In the great Twitter live-streaming video war of 2015, it's likely only one app will be known through the ages as the victor. So which will it be: Meerkat -- the one that started it all -- or Twitter-backed Periscope? After a hands-on test of both, the answer quickly became apparent.

Meerkat vs. Periscope: To The Victor Go the Streams

Meerkat started the whole live-streaming social video craze with its breakout appearance at SxSW 2015 in Austin, Texas earlier this year. That was right around the time Twitter closed its social graph to Meerkat -- thus closing its regularly available database of available streams -- as it launched its own previously acquired competitor, Periscope.

From there, the race was on, with Meerkat striving to break out onto more platforms faster than Periscope, all while having its promising start hobbled by an angry, paranoid Twitter-god. Trying out both on Android (both apps are now available on iOS and Android), it quickly became obvious that, without access to all the streams it needs, Meerkat simply can't compete.

Meerkat allows you to find broadcasts from people you follow on Twitter, or on the flip side, start your own live-stream that will show up on your followers' Meerkat notifications. During a stream, you can see how many people are watching, and if you're the viewer, you can like or comment on the stream.

Meerkat also allows you to notify people ahead of time that you've scheduled a stream for later, which is probably the best method to use if you want to find viewers for your broadcasts. That's because with Meerkat's limited access to Twitter's social graph, live notifications aren't as reliable, and no one is going to pick up on your stream simply from browsing -- because beyond a handful of "community picks" available on the main stream, browsing is more or less nonexistent for Meerkat.

(Photo : Google Play: Meerkat & Periscope [left and right]) From a UI point of view, both apps are nearly identical. When it comes to actually using the app, it's about the content.

The lack of browsing capability for live streams is probably the deathstroke for Meerkat, because as any online community knows, new people will likely lurk and not actively participate, at least while they're getting used to a new thing. Which is where Periscope, unfairly or not, succeeds in spades.

With Periscope, all you have to do is open the app, and you've got a virtual channel surfing guide of live streams to scroll through right from the beginning -- regardless of who you follow already on Twitter. There's hours and hours of time-wasting potential here, and with Periscope's unique ability for broadcasters to pin their location, it really feels like a window to what's going on in the world right now.

Like Meerkat, you can launch your own broadcast, see how many people are tuning in, and when you're watching a stream, comment or like the live stream you're watching. But live streams are easier to save -- and easier to find after the fact for browsers -- while Meerkat requires third-party hashtag tricks to save any stream after it's over.

Plus, in Periscope, you have something resembling a "direct message" feature for live streams in private broadcasts, which lets you chose to invite only specific users to your Periscope stream.

Tap that App

Periscope, that is, not Meerkat. It's hard to beat up on a company that set off the most recent revolution, just because it's got less going for it after a much larger company bullied it out of competition. That said, unless you follow thousands of in-the-know people, Meerkat is a ghost town when you open it up. Periscope looks like the public square.

And to be fair, Periscope does have a few non-Twitter-endowed features that set it above Meerkat. But it's all about the browsing for any new users, and the difference between these two apps couldn't be any more apparent.

Until maybe Meerkat gets access to Facebook's social graph, that is... If that happens, stay tuned for a rematch.