These are the two serious ways to record Tango lives, and they sit at opposite ends of a trade-off: control versus convenience. Here is how to decide.
OBS Studio: maximum control, fully manual
OBS Studio is free, open-source desktop software that captures a window or display. To record a Tango live, you watch it on your computer (browser or emulator) and capture that window.
What's good:
- Highest quality and full control over resolution, bitrate, and format.
- Free and open-source, no watermark.
- Records exactly what you point it at.
What's not:
- Desktop only - no good fit for a phone-first app unless you use an emulator.
- Manual - you must be at the computer, watching, for the whole live.
- You have to catch the live from the start yourself.
- The PC has to stay on and awake the entire time.
Automatic recorder (Recfolder): automatic, hands-free
An automatic recorder records the broadcast automatically, so you do not need a PC or to be present. Recfolder is the automatic option for Tango:
- Open @tangorecordlive_bot
- Send
/watch username - Get the recorded live as an MP4 in Telegram
What's good:
- Automatic - monitors watched creators periodically and records detected public lives within plan limits.
- Starts after periodic live detection, even while your own device is off; the beginning can be missed.
- MP4 from the selected stream source, delivered to Telegram; source overlays may remain.
- Public archive of past lives to re-watch.
What's not:
- Records public Tango lives, not private calls.
- You choose creators in advance rather than capturing arbitrary windows.
- Less manual control over encoding settings than OBS.
Side by side
| | OBS | Recfolder | | --- | --- | --- | | Cost | Free | Free tier | | Runs on | Your desktop | Recfolder | | Must watch live | Yes | No | | Start time | Only if you are quick | After detection; beginning may be missed | | Quality control | Full | Clean preset | | Auto-record creators | No | Yes | | Output | PC file | Telegram MP4 | | Archive of past lives | No | Yes |
Which should you use?
- Choose OBS if you want the highest quality, like full control, already run a desktop, and don't mind being present for each live.
- Choose an automatic recorder if you want recording to be automatic, never want to miss a creator's live, and prefer the file delivered to you.
Plenty of people use both: OBS for a planned high-quality capture, Recfolder to passively catch every live from the creators they follow.
Try Recfolder route
- Open @tangorecordlive_bot
- Send
/watchand a creator's Tango username - Get their next live in Telegram
Related: Recfolder vs OBS and best Tango live recorder apps.