The Elgato Stream Deck is one of the most coveted pieces of streaming equipment out there. Many streamers want one (or a substitute for one) simply for how handy it can be and how helpful it is for upping production quality.
Streamers aren’t the only ones using Elgato Stream Decks either. Creatives and other professionals also enjoy the conveniences associated with macro pads like the Stream Deck.
If you have one, you might already know that there are so many plugins out there that can make the whole experience even better. The best part is they’re usually free, so aside from the money you spent on your Stream Deck, you don’t have to spend another dime.
Best Plugins for Stream Deck
Control Center
Control Center allows you to control Elgato Lighting you may have straight from your Stream Deck. So if you have an Elgato Key Light or Ring Light, this may be the right plugin for you.
Here, you can adjust brightness, color temperature, and even RGB (if this is supported by the device). Yes, this plugin by Elgato also supports other compatible devices (so even if you don’t have Elgato lighting products, it’ll work for you too).
With this plugin, you can also set up multi-actions that can combine lighting, audio, and visuals.
VoiceMod
VoiceMod is a free service that changes your voice in real time. It adds real-time sound effects and voice changing effects to your voice and many games, and the best part is it only takes five minutes to set up.
Thankfully, VoiceMod also has an Elgato Stream Deck plugin that can allow you to control everything straight from your deck. With the plugin, you can take advantage of VoiceMod’s 100+ voice filters and their 400+ sound effects.
Twitch Studio
As the name might suggest, the Twitch Studio app allows you to control Twitch Studio straight from your stream deck. If you don’t know, Twitch Studio is a free broadcasting software designed from the ground up by the platform itself.
The plugin allows you to go live straight from your stream deck, mute and unmute audio, start or end recording, show or hide a layer, and switch scenes if you need to.
This plugin may not be very useful to you if you use OBS or other streaming software, but it’s quite good for what it is.
CPU
As a streamer, it’s often important to keep track of your computer usage. One of the biggest stats to watch out for is CPU usage, which is why Elgato has made this plugin that allows you to track everything right from a button on your stream deck. No frills!
Spotify Integration
If you use Spotify at all (on or off-stream), you might find the Spotify Integration plugin quite helpful. This plugin was created by BarRaider and has far more downloads compared to Elgato’s version, so we have chosen to include this one instead.
Spotify Integration does what the name says and offers live feedback on your deck. However, you need a premium Spotify account to make this plugin work.
Audio Mute
Nothing screams convenience like a quick way to mute your audio sources. Audio Mute, created by Fred Emmott, allows you to toggle mute for speakers or microphones all with one press of your stream deck’s assigned button. No more having to navigate through all your windows in a panic to find that specific app you’re trying to mute.
OBS Tools
If you use OBS, you might find the OBS Tools plugin helpful. This plugin contains advanced tools and commands for OBS including instant stream replay, quick scenes toggle, tracking OBS’ CPU usage, and audio source volume modifications.
Additional features include a dropped frames alarm and the ability to modify filters and transitions as well as your video and browser sources.
Stream Counter
Stream Counter is a great plugin if you’ve ever wanted to keep track of something during your stream. Want to keep track of how many times you’ve died? Use this plugin.
Stream Counter counts everything for you, then allows you to show it live on your stream. It has other features, including sound support (a sound effect when a button is pressed), changing the button-press increments (+ or -), and even a countdown timer.
Voicemeeter Integration
Voicemeeter is an app that gives you more control over your audio. Through this app, you can do things like split audio sources and control their volumes separately.
The Voicemeeter Integration plugin allows you to control the app and get live feedback. There are five actions that support various custom features.
Predictionbuttons
Not everyone uses the Predictions feature on Twitch. However, predictions are a great way not only to get your viewers engaged but to also incentivize them to use their channel points.
The Predictionbuttons plugin allows you to easily create repeatable Twitch chat predictions with the single press of a button.
IFTTT
IFTTT allows you to connect your Stream Deck to other programs and devices. We put together a tutorial on how to use IFTTT to control your room lights.
IFTTT essentially acts as a middleman between your stream deck and other software. To get an idea of what it can do check out the room light tutorial.
Discord
If you use Discord to communicate with your friends or your viewers, I would highly recommend the Discord plugin.
This allows you to control chat functions directly from your stream deck, perfect for when you need to mute someone while in the middle of a game.
How to Install Stream Deck Plugins
Installing plugins from the Elgato Plugin Store is relatively simple — you just have to have your Stream Deck plugged in and your updated app open. Then, just click the “Install” button and follow the instructions if any.
If you’re installing plugins from repositories like GitHub, first remember that you are doing so at your own risk. Remember to update your Elgato Stream Deck software to the latest version before you attempt installation!
It’s important to note that some plugins may be out of date as developers may cease working on them. Check on when the plugin was last updated before downloading.
When you find the plugin you like, download the most recent version. It will then download a file with a .streamDeckPlugin extension to your machine. Open the file either by double-clicking or launching it straight from the browser. Your Stream Deck app will then open with the new plugin loading under bottom-right “Custom Actions” header. Drag this new plugin or action to your stream deck and you are good to go.
Wrapping Up
Your stream deck can do much more than just switch your scenes on OBS or play sound effects. There are many plugins not just by Elgato but by dedicated developers and you can find most of them on Elgato’s plugin store. Don’t worry — even if it’s called a “store,” everything in there is free. Someone from Reddit has also put together a directory of Elgato Stream Deck plugins, which you can find here.
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