pMix Studio vs Switcher Studio

If you are looking at Switcher Studio, you already have the right idea: an iPad, some iPhones and no extra hardware. The decision is whether you want the whole platform around the stream, or a better tool for producing the stream itself at a fraction of the price.

At a glance

Prices are USD list prices at the time of writing and change. Check each vendor before buying.

Where Switcher Studio is still ahead

• Distribution is built in. Multistreaming, a hosted video library, website embeds and a branded player all come with the subscription. pMix Studio hands you a recording and a stream and stops there.
• Monetisation. Donations, ticketed streams and pay-per-view are part of the Suite plan. pMix Studio has none of that.
• It runs on a Mac and an iPhone as well as an iPad. pMix Studio’s mixer needs an M-series iPad. iPhones are cameras only.
• Track record. Switcher Studio has been shipping for years and has a large customer base. pMix Studio is in beta.

Where pMix Studio is ahead

• Price. A year of pMix Studio costs less than two months of Switcher Studio’s entry plan. That gap pays for a lot of stands and lights.
• A real next-shot preview. You line up the shot on the left and it goes live on the right. Switching is deliberate rather than a tap and hope.
• Control the phones from your seat. Zoom, focus, exposure and white balance on every iPhone camera from the iPad, and subject tracking on a DockKit gimbal.
• PTZ and NDI cameras. If you already own a PTZ camera, or want to feed ProPresenter slides over NDI, pMix Studio takes them as sources and moves the PTZ from the same screen.
• A proper audio mixer. Faders, groups, audio-follows-video, headphone monitoring and a USB audio interface for room mics.
• One person can run it. Voice commands, a game controller or a Stream Deck let a single operator change shots while their hands are busy.

What changes if you switch

• Keep your platform accounts. pMix Studio signs in to YouTube and Twitch directly, and takes a stream key for Facebook, Kick, TikTok, X and anything else with RTMP or SRT.
• Hosting moves elsewhere. Your recordings stay on the iPad as MP4 or MOV files. Upload them wherever you already keep video.
• Multistreaming needs a relay for now. If you stream to YouTube and Facebook at once today, use Restream or a similar service until native multistream ships.
• The phones still need the same Wi-Fi. Both apps work the same way here: a 5 GHz network shared by the iPad and every iPhone.

pMix Studio vs Switcher Studio FAQ

Is pMix Studio cheaper than Switcher Studio?
Yes. pMix Studio is $9.99 a month or $99 a year on the App Store. Switcher Studio’s entry plan is $45 a month billed annually, or $65 month to month, at the time of writing.

Can I use iPhones as cameras with pMix Studio like I can with Switcher Studio?
Yes. Each iPhone runs the free pMix Camera app and appears on the iPad automatically over Wi-Fi. You can also adjust zoom, focus, exposure and white balance on each phone from the iPad.

Does pMix Studio multistream to several platforms at once?
Not natively yet. pMix Studio streams to one destination at a time, and you can reach several platforms through a service like Restream. Native multistreaming is on the roadmap.

Does pMix Studio host my videos or take donations?
No. pMix Studio produces the stream and records it. Hosting, embeds, ticketing and donations are things Switcher Studio offers and pMix Studio does not.

What is the biggest difference in day-to-day use?
pMix Studio shows you the next shot beside the live shot before you switch, and lets you control the iPhone cameras, PTZ cameras and audio from the same screen. Switcher Studio is broader, with distribution and audience tools built around the stream.