vMix alternative

The vMix alternative for people who do not need vMix.

vMix is a professional production suite and it earns its price: Preview/Program, MultiView, ISO recording, PTZ control, remote guests. Most streams use none of that. If yours is one of them, SplitCam does the part you actually use — for nothing, and on a Mac, which vMix cannot do at all.

⬇ Free Download See the table ↓
Free, no watermarkWindows and macOS84+ platformsNo broadcast suite
Short answer: which side of the line you are on
  1. You need vMix if you cue a shot in Preview before cutting to Program, watch a MultiView wall, record every camera to its own file, drive PTZ heads, or bring guests in through vMix Call. SplitCam does none of that.
  2. You do not need it if your stream is a camera or two, a screen, some overlays, and it goes to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook at once. That is scenes, layers and multistreaming, and it is free here.
  3. You are on a Mac. vMix has no native macOS version — it runs under Boot Camp on Intel Macs only, and not on Apple Silicon. SplitCam runs on macOS 13 and later.
  4. vMix has a free edition too. vMix Basic is capped at 768×576 with 4 inputs. HD starts at the $60 Basic HD licence. Everything on this page about SplitCam is free at full resolution.

What you give up by not paying

Be clear-eyed about this. These are the things vMix does and SplitCam does not, and none of them is small if your production depends on it.

Preview/Program and MultiView

vMix shows a Preview window and a Program output and lets you cut, fade or transition between them, with up to two MultiView outputs laid out however you like. SplitCam switches straight to a scene; there is no cue step and no wall.

ISO recording of every input

vMix MultiCorder writes each input to its own file for editing later — in the 4K, Pro and MAX editions. SplitCam records the composed scene, one file.

PTZ camera control

vMix drives pan-tilt-zoom cameras over VISCA in its 4K and Pro editions. Nothing in SplitCam moves a camera.

Remote guests

vMix Call brings guests in through a browser — 1 in HD, 4 in 4K, 8 in Pro and MAX; not in the Basic editions. SplitCam has no guest link. The workaround is capturing a guest's Zoom or Meet window as a layer.

What you get for free instead

The part of a broadcast suite that most streams actually exercise.

Scenes and layers, switched live

Cameras, screens, a browser page, images, video files and your phone as layers in a scene, with transitions between scenes. This is the core of what people buy vMix for, and it is here.

Multistreaming to 84+ platforms

Direct to each platform's ingest from your own machine, with independent bitrate, resolution and framerate per destination. vMix streams too — up to 5 at once from Basic HD — but that starts at $60.

A virtual camera for 60+ apps

The composed scene becomes a camera Zoom, Teams, Meet, Discord and OBS can select. vMix has this as well; the difference is that here it is the same free download.

macOS, natively

SplitCam runs on macOS 13+. vMix does not run on a Mac at all outside Boot Camp on Intel hardware, and the company says a macOS version is not coming.

When you should just buy vMix

If any line in the first section describes your show, buy vMix and do not look back — a $60 Basic HD licence is not the same product as the $1,200 Pro, so read the edition table before you pay, and note that a perpetual licence includes 12 months of free updates rather than updates forever. Buy it if you produce for a client who expects a Preview/Program workflow, if you need every camera recorded in isolation for the edit, if a PTZ operator is part of the crew, or if the guests are the show. Buy it if you want a vendor with a support relationship behind the software; SplitCam has none. And if you are not sure, vMix offers a 60-day trial with everything unlocked — run your real show on it and see which of the professional features you actually touched.

SplitCam vs vMix, edition by edition

vMix figures are from vmix.com, checked 4 September 2026 — editions and prices change, so confirm on vmix.com/purchase/ before deciding. Where an edition matters, the row says which one.

FeatureSplitCamvMix
PriceFree, no watermark, no time limitFree Basic (768×576); Basic HD $60, HD $350, 4K $700, Pro $1,200 one-time; MAX $50/mo
Runs on macOSYes — macOS 13+No native version; Boot Camp on Intel Macs only
Multistreaming84+ platforms, freeUp to 5 streams from Basic HD; 3 in free Basic
Preview/Program and MultiViewNoYes — two MultiView outputs
Per-input ISO recordingNoMultiCorder, in 4K, Pro and MAX
PTZ camera controlNoIn 4K and Pro
NDIInput onlyIn and out; up to 4 NDI outputs in 4K, Pro and MAX
Remote guestsNo guest linkvMix Call: 1 in HD, 4 in 4K, 8 in Pro and MAX
AI background removalBuilt in, freeCheck current features
Free updatesAlways12 months on perpetual licences; ongoing on MAX
Support contractNoneCommercial vendor

vMix alternative FAQ

Is SplitCam a free vMix alternative?

For streams that use scenes, overlays, a virtual camera and multistreaming — yes, and at full resolution. For productions that depend on Preview/Program, ISO recording, PTZ control or vMix Call, no; those are what vMix is for and SplitCam does not have them.

Does vMix run on a Mac?

Not natively. vMix says a macOS version is not planned; it runs under Boot Camp on Intel Macs only and not on Apple Silicon. SplitCam runs on macOS 13 and later.

Is vMix free?

There is a free vMix Basic edition, capped at 768×576 with 4 inputs and 3 simultaneous streams. HD output starts with the Basic HD licence at $60. There is also a 60-day trial of the full product.

Does SplitCam have Preview/Program or a MultiView?

No. You switch straight to a scene. If you direct with a cue-then-cut workflow, SplitCam will feel wrong immediately and vMix is the right tool.

Can I record each camera separately?

Not in SplitCam — it records the composed scene as one file. vMix MultiCorder does per-input recording in the 4K, Pro and MAX editions.

Does a vMix licence include updates forever?

Perpetual vMix licences include 12 months of free updates; after that, updates are paid. The MAX subscription includes updates while it is active. SplitCam updates are free.

Keep the part you use. Skip the part you pay for.

Free download for Windows and macOS. No edition table.

⬇ Free Download