Looking to make your own awesome overlays for your stream but don’t have the skills to design our own? Lucky for you we’ve tested all the major overlay makers and put together a list of the best ones so anyone can get on with creating their own overlays.
We’ve ranked them from strongest to weakest in terms of the final quality and design of the overlays and the ease of use and functionality of the tools, but every overlay maker mentioned deserves its place on the list.
But first, why use an overlay maker?
- Reason #1: It’s affordable (or free) to create your overlays
- Reason #2: You don’t need any design skills or experience
- Reason #3: It’s quick – you can create your overlays in a few minutes
You can jump to a specific product if you want:
- Nerd or Die – Advanced Overlay Maker
- Stream Elements Overlay Maker
- Placeit Overlay Maker
- Ovrstream
- Player.me (formerly Strexm)
- Stream Maker (strmaker.com)
- Rainmaker (formerly Stream Jar)
- WDflat Overlay Maker
- Adobe Express
- Stream Shift
- Nerd or Die – Free Overlay Maker
Let’s get to the list.
#1 Nerd or Die – Advanced Overlay Maker
Nerd or Die’s advanced overlay maker is only available within the StreamLabs platform. so if you’re not using StreamLabs you’re going to have to use one of the other cool tools on this list to create your overlay.
For those of you who do you StreamLabs, the advanced overlay maker could be a great choice for you if you’re looking to level up your stream and keep everything consolidated on one platform.
The tool is great and super easy to use. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced streamer you will be fine using their overlay maker. Everything is fully customizable if making sure the overlay elements of your stream match your brand then Nerd or Die’s overlay maker is a fantastic choice.
The main downside is that it’s currently only available with StreamLabs so if you use another platform you can’t use this tool.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Install StreamLabs (if you haven’t already)
- Go to the app store and search for ‘advanced overlay maker’
- Add the app to your account ($4.99 p/month or free with StreamLabs Prime)
- Go to the new ‘advanced overlay maker’ tab in your StramLabs dashboard
- Choose which assets you want to add to your stream (e.g. webcam, social panels, transitions, timers, backgrounds, etc.)
- Customize those assets to your liking
- Save your customizations
- Insert your newly customized elements into your stream overlay
Webcam overlay being created with NoD’s Advanced Overlay Maker:
Pricing:
- 15-day free trial
- $4.99 p/month
- ‘Free’ with Streamlabs Prime
What we like:
- Some awesome templates to choose from
- You can customize every aspect of your overlays
- Some great animations to add to your stream
- Easy to learn and intuitive user interface
- You can set up ‘grouped’ overlays to make the setup super quick
- Works seamlessly within StreamLabs
Overall, we thought Nerd or Die’s Advanced Overlay Maker is awesome. It makes customizing your stream so easy and gives you complete control so you can really create the look and feel you want for your stream and brand.
#2 StreamElements Overlay Maker
StreamElements is one of the best platforms out there for streamers. It’s a web-based tool that allows streamers to add custom widgets to their streams such as alerts, chatboxes, sounds, and a whole lot more! They also happen to have a large library of overlay templates you can customize and use on your streams.
As mentioned everything is web-based so you don’t have to manually upload anything in OBS, it makes the whole setup process much simpler! You simply select an overlay theme (or set of overlays) from their library, customize, then easily add it to your stream. It also 100% free, which is awesome!
The overlay editor takes a little bit of work to get you’re head around but if you give it a go you’ll very quickly get the hang of it and be up streaming in no time.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Register for StreamElements
- Connect StreamElements with your Twitch/YouTube/etc. account
- Select the channel you want to create the overlay for
- Go to ‘Theme Gallery’
- Choose a ‘Theme’ (Individual overlay template) or ‘Super Theme’ (set of overlays)
- When you’ve chosen a theme click ‘Create’
- Enter an overlay name for your chosen overlay and click ‘Create Overlay’
- You will be redirected to your ‘My Overlays’ section
- If you chose a ‘Super Theme’ you’ll have multiple overlays to customize
- Click ‘edit’ on the overlay template you want to customize
- Customize to your liking
- Add your overlay to your stream
Overlay example from Stream Elements:
Pricing:
- Free!!
What we like:
- Really cool templates you can customize to make your own
- You can choose sets of overlays (e.g. gameplay overlays, stream starting soon overlays, stream ended overlays, BRB overlays, etc.)
- All web-based so no need to manually upload anything to your stream
- It’s totally free!!
- It keeps everything you need in the one interface
- Beginner-friendly
- Advanced widget options
Stream Elements has created a really solid overlay maker, we recommend you try out. It’s also completely free to use so if you’re on a budget it could be a great option.
#3 Placeit Overlay Maker
Placeit is much more than just a tool for making twitch overlays. They have a huge number of different tools and templates that can help you create various designs, but their overlay maker is the best around (in our opinion) in terms of the quality and the uniqueness of the overlays you can create, not to mention the ease of use.
They have hundreds of high-quality overlay templates which can use to start off your design, this makes things really simple. The overlay templates also come in a variety of styles so you’re likely to find a good bunch of templates that match the look and feel you’re going for.
The tool allows you to easily customize each element of your overlay. You can easily change the icons, colors, layout, and more in a matter of seconds. It couldn’t be easier!
Steps to create your overlay:
- Find an overlay template you like
- Customize it to your liking
- Download it!
Overlay we made with Placeit:
Pricing:
- Individual overlay: $2.95
- ‘Free’ with Placeit’s monthly subscription plan ($14.95 for one month with unlimited downloads of all their templates)
- ‘Free’ with Placeit’s annual subscription plan ($89.69 for one year with unlimited downloads of all their templates)
What we like:
- Hundreds of awesome templates to start your design from
- Every element is fully customizable
- Test out the tool before making a purchase or subscribing
- Super simple and intuitive interface
- You can create something that looks professional in seconds
- Unlimited overlays for an affordable monthly price
- Affordable price for individual templates too
- If you’re just after a static overlay option it is great!
Overall, it’s a fantastic overlay design tool for anyone looking to create a really professional-looking design (at a good price), no matter what your design experience.
#4 OvrStream
Ovrstream is an all-in-one animated alert, overlay, and design desktop app that offers some free twitch overlays and animated scenes (followers, webcam frame, host alert, BRB screens, and more).
It connects to your streaming and donation platforms to automatically trigger your alerts and update data in realtime in your overlays.
The Ovrstream platform is a little bit more complicated than some other tools on this list but it does offer some great functionality and options to make your streams really stand out, so it’s worth your time getting to know the tool.
Once you get the flow of the overlay maker you’ll start to love it.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Signup for an Ovrstream account (free)
- Download Ovrstream to your desktop (Windows only)
- Connect to your preferred streaming program(s)
- Select an overlay scene templates
- Customize to your liking
- Set your overlay scenes live on your stream(s)
Overlay example from Ovrstream:
Pricing:
- Free (some free templates)
- $4.99 p/month for full features and templates
What we like:
- Templates for different genres and styles
- Great looking templates to start your designs from
- High-quality animations and alerts for your stream
- Easily add scenes to your stream overlays
- Can create graphics that display real-time data easily
- Create something that looks professional very quickly
- Easily preview your customizations before going live with them
- Works with all the major streaming programs
This is another fantastic overlay maker and a great tool in general for anyone looking to create an awesome stream. Give it a go and you’re sure to have a great looking stream in no time.
#5 Player.me (formerly Strexm)
Player.me is primarily a social media platform by gamers for gamers. You can join groups, post updates, follow people, interact, and a whole lot more.
What Player.me also offers is a pretty cool (and free) suite in-browser graphic editor called ‘Player Create’ which is a suite of tools to help you level up your stream, including creating great-looking overlays.
There are hundreds of professionally design overlay templates to choose from, you simply select the one you like then customize to your liking. Like StreamElements they offer sets of overlays so you can create all the overlays you need in no time at all.
Similar to StreamElements, the overlay editor takes a little bit of time to get used to but after a short time, you’ll be able to get your head around it to set your overlays up with the layout and widgets you need!
Steps to create your overlay:
- Signup for a player.me account (free)
- Connect your accounts (e..g Twitch, YouTube, etc.)
- Click the overlays icon on the left side menu
- Click on the plus icon
- Choose an overlay type (Start, In-Game, Intermission, Custom)
- Click ‘Create my own’ or choose a template you like
- Click ‘Add and launch editor’
- Choose the streaming service the overlay is for (e.g. Twitch)
- Customize to your liking (tip: click ‘turn advanced mode on’ for more options)
- Add your overlay to your stream
Overlay we made with Player.me:
Pricing:
- Free!!
What we like:
- Really cool templates you can customize to make your own
- You can choose sets of overlays (e.g. gameplay overlays, stream starting soon overlays, etc.)
- All web-based – no need to manually upload anything to your OBS
- It’s totally free!!
- Beginner-friendly – the walkthrough wizard is very helpful
- Advanced widget and animation options
Another great (and free) option for anyone looking to level up their stream. Perfect for those of you looking for some extra customization options.
#6 Stream Maker (strmaker.com)
If you have no graphic design experience and want to find a super quick way of creating your own overlay template, then Stream Maker could be a great choice for you.
The interface couldn’t be simpler. Simply follow the steps (which anyone could easily follow) and in a few clicks, you’ll have a cool looking overlay for your stream.
The end quality of the overlays is quite good for such a simple tool but it has to be said that there are a limited number of templates available so if you are looking for something unique or want the ability to really customize your overlay then you’re better off looking elsewhere.
However, if you’re after a simple-looking overlay that is super easy to make (and affordable) then Stream Maker is a good option for you.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Go to the Stream Maker creation in-browser app
- Click ‘Create an overlay’
- Choose the type of overlay you want to create (‘In-game’ or ‘Lobby’)
- Select a theme you like
- Enter your username
- Add your social account handles
- Choose your camera position and the ‘Stream last interactions’ you want to include in your overlay
- Choose your main color
- Download your overlay
Overlay we made with Stream Maker:
Pricing:
- $5 for each overlay
What we like:
- Incredibly simple tool – anyone could use it!
- Affordable
- Very intuitive interface
- Can have an overlay ready to go in about 2 minutes
- Simple but good looking overlays
Stream Maker is a pretty cool online tool. As we’ve said a few times now it is incredibly easy to use. If you just want to get your stream going with an overlay that keeps things simple and clean we recommend you check out Stream Maker.
#7 Rainmaker (formerly Stream Jar)
Rainmaker (previously called Stream Jar) is a ‘Micro-Sponsorships’ platform recently acquired by live-streaming tech company Lightstream. Essentially it’s a platform that helps brands and live streamers connect and partner up.
They also offer quite a bit more than that including chatbots, tipping widgets, alerts, and, you guessed it, a cloud-based overlay maker.
The tool is free and allows you to create some great cool looking overlays. We wouldn’t say it has the best customization options but you can create something that looks good and works great with your stream.
Using their overlay editor is simple and quick to learn so if you choose to use their platform you should be up and running with some great-looking overlays in no time.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Signup for a Rainmaker account
- Connect with your chosen streaming platform (e.g. Twitch)
- Click the Overlay icon on the left side menu
- Name your overlay and select the screen size
- Choose the live background and editor background (color or image)
- The overlay will appear in your overlay section
- Click the 3 dots on the overlay and click ‘edit’ to go to the editor
- Customize to your liking
- Add your overlay to your stream
Overlay we made with Rainmaker:
Pricing:
- Free!!
What we like:
- Easy drag and drop overlay builder
- You can quickly create a professional-looking design
- The interface is very easy to navigate
- It’s free!
- Easily add your overlays to your streams
Yet another really cool and free overlay maker. It may not give you all of the customization options you are after but you can create some good and functional overlays for your stream at no cost.
#8 WDflat Overlay Maker
WDflat is an online platform for streamers with free and premium items for Twitch and YouTube such as overlays, panels, offline banners, YouTube banners, logos, and more.
The best part is that most of the items on WDflat are free! They currently have 140+ overlay templates on the site with about a quarter of them suitable to be edited online in their web-based overlay maker.
The overlay maker is very simplistic and doesn’t offer much in the way of customizations. However, if you’re going for a simple design it could offer what you need. You’re able to alter the text size, colors, text alignment, and font style.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Go to the overlay templates on WDflat
- Filter the overlay templates by the ‘Editor Online’ templates
- Select a template you like
- Click ‘Launch Editor Online’
- Customize it to your liking
- Give your overlay file a name
- Download it!
Overlay we made with WDflat:
Pricing:
- Free!
What we like:
- Good templates to start your design from
- Easily find logos in specific categories
- Create something that looks professional very quickly
- Can customize every inch of the logo very easily
Overall, using WDflat’s overlay maker won’t give you the most unique or fancy overlay but it is free and produces some simple but good looking overlays. So if you’re on a budget it could be the one for you.
#9 Adobe Express
Adobe Express is Adobe’s DIY design tool. You can create a lot more than stream overlays with their tool, including logos, Twitch banners, and much more. They currently only have a few overlay templates but the ones on offer are fantastic and can be easily customized to be unique to your stream.
You can download many templates for free on Adobe Express, including twitch overlay templates – perfect for those streamers looking for a bargain.
The process of customizing the overlay is very straightforward, there’s really no learning curve to it. It’s super simple to pick a template and dive right in. You’ll have your perfect overlay in no time.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Go to your Express account home screen
- Click on ‘Create New Project’ (put in your image dimensions)
- Search for ‘overlay’ or ‘twitch overlay’ in the search bar
- Select a template you like and click ‘create’
- Customize it to your liking (remember to click ‘remove’ on the watermark)
- Download it!
Overlay we made with Adobe Express:
Pricing:
- Free (PNG file)
- ‘Free’ with their monthly subscription plan ($9.99 for one month with unlimited downloads of all their premium templates)
What we like:
- Gorgeous Templates to start your design from
- You can quickly create a professional-looking design
- The interface is very easy to navigate
- Awesome free templates!
Another cool overlay maker, and another way for streamers to grab themselves a free (and very high quality) overlay. What are you waiting for?
#10 Stream Shift
If you have no budget and want to create some cool looks overlay features for your stream then Stream Shift could be an interesting option for you. With their tool, you can create social media buttons, stream borders, counters, panels, alerts, and more.
It’s not got the same customization options as some of the other overlay makers on this list (not even close) but for a completely free tool, it’s not bad at all.
The tool lets you choose from a selection of templates, customize elements of it (colors, logo, sizes, fonts, etc.) and download it for free (whilst also providing you with a free installation guide).
So, if you’re looking for some decent free elements to add to your stream, Stream Shift could be just what you’ve been looking for.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Go to the overlays section
- Choose the overlay element you want to create (follower/subs counter)
- Customize to your liking
- Download it! (and follow the installation instructions provided)
Overlay we made with Stream Shift:
Pricing:
- Free!!
What we like:
- It’s completely free
- Very easy to edit and customize the templates
- Good range of template to choose from
Overall, Stream Shift is pretty cool, especially for a completely free tool. If you have no budget to invest in your stream then it could be a great choice for you.
#11 Nerd or Die – Free Overlay Maker
Nerd or Die has been around fora while and originally started out as an educational resource for streamers offering tutorials on their website and YouTube channel. They have since expanded and evolved to offer stream designs and a whole bunch of other products and tools.
They also have a completely free online overlay maker which, unfortunately, is nothing like their advanced overlay maker which is only available through the StreamLabs platform.
However, it is completely free, and for those going for a really minimal stream look, it could give you what you’re looking for. Especially if you don’t want to spend any money.
The tool itself is easy to use and has a number of basic customization options. If you’re happy to keep it basic and don’t care about customizing things too much then it could be enough for you.
However, if you’re looking for something that is going to set your stream apart from the crowd and be unique to your channel you should look somewhere else.
Steps to create your overlay:
- Go to the online app
- Choose an overlay theme (layout)
- Customize to your liking
- Name your overlay
- Download it!
Overlay we made with Nerd or Die (Free):
Pricing:
- Free
What we like:
- It’s 100% free
- If you’re after some very basic, it does the job
In life, you normally get what you pay for, and Nerd or Die’s free overlay maker definitely exemplifies that. It isn’t going to give you the prettiest overlay design (not even close) but if you’re after something very basic check it out.
To conclude…
So there you have 11 tried and tested overlay makers.
The list includes some free options, more advanced options, and everything in between so we’re sure one of the tools will deliver what you need for your stream.
Enjoy creating! Oh, and if you have any questions, comments, or have suggestions for other awesome overlay makers, leave a comment below!