Best SRT Gateway Software in 2026: Open Source and Commercial Options

What Is an SRT Gateway?

An SRT gateway is software that receives, routes, and distributes live video streams using the SRT protocol. It sits between your encoders and your destinations — taking streams in, optionally transcoding or multiplexing them, and pushing them out to CDNs, platforms, or other servers.

The core workflow:

Encoders ──SRT/RTMP/RTSP──> SRT Gateway ──SRT/RTMP/HLS──> Destinations

A good SRT gateway handles protocol conversion (SRT in, RTMP out to YouTube), failover (switch to backup if primary drops), and multi-destination routing (one input to many outputs).

Here is an honest look at the options available in 2026, from commercial products to open-source tools.

Quick Comparison

Commercial SRT Gateways

Haivision SRT Gateway

The enterprise standard. Haivision invented SRT, and their gateway is the reference implementation for broadcast and telco environments.

Strengths:

• Created by the SRT inventors — deepest protocol expertise
• Appliance, VM, and cloud deployment via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud marketplaces
• Integrates with Haivision ecosystem (Makito encoders, SRT Hub, Path)
• Enterprise support with SLA guarantees
• Network visualization through Haivision Path

Limitations:

• Enterprise pricing (not publicly listed)
• No SRTLA bonding support
• Best value within the Haivision ecosystem
• Kubernetes/IaC support is limited compared to cloud-native tools

Best for: Enterprise broadcasters and telcos already invested in Haivision hardware and cloud services.

Vajracast

Routing-first SRT gateway with native SRTLA, multi-input failover, and Docker/Kubernetes deployment. Vajracast operates the server — shared infrastructure on Cloud Indie/Pro, dedicated bare-metal on Dedicated. On-premise licensing available on contract.

Strengths:

• SRTLA bonding — native receiver for BELABOX, Moblin, and other bonding clients
• Multi-input failover — up to 8 redundant inputs per route, <50ms switchover
• Mixed-protocol routing — SRT, RTMP, RTSP, HTTP/TS, UDP, HLS in any combination
• WebRTC playback output via WHEP for low-latency viewing in compatible browsers and players
• Hot management — add/remove outputs on live routes without interrupting other outputs
• Zero-copy distribution — 0% CPU per additional output
• Hardware transcoding — NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV, and VAAPI, included (no add-on)
• Prometheus/Grafana monitoring with VMAF quality scoring
• Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform deployment

Limitations:

• No cloud marketplace deployment (self-deploy or managed plan)
• No DRM/content protection
• Newer product, smaller install base than Haivision or Wowza

Best for: Self-hosted production environments that need SRTLA, failover, and operational flexibility at a predictable price. Full comparison with Haivision.

Nimble Streamer

The lightweight media server. Nimble Streamer by Softvelum is a commercial media server that handles SRT alongside RTMP, RTSP, MPEG-DASH, and WebRTC.

Strengths:

• $50/month server license
• Multi-protocol support including SRT, RTMP, RTSP, and WebRTC with WHIP/WHEP
• Live transcoding and ABR packaging
• WMSPanel cloud management

Limitations:

• SRT support is less mature than dedicated SRT gateways
• Failover requires external configuration
• No SRTLA bonding
• Transcoding, Addenda, and WMSPanel may require separate paid licenses or subscriptions

Best for: Small-to-medium deployments that need a general-purpose media server with SRT capability. Full comparison with Nimble Streamer.

Wowza Streaming Engine

The general-purpose media server. Wowza has been in the streaming market for over a decade. SRT support was added as an enhancement to its existing RTMP/RTSP architecture.

Strengths:

• Mature, battle-tested platform with large community
• WebRTC output for browser-based real-time streaming
• Built-in DRM (Widevine, FairPlay)
• VOD recording and packaging
• Extensive third-party plugin ecosystem

Limitations:

• SRT was added after Wowza’s original RTMP/RTSP stack and is less central to the product than its general media-server features
• No SRTLA bonding
• Failover requires custom Java modules
• Commercial licensing; costs depend on the selected term and deployment
• Configuration changes often require application restart

Best for: Organizations that need a full media server with DRM, VOD packaging, and extensible WebRTC application workflows alongside SRT. Vajracast also supports standardized WHIP ingest and WHEP browser playback. Full comparison with Wowza.

SRT MiniServer (GaraninApps)

The Windows desktop SRT gateway. SRT MiniServer receives up to 16 simultaneous SRT streams and converts them to NDI, SDI, RTMP, UDP Multicast, or HLS. Part gateway, part decoder — it bridges field SRT sources into studio production environments.

Strengths:

• 16 simultaneous SRT inputs (listener and caller, with Stream ID support)
• Wide output: NDI, SDI (addon), RTMP, UDP Multicast, HLS, OMT (open-source NDI alternative)
• Transcode (resize, deinterlace, FPS conversion) or passthrough without re-encoding
• RIST input and SRT-to-RIST bonding workflows
• Web monitoring interface + REST API
• SRT Caller Redundancy with sub-second, non-seamless switching
• Experimental WebRTC input via WHEP for H.264 sources
• Supports H.264, HEVC, MPEG-2 decode and up to 32 audio channels
• Short-term event licenses from $60; permanent and annual licenses on request

Limitations:

• Windows only (no Linux, no Docker for the main application)
• 16 inputs maximum — hard limit
• Primarily a Windows desktop application rather than a native Linux server service
• REST API is limited (5 endpoints — monitoring and basic control, no provisioning)
• No documented multi-rendition HLS ABR packaging workflow
• Event licenses are tied to a single host
• WHEP is supported as an experimental input, not as a WebRTC playback output

Best for: Studio environments that need to receive SRT streams from the field and convert them to NDI or SDI for local production. Strong as a bridge from field encoders to Windows-based production tools.

Open-Source SRT Gateways

OpenSRTHub

The open-source SRT server with a web UI. OpenSRTHub provides a graphical interface for managing SRT streams, making it more accessible than raw FFmpeg or srt-live-server.

Strengths:

• Free and open source (GitHub)
• Web-based management interface
• SRT listener and caller modes
• Basic stream routing and multiplexing
• Stream thumbnails and transport statistics, including bitrate, codecs, and packet loss

Limitations:

• No SRTLA support
• Basic failover at best
• No hardware transcoding
• No documented Prometheus integration or built-in alerting

Best for: Small setups and teams that want a free SRT and UDP routing tool with a GUI.

srt-live-server

Minimal SRT relay. A lightweight SRT server that accepts incoming SRT streams and redistributes them. No frills.

Strengths:

• Extremely lightweight
• Simple to deploy
• Does one thing well — SRT relay
• An actively maintained OpenIRL fork is available alongside the quieter original repository

Limitations:

• No GUI
• No built-in production-grade input failover
• No protocol conversion (SRT only)
• No built-in monitoring dashboard
• Limited configuration options
• Community-maintained

Best for: Simple SRT relay scenarios where you just need to redistribute a single stream.

FFmpeg with SRT

The Swiss Army knife. FFmpeg supports SRT input and output. You can build an SRT gateway pipeline entirely with FFmpeg commands.

Example — receive SRT and push to YouTube:

ffmpeg -i "srt://0.0.0.0:9000?mode=listener" \
  -c copy -f flv rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/YOUR_KEY

Strengths:

• Free, ubiquitous, extremely well-documented
• Broad codec and protocol support
• Can be scripted into any workflow
• Available on every platform

Limitations:

• No GUI — everything is command-line
• No built-in failover between inputs
• No hot management (restart the pipeline to change anything)
• No monitoring dashboard
• Each pipeline is a separate process
• Error recovery requires external scripting (systemd, supervisord)
• SRTLA not supported

Best for: One-off pipelines, scripted workflows, and teams comfortable with command-line tools. For persistent, multi-stream routing with failover, a dedicated gateway is more appropriate.

Production Software with SRT

These are not gateways — they are live production tools that happen to support SRT. They come up often in gateway conversations because people use them as SRT sources or destinations.

OBS Studio

Free, open-source production software. OBS can output SRT streams and is often the first tool people use for SRT streaming.

Strengths:

• Free, massive community
• SRT output built-in (caller mode)
• SRT input via Media Source
• Scenes, overlays, transitions for production
• Available on Windows, macOS, Linux

Limitations:

• Desktop application (requires a display)
• Not designed for headless 24/7 operation
• One output at a time (plugins can add more, but unreliably)
• No automatic failover
• No SRTLA bonding
• Cannot function as a gateway/relay

Best for: Live production with a human operator. Not suitable as an SRT gateway for automated routing.

vMix

Windows live production software with native SRT. vMix was the first live production software to add SRT support (v23, December 2019). It handles SRT input and output alongside NDI, RTMP, and RTSP.

Strengths:

• SRT caller, listener, and rendezvous modes
• H.264 and HEVC decode on input (GPU-accelerated)
• H.264, HEVC, and AV1 encode on output (NVENC)
• Up to 4 simultaneous SRT outputs (4K/Pro/Max editions)
• Up to 8 audio channels (AAC-LC, configurable in stereo pairs)
• Integrates SRT sources directly into multi-camera production (transitions, overlays, replay)
• Permanent license ($60–$1,200 depending on edition) or vMix Max subscription ($50/month)

Limitations:

• Windows only (no macOS native, no Linux)
• No interlaced video over SRT (progressive only — deinterlace at the encoder)
• Audio limited to AAC-LC (no MP2, no PCM)
• Encoding limited to H.264 Baseline/Main profiles in the UI (no High 4:2:2)
• Output is 4:2:0 only (no native 4:2:2 encoding)
• HEVC/AV1 encoding requires NVIDIA GPU with NVENC
• No SRTLA bonding, no RIST
• Not a gateway — cannot relay or route streams without full decode/encode

Best for: Windows-based multi-camera live production that uses SRT as one of several input/output protocols. Strong where you need to mix SRT sources with local cameras, NDI, and graphics.

How to Choose

You need enterprise SRT routing with vendor support

Haivision SRT Gateway. If you are in a broadcast or telco environment with Haivision hardware, this is the natural choice.

You need SRTLA bonding, failover, and control over your infrastructure

Vajracast. Native SRTLA, multi-input failover, Docker/Kubernetes. Cloud Indie/Pro on shared infrastructure; Dedicated on bare-metal. On-premise licensing available on contract.

You need a general-purpose media server

Wowza if you need DRM, VOD packaging, or WebRTC application workflows beyond WHIP ingest and WHEP playback. Nimble Streamer if you want a lighter commercial media server with optional transcoding and management services.

You want free and open source

OpenSRTHub if you want a GUI. FFmpeg if you want maximum flexibility. srt-live-server for simple relay.

You need to receive SRT in a Windows studio

SRT MiniServer for SRT-to-NDI/SDI conversion with up to 16 inputs. vMix if you also need multi-camera production, mixing, and graphics.

You are one person streaming to one platform

OBS Studio. It handles SRT output well for single-operator production.

Infrastructure Control

A recurring theme: most SRT gateway needs can be solved with software on a $20-50/month Linux server. Full control over your streams, no per-viewer costs, no third-party cloud dependency.

The trade-off is operational responsibility — you manage updates, monitoring, and server health. Vajracast on Dedicated removes that: bare-metal server, Vajracast-operated, direct engineering contact. On-premise licensing (you own and manage the host) is available on contract.

For teams that value control and predictable costs, a dedicated or on-premise gateway is the right choice for production-critical streams.