 14-day free trial and downloading the Switcher iOS app, enter the app and start making your first video or live stream by tapping the “Create” button.

Nope — no prior editing or creating skills required. With Switcher, all skill levels are welcome to create, share, and monetize.

Multistreaming is a broadcasting technique that allows you to stream on more than one platform at a time. You may also know it as multicasting, simulcasting, or multi-destination streaming.

With Switcher’s built-in multistreaming features, we make it easy to stream and share, without any additional software or steps.

Nothing, they're the same thing. Multistreaming, simulcasting, multicasting, and multi-destination streaming all describe the same concept: broadcasting a single stream to multiple platforms at the same time.

Setting up a multistream is easy. Link your platforms to your account on the Switcher app or Dashboard in just a couple of clicks, and with a single stream input, you can go live on the platforms of your choice all at once.

You can stream to 6 destinations on the Studio plan, and up to 20 destinations on the Suite plan.

YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch connect to Switcher via direct integrations, plus any custom RTMP destination — including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, and more.

Yes. While Switcher has direct integrations with YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch, you can stream to LinkedIn (and X, Instagram, TikTok, and virtually any other platform) using a custom RTMP connection. Set it up once you’re in your Dashboard, and then it's ready to go for every future stream.

No. Multistreaming with Switcher uses exactly the same amount of bandwidth as streaming to a single destination. Whether you're streaming to one platform or 20, your wifi bandwidth requirement is the same.

The same speed you'd need to stream to one platform, because with Switcher, multistreaming doesn't use any additional bandwidth. As a general guide, we recommend at least 5–10 Mbps upload for a solid 1080p stream. See our stream quality settings and required upload speeds for more detail.

No. Switcher doesn't modify your incoming video or audio in any way. Your video quality stays the same across every destination.

Sure, for live streaming, you can set up a custom RTMP connection to go live on TikTok with Switcher. You can also create recorded clips and upload them directly to TikTok.

Yes. Save a brand profile once with your colors, fonts, logos, and on-screen positioning — then apply it to every live stream, video player, and watch page with one tap.

40+ customizable templates, with layout options including picture-in-picture, split screen, dashboard, grid, flap, and slot. Each can display up to 9 sources at once.

Quite a bit, actually. Switcher supports lower thirds, title cards, text overlays, scoreboards (classic, horizontal, and baseball), countdown timers, sponsor cards, and full custom graphic templates. You can also display on-screen CTAs, poll results, and viewer comments from Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch, all in real time.

A lower third is a graphic overlay that appears in the lower portion of your video frame. It’s typically used to display a speaker's name, title, social handle, or other contextual information. Switcher has built-in lower third templates you can customize with your own text, colors, and branding.

Yes. You can play music tracks and trigger sound effects live during your broadcast directly from the Switcher app. Just keep in mind that if you're streaming to platforms like YouTube or Facebook, using copyrighted music could result in your stream being muted or taken down, so royalty-free tracks are the safe play.

CTAs can direct viewers to your website, social handles, products, or donation platforms. Switcher also supports linking to Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, Patreon, Givelify, and Tithe.ly directly from video CTAs and the Switcher video player menu.

In Switcher Cloud storage — 250 assets on the Studio plan, 1,000 assets on Suite. You can trim videos to exact length and organize assets into production groups that can be saved and accessed for any future stream.

Yes. Switcher has on-screen comment overlays for Facebook/YouTube/Twitch chat, and full graphic templating built in.

No. The branded video player has no Switcher watermarks, no third-party branding, and no competitor’s content recommendations. You can customize the branded Switcher Video Player to your own brand colors, text, and buttons.

Yes! After a stream, your video is stored in the Switcher app on your main device. If you’d like to store it elsewhere, check out our Help Center article on moving or copying your Switcher recordings. Additionally, if you’re using Switcher’s multistreaming feature, your most recent multistream recordings are saved to the Switcher Cloud and accessible from your Dashboard when the stream ends.

Video hosting is the process of storing, managing, and delivering video content on an online platform. Switcher hosts, embeds, and monetizes your video from one place.

A watch page is a customizable hosted page Switcher creates for your video or live stream, with no website required. You can brand it how you want, and it has a unique URL you can share directly with viewers. It's fully customizable to match your brand — think of it as your own mini video destination.

If you’re looking to host a video online, you’ve come to the right place. With Switcher, you can upload your video to the platform and then choose which site or platform you want to host your content on.

Whether you want a single video player, a scrolling gallery, or a social media style grid, we help you embed your videos anywhere you can edit the HTML. If your website builder doesn’t allow JavaScript embeds, we have a simple iFrame version of the embed code.

Easy. Once you're set up in Switcher, you get an embed code you can drop into any website that allows HTML editing. Copy it, paste it where you want the player to appear, and your live stream shows up on your site automatically when you go live. If your website builder doesn't allow JavaScript, we've got an iFrame version too.

With Switcher, you can upload your videos, organize them into playlists or collections, and embed a full scrolling gallery or grid directly on your website, with no third-party plugin or developer required. Your library updates automatically as you add new content.

Sure. You can quickly adjust the layout, color scheme, CTAs, linked URLs, and more with just a few taps. Choose between a portrait-style player for vertical video or a traditional horizontal view, brand your display to match your aesthetic, and create a custom URL, too.

Yes. Switcher provides a unique URL for every video and watch page, so you can send viewers directly to your content without a website.

10 videos on the Studio plan. 100 videos on Suite. Unlimited video length on both plans.

No. Switcher doesn't cap bandwidth. For live streams, your stream quality depends on your internet upload speed. See our stream quality settings and required upload speeds for more detail.