Our recommendation
A capture card gives the most dependable, network-independent feed and also works with consoles and cameras, but costs more and needs an HDMI adapter for a phone. ByteMirror needs no extra hardware, handles several phones at once and adds the phone camera, but depends on your USB or Wi-Fi connection.
We make ByteMirror. Capture card prices are typical list prices, checked on the date above.
At a glance
| ByteMirror | Capture card | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | None | Capture card, HDMI adapter and cables |
| Cost | Free, or Pro at $5.99/mo, $39.99/yr or Lifetime $49.99 once | Popular 1080p60 cards list around $180, plus an adapter |
| Connection | USB or Wi-Fi | HDMI |
| Several phones | Up to five on Pro | One card per phone |
| Phone camera | Yes | Only by mirroring the camera app |
| Protected video apps | Follows the phone's own rules | Can be blocked by content protection (HDCP) |
| Consoles and cameras | No | Yes |
| Desktop | Windows only | Windows and macOS |
Choose ByteMirror if…
- You only want to stream phones, and would rather not buy hardware.
- You want several phones in one scene.
- You want to switch between the phone's screen and its camera.
Choose Capture card if…
- You also stream consoles or use a DSLR.
- You need a feed that does not depend on Wi-Fi or USB drivers.
- You use a Mac.
Cost and set-up
A popular 1080p60 card such as the Elgato HD60 X lists at $179.99, and an iPhone also needs a Lightning or USB-C to HDMI adapter. ByteMirror needs the cable you already have, or none at all over Wi-Fi.
Reliability
HDMI is hard to beat for a steady feed with no network in the way. ByteMirror reconnects automatically if a cable slips or Wi-Fi drops, and hardware decoding keeps the load off your processor, but a busy network can still affect it. For a professional show with a single phone, a capture card is the safer bet. ByteMirror publishes no latency figures, so we make no latency claim here.
Questions
Do I need a capture card to stream mobile games?
No. ByteMirror brings the phone's screen and audio into OBS over USB or Wi-Fi without one.
Why does my capture card show a black screen for some apps?
Protected video apps can use HDCP content protection, which many capture set-ups cannot record. That is a content-protection rule, not a fault.
Sources
The vendor pages behind the facts on this page, checked on the date above.