An ESP32 touchscreen macro pad on Reddit got 40,000 upvotes last week and reignited a debate that never really stopped: is the Stream Deck still worth the $150 to $250 price tag, or are the alternatives finally good enough? We tested the seven strongest Elgato Stream Deck alternatives on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the answer changes depending on whether you produce, stream, edit, or just want to launch apps.
Four of these are free. Two are open source. One is a single hardware knob box that looks nothing like a Stream Deck and outperforms it for audio work. If you already own a spare tablet, phone, or Raspberry Pi, you can leave this article with a working macro surface without spending anything.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Price | Platforms | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitfocus Companion | Broadcast, AV pros | Free (open source) | Win, Mac, Linux | 200+ vendor modules |
| Touch Portal | All-purpose Stream Deck replacement | Free / $14 one-time | Win, Mac, Android, iOS | Uses your phone |
| Loupedeck | Photo and video editors | $180 to $549 | Win, Mac | Physical knobs for Lightroom |
| Streamdeck UI | Linux users with Elgato hardware | Free (open source) | Linux | Runs Elgato hardware on Linux |
| Macro Deck | Windows tinkerers | Free (open source) | Win, Android | 2,000+ plugins |
| StreamPi | Raspberry Pi builders | Free (open source) | Linux, Win | Runs on a Pi 4 |
| Deej | Audio mixing only | Free (open source, DIY) | Win, Mac, Linux | Physical volume sliders |
Why people leave the Stream Deck
The hardware is well built and the app is stable, but three complaints show up in every thread.
First, price. The 6-key MK.2 sits at around $150, the 15-key at $250, and the Stream Deck+ with dials at $300 to $349. That is a lot for what is, mechanically, a display with buttons.
Second, macOS quirks. Multi-instance and profile switching are still weird on macOS, and USB-C dongle setups sometimes drop the device on wake.
Third, Linux is a non-starter out of the box. Elgato does not ship official Linux drivers, so anyone on Fedora, Ubuntu, or a Steam Deck has to rely on community tools.
If any of those hits home, one of the below fixes it.
The alternatives
Bitfocus Companion, best for broadcast and AV pros
Bitfocus Companion is the software behind most live productions you have seen streamed in the last three years. It talks to more than 200 broadcast devices, from OBS to Blackmagic ATEM to vMix, and it works with any Elgato Stream Deck, any Loupedeck, or a browser tab as the surface.
Where it falls short: the interface is heavy for anyone who just wants a launcher. Modules are the strength and also the reason the setup screen looks like a control panel from a mixing truck.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under an MIT license
- Sponsored by Bitfocus AS, used in real broadcast
- vs Stream Deck: replaces the Elgato app entirely, works with the same hardware
Migrating from Stream Deck: Companion runs on the Elgato hardware you already own. Point the desktop app at Companion, import your button layout, and everything keeps working. Plan on two hours to rebuild pages, but you keep the muscle memory.
Download: Companion
Bottom line: the software that turns a Stream Deck into a broadcast console. If you run live streams for a living, install this today.
Touch Portal, best all-purpose Stream Deck replacement
Touch Portal turns any Android or iOS phone or tablet into a Stream Deck. Buttons are laid out in pages, plugins cover OBS, Streamlabs, Discord, Twitch, HomeKit, Twitter, and dozens more, and you can trigger anything from a keystroke to a HTTP call. Anyone with a spare tablet already has the hardware.
Where it falls short: it needs your phone charged and plugged in, and Bluetooth connections drop more often than the wired Elgato does.
Pricing:
- Free tier: 2 pages, most plugins
- Pro tier: around $14 one-time on desktop, unlocks unlimited pages
- vs Stream Deck: no hardware cost, higher setup effort
Migrating from Stream Deck: no direct import, but Touch Portal has templates for common workflows (OBS scene control, Discord push-to-talk, etc.). Rebuilding a 32-key layout takes about an hour.
Download: Touch Portal
Bottom line: the pick if you want a Stream Deck without buying one.
Loupedeck, best for photo and video editors
Loupedeck is not a Stream Deck clone, it is a physical knob box that Lightroom and Premiere users treat as a religion. The Loupedeck Live has 12 touch buttons and 6 dials, and each dial is context-aware in the host app. The CT scales up to 8 endless knobs and a full jog wheel.
Where it falls short: expensive. The Live starts around $180, the CT is $549. And Adobe is the main integration target, so anyone editing in DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro gets a lighter experience.
Pricing:
- Loupedeck Live from around $180
- Loupedeck CT from around $549
- vs Stream Deck: pricier, but the dials are what a Stream Deck cannot do
Migrating from Stream Deck: the Loupedeck software will import Stream Deck profiles for simple keystroke buttons. Dial mapping has to be built from scratch, but that is where the value is.
Download: Loupedeck
Bottom line: the buy if you edit photo or video daily.
Streamdeck UI, best for Linux users with Elgato hardware
Streamdeck UI is a community-maintained Python app that finally makes the Elgato hardware first-class on Linux. It supports the Original, MK.2, Mini, XL, and Plus. Buttons, images, and pages all work, and it runs happily on GNOME, KDE, and Sway.
Where it falls short: no plugin ecosystem the size of the Windows apps. Most people write shell scripts and call it a day.
Pricing:
- Free and open source
- Depends on community volunteers, updates land in waves
- vs Stream Deck app: covers 90% of the Elgato desktop app on Linux
Migrating from Stream Deck: install with pip or your distro’s package manager, launch, and your existing Elgato hardware just works. Import from the Windows app is not supported, but the button setup is fast.
Download: GitHub
Bottom line: install this if you own a Stream Deck and use Linux.
Macro Deck, best for Windows tinkerers
Macro Deck ships as free Windows software with an Android companion app. There are more than 2,000 community plugins covering OBS, Home Assistant, Elgato Key Light, and Philips Hue. The UI is heavier than Touch Portal but the plugin library is deeper, and everything works offline.
Where it falls short: Windows-only for the host software. macOS and Linux are not on the roadmap.
Pricing:
- Free and open source under a GPL license
- Optional donation
- vs Stream Deck: no hardware cost, deeper plugin catalogue
Migrating from Stream Deck: no direct import, but the Macro Deck import format is documented if you want to script a conversion. Rebuilding takes 60 to 90 minutes for a typical layout.
Download: Macro Deck
Bottom line: the pick for Windows-only setups that want more than Touch Portal.
StreamPi, best for Raspberry Pi builders
StreamPi turns a Raspberry Pi with a small touchscreen into a hard-wired Stream Deck. It is written in Python, runs on Linux and Windows, and treats the Pi’s touchscreen as the button surface. Total build cost for a 5-inch model sits well under $80.
Where it falls short: development pace has slowed, and setup requires you to be comfortable with a terminal.
Pricing:
- Free and open source
- Hardware around $50 to $80 depending on screen choice
- vs Stream Deck: cheaper than the Elgato Mini once you have a Pi
Migrating from Stream Deck: no import, but the config file format is simple JSON.
Download: GitHub
Bottom line: the fun weekend build for anyone with a spare Pi.
Deej, best for audio mixing only
Deej is not a Stream Deck alternative in shape. It is a set of physical volume sliders, wired to a microcontroller, that map to per-application audio channels in Windows, macOS, or Linux. If your daily gripe with the Stream Deck is that its buttons cannot mix, this fixes it in ten minutes.
Where it falls short: no macro function. It is purely an audio mixer.
Pricing:
- Free and open source, DIY build
- Bill of materials around $25 for a 4-slider box
- vs Stream Deck+: does the dial job for a fraction of the price
Migrating from Stream Deck: you keep the Stream Deck for launcher duty and add Deej for audio. Best in tandem, not as a replacement.
Download: GitHub
Bottom line: the answer to “why should I pay $300 for a Stream Deck+ when I only want the dials”.
How to choose
Pick Bitfocus Companion if you already run broadcasts and want the software the pros use. Pick Touch Portal if you want the fastest way to a working macro pad with hardware you already own. Pick Loupedeck if photo and video editing is your daily work. Pick Streamdeck UI if you have Elgato hardware and switched to Linux. Pick Macro Deck if you want the deepest free plugin catalogue on Windows. Pick StreamPi if you love the build itself. Pick Deej if the only Stream Deck function you actually use is the volume mixer.
Stay on the Elgato Stream Deck if you value the polish of the official app, the reliable USB connection, and the plugin catalogue that Corsair keeps growing. For a first-time buyer, the Elgato hardware still gives the calmest experience out of the box.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Stream Deck alternative?
Touch Portal on a phone you already own is $0. If you want physical buttons, a DIY Deej mixer runs about $25.
Can I run a Stream Deck on Linux?
Yes, with Streamdeck UI. It supports all current Elgato hardware and covers most of what the official app does on Windows.
Do any Stream Deck alternatives work with OBS?
All of the software options on this list have first-party OBS support. Bitfocus Companion goes furthest with fine-grained scene, transition, and source control.
Is Loupedeck better than the Stream Deck+ for editing?
For photo and video work, yes. The Loupedeck knobs are context-aware in Lightroom and Premiere in ways the Stream Deck+ dials are not.
Can I use both a Stream Deck and an alternative at the same time?
Yes. Bitfocus Companion, Macro Deck, and Touch Portal all coexist with the Elgato app if you assign profiles to different tools.
