A Streamlabs AI co-host alternative for talk streams
Streamlabs’ Intelligent Streaming Agent, now called Sidekick, is a good gaming sidekick. If your stream is a conversation rather than a game, Bert is built for that.
Last updated October 2026
Side by side
| HeisenBERT | Streamlabs Intelligent Streaming Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Talk formats: commentary, explainers, podcasts, Q&A, reactions. Games: share your screen, Bert answers chat and looks at the screen when you ask (not nonstop) | Gaming: reacts to what happens in about 50 supported games, including Fortnite, Valorant and Apex Legends |
| Where it runs | In the browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari) | Inside Streamlabs Desktop; the 3D avatar needs a strong graphics card |
| Talks with you live | Yes, on any topic, with web sources | Yes, voice or 3D avatar |
| Fact-checks what you say | Yes, names, dates and numbers, with sources | Not advertised |
| Live chat | Answers questions in the viewer’s language, thanks supporters, moderates, on YouTube and Twitch | Each voice or text response counts as one interaction from your allowance |
| Platforms | YouTube, Twitch, Kick, TikTok and LinkedIn or any stream key, 2 at once on Creator, 4 on Pro | Where Streamlabs Desktop streams |
| Production help | Writes the replay’s title, description, chapters and thumbnails | Scene changes, clips and replays during the stream |
| Editing and Shorts | Built in: browser editor with transcript cuts, captions, AI retakes, Shorts with vertical crop, publish to YouTube | Separate Streamlabs products (video editor, Cross Clip), not part of the agent |
| Price | Free plan with a basic editor; Creator €19/month (750 credits) | Free: 100 one-time interactions; Ultra ($27/month) for 1,000 a month |
When Streamlabs is the better pick
You stream one of its supported games, you already use Streamlabs Desktop, and you want a co-host that reacts to what happens in the match. That’s what it was designed for.
When Bert is the better pick
- Your stream is talk: news, commentary, tech, finance, education, a podcast or a Q&A.
- You want claims checked on air, with sources, before your chat corrects you.
- You’d rather not install anything or need a gaming PC.
- You want your YouTube chat answered in each viewer’s language, and supporters thanked by name.
- You want the replay packaged for YouTube when you end the stream, and edited in the same place.
The difference that matters: talk versus play
A gaming agent watches the match: kills, losses, clutch rounds. It’s quiet when nothing happens on screen. A talk stream is the opposite. The content is what you say, so a co-host has to follow the conversation, know when a number is wrong, and have something useful to add about your topic. Bert listens to you, not to the game, and the researcher can brief him before you go live, so he knows the subject of today’s stream.
After the stream: edit, caption and cut Shorts
With Bert, a saved stream lands in your library, ready for the browser video editor. Make a transcript, delete the dead air by deleting words, remove filler words, add captions, and let the AI find moments for Shorts and crop them to vertical on your face. Publish to YouTube from the same screen. Streamlabs sells editing and clipping as separate tools.
How the costs compare
The two price different things. Streamlabs counts interactions: each voice or text response from the agent uses one, from a one-time pool on the free tier or a monthly allowance on Ultra. Bert uses credits from one monthly balance: going live costs 5 credits an hour per platform, and talking with him is counted by the minute when he’s always listening, or by the question with push to talk and “Hey Bert”. The same credits pay for fact-checks, transcripts and AI edits, so there’s no separate subscription for editing or Shorts.
Switching from Streamlabs
- Open the Studio in Chrome, Edge or Safari and allow your camera and microphone.
- Connect YouTube, or paste the server URL and stream key you use in Streamlabs Desktop for Twitch, Kick, TikTok and LinkedIn.
- Share your screen if you show slides, a browser or a game, and pick how Bert listens.
- Do a practice run with a simulated chat, then go live.
Questions
Can I use Bert and Streamlabs together?
Not in one stream today. Bert’s Studio mixes your camera, screen and Bert in the browser and sends the stream itself, so it replaces Streamlabs Desktop for that stream rather than running inside it.
Does Bert react to my gameplay?
Only when you ask. Share your screen and Bert talks with you and answers chat while you play; say “Hey Bert, what do you think?” and he looks at what’s on screen right then. He doesn’t watch the game nonstop or react on his own. If that’s what you want, Streamlabs’ agent is built for it.
Is there a free way to try both?
Yes. Bert’s Free plan has 20 credits a month, about 13 minutes of talking, plus the basic editor. Streamlabs gives a one-time pool of 100 interactions on its free tier.
Try Bert free · Bert for YouTube live · Plans
Streamlabs is a trademark of its owner. We’re not affiliated. Details come from Streamlabs’ public pages in October 2026 and may have changed.