Do I need to install a plugin for YouTube Live?

No. Vortexia runs as a Browser Source, which YouTube Live already has built in — you paste one URL and it works. That matters practically: plugins are compiled per host version and per operating system, so they break on updates and need permission to install software, which many work, school and shared machines do not grant. A URL has neither problem.

What does the free tier actually include?

Three of the eight engines at 720p and 30fps with a small watermark, Twitch integration, and no time limit or card — a tier rather than a trial. Plus is $4.99 a month (or $49.99 a year) and removes the watermark, unlocks 1080p at 60fps, all eight engines including the two 3D ones, and YouTube, Kick and TikTok. Pro at $14.99 a month adds 4K and a logo overlay, and there is a $149 one-time lifetime licence.

Does it really react to the music, or is it a loop?

It is generated live on your GPU. A 128-bin FFT runs every frame and the three bands drive different things, so a kick and a cymbal at the same volume produce different motion. On this page's Chaos Prime engine specifically, bass dominates — the Burning Ship geometry locks to low-end energy. Nothing repeats, and you can zoom to 100,000x magnification while it is running — neither is possible with a pre-rendered clip.

Will it cost me framerate while I am gaming?

It renders on the GPU alongside your game, so it is not free — but the 2D engines cost about 1ms per frame at 1080p, which ordinary integrated graphics handle. If framerate matters more than resolution, Performance Mode drops the internal render to 720p or 480p while your broadcast software still outputs at full canvas size. The two 3D engines are roughly ten times heavier and are capped at 720p for that reason.

Does it react to my Twitch subs and raids, or only to audio?

Both, and the event side is the part audio visualizers cannot do. Connect Twitch, YouTube or Streamlabs and subscriptions, gift subs, bits, follows, raids and hype trains each trigger their own treatment — a raid pulls the camera back and sends a band outward, a hype train holds a sustained swirl for as long as the train runs. Reacting to a raid needs an authenticated connection to the platform and a webhook, which is why a tool that only analyses a waveform has no way of knowing one happened.

Which browsers and operating systems work?

Anything with WebGL2: current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, including the embedded Chromium inside an OBS Browser Source. If WebGL2 is unavailable the page says so rather than showing a blank screen.

AUDIO-REACTIVE VISUAL · UPDATED 2026-08-25

YouTube Live Audio Visualizer

Name: Vortexia
Author: Yousef @ Vortexia

Free browser-based tool for YouTube streamers

Vortexia is a free audio visualizer for YouTube Live that adds to OBS Studio as a Browser Source. It renders real-time, GPU-accelerated fractal visuals that react to your YouTube stream's music and voice — no plugins needed.

Open the dashboard · Watch it live · All presets · Pricing

What is YouTube Live Audio Visualizer?

YouTube Live Audio Visualizer — Free browser-based tool for YouTube streamers. Vortexia is a browser-based audio-reactive visualizer that plugs straight into YouTube Live. The Chaos Prime engine renders high-intensity plasma and bass-locked strobes built for drops on your GPU, streams as a Browser Source, and reacts to whatever audio your output is already mixing. Free tier runs at 720p with a watermark; Plus removes the watermark at 1080p/60; Pro ships 4K/60 with a brand-kit logo overlay. You don't install anything: paste the viewer URL into YouTube Live, set the canvas size, and the visuals are live. Because the engine is generative, no two seconds look identical — important for avoiding the static-loop look that hurts retention. Customize colour, intensity and reactivity from the dashboard, save it as a preset, and reuse the same URL on every show.

How to use YouTube Live Audio Visualizer

Customize the visual. Open the Vortexia dashboard, choose the YouTube Live Audio Visualizer preset, and adjust colour shift, zoom and iteration depth until it matches your show.
Copy the viewer URL. Click "Get Browser Source URL" — Vortexia will give you a permanent URL that loads this exact configuration anywhere.
Add it to YouTube Live. In YouTube Live, add a new Browser Source, paste the viewer URL, and set the canvas to 1920×1080 (or 1080×1920 for vertical). The visual is live as soon as the source loads.
Route your audio. Make sure the browser tab can hear the audio you want it to react to — most streamers route their stream output through a virtual audio cable so Vortexia and OBS hear the same mix.

Specs & output

Engine	Chaos Prime
Render Mode	inferno
Iteration Depth	80
Default Zoom	1.50
Colour Shift	0°
Output (Free)	720p / 30fps + watermark
Output (Plus)	1080p / 60fps, no watermark
Output (Pro)	4K / 60fps, brand-kit logo overlay
Audio Source	Browser tab audio (FFT, real-time)
Last Updated	2026-08-25

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install a plugin for YouTube Live?: No. Vortexia runs as a Browser Source, which YouTube Live already has built in — you paste one URL and it works. That matters practically: plugins are compiled per host version and per operating system, so they break on updates and need permission to install software, which many work, school and shared machines do not grant. A URL has neither problem.
What does the free tier actually include?: Three of the eight engines at 720p and 30fps with a small watermark, Twitch integration, and no time limit or card — a tier rather than a trial. Plus is $4.99 a month (or $49.99 a year) and removes the watermark, unlocks 1080p at 60fps, all eight engines including the two 3D ones, and YouTube, Kick and TikTok. Pro at $14.99 a month adds 4K and a logo overlay, and there is a $149 one-time lifetime licence.
Does it really react to the music, or is it a loop?: It is generated live on your GPU. A 128-bin FFT runs every frame and the three bands drive different things, so a kick and a cymbal at the same volume produce different motion. On this page's Chaos Prime engine specifically, bass dominates — the Burning Ship geometry locks to low-end energy. Nothing repeats, and you can zoom to 100,000x magnification while it is running — neither is possible with a pre-rendered clip.
Will it cost me framerate while I am gaming?: It renders on the GPU alongside your game, so it is not free — but the 2D engines cost about 1ms per frame at 1080p, which ordinary integrated graphics handle. If framerate matters more than resolution, Performance Mode drops the internal render to 720p or 480p while your broadcast software still outputs at full canvas size. The two 3D engines are roughly ten times heavier and are capped at 720p for that reason.
Does it react to my Twitch subs and raids, or only to audio?: Both, and the event side is the part audio visualizers cannot do. Connect Twitch, YouTube or Streamlabs and subscriptions, gift subs, bits, follows, raids and hype trains each trigger their own treatment — a raid pulls the camera back and sends a band outward, a hype train holds a sustained swirl for as long as the train runs. Reacting to a raid needs an authenticated connection to the platform and a webhook, which is why a tool that only analyses a waveform has no way of knowing one happened.
Which browsers and operating systems work?: Anything with WebGL2: current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, including the embedded Chromium inside an OBS Browser Source. If WebGL2 is unavailable the page says so rather than showing a blank screen.

About the author

Yousef @ Vortexia — Vortexia Engine Creator.

Yousef builds Vortexia — a browser-based, GPU-accelerated audio-reactive visual engine used by streamers and DJs on Twitch, Kick, YouTube Live and TikTok Live.