Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Wowza VS Nimble Streamer

Compare Wowza VS Nimble Streamer and see what are their differences

Wowza logo Wowza

Streaming media server supporting all known streaming protocols.

Nimble Streamer logo Nimble Streamer

Light-weight media server that is freemium, pay for control panel if you need it.
  • Wowza Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-11
  • Nimble Streamer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

Wowza features and specs

  • Scalability
    Wowza Streaming Engine is known for its ability to scale efficiently, accommodating anything from small-scale to large-scale streaming demands without significant performance issues.
  • Versatile Protocol Support
    Wowza supports a wide array of streaming protocols including HLS, RTMP, and MPEG-DASH, making it highly versatile for different streaming requirements and devices.
  • Customizability
    The platform offers extensive customization options through its API, allowing developers to tailor the streaming service extensively to fit specific application needs.
  • Adaptive Bitrate Streaming
    Wowza provides adaptive bitrate streaming which enhances viewer experience by adjusting the video quality in real-time to match network conditions and device capabilities.
  • Extensive Documentation and Support
    Wowza offers comprehensive documentation and dedicated customer support which aids users in efficiently deploying and troubleshooting the platform.

Possible disadvantages of Wowza

  • Complexity
    The platform can be complex to set up and manage, especially for those who do not have prior experience with streaming technologies.
  • Cost
    Wowza can be relatively expensive, particularly for small businesses or hobbyists, due to licensing fees and potential additional costs for scaling.
  • Hardware Requirements
    Running Wowza efficiently may require significant hardware resources, which could be burdensome for organizations with limited infrastructure.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a steep learning curve associated with mastering Wowza, meaning that time and effort are needed to become proficient in its use.
  • Dependency on Third-party Plugins
    While Wowza is highly extensible, it often relies on third-party plugins to extend functionality, which may introduce compatibility issues or require additional costs.

Nimble Streamer features and specs

  • Low-Latency Streaming
    Nimble Streamer is optimized for low-latency delivery, which is crucial for live event streaming and real-time applications.
  • Wide Protocol Support
    Supports a broad range of streaming protocols, including HLS, HDS, RTMP, RTSP, MPEG-DASH, and SRT, making it versatile for different streaming needs.
  • Scalability
    Highly scalable, allowing users to handle increased traffic easily by adding more instances in a cloud or on-premise environment.
  • Security Features
    Includes robust security features such as token-based authentication, hotlink protection, and geo-blocking to protect content.
  • Efficient Resource Usage
    Nimble Streamer is designed to use server resources efficiently, allowing high-performance streaming even on average hardware.
  • Transcoding Support
    Offers on-the-fly transcoding and transmuxing options, which are essential for adapting streams to different network conditions and devices.

Possible disadvantages of Nimble Streamer

  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex, requiring technical expertise, especially for customizing advanced features.
  • Limited Free Tier
    The free version has limitations in terms of features and scale, which might not be suitable for larger or specialized streaming projects.
  • Third-Party Dependency
    Relies on some third-party libraries for specific functionalities, which might complicate support and troubleshooting processes.
  • Paid Add-Ons
    Some advanced features, such as enhanced monitoring and analytics, are available only as paid add-ons, potentially increasing the overall cost.
  • Support Availability
    While there is community support, responses might not be as rapid or detailed as those from commercial support plans.

Analysis of Wowza

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Wowza is generally regarded as a good solution for professional and enterprise-level streaming needs. Its versatility and robust features make it a preferred choice for businesses that require a reliable and scalable streaming solution.

Why this product is good

  • Wowza is considered a strong choice for streaming solutions due to its robust and flexible platform that supports multiple streaming protocols and codecs, offering reliable and scalable streaming services. It provides comprehensive customization options and features like adaptive bitrate streaming, real-time analytics, and cloud-based or on-premise deployment options. Additionally, Wowza is often praised for its excellent customer support and extensive documentation that help users maximize the platform's potential.

Recommended for

  • Enterprises looking for a scalable and customizable streaming solution
  • Developers who need support for multiple protocols and codecs
  • Organizations seeking reliable and professional-grade streaming services
  • Content creators and broadcasters wanting adaptive bitrate streaming and real-time analytics

Wowza videos

WMSPanel daily statistics for Wowza Media Server

Nimble Streamer videos

Nimble streamer review

More videos:

  • Review - Nimble Streamer: A Must Have Tool for Broadcasters
  • Review - Nimble Streamer Transcoder UI review for ABR scenario setup

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Wowza and Nimble Streamer)
Video
52 52%
48% 48
Video Platform
54 54%
46% 46
Live Streaming
58 58%
42% 42
Video Streaming
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Wowza and Nimble Streamer

Wowza Reviews

Top 26 Alternatives to Vimeo in 2024: Pricing, Features & More
Live streaming services come with Wowza Video Cloud Streaming, the second offering. The Cloud Streaming functionality includes various features aimed at providing low-latency video content access to global audiences of all sizes. Wowza Cloud Streaming is comparable to the functionality of Vimeo.
Source: www.dacast.com
Navigating the Live Streaming Landscape: Spotlight on StreamingVideoProvider
Meanwhile, platforms like Dacast and Wowza enrich the live streaming tapestry with their distinctive solutions. Dacast, with its emphasis on white-label services and secure streaming, provides a balanced, reliable experience. On the other hand, Wowza, with its low-latency solutions and customizable features, emphasizes real-time interactions and user empowerment.
Source: medium.com
The Complete List of Video Marketing Tools (Updated for 2022)
Wowza is a streaming engine that is easy to set up. It supports various formats of live stream, linear and on-demand content to any device.

Nimble Streamer Reviews

We have no reviews of Nimble Streamer yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Nimble Streamer seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Wowza mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Wowza yet. Tracking of Wowza recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Nimble Streamer mentions (8)

  • How do I encode CEA-708 subtitles into an MPEG-TS video stream with FFmpeg?
    Is this the correct nimble? https://wmspanel.com/nimble. Source: over 2 years ago
  • SRT & RTMP ingest & return feed sync
    Nimble Streamer software media server can receive the streams and align them together before sending into NDI output. Check this video as example. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Best low latency private SRT streaming platform?
    ClearView Flex and Evercast are good turn key services. If you want to DIY, https://wmspanel.com/nimble is quite decent. All are well under 2 seconds, with Evercast being the fastest. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Homelab server suggestions for live video production?
    Within the server’s various VMs and containers (pretty much all Linux containers of some sort), most video signals will be shipped around using NDI. NDI uses CPU, not GPU, but isn’t terribly resource-heavy from what I can tell. I’ll likely have multiple instances of OBS deployed for source ingest (browser sources especially) and encoding/streaming/recording. It seems like I’d benefit from NVIDIA GPU here, as the... Source: over 3 years ago
  • VLC Active X into Citect
    Then, a year later, he wrote another blog, this time using the Nimble Streamer Server which transcodes the video stream into Softvelum Low Delay Protocol, which can be then used by web clients (as well as a thick client via HTML5 component). Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Wowza and Nimble Streamer, you can also consider the following products

Ant Media Server - Scalable, Ultra Low Latency & Adaptive WebRTC Streaming Ant Media Server provides Scalable Ultra-low latency (0.5 seconds) Adaptive Live Streaming with WebRTC. It supports RTMP, RTSP, Zixi, SRT, LL-HLS,LL-DASH,WebRTC, Adaptive Bitrate and recording.

MistServer - MistServer is a lightweight, open-source multistandard multimedia server.

Red5 Pro - Server software designed for ultra-low sub-250 ms latency streaming at scale

Flussonic - We develop software for streaming video since 2010. Flussonic server solutions help business clients store, capture, deliver and transcode video. Customers in more than 100 countries.

Kurento - Kurento is an open source software development framework providing a media server written in C/C++...

JW Player - JW Player is an embeddable media player.