The Best Stream Decks
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 was the most broadly cited controller in our research, ranked first or best-for-most across Streams Charts, Laptop Mag, streamer.guide, and WePC. What sets it apart is the software: every source credits Elgato with the deepest plugin library in the category, covering OBS, Twitch, Discord, Spotify, and the Adobe suite, and Laptop Mag's Rami Tabari gave it an Editor's Choice for how easily it configures. Fifteen LCD keys hit the balance most streamers want, enough room for a full scene and app layout without the desk footprint or configuration load of a 32-key panel, and the detachable USB-C cable is a step up from the fixed cables on cheaper decks. For the widest support and the most proven hardware, nothing else we studied matched it.
What It Won't Do
Key label text starts to distort past nine or ten characters, and at $149.99 it costs more than budget rivals with similar key counts.
The Elgato Stream Deck Neo turned up across Tom's Hardware, WePC, and streamer.guide as the affordable pick that still does real work. For $99.99, fifty dollars below the MK.2, it runs the exact same drag-and-drop software and full plugin support as the pricier decks, which is WePC's main reason to recommend it, and Tom's Hardware calls it the most beginner-friendly way into a stream deck. It sits at a clear price gap below the flagship and stays inside the Elgato ecosystem, which makes it the easiest deck here to recommend to someone setting up their first stream.
What It Won't Do
Eight keys mean heavy users end up swiping between profiles, the built-in cable cannot be replaced, and it will not run on Windows 10 or macOS before 14.2.
Who Should Buy Which
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
The 15-key controller reviewers rank first, pairing the deepest plugin library in the category with a detachable USB-C cable and a build four separate roundups treat as the default choice.
- Streamers and creators who want the widest software and plugin support
- Anyone who needs enough keys for a full scene and app setup without a huge deck
- Buyers who value a detachable cable and Elgato's proven track record
Elgato Stream Deck Neo
Elgato's $99.99 entry deck brings the same best-in-class software to eight keys, the model Tom's Hardware calls the most beginner-friendly way in.
- First-time streamers who want Elgato's software at the lowest price
- People who need only a handful of shortcuts in a compact footprint
- Buyers on a tight budget who still want the full plugin ecosystem