What you need
- OBS Studio (any recent version) or Streamlabs OBS
- Your YouTube channel URL or channel ID
- A scene in OBS where you want the overlay to appear
Step 1: Find your channel on RealtimeSubCount
Search your channel name or paste its YouTube URL into RealtimeSubCount. Confirm the name and handle, open the counter page and let the available statistics load. Read an estimated count as an estimate, including when it is shown on a stream.
Step 2: Copy the embed URL
Scroll down to the Embed section on the channel counter page. You will find a direct URL formatted specifically for use as a browser source. It strips the navbar and sidebar so only the counter is visible.
Copy the direct URL, not the iframe HTML snippet intended for a website. You can also use the OBS link builder linked below.
Step 3: Add a browser source in OBS
In OBS Studio, open the scene where you want the overlay. Click the + button under Sources and select 'Browser'. Give it a name (e.g. 'Live Sub Counter') and click OK.
In the browser source properties, leave Local file off and paste the embed URL into the URL field. Set a viewport large enough to contain the full channel name and counter, then resize the source to fit your scene. Preview with a long channel name before going live.
The option 'Shutdown source when not visible' unloads the page while hidden. Enable it if you want to reduce background activity; leave it off if keeping the page loaded between scenes matters. Click OK and test a scene change.
Step 4: Position and style
Drag the source into position and check the actual background in the preview. Transparency depends on both the embedded page and the browser source's CSS; do not assume that a frame-rate setting removes a page's background.
If you want to change the size, right-click the source, select Transform > Edit Transform, and adjust the bounding box dimensions.
Troubleshooting
- Blank source? Open the exact embed URL in a normal browser first. Check the channel ID and connection, then use the browser source's refresh control.
- Count unchanged? A cached or rounded reading may legitimately stay unchanged. Compare with the normal channel page before assuming OBS is broken.
- Background not transparent? Review the embed page and Custom CSS in the source properties. Custom frame rate controls rendering frequency, not transparency.
- Counter showing wrong channel? Re-copy the embed URL from your specific channel page.
Try it now — no sign-up required
Open the relevant tool, check the channel or video, and follow the available readings.
Build an OBS counter link