BEAM's Desktop Streaming App Arrives on Linux
The multistreaming platform's new desktop app adds Linux one day after Windows, with FTL low-latency streaming, 100+ destinations, and unified chat and viewer counts. Here's what's confirmed.
By Vet, VetTV Handheld
Linux streamers have a new option. BEAM, the Dallas-based multistreaming platform, announced on X on October 16 that “The BEAM Desktop App is now available also for Linux.” That came just a day after the Windows version.
What BEAM announced
BEAM’s post on X says the Linux app features:
- FTL ultra-low latency
- Multistreaming to 100+ platforms
- Unified chat and viewers
The download is “at the bottom of the page” at beamstream.gg/desktop. BEAM posted the announcement at about 4:27 PM CT on October 16. The Windows version was announced the day before, October 15 at about 4:25 PM CT. A post on October 14 said versions for “Linux and Mac will follow soon.” Mac hasn’t been announced yet.
What FTL is
According to a May 7, 2026 press release from BEAM Media Corp, FTL (“Faster Than Light”) is BEAM’s streaming technology built on Media over QUIC (MoQ), an emerging IETF protocol. BEAM claims it delivers “sub-100ms end-to-end latency.” In an October 9 post on X, BEAM said FTL is now “registering real-world Live Edge measurements as low as 2.5 milliseconds.” These are BEAM’s own figures. I haven’t seen independent tests.
The press release also names BEAM’s unified tools: Unichat (combined chat from multiple platforms) and Univiewer (combined viewer counts). BEAM says it has more than 275,000 users.
Package format and pricing: not confirmed
I couldn’t verify the Linux package format. BEAM’s desktop page loads its content with JavaScript, and neither BEAM’s posts nor the page content I could access say whether it’s an AppImage, .deb, Flatpak or something else.
I also couldn’t find a published price for the desktop app. In an October 4 reply on X, BEAM said its “current model is to charge less than any of the other paid cloud multistreaming services, and offer more,” and that an earlier free offer “was never designed to be permanent.” So multistreaming appears to be a paid service. I couldn’t confirm the plans, prices or what the free tier includes.
One more detail: when someone asked about OBS-style scenes, BEAM replied, “You can add OBS.”
For SteamOS desktop mode and Legion Go streamers
Analysis, untested: SteamOS has a full KDE Desktop Mode, so a Linux desktop app like this could let Steam Deck or Legion Go owners stream from the handheld without a separate PC. But I haven’t tested BEAM on SteamOS or my Legion Go, and BEAM doesn’t mention SteamOS support. Since the package format is unknown, I also can’t say whether it installs cleanly on SteamOS, whose system files are read-only. If it’s an AppImage or Flatpak, that would be easier; a .deb would not. I’ll report back once I’ve tried it.
My take
Opinion: It’s good to see a streaming tool ship for Linux this early instead of years later. Before I’d recommend it, though, I want to see the package format, the pricing, and some real-world latency tests.
Subscribe at youtube.com/@VetTVHandheld.
Sources
- BEAM Desktop App page: https://beamstream.gg/desktop
- BEAM on X, Linux announcement (Oct 16, 2026): https://x.com/BEAMStreamGG/status/2111207423658647715
- BEAM on X, Windows announcement (Oct 15, 2026): https://x.com/BEAMStreamGG/status/2110844517943521540
- BEAM on X, launch preview (Oct 14, 2026): https://x.com/BEAMStreamGG/status/2110542902585966617
- BEAM on X, FTL latency claim (Oct 9, 2026): https://x.com/BEAMStreamGG/status/2108613462469251301
- BEAM on X, pricing reply (Oct 4, 2026): https://x.com/BEAMStreamGG/status/2106784228599877961
- ACCESS Newswire, “BEAM Ships World’s First Production Release of MoQ Live Streaming with Faster Than Light Technology” (May 7, 2026): https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/beam-ships-worlds-first-production-release-of-moq-live-streaming-1164677
