Best budget green screens for streaming
Updated 15 October 2026 · Prices checked October 2026, and they change often
A green screen lets OBS cut out your room so your face sits right on top of the gameplay, with no messy bedroom behind you. The screen itself is the easy part. What makes a clean key is even lighting and a screen that's big enough to fill your camera's view.
First: you might not need one
If you have an NVIDIA RTX graphics card (RTX 2060 or newer, on Windows), NVIDIA's Broadcast app can remove, replace or blur your background with AI, no screen needed. Since OBS 28 (2022), the same "virtual background" effect is built into OBS as a filter. Videomaker said it lets you remove your background "without using a green screen".
The trade-off is edge quality: guides comparing the two generally rate a physical screen cleaner, especially around hair and when you move quickly, and AI removal uses some GPU power while you game. Try it first. If the edges bother you, buy a screen.
Comparison table
| Option | Type | Size | Setup | Price (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Broadcast / OBS virtual background | Software | n/a | Needs an RTX 2060 or better | No extra cost if you have the card |
| Webaround Big Shot | Clips to your chair | 56 in round (142 cm) | Seconds; folds to about 21 in | About $60–65* |
| Neewer 5×7 ft 2-in-1 collapsible | Pop-out panel (green/blue) | 5 × 7 ft (150 × 200 cm) | Needs a stand or wall to lean on | From $69.99 at Neewer (panel only) |
| Fancierstudio muslin kit | Cloth + stand | 72 × 108 in cloth | Assemble a stand; steam out creases | About $50 (GamesRadar, Apr 2025) |
| Upgrade: Elgato Green Screen MT | Wall/ceiling roller | 200 × 180 cm | Pull down, tug to retract | $159.99 at Elgato |
*Webaround's own listing and Micro Center showed $59.99 and $64.99 in search listings; we couldn't load either page directly to confirm. Check the live price before you buy.
The picks
Best for small rooms: Webaround Big Shot
A 56-inch round green screen on a spring-steel hoop that straps to the back of your chair, so it needs no floor space and no stand. It folds down to roughly 21 inches in a bag. RWTH Aachen University's HCI lab, which keeps four of them for video work, describes it as sitting very close behind you. That's why a 56-inch circle is enough to fill a webcam shot.
Keep in mind: the lab warns that the round shape can leave the corners of a wide-angle webcam's view uncovered. If you swivel your chair, the screen turns with you and shows the room behind. It also "will pop open suddenly", so unfold it with space around you. A 2020 review on Hayk Saakian's blog notes it "Doesn't fit all chair types" and that the fabric isn't wrinkle-resistant. Very tall gaming chairs are the usual problem. Buy the green one: Webaround's grey version can't be chroma-keyed.
Best portable full-size screen: Neewer 5×7 ft 2-in-1 collapsible backdrop
A pop-out panel that's green on one side and blue on the other, and twists down into a disc for storage. GamesRadar picked it as the best portable green screen and liked the quick setup, the double-sided fabric and the loops that let you hang it upright or sideways. At 5 × 7 ft it's much bigger than a chair screen, so it covers wide-angle webcams and lets you sit further from it, which helps lighting.
Keep in mind: Neewer lists the panel alone from $69.99, so you need something to hang or lean it on. Neewer sells stands separately, and some retailers sell a kit with a stand. GamesRadar noted there's no stretch system, so fold wrinkles may need steaming, and the stand doesn't fit in the panel's carry bag. Twisting a pop-out panel back into its disc takes practice.
Cheapest big screen: Fancierstudio muslin kit
A big green muslin cloth (72 × 108 inches) with an adjustable stand. GamesRadar named it the best cheap green screen at about $50 and said the stand goes up to 8 ft tall and 10 ft wide, or down to 3.5 × 4.5 ft. That's plenty to cover a wide shot or a standing setup.
Keep in mind: muslin isn't wrinkle-resistant, and creases show up as patchy spots in the key, so you'll need to steam or iron it. GamesRadar says it suits people who leave it set up rather than packing it away daily. The stand is light, so it may need weighting.
Is Elgato's $160 screen worth it?
Elgato's original pull-up Green Screen (148 × 180 cm, 20.5 lb, pneumatic frame) was the streamer favourite. GameRevolution's 2019 review said it set up in under a minute and stayed wrinkle-free after months of daily use. Elgato's page now lists it as discontinued, as is the wider XL. You may still find old stock. The RWTH lab found the original heavy and bulky, and said it can topple if bumped when you get up.
Elgato's current model is the Green Screen MT at $159.99. It's a wrinkle-free roller (about 200 × 180 cm, 11.9 lb) that mounts on the wall or ceiling and pulls down like a blind, so it takes no floor space at all. It's worth it if you stream several times a week and want the screen to appear in the same place, crease-free, every time. Otherwise, a $60–70 screen and a light is the better spend.
Check Elgato Green Screen MT price
Quick recommendations
- Have an RTX card: try NVIDIA Broadcast or OBS's virtual background first. It costs nothing extra.
- Small room, normal office chair, 1080p webcam: Webaround Big Shot.
- Wide-angle camera, or need it to pack away: Neewer collapsible, plus a stand.
- Dedicated corner you can leave set up: Fancierstudio muslin kit.
- Stream most days and have a wall behind you: Elgato Green Screen MT.
Getting a clean key
- Light the screen evenly, and light yourself separately. Shadows and hot spots on the screen are what make the key flicker. A key light on you is the first step.
- Leave a gap. Sitting a little away from the screen cuts green light bouncing onto your shoulders and hair, and your shadow on the screen. A chair screen can't do this, which is its main compromise.
- Get rid of wrinkles. Steam muslin, and let pop-out fabric hang for a while after unpacking.
- Don't wear green. It'll disappear along with the screen.
- In OBS: right-click your webcam → Filters → add Chroma Key, then adjust Similarity and Smoothness until the edges are clean without eating into your hair.
- Lock your webcam's exposure and white balance if its software allows it, so the green doesn't shift mid-stream. Our webcam guide covers which cams have good software.
Sources
- Practical notes on the Webaround Big Shot and Elgato Green Screen, from a lab that uses both: RWTH Aachen University, HCI group, checked 15 Oct 2026
- Roundup covering the Elgato Green Screen, Fancierstudio kit and Neewer collapsible backdrop (last updated 8 Apr 2025): GamesRadar+
- Webaround Big Shot review (Nov 2020): Hayk Saakian; retailer listing: Micro Center
- Neewer 5×7 ft 2-in-1 collapsible backdrop price ($69.99) and stands: neewer.com, checked 15 Oct 2026
- Elgato Green Screen (discontinued; specs) and Green Screen MT ($159.99; specs): elgato.com: Green Screen, elgato.com: Green Screen MT, checked 15 Oct 2026; original Green Screen review (Dec 2019): GameRevolution
- NVIDIA Broadcast background features and requirements: nvidia.com; OBS 28 adding NVIDIA virtual background (2022): Videomaker