Live streams are the hardest videos to keep. A concert, a launch event, a gaming marathon or a webinar happens once, and the recording may disappear in days: Twitch deletes broadcasts after a week or two for most channels, streamers delete VODs, and YouTube creators sometimes make a replay private after the event. This guide shows how to download a live stream from YouTube, Twitch and Kick once it is over, how to handle streams that run for hours, and how to save only the audio of a talk.
The key rule: download the recording, not the live feed
While a stream is live, the video keeps growing, and there is no finished file to download. As soon as the broadcast ends, the platform turns it into a recording:
| Platform | Where the recording appears | How long it usually stays |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | the same link, now a regular video | until the creator removes it |
| Twitch | Videos tab of the channel (Past Broadcasts) | about 7 days, longer for some partners and Turbo/Prime users |
| Kick | Videos tab of the channel (VODs) | as long as the streamer keeps it |
Wait for the stream to end, open the recording and copy its link. On YouTube the live link becomes the replay link automatically, though processing a very long stream can take a few hours after it ends.
How to download a stream recording
- Open the recording (YouTube replay, Twitch past broadcast or Kick VOD).
- Copy its link.
- Paste it into Skachok and press "Find".
- Choose the quality and press "Download".
Free downloads go up to 720p: 3 a day without an account and 5 with a free account. Higher qualities come with the plans: 1080p on Lite at $1.99 a month, 1440p on Pro at $3.99 and 4K on Max at $5.99. Streams at 60 fps keep their frame rate.
Long streams and file size
A 6-hour stream at 1080p60 can weigh 10–20 GB. Plan for it:
| Plan | Maximum file size |
|---|---|
| Free | 5 GB |
| Lite | 15 GB |
| Pro | 30 GB |
| Max | no limit |
If a stream is too big for your plan, choose a lower quality: 720p takes roughly half the space of 1080p. For a talk or a podcast, the audio alone is enough and tiny by comparison.
Saving only the part you need
Often you want one moment, not six hours. Two options:
- Clips: on Twitch and Kick, viewers can cut a short clip from a broadcast. Clips stay online after the VOD is deleted and download in seconds. See Twitch clips and VODs and Kick clips and VODs.
- Trim after downloading: download the full recording in a lower quality and cut the part you need in any video editor.
Saving the audio of a live talk
Conferences, Q&A sessions and lectures are mostly speech. Open the Audio tab and choose MP3 or M4A. One hour of MP3 is about 85 MB, and the light MP3 option, made for speech, takes about 29 MB per hour. Audio formats start with the Lite plan; after registration, Pro is free for 2 days.
YouTube premieres and scheduled streams
A premiere is a pre-recorded video shown "live" at a set time. Once the premiere is over, it is a regular video and downloads like any other. A scheduled stream that has not started yet has nothing to download; save the link and come back after it ends.
What cannot be downloaded
- Subscriber-only and members-only streams: on Twitch, some VODs are only for subscribers; on YouTube, members-only streams require membership.
- Streams the creator made private or deleted.
- Pay-per-view events and TV services with DRM protection.
- Instagram and Facebook live videos that were not saved publicly afterwards.
Why not record the screen?
Screen recording a live stream works, but the recording runs in real time and captures notifications, the chat and the player controls, and any lag on your connection ends up in the file. The platform's recording is cleaner, uses the original quality and downloads much faster than real time.
Tips for not losing a stream
- Twitch: download past broadcasts within a few days; many channels keep them only 7 days.
- Highlights: Twitch streamers can save a broadcast as a highlight, which does not expire. Ask the streamer if an important stream should be kept.
- YouTube: download the replay soon after the event if the creator has made replays private before.
- Several parts: paste several recording links one per line (3 at a time for free, up to 50 on Max).
Prices
| Plan | Price | Video | Audio | Downloads a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | up to 720p | — | 5 (3 without an account) |
| Lite | $1.99/mo | up to 1080p | MP3, M4A | 20 |
| Pro | $3.99/mo | up to 1440p | MP3, M4A, OGG | 50 |
| Max | $5.99/mo | up to 4K | MP3, M4A, OGG, FLAC | 100 |
No automatic renewal. Details on the pricing page.
FAQ
How do I download a YouTube live stream?
Wait until the stream ends and the replay is available, then paste the link into Skachok and download it.
Can I download a Twitch stream after it ends?
Yes. Open the channel's Videos tab, copy the link of the past broadcast and download it. Do it within a few days, because many VODs expire after about a week.
How big is a downloaded live stream?
A 6-hour 1080p60 stream can take 10–20 GB. Choose 720p or audio only to save space.
Can I download a stream while it is still live?
Download the recording after the broadcast ends; a live stream has no finished file yet.
Can I save only the audio of a live talk?
Yes, as MP3 or M4A in the Audio tab, starting with the Lite plan.