How to Choose the Right Livestream Platform for Your Event

Choosing a livestream platform can feel surprisingly complicated. Most organisations are familiar with platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, but there are many other options available, each designed for different types of events.

A platform that works well for an internal staff webinar may be completely unsuitable for a public conference, product launch or customer event. The best choice depends on who is watching, how they will access the stream, what they need to do during the event and what you need to happen after the livestream has ended.

This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive technical comparison. Livestream platforms change regularly, and features, limits and pricing can vary over time. Instead, this article focuses on the practical strengths and limitations of each platform so you can make a more informed decision for your event.

Start With the Audience

Before choosing a platform, start with the people who will be watching. Are they internal staff members who already use Microsoft Teams every day, or are they external customers, members, investors, students or conference attendees who may be joining from different organisations?

This matters because the best platform is often the one that creates the least friction for your audience. If your staff already live inside Teams, using Teams for an internal town hall can make sense. If your audience is external and does not use Teams, a browser-based viewing page, webinar platform or embedded livestream may be much easier for them.

It is also worth thinking about how the audience will interact with the event. Do they need to ask questions, answer polls, move between sessions, network with other attendees or simply watch a polished broadcast? These answers will usually narrow your options quite quickly.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Livestream Platform

A useful way to choose a platform is to work backwards from the event requirements. The platform should support the event you are trying to create, rather than forcing the event into the limits of the platform.

• Is the audience internal, external or a mix of both?
• How many people are expected to attend?
• Do attendees need to register before the event?
• Do you need Q&A, chat, polls or breakout rooms?
• Does the livestream need to be embedded on your website?
• Do you need strong branding or a simple viewing experience?
• Will the event be public, private or restricted to certain viewers?
• Do you need analytics or attendee reporting after the event?
• Will the recording be used for on-demand viewing?
• Are there accessibility requirements such as captions or transcription?

These questions are often more important than the platform’s feature list. A platform may have impressive functionality, but if it makes it hard for the audience to join or participate, it may not be the right choice.

Budget is another consideration. Some platforms are free or included as part of an existing software subscription, while others involve licensing fees or additional event management features. If you’re planning a livestream and comparing different approaches, our guide to live streaming costs explains the main factors that influence pricing.

 

Livestream Platform Comparison

Platform	Best suited to	Strengths	Limitations
Microsoft Teams	Internal webinars, staff updates and company town halls	Familiar for many organisations, strong internal access and Microsoft 365 integration	Can feel less suitable for external audiences and public-facing events
Zoom	Webinars, training sessions and mixed internal/external events	Easy for many attendees to use, good interaction tools and webinar features	May require the right licence and setup for larger or more polished events
Vimeo	Branded livestreams, embedded events and professional broadcasts	Clean viewing experience, strong video quality and website embedding options	Less suited to highly interactive webinar-style events without extra tools
YouTube Live	Public broadcasts and events where reach matters	Free or low-cost, familiar to viewers and suitable for large public audiences	Limited branding control and less detailed attendee data
BigMarker	Virtual conferences, marketing webinars and multi-session events	Strong registration, event pages, analytics and audience engagement tools	Can be more complex and may be more than you need for a simple livestream

Which Platform Would We Choose?

One of the most common questions we hear is: “Which platform would you recommend for our event?”

While every event is different, the examples below illustrate how platform selection often depends on the audience, event format and viewing experience you are trying to create.

Scenario 1: Internal Staff Town Hall

You are hosting a company-wide update for 500 employees. The CEO will present, department heads will provide updates and staff will have the opportunity to submit questions.

In this situation, Microsoft Teams is often a strong choice because employees are already familiar with the platform and can access the event using existing company systems.

Scenario 2: Customer Webinar

You are running a one-hour webinar for customers and prospects. Attendees need to register in advance, receive reminder emails and participate in live Q&A.

Zoom is often well-suited to this type of event because it provides a familiar experience for attendees and includes a range of webinar-focused interaction features.

Scenario 3: Conference Livestream

You are streaming a conference or industry event to an external audience. The livestream will be embedded on your website and should feel polished, professional and consistent with your brand.

Vimeo can be a good option in this scenario because it offers a clean viewing experience without advertising or unrelated content appearing around the stream.

Conference live streaming often involves more than simply placing a camera at the back of the room. Audio, slides, presenter changes, audience questions, internet testing and recording all need to be planned properly. Organisations planning larger conferences often engage a professional production partner to manage these elements and reduce technical risk. Learn more about our live streaming services.

 

Scenario 4: Virtual Conference

You are running a multi-day online event with multiple sessions, sponsors, attendee registration and reporting requirements.

A specialist event platform such as BigMarker may justify the additional investment because it provides features specifically designed for managing larger and more complex virtual events.

Security and IT Requirements Matter

When choosing a livestream platform, it is important to consider more than just features and pricing. In many organisations, particularly government departments, healthcare providers, universities and large corporations, IT and security requirements play a major role in platform selection.

A platform may appear ideal on paper, but if attendees are unable to access it because of network restrictions, browser limitations or security policies, it can quickly become a problem.

This is one reason why internal events are often hosted on platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Webex. These platforms may already be approved by the organisation’s IT team and integrated into existing systems.

When planning a livestream, it is worth discussing platform requirements with both event stakeholders and IT teams early in the process. Doing so can help avoid last-minute technical surprises and ensure a smoother experience for attendees.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is often a strong choice for internal livestreams, especially when the organisation already uses Microsoft 365. Staff are usually familiar with the interface, IT teams may already have security settings in place, and the event sits naturally within the company’s existing systems.

Teams can work well for staff town halls, internal updates, training sessions and executive briefings. It is usually less ideal when the audience is external, because guests may be unfamiliar with the setup, registration options may be limited, and the experience can feel more like a meeting than a polished event.

Zoom

Zoom is one of the most familiar options for webinars and online presentations. Many attendees have used it before, which can reduce technical questions and make it easier for people to join from outside your organisation.

Zoom is often a good fit for customer webinars, training sessions, panel discussions and events where interaction matters. Features such as Q&A, chat, polls and breakout rooms can be useful, although it is important to choose the right Zoom product and licence for the type and size of event you are running.

It is also important to understand the difference between a webinar platform and a livestream platform. While Zoom can be an excellent solution for many events, there are situations where a dedicated livestream provides a better viewing experience and greater production flexibility. You can learn more in our guide to live streaming versus Zoom.

Vimeo

Vimeo is often a good option when you want the livestream to feel more like a professional broadcast than a video meeting. It can work well for branded events, conferences, product launches, awards nights and livestreams embedded on your own website.

The viewing experience is clean and simple, which can be a major advantage for external audiences. However, Vimeo is generally not the first choice if the event relies heavily on real-time interaction, such as breakout rooms, detailed webinar registration or live audience networking.

YouTube Live

YouTube Live can be a practical choice for public-facing events where reach and ease of access are the main priorities. It is familiar, easy to access and suitable for large audiences, which makes it useful for community events, public announcements, launches and open broadcasts.

The trade-off is that you have less control over branding, attendee data and the broader viewing environment. For some events, that may not matter. For others, especially corporate events where presentation and privacy are important, a more controlled platform may be a better fit.

BigMarker

BigMarker is designed more for webinars, virtual events and marketing-led online programs than simple livestreaming. It can be useful when you need registration pages, attendee tracking, multiple sessions, sponsor areas, analytics and stronger event management features.

This can make it a good option for larger webinars, virtual conferences and lead generation events. For a simple internal presentation or one-hour livestream, it may be more complex than necessary.

Other Platforms Worth Considering

LinkedIn Live can be useful for B2B events, thought leadership sessions and public conversations aimed at a professional audience. It can help reach people where they already spend time, although it gives you less control over the viewing experience than hosting the stream on your own site.

Webex is still used by many enterprise, government, healthcare and education organisations. It may not be the most exciting option, but in some environments, it is already approved, familiar to IT teams and suitable for secure internal communication.

ON24 is worth considering for enterprise marketing webinars, especially when the event is tied to lead generation, reporting and marketing automation. StreamYard is also useful for broadcasting to platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook, although it is more of a production and distribution tool than a complete event platform.

Hybrid Events Need Extra Thought

Hybrid events add another layer to the decision. When some people are in the room and others are watching online, the platform needs to support both the live audience and the remote audience without making either group feel like an afterthought.

For example, a conference with 300 people in the room and 500 people watching online may need registration, Q&A moderation, slides, multiple cameras, strong audio and a clear plan for how online questions will reach the presenters. For more detail on the production side, see our guide to what happens before a live stream.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Platform

One common mistake is choosing a platform because it is free or already available. This can work well in some situations, but it can also create problems if the platform does not support registration, branding, privacy or audience interaction in the way your event requires.

Another mistake is choosing the platform based on what is easiest for the organisers rather than what is easiest for the audience. If attendees struggle to register, log in, ask questions or watch the event on their preferred device, the platform may end up damaging the experience.

It is also easy to forget about what happens after the livestream. Many organisations get as much value from the recording as they do from the live event, so it is worth thinking about recording quality, captions, editing, analytics and on-demand viewing before the event takes place.

There Is No Best Livestream Platform

Clients often ask which livestream platform is best. The more useful answer is that there is no single best platform for every event.

The right platform for an internal CEO update may be completely different from the right platform for a public conference, customer webinar or industry panel discussion. The goal is to choose the platform that best suits your audience, your content, your budget and the experience you want people to have.

If you are planning a livestream and want help choosing the right setup, Dream Engine provides professional livestream production services for conferences, webinars, internal events, awards nights and corporate presentations. We can help you think through the platform, production approach and audience experience before the event goes live.