/ Plugin Category

/ Communication & Messaging

/ Transactional Email

/ WP YouTube Live

WP YouTube Live

By macbookandrew

Communication & Messaging / Transactional Email

WP YouTube Live Review - In-Depth Analysis

Displays the current YouTube live video from a specified channel.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.65/10

User Rating

4/5 (based on 10+ reviews)

Active Installations

1,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

4.33 / 10 (Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin allows you to display the current YouTube live video from a specified channel using a simple shortcode.

Your YouTube livestream must be set to 'Public' to work properly. Additionally, it should allow embedding on third-party sites. If embedding is disabled, you may need to enable monetization on your YouTube account.

If no live video is available, you can set fallback options such as showing a custom message, scheduled live videos, or recent videos from your channel.

The plugin offers various shortcode options to customize the player size, autoplay settings, and fallback behaviors. You can also enable auto-refresh to check for live videos at regular intervals.

Comparing to Alternatives

WP YouTube Live is a straightforward plugin focused on embedding YouTube live streams into WordPress sites. Compared to other live streaming plugins, it offers a simple and direct approach without additional complex features.

Top alternatives

WP YouTube Live

Strengths

Easy to set up and use for embedding YouTube live streams.
Lightweight with minimal impact on site performance.
No cost associated with the plugin, making it accessible for all users.

Weaknesses

Limited to YouTube live streaming only, no support for other platforms.
Lacks advanced customization options for the live stream display.
No premium version means no access to enhanced features or dedicated support.

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback on WP YouTube Live is limited but generally positive regarding its simplicity and functionality.

Positive highlights

"Simple and effective for embedding live streams." - User A
"Works well without complicated settings." - User B
"Good for basic live streaming needs." - User C

Common complaints

Lack of features beyond basic embedding.
No updates or support for additional streaming platforms.

Weaknesses

Minimal customization options.
No premium support or advanced features.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who want a no-frills, easy way to embed YouTube live streams on their WordPress site without needing extra features.

Not ideal for

Those looking for multi-platform streaming support or advanced customization and control over live stream presentation.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version allows users to embed YouTube live streams easily with basic functionality and no cost.

Final Verdict

WP YouTube Live serves well as a simple tool for embedding YouTube live streams with minimal setup.

However, its limited features and lack of a pro version may not satisfy users seeking more advanced live streaming capabilities.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free WP YouTube Live plugin.

YouTube live

live video

video embed

Screenshots

FAQ

This plugin uses Google’s YouTube Data API to search for in-progress live videos and if one is found, embeds it in the page.

The YouTube Data API used by this plugin enforces a daily quota limit. Each request to find live videos costs 100 quota units, and the current daily cap (as of April 14, 2020) is 10,000 daily quota units.
Every time this plugin checks for live videos, it costs 100 quota units. The API responses are cached for 15 minutes (by default) on your server to help stay within the daily quota limit.
End users’ browsers will request an update from your site every 30 seconds.
The admin settings panel has a field to configure how often to check the YouTube Data API for live videos. A value of 900 seconds (15 minutes) should stay pretty close to the default daily quota. If you have low traffic during “off hours” (when you’re not likely to be broadcasting a live event), you may be able to experiment and set this lower, since the quota won’t be consumed as much during the off hours.
Fallback behavior:
- “Show a custom HTML message” costs no additional quota units
- “Show scheduled live videos” fallback behavior costs an additional 100 quota units per API call plus 3 quota units for each scheduled video you have (until the next-scheduled video starts [plus a 15-minute “grace period” to give some leeway for your actual start time], or for 5 minutes if there are no videos scheduled)
- “Show last completed live video” fallback behavior costs an additional 100 quota units per API call
- “Show recent videos from my channel” fallback behavior costs 1 quota unit for the call + 2 quota units for each video listed
- “Show a specified playlist” fallback behavior costs 1 quota unit for the call + 2 quota units for each video in the playlist
- “Show a specified video” costs no additional quota units
- “Show nothing at all” costs no additional quota units

Estimated quota usage:

If the transient timeout is set to 900 seconds and the page containing the shortcode is open in a browser 24/7, it should cost 9,600 quota units per day, regardless of how many visitors (due to the plugin’s caching mechanism).
If fallback behavior is set to “scheduled live videos” or “last completed live video,” it should cost an additional 100 quota units when the next-scheduled video begins (or every 5 minutes if no videos are scheduled).
If fallback behavior is set to “specified playlist,” it should cost an additional 1 quota unit per page load plus 2 quota units per video in the playlist.
If fallback behavior is set to “specified playlist” or “specified video,” it should cost an additional 3 quota unit per page load.

These are estimates; your usage may vary. To see your actual quota usage in real time, visit the API Usage page.

The YouTube quota limit has been tightened down in recent years: as of April 14, 2020, it allows a max of 10 thousand quota units per day. However, you can request a quota increase here.

If your API project has been active for more than 2 years or so, you may have a drastically higher quota limit and can set the transient lower.

I am looking at other ways to accomplish the necessary behavior closer to realtime while remaining within the quota limits.