The Best Castr Alternative
for Professional Live Streaming
and Built-In Monetization
Dacast vs Castr
Dacast is a fully managed live streaming and video hosting platform built for broadcast teams, event producers, and OTT operators. It supports RTMP, SRT, and WebRTC/WHIP ingest, CDN edge delivery on Amazon CloudFront with Akamai as secondary, and multi CDN failover available as a paid add on on Event plans and above. It includes a native paywall for SVOD, TVOD, and PPV, DRM for on demand video, and 24/7 human support on every plan. In country delivery inside mainland China is available as a paid add on on Event plans and above, through an ICP licensed entity that Dacast owns.
Castr is a professional live streaming and multistreaming platform built for individual streamers, businesses, and organizations that need to broadcast simultaneously to 30+ destinations. It supports RTMP ingest, Akamai and Fastly CDN delivery, native paywall and monetization, and 24/7 support. Castr's primary strength is the breadth of its multistreaming destinations: broadcasting simultaneously to 30+ social platforms and custom RTMP destinations from a single dashboard. Pricing starts at $16.67/month billed annually. Adaptive bitrate streaming is only available from the Premium plan at $166.67/month. Cloud recordings are stored for 3 days only. Mainland China delivery is not specified.
Everything You Need to Stream. Nothing You Don't.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming on Every Plan
Castr includes adaptive bitrate streaming only from the Premium plan at $166.67/month. Dacast includes adaptive bitrate on every paid plan from $39/month so every viewer gets the best quality their connection can handle, regardless of which tier you are on.
DRM Content Protection for Premium Video
Castr offers DRM as a paid add-on on every plan. Dacast includes Widevine & FairPlay DRM for on demand video on the Scale plan at $165/month, protecting premium content from screen recording and unauthorized redistribution across all major browsers and devices.
Mainland China Delivery Through Our Own Licensed Entity
Dacast holds an official ICP license (19031887) through a Chinese entity that Dacast Inc. owns. Available as a paid add on on Event plans and above.
24/7 Human Support Before, During, and After Your Broadcast
You will always reach a real person, not an automated reply. Dacast support is available 24/7 by chat and email on every plan. Phone support is included from the Scale plan. Castr also offers 24/7 support.
What To Know Before Choosing Castr
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Requires the Premium Plan
Castr's adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming is only available from the Premium plan at $166.67/month billed annually. On lower plans, streams are delivered at a fixed bitrate, which can result in buffering for viewers on slower connections. Dacast includes ABR on every paid plan from $39/month.
Cloud Recordings Stored for 3 Days Only
Castr cloud recordings are automatically deleted after 3 days. Teams that need to archive broadcasts as VOD assets must download recordings immediately or pay for separate storage. Live recordings are automatically saved into your VOD library.
DRM Requires a Separate Add-On Purchase
Castr offers Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady DRM as a paid add-on on every plan. For teams distributing premium or rights-managed content: sports rights, paid courses, or subscription video, the absence of DRM means content can be recorded and redistributed by viewers. Dacast includes Widevine and FairPlay DRM for on demand video on the Scale plan at $165/month.
Castr vs Dacast
Dacast vs Castr: Pricing
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Dacast vs Castr: Live Streaming
Request a DemoDacast vs Castr: Video Hosting
Start Free TrialDacast vs Castr: Monetization
Start Free TrialDacast vs Castr: Security
Talk to Sales Dacast vs Castr: Support & Reliability
Start Free Trial How To Choose Between Dacast And Castr
- Broadcast-grade live event delivery at scale
- DRM content protection for premium or rights-managed video
- Mainland China delivery
- Automatic VOD archiving from live streams
- Built-in SVOD subscription billing from $63/month
- Simultaneous broadcasting to 30+ social and RTMP destinations
- A lower entry price for basic live streaming and multistreaming
- OTT app distribution across iOS, Android, Roku, and Smart TVs
- Pre-roll advertising on all plans
Migrate from Castr in 3 Steps
Migration Requirements
- Accessing adaptive bitrate without upgrading to a higher plan
- Migrating large video libraries
- Saving live streams automatically to your VOD library
- Preserving monetization workflows
Migrate Safely
- Export and organize video assets
- Upload via bulk tools or API
- Recreate playlists and channel structures
- Set up paywall and monetization tools
Stream Worry-Free
- Our team will support you 24/7
- Go live with ABR on every plan
- Share & embed your content
- Enjoy all the features
Start Safely, Stream Worry-Free
Starter
Affordable for small audiences
$39 /month
Billed Annually
2.4 TB per year
500 GB storage
Top Features include:
- Live Streaming
- Full 1080p HD Broadcasting
- Unlimited Concurrent Viewers
- Transcoding Allowance of 2x Storage
- RTMP and HLS channels
- Live transcoding channels
- Browser based / mobile streaming
- Simulcast
- Video Hosting (VOD)
- VOD to Live
- Bulk upload from Google Drive
- Domain/Country Restriction
- Advanced Analytics
- 24/7 Support
Event
One time or occasional events
$63 /month
Billed Annually
6 TB upfront
250 GB storage
Everything in Starter +
- Live stream monitoring
- Video Availability Scheduling
- Live Countdown
- Paywall
- Pre, Mid & Post Roll Advertising
- Multi-CDN*
- China Live*
- China Streaming for VOD*
Scale
Business & organizational video
$165 /month
Billed Annually
24 TB per year
2000 GB storage
Everything in Event +
- Unlimited Channels
- VOD Chapter Markers
- DRM for VOD
- AES for VOD
- Advanced Library Management
- 3 team members
- Player CNAME
- Phone Support
Custom
High volume plans of any size
Contact us for a custom plan tailored to your enterprise.
Everything in Scale +
- M3u8 links for Live channels and VOD
- Added Support
- Special Features
- Custom SLAs
- Migrations / Integrations
- Large Scale Events
- 5 team members
We've Been In the Market 16+ Years Helping Companies Just Like Yours
Imperial College London Hosted a Virtual Graduation for 50,000+ Guests
- 290+ Videos
- Audiences in 153 countries
- 12,334 hours of engagement
Callahan & Associates has established itself as an indispensable resource in the ever-evolving landscape of finance.
- 3,200+ Videos
- Audiences in 3 countries
- 582+ plays
Dacast has empowered CPH:DOX to continue their mission of promoting documentary films to a wider audience.
- 30,000+ plays
- Audiences in 60 countries
- 13,000 hours of engagement
Frequently Asked
Questions
- Is Dacast better than Castr?Dacast is the better fit for broadcast operations that need adaptive bitrate on all plans, DRM content protection, mainland China delivery, or automatic live-to-VOD archiving. Castr is the better fit for teams whose primary requirement is multistreaming to 30+ destinations simultaneously at a lower entry price. Both are professional-grade platforms and the right choice depends on your specific operational requirements.
- Does Castr support video monetization?Yes. Castr includes native pay-per-view on all plans and pre-roll advertising support. SVOD subscription billing is available on the Events OTT plan at $624.99/month. Dacast includes PPV and SVOD starting on the Event plan at $63/month, a significantly lower entry point for teams that need subscription billing alongside live streaming.
- How does Dacast pricing compare to Castr?Castr has a lower entry price at $16.67/month billed annually. Dacast starts at $39/month but includes adaptive bitrate streaming on all plans, a 14-day free trial (vs Castr's 7 days), and live recordings automatically saved to your VOD library. Castr's ABR is locked to the Premium plan at $166.67/month, for teams that need ABR, Dacast is more cost-effective. Castr also tracks live bandwidth and player bandwidth separately, which can complicate budget forecasting.
- Does Castr support mainland China delivery?Castr does not specify mainland China delivery capability. Dacast delivers in country inside mainland China through an ICP licensed entity that Dacast Inc. owns. China delivery is available as a paid add on on Event plans and above. For organizations with Chinese audiences, this is a meaningful operational difference.
- Which platform is better for live event streaming?Both platforms are capable for live event streaming. Dacast is the stronger fit for events where adaptive bitrate on all audience segments, DRM protection, China delivery, or automatic live-to-VOD archiving are requirements. Castr is the stronger fit for events that need simultaneous distribution to multiple social platforms and custom RTMP destinations at lower cost.
- Does Castr offer DRM content protection?Yes, as a paid add-on. Castr offers Widevine, FairPlay, and PlayReady DRM on every plan as a separate purchase, contact their sales team to enable it and confirm current pricing. Dacast includes Widevine & FairPlay DRM for on demand video on the Scale plan at $165/month, protecting playback on all major browsers and devices, using Widevine and FairPlay.