1v1 Pricing Showdown
Castr vs Restream
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Live Streaming Software decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Castr and Restream for your live streaming software stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Castr starts at $16.67/mo; Restream starts at $19/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| infrastructure as service | RTMP ingest + CDN + HTML5 player + cloud recording | — |
| paywall monetization | All plans | — |
| live to vod | All plans — automatic conversion | — |
| bandwidth based pricing | 2.4 TB Starter → 150 TB Events | — |
| concurrent streams | 2-3 Starter → 15 Ultra/Events | — |
| multistream destinations | 6 Starter → 30 Ultra | — |
| ott apps | Events tier only | — |
| failover backup | Ultra+ | — |
| peer to peer cdn | Ultra+ | — |
| additional transcoders | Premium+ | — |
| html5 player | Embeddable with chatbox | — |
| analytics | All plans | — |
| 24 7 support | All plans | — |
| multistream channels | — | 2 Free / 3 Standard / 5 Pro / 8 Business / Unlimited Enterprise |
| browser based studio | — | No install — works in Chrome/Edge/Safari |
| recording | — | 6-10 hours tier-dependent |
| clips | — | Add-on at $19-59/mo for 50-250 clips |
| website player | — | Business+ — 1,000 viewers |
| co producer mode | — | Business+ |
| srt ingest | — | Enterprise |
| stream backup | — | Enterprise |
| latency | — | Under 2 seconds additional delay |
| bitrate limits | — | None — uses source bitrate |
Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
About the live streaming software category
Live streaming software in 2026 splits sharply by use case. Browser-based multistreaming (Restream $16-$199/mo annual, StreamYard $36-$69/mo annual): browser studios for solo creators, podcasters, webinars, simulcast to multiple platforms. Pro broadcast (vMix $60-$1,200 lifetime or $50/mo MAX): Windows desktop software used by TV stations, church AV teams, sports broadcasts, and enterprise events with unlimited inputs, instant replay, NDI, SRT. Mobile-first (Switcher Studio $45-$79/mo annual): iOS/Mac-only multicam using iPhones as wireless cameras, used by small churches, real estate tours, creator events. Infrastructure/CDN (Castr $20-$350/mo annual): white-label streaming infrastructure — RTMP ingest + HTML5 player + CDN bandwidth + cloud recording + paywall, for businesses building their own streaming products. The strategic split: browser-based tools (Restream, StreamYard) dominate the creator/indie-podcast/webinar segment with simple UX; vMix owns the professional broadcast segment (one-time purchase, Windows desktop, unlimited everything); Switcher Studio owns mobile-first multicam in iOS ecosystem; Castr owns infrastructure-as-a-service for businesses building custom streaming products.
How to choose between live streaming software options
First: who are you? Solo creator / podcaster / webinar host needing multistream + guest interviews: StreamYard is the default (cleanest browser UX) or Restream (more multistream destinations at similar price). Professional broadcast team (TV, church AV, sports, live events): vMix is the category standard. Mobile-first creator using iPhone as camera (real estate, small events, church services): Switcher Studio. Business building a custom streaming product (OTT app, subscription video, paid events with white-label player): Castr. Second: how many simulcast destinations do you need? Restream Standard $16 annual streams to 3 destinations; Professional $39 goes to 5; Business $199 to 8. StreamYard Core $36 annual to 3 destinations; Advanced $69 to 8. Switcher Studio Suite $71 annual to 20 destinations — most in category. Third: browser-based vs desktop software vs mobile app? Browser (no install, works on Mac/Windows): Restream, StreamYard. Windows desktop (pro-grade features, one-time license): vMix. Mac/iOS only (mobile camera switching): Switcher Studio. Fourth: one-time purchase or subscription? vMix Basic HD $60 lifetime / HD $350 / 4K $700 / Pro $1,200 lifetime + 12 months free updates is the only serious lifetime-license option in category — dramatic savings vs subscriptions at 2-3+ years. Everything else is subscription. Fifth: need paywall / monetization / OTT app? Switcher Studio Suite has ticketed events + pay-per-view + subscriptions native. Castr includes paywall on all tiers. StreamYard and Restream don't have built-in monetization — integrate with Whop, Stripe, or separate platform.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Castr cheaper than Restream?
- Castr is cheaper starting at $16.67/mo. Castr starts at $16.67/mo and Restream at $19/mo.
- Does Castr or Restream offer a free plan?
- Restream offers a free plan.
- Which is better, Castr or Restream?
- Restream scores 9/10 compared to Castr's 8.5/10 in our analysis. Restream ranks higher on features and value, but Castr may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Castr cheaper than Restream for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Castr costs $16.67/mo (flat rate) and Restream costs $19/mo (flat rate). Castr is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other live streaming software alternatives besides Castr and Restream?
- Yes. Our [Live Streaming Software pricing comparison](/pricing/live-streaming/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest live streaming software](/pricing/live-streaming/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.