Playout.video vs Castr
Both run 24/7 pre-recorded channels in the cloud. The difference is everything around the loop: Playout adds a browser studio with guests, loop-to-live switching on the same broadcast, an overlay editor, and TV-style calendar programming.
Free plan included. No credit card required.
Go live inside your 24/7 channel
Playout's hybrid mode slides from your looping playlist into a live browser studio, with guests, scenes and screen share, and back, on the same broadcast. With Castr you bring your own encoder to go live.
A studio, not just a scheduler
Invite guests from any browser (no install), mix scenes and overlays live, record to your library. Castr focuses on transport and playback of pre-recorded files.
Calendar programming with fallback
Program recurring slots (daily/weekly/monthly) with automatic start/stop and per-slot fallback, loop, hold, or black, so an upload problem never takes the channel dark.
Design your channel in the built-in editor
Now-playing overlays, reusable versioned overlay templates, audio visualizers and a soundboard, produced in the cloud compositor, no video editor round-trips.
playout.video vs Castr, feature by feature
| Feature | playout.video | Castr |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 pre-recorded cloud streaming | Yes, core product on every paid plan | Yes, core product |
| Browser live studio with guests | Yes, every plan (up to 20 guests on Business) | No browser guest studio, bring your own encoder |
| Loop ↔ live switching on one broadcast | Yes, hybrid mode, zero viewer downtime | Manual switch between scheduled and live sources |
| Calendar programming (recurrence + fallback) | Yes, Channel plan | Playlist scheduling |
| Overlay editor / now-playing graphics | Yes, built-in, reusable templates | Basic branding options |
| Multistream destinations | 5 Creator · 8 Channel · 10 Business (+custom RTMP) | Plan-dependent; multistreaming is a core feature |
| Website embed player | Business, or +$29/mo Channel add-on | Yes, embed player on paid plans |
| Entry paid price (billed annually) | $19/mo Creator | $12.50/mo Starter |
| Free plan | Free forever, 1 branded stream, studio, 10GB | 7-day free trial |
Castr details verified from public pricing and feature pages, July 2026. Check castr's site for current plans.
The quickest way to compare is to try it. The free plan takes about two minutes to set up.
Where Castr shines
Castris a strong product. Here's what it does well:
- Established 24/7 pre-recorded streaming with playlist scheduling
- Lower entry price ($12.50/mo billed annually on Starter)
- Broad ingest/delivery toolset (SRT, HLS delivery, paywall/OTT options)
Switching from Castr is an afternoon, not a project
- 1
Connect your destinations
Sign in with YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Kick and 20+ platforms, or paste any RTMP stream key. The free plan streams to two destinations at once.
- 2
Bring your content
Upload your videos or import them from the sites you already publish on, then build playlists and overlays right in the browser.
- 3
Go live and stay live
Start the 24/7 loop, jump into the live studio whenever you want, and upgrade only once your channel outgrows the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Playout.video a Castr alternative?
Yes. Both run 24/7 pre-recorded channels from the cloud with multistreaming. Playout adds a browser live studio with guest invites, switching between your loop and live shows on the same broadcast, an overlay editor, and calendar programming with automatic start/stop and fallback.
Castr's entry plan is cheaper, why pick Playout?
If all you need is a looping playlist, Castr Starter is cheaper. Playout Creator ($19/mo billed annually) buys the loop plus a live studio, custom RTMP, recordings, overlay tooling and 100GB storage in one subscription, the stack you'd otherwise assemble from a scheduler plus a separate studio product. And Playout has a free-forever plan to try the whole workflow.
Can I go live during my 24/7 stream?
Yes. Hybrid mode switches your broadcast from the looping playlist into the live studio (guests, scenes, screen share) and back without stopping the stream or changing your stream key.
Do you support custom RTMP destinations like Castr?
Yes. All paid plans stream to custom RTMP/RTMPS endpoints alongside the built-in platforms (YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Kick, Facebook and 20+ more). The Business plan also accepts inbound RTMP/WHIP from OBS or hardware encoders.
Ready to try the Castr alternative with a real 24/7 channel?
Start on the free plan: one 1080p stream to two destinations, the live studio, and 10GB of library storage. Launch pricing on paid plans while it lasts.