Secure, scalable open-source video conferencing for teams
Owncast is the open-source 'Twitch/Vimeo Live in a box'. Point OBS or any RTMP broadcaster at your Owncast container to run an independent live video stream with built-in real-time chat and S3 CDN offloading.
Tech StackGo, React, TypeScript, FFmpeg, HLS
Self-Host DifficultyEasy
License ModelMIT
GitHub Repositoryowncast/owncast
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)Min RAM:1 GB
Rec RAM:2 GB
Compute:1 vCPU
Disk Space:10 GB SSD
Owncast vs Vimeo Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | Owncast (Open Source) | Vimeo (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Model | 100% Free Self-Hosted (Unlimited Users) | Vimeo Per-Seat / Usage Billing |
| Data Sovereignty | 100% On-Premise / Your Own VPS | Stored on Vimeo Proprietary Cloud |
| Source Code Audit | Open-Source (MIT) | Closed-Source Proprietary Blackbox |
INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $43/user/mo
Financial Impact: Migrating from Vimeo to Self-Hosted Owncast
5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)
Vimeo (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax
$12,900per year ($1,075/mo)
3-Year Spend:$38,700
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
Owncast (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee
$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)
3-Year Compute:$360
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$38,340Net savings across 36 months (99% reduction)
Annual Free Cash:+$12,780/yr
Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.
HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES // SIDE-BY-SIDE AUDIT
Custom Comparison Engine →Compare Owncast Head-to-Head
★ PRIMARY REPLACEMENTFOSS vs SaaS
Comprehensive benchmark comparing Owncast against proprietary Vimeo licensing and features.
View Full Battle Report→
VideoPEER BENCHMARK
100% Encrypted Video Calls on Private Servers vs Zoom $18/Host/Month Cloud
Inspect Comparison→
VideoPEER BENCHMARK
Decentralized Fediverse Video Streaming vs Vimeo $20-$65/Seat/Month Trap
Inspect Comparison→
VideoPEER BENCHMARK
Open-Source Instant Screen & Cam Recording vs Loom $12.50/User/Mo Limit
Inspect Comparison→
Core Capabilities & Features
✓Compatible with OBS & Standard RTMP
✓Built-in Real-Time Viewer Chat
✓Zero External Database Required
✓S3-Compatible Stream Delivery
Self-Host Owncast with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
OwncastMIT
Single-binary self-hosted live video streaming and chat server
Difficulty: Easy11,586 ⭐
Configure Parameters
docker-compose.owncast.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
owncast:
image: owncast/owncast:latest
container_name: owncast
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "${PORT:-8080}:8080"
environment:
APP_URL: "${APP_URL:-http://localhost:8080}"
SECRET_KEY: "${SECRET_KEY:-ossmatrix_prod_secret_2026}"
volumes:
- owncast_data:/data
volumes:
owncast_data:Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Owncast
How do I self-host Owncast using Docker Compose?
You can deploy Owncast (owncast/owncast) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.
How does Owncast compare to Vimeo?
Owncast is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Vimeo built with Go, React, TypeScript, FFmpeg, HLS. Unlike Vimeo ($20 - $65 / seat / month), Owncast has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.
What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Owncast?
For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).
Is Owncast free for commercial business use under the MIT license?
Yes. Distributed under the MIT license, Owncast can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.
README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED
Embed Official Owncast Badge in GitHub README
Served locally from OSSMatrix with Cloudflare global edge caching. Real-time verified alternative status, zero third-party dependencies, sub-5ms load time.
Live Preview:
Markdown Embed (GitHub / GitLab)
[](https://ossmatrix.com/project/owncast)HTML Embed (Docs / Landing Pages)
<a href="https://ossmatrix.com/project/owncast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/owncast" alt="Owncast on OSSMatrix" /></a>SIMILAR REPOSITORIES // PEER COMPARISON
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