by CEF Comparison
The Haivision SRT Gateway alternative
Same job — SRT and HLS in, UDP and HLS out, running 24/7. Different price, different hardware, and a number you can read without asking anyone.
If you are here, you already know what an SRT gateway does and you are checking whether there is something that costs less. Short answer: Stream Gateway by CEF receives SRT and HLS and delivers UDP unicast, UDP multicast and HLS per program, on a Raspberry Pi or a Linux server, from $750 once per device.
Long answer: it depends on what you need, and the rest of this page is an honest attempt at telling you when we are not the right choice. Haivision created the SRT protocol and leads the SRT Alliance — of which CEF Technology is also a member. This is not a page about them being bad.
Read this first
When Haivision is the better choice
There are cases where we are not what you need, and you deserve to know before you spend a month testing.
You need the encoders too
Haivision builds a full hardware line, encoders included. If you are standardising on one vendor for the whole chain, that is a real advantage we do not offer.
You need a contractual SLA
Large operations often require signed service levels, dedicated account management and enterprise support tiers. Ask them for it in writing.
You are already in their ecosystem
Haivision created the SRT protocol and leads the SRT Alliance. If your workflow already runs on their products, staying put usually costs less than migrating.
Where we fit
When Stream Gateway by CEF fits better
Cable operators, hotels, IPTV and OTT platforms, telcos, WISPs and integrators, where the enterprise model costs more than the problem is worth.
You can see the price right now
Our pricing is on the page: a free 30-day trial, then $59 per device per month, $590 per year, or $750 once. Haivision does not publish prices — you request a quote. If you want to compare costs before talking to anyone, you can only do it with one of the two.
From a Raspberry Pi to a 250-stream server
The same software runs on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 for up to 20 streams, and on Ubuntu / Linux x86 for up to 250 on one machine. Twenty simultaneous streams and an HDMI output on a single board is a lot of work for that hardware — that efficiency is the point, not the price of the board. You size the machine to the job, and both are managed from the same panel.
You can try it without a sales call
A one-line installer and a 30-day trial. You test it against your own SRT sources and decide. Nobody has to qualify you first.
One panel for the whole fleet
A local panel on each device, plus a cloud panel that shows every gateway you run: online/offline, version, licence, and remote actions — start and stop streams, restart, update, reboot.
Built for 24/7, not for events
Primary and backup source per program, with automatic switchover and reconnection. And SRT input is caller by design: the gateway dials out to the source or the CDN, where the redundancy already lives, instead of exposing a public IP and waiting on it. An address you sit on is a weak point you cannot fail away from.
Every incoming signal, on the record
Live RTT, jitter and bandwidth in and out, plus a full report of everything that happens on each incoming signal — not just a light that turns red. Alerts for signal loss, black screen and pixelation arrive by email, per program. When a channel drops at 3am you have the record, not a guess.
Side by side
What you can check for yourself
Only facts you can verify from both public websites today. We have deliberately left out any claim about Haivision that we cannot back up.
| What you can check | Stream Gateway by CEF | Haivision SRT Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Price published on the website | ✔ $59/mo · $590/yr · $750 once | Quote on request |
| Trial without contacting sales | ✔ 30 days | Request a demo |
| Hardware it runs on | Raspberry Pi 4 / 5 (up to 20 streams) or Ubuntu / Linux x86 (up to 250) | Server, VM or cloud appliance |
| Licensing model | Per device, subscription or one-time | Contact the vendor |
| Site and docs in ES / PT-BR | ✔ | English |
| SRT Alliance member | ✔ | ✔ — created the protocol |
Based on the public websites of both vendors, checked on 1 September 2026. For anything not listed here, ask each vendor directly — including us.
No surprises
What Stream Gateway by CEF does not do
If any of these is a requirement for you, we are not your tool, and it saves us both time that you find out on this page.
- SRT input is caller only, and that is deliberate: a receiver in listener mode has to publish an IP and wait on it, which is exactly the single point you cannot fail away from. If your source can only push to a listener, this is not the right tool.
- There is no recording and no DVR. It passes signal through; it does not store it.
- Alerts are sent by email only — signal loss, black screen and pixelation, per program. There is no webhook or messaging integration.
- The Raspberry Pi 4 has no HDMI monitoring output. The Pi 5 and Linux do.
- The lifetime licence does not include later updates or technical support. It runs the version available on the day you buy it. The subscription does include updates while it is active.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is Stream Gateway by CEF a real alternative to the Haivision SRT Gateway?
For the core job, yes: it receives SRT and HLS and delivers UDP unicast, UDP multicast and HLS per program, for continuous 24/7 distribution. It is not a like-for-like replacement of Haivision’s full product line — they also build encoders and serve large enterprise deployments with formal contracts. Compare them on the specific job you need done, and trial ours against your real sources before deciding.
What does it cost, and what does Haivision cost?
Ours is public and per device: a free 30-day trial, $59/month, $590/year or $750 one-time. Haivision does not publish pricing on its website — you have to request a quote, so we cannot tell you what you would pay and we are not going to guess. Ask them, and compare it against a figure you can already read here.
How many streams does it handle?
Up to 20 on a Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 5, and up to 250 on Ubuntu / Linux x86, depending on the hardware you run it on. Licensing is per device, tied to the hardware.
What is the catch with the lifetime licence?
The $750 lifetime licence runs the version available on your purchase date, and it does not include later updates or technical support. That is deliberate and we would rather say it here than have you find out afterwards. If you want continuous updates, the subscription includes them while it is active.
Can I test it before paying?
Yes. The 30-day trial is free and complete, with no sales call required. Install it with the one-line installer, point it at your own SRT or HLS sources, and check it against the outputs you actually need.