Software Alternatives & Startups

Steam Link VS Node-RED

Compare Steam Link VS Node-RED and see what are their differences

Steam Link

Play your Steam games on any TV in the house

Rating
0 reviews
Node-RED

Node-RED is a programming tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services in new and interesting ways.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Node-RED seems to be a lot more popular than Steam Link. While we know about 128 links to Node-RED, we've tracked only 1 mention of Steam Link.

social mentions
1 vs 128
Gaming popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
58 vs 160

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Steam Link
Node-RED
Website store.steampowered.com nodered.org
Pricing —
Open source Official pricing
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Steam Link 5 features
Node-RED 5 features
  • Convenience
    Steam Link allows you to stream games from your PC to other devices, enabling gaming anywhere in your house as long as you have a good network connection.
  • Compatibility
    Works with many different devices, including TVs, tablets, and smartphones, expanding your options for where and how you play.
  • Cost-Effective
    Since it's a free app, you can gain an additional way to play your games without needing to purchase more hardware.
  • Quality Gaming Experience
    Supports high-quality streaming, including high frame rates and low latency, provided you have an adequate network setup.
  • Ease of Use
    The setup is straightforward, mostly involving the app and some basic networking setup, making it accessible to most users.

Possible disadvantages

  • Network Dependency
    The quality of the experience depends heavily on your home network’s speed and stability, potentially requiring upgrades to achieve optimal performance.
  • Limited to Home Network
    Works best over your local home network, meaning you're not truly mobile and are limited to your home unless you configure remote play over the internet.
  • Hardware Requirements
    You still need a host PC that can run the games, so while the app itself is free, it's not a substitute for owning capable gaming hardware.
  • Input Lag
    Although minimized, some users might still experience noticeable input lag depending on their network configuration and hardware.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some games or setups may have compatibility issues with Steam Link's streaming capabilities, requiring adjustments or troubleshooting.
  • Visual Programming
    Node-RED offers a flow-based development interface which allows users to create applications by wiring together pre-built nodes, making it intuitive and easier to understand, especially for non-programmers.
  • Extensibility
    The platform is highly extensible with a large library of pre-built nodes available and support for creating custom nodes. This makes it adaptable to a wide range of use cases.
  • Event-Driven
    Node-RED is designed around an event-driven architecture, which is beneficial for handling asynchronous events and real-time data.
  • Cross-Platform
    Node-RED is based on Node.js and runs on various platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even low-resource devices like Raspberry Pi.
  • Integrations
    It offers extensive integration capabilities with various protocols (like MQTT, HTTP, and WebSockets) and a wide variety of services (like databases, cloud services, and IoT platforms).

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance
    Being a higher-level tool built on Node.js, it may not match the performance of systems built directly using lower-level languages and tools, particularly for very resource-intensive applications.
  • Complexity with Large Flows
    As the number of nodes and flows increases, the visual representation can become cluttered and harder to manage. This might make debugging and maintenance more difficult.
  • Scalability
    While suitable for small to medium-sized projects, Node-RED may face challenges in scaling to very large, enterprise-level applications without significant architectural adjustments.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Although it simplifies basic tasks, there can be a steep learning curve to unlock its full potential, particularly when dealing with sophisticated integrations or custom node development.
  • Security
    The out-of-the-box security features may not be sufficient for all applications. Additional measures such as authentication, encryption, and network security must be implemented for deployment in sensitive environments.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Steam Link
Node-RED

No analysis of Steam Link yet.

Overall verdict

  • Node-RED is generally considered a good tool, particularly for non-programmers and those looking to quickly prototype and deploy IoT solutions. Its visual interface simplifies the development process and can handle a wide variety of integration tasks.

Why this product is good

  • Node-RED is an open-source flow-based programming tool primarily intended for wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). It is visually driven, allowing users to create and deploy complex workflows and automation processes with minimal programming knowledge. Its extensive library of pre-built nodes and its active community contribute to its flexibility and ease of use.

Recommended for

  • IoT enthusiasts
  • Quick prototyping of automation flows
  • Integrating various APIs and services
  • Users who prefer a visual programming interface
  • Educational purposes for teaching programming and IoT concepts

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Steam Link 3 videos + Add
Node-RED 1 video + Add

Steam Link Review - A surprisingly interesting device?

More videos

  • - Should You Buy The Steam Link?
  • - Steam Link Review

Intro to Node-RED: Part 1 Fundamentals

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Steam Link
Node-RED
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Steam Link and Node-RED. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Steam Link no reviews yet
Node-RED no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Steam Link 1 mention
Node-RED 128 mentions
  • Why I Don't Need a Steam Machine
    There's a Steam app on my Samsung smart TV that I think can do this, with a USB-controller connected to a USB-port on the TV. Haven't tried it though. But I think the best way to do it is to have a cheap PC (or maybe an Android TV device... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Building for an audience of one: starting and finishing side projects with AI
    HomeAssistant is probably doing too much for what you need. Imo it's not a good piece of software. https://nodered.org/ is maybe a better fit. Or just some plain old scripts. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Erlang-Red: Node-Red with an Erlang Back End
    Ahh, you didn't create Node-RED editor. That's an external project. https://nodered.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Hardware Metrics Collection with IOT Devices
    Node Red is a unique application that provides a graphical programming environment. With this, you can define input to output transformation with any level of complexity, including reading, parsing, formatting, and output with optional... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago

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Alternatives to Steam Link and Node-RED

When comparing Steam Link and Node-RED, you can also consider the following products.