How CreekX compares
CreekX is a streaming server you install on your own machines, including networks with no internet. One install takes WebRTC, LL-HLS, HLS, SRT, RTSP and RTMP in and out, plays 24/7 channels from a video library and records IP cameras. It costs $99 per server per month, with no per-minute or per-viewer fees.
Where it runs and how you pay
| Product | Where it runs | How you pay | Works with no internet |
|---|---|---|---|
| CreekX | Your servers or cloud account | $99 per server per month, or $999 a year | Yes, with the offline bundle |
| Wowza Streaming Engine | Your servers or cloud account | Subscription licence per server | Yes |
| Mux Video | Mux's cloud | Per minute encoded, stored and delivered | No |
| Cloudflare Stream | Cloudflare's cloud | Per minute stored and per minute delivered | No |
| YouTube Live | YouTube | Free to stream; YouTube sets ads and terms | No |
Vendor columns describe each product's published pricing model, not current prices. Check the vendor's own pages before you decide.
What CreekX does in one server
- Ingest: RTMP and RTMPS from OBS and encoders, SRT (with optional encryption), RTSP push and pull, and WebRTC from a browser over WHIP.
- Playback: WebRTC for real time, LL-HLS and HLS for every device, with adaptive bitrate.
- Latency: 0.27 s glass to glass over WebRTC, measured on a local test on 20 October 2026.
- 24/7 channels: a schedule built from your library, played out continuously and restreamed to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch or any RTMP destination.
- Recording: every live saved to the library, with captions made on the server.
- IP cameras: ONVIF discovery, PTZ, continuous recording and a camera wall by site, licensed per camera.
- Control: a REST API for every action, signed webhooks, expiring watch tokens and single sign-on.
What is measured, and what is not
- A one-hour test of 3 RTMP lives with 15 LL-HLS viewers on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 install ran with 0 faults at about 5% CPU, passing video through without transcoding.
- Converting a 52-second 480p clip to the 1080p channel format took about 37 s on 8 cores (x264, veryfast).
- On a 4-core cloud server (2026-10-13): 49 recorded 1080p lives at 13% CPU, 500 WebRTC viewers and 400 LL-HLS viewers of one live. Viewers on many real networks and servers larger than 4 cores are not yet measured. See benchmarks.
When another option fits better
- If you do not want to run any servers, a hosted service such as Mux or Cloudflare Stream removes that work, and you pay for it by the minute.
- If your goal is YouTube's audience rather than your own player, stream to YouTube Live. CreekX can restream there alongside your own site.