This is a tough review to write. I like Restream and purchased this deal to try to add it to my workflow (although I'm also using a competitive free tool which allows streaming to Instagram and TikTok as well).

I do not expect to refund this deal, and I'm not here to complain. I'm here to offer my honest review of Restream, which comes with a strong caveat:

My impression of the platform *is* heavily (and negatively) impacted by the use of an off-platform hyperlink in the branding message, which absolutely *does* impact reach and viewership of videos posted to some (and quite possibly, eventually, all) of the supported streaming platforms.

I LOVE what Restream offers. And I recognize that I can remove the branding from my videos after-the-fact. To be honest, I'm really not that opposed to the branding, per se. But I am put off by the *link* in the branding, because it has a demonstrably and measurably negative impact on the distribution of my posts. This is also true whether or not you choose to manually remove the branding after videos are posted, which will not reverse or alter the algorithm that limits distribution. In other words, once a video has been posted with a link in the description, the only way to get the reach of an identical video without such a link will be to PAY to boost the post.

In other words --> I'd be ok with the branding <-- but I hate that I'm going to be punished by the way in which the branding is implemented. In the end, this approach negatively impacts Restream as well, since Restream is ensuring that fewer people will actually *see* their branding due to the use of hyperlinks in the brand messaging. I'm really bummed that they didn't consider and/or haven't already been able to see and measure the impact of this.

As such, while I have plans to use this Restream LTD, I won't be able to use it nearly as often, or in all of the use cases I'd like to, because actually having my video seen by my audience is the primary reason I choose to post to these platforms in the first place, and I don't want to have to boost every post to compensate for the reduced distribution. Sure, I could consider upgrading to a paid plan, but doing so would negate much of my reasoning for purchasing this deal in the first place.

In the end, I like Restream, and for $50, I now have the ability to use it to simultaneously stream to multiple platforms -- but only when I'm more interested in posting to several platforms at once than I am in getting maximum viewership on just 1 or 2 platform at a time using another (admittedly less capable) tool.

I like Restream and think it has a ton of potential. But it will be hard for me to become a raving fan of Restream with their links added to all of my automated streams.