Castr vs Restream
The Restream alternative for a branded player on your site, paywalls, and OTT.
Most teams don't leave Restream over a missing feature. They leave when the website player is locked behind the $239 Business plan, three channels stop being enough, or there's nowhere to put a paywall. Castr is the Restream alternative built for that point.
7-day trial, no credit card. Keep Restream running while you test.
- Website player
- From $19.99
- $239 / mo
- SRT ingest
- From $19.99
- $239 / mo
- Destinations
- Up to 30
- Up to 8
- Monetization
- Paywall, ads, OTT
- Not native
- Browser studio
- Use OBS or vMix
- Restream Studio
- CDN
- Akamai, Fastly, CloudFront
- Not publicly disclosed
Quick verdict
Both broadcast one input to many destinations. Restream is a focused multistreaming and browser-studio tool, while Castr adds owned-site playback on every plan, SRT ingest from entry, hosting, monetization, and white-label OTT, for teams that have outgrown basic simulcasting.
Castr may fit if…
- You need a white-label player on your own website and OTT devices, not just social channels.
- You want SRT ingest without stepping up to a top tier, plus VOD hosting and monetization.
- You run multiple or 24/7 streams and want one account for live, hosting, and OTT.
Restream may fit if…
- Your main need is simple browser-based multistreaming to social platforms.
- You want an all-in-browser studio with guest invites and on-screen production.
- You do not need owned-site playback, native monetization, or OTT apps.
Castr vs Restream
A side-by-side comparison.
Feature-by-feature, focused on where the products differ. Sourced Restream details are dated and numbered to match the list under the table. Prices are intentionally excluded.
| Criteria | | |
|---|---|---|
| Multistreaming & reach | ||
| Multistream destinations | Simulcast one source to up to 30 simultaneous supported or custom RTMP destinations by plan, with higher counts available on request. | Multistream to 30+ platforms; simultaneous channels scale by plan (2 Free, 3 Standard, 5 Professional, 8 Business; custom on Enterprise). 1 |
| Own-site & OTT | ||
| Website embed player | White-label HTML5 player on your own site, every plan. | Website embed player on Business (1,000 concurrent viewers); custom viewer limits on Enterprise. 1 |
| OTT / TV apps & VOD | Events includes a branded web app, while native mobile and TV apps are separately scoped add-ons. VOD hosting is available across the platform. | No native OTT apps or VOD hosting; Restream centers on multistreaming and studio production. |
| Ingest & protocols | ||
| SRT ingest | SRT ingest available from the entry plan. | SRT ingest on Business and Enterprise. 1 |
| Ingest protocols | Publish over RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, and WHIP, and pull from RTMP, HLS, RTSP, or MPEG-TS. | RTMP ingest standard; SRT ingest and RTMP pull on higher tiers. 1 |
| Delivery network | Multi-CDN delivery across Akamai, Fastly, and CloudFront. | Not publicly disclosed. |
| Monetization | ||
| Built-in monetization | Pay-per-view paywall, in-stream ads (your VAST tag), and white-label OTT (SVOD/TVOD). | No built-in paywall, ads, or OTT storefront; monetize via destination platforms or third-party tools. 1 |
| Production | ||
| Browser studio | Not a native feature, so produce in your encoder or switcher (OBS, vMix, and more). | Restream Studio: browser-based production with guest invites. 1 |
| Recording & scale | ||
| Cloud recording | Cloud recording and live-to-VOD. | Cloud recording on every plan; length and retention scale by tier (e.g. 6 hrs / 15 days Free–Standard, 10 hrs / 30 days Professional). 1 |
| Pre-recorded / simulated live | Pre-recorded, scheduled streams from playlists (schedule or loop). | Upload & Stream for pre-recorded or scheduled live; Unlimited Upload & Stream on Enterprise. 1 |
| Concurrent independent streams | Run multiple concurrent live streams (scales by plan). | Built for one input to many destinations, not multiple independent concurrent broadcasts. |
| Commercial & support | ||
| Contract terms | Month-to-month or annual billing, with no long-term contract required. | Monthly and annual self-serve plans; Enterprise is custom. 1 |
| Pricing & plans | From $19.99 / mo month-to-month, or $16.67 / mo billed annually, with bundled bandwidth in each tier and no forced branding. | From $19 / mo to $239 / mo Business; website player and SRT unlock on higher tiers. 1 |
Restream sources · checked Aug 2026
- Restream, pricing and plan features Cited for Multistream destinations, Website embed player, SRT ingest, Ingest protocols, Built-in monetization, Browser studio, Cloud recording, Pre-recorded / simulated live, Contract terms, Pricing & plans.
Restream's features and plans change often, confirm current details on Restream's website. See Castr plans and pricing and the full feature list.
Seen enough? Start the trial and prove it on your own broadcast, or have the Castr video team check your setup against this table first.
In their words
Teams already running on Castr.
Castr handles the harder parts of live motorsport for us: reliable streams from remote tracks, replays online right after the race, and watermarking to protect our premium events. Having all of that in one platform, with a team on the line during live events, makes a real difference.
Jason Gutteridge
CEO, The Pits TV
The Castr restreaming product was very easy to set up and works flawlessly. We use it every night to live stream our 10pm newscast on YouTube and Facebook.
Bill Sanford
Director of Engineering, Lakeland PBS
We are using Castr for our live stream productions without any problems. The latency is great, and the fact they have servers around the globe allows for stable streams even from the US to Europe.
Timothy Ross
VP, Esport Battlefield International
Adding your platforms to Castr is easy as 1, 2, 3. Their no fuss way of adding platforms makes it so easy that I had it done within 3 minutes.
Jake Bradley
Creative Director, Heartland Worship Center
We use Castr to deliver our content 24/7 to different platforms. It makes our workflow much simpler, we save internet bandwidth and hardware stress.
Mauricio Junior
IT Director, Rede TVT
The ability to have an uploaded pre-recorded video scheduled to stream live with just 3 minutes notice is really useful as a failsafe option. Internet gremlins can always get in the way during a live event.
Daniel Herrera
CEO, Dream Factory
Why teams choose Castr
Built for teams evaluating a Restream alternative.
Stream to your own website
Embed a fully branded HTML5 player on your own site, custom colors, logo and image, on every Castr plan.
Reliable, stable streams
Multi-CDN backbone across Akamai, Fastly and CloudFront.
Monetize with paywall and ads
Pay-per-view paywall, in-stream ads from your own VAST tag, and a full subscription storefront.
SRT support
Secure Reliable Transport for lower-latency, more reliable contribution.
No forced branding
Castr never adds its brand to your videos on any plan.
Support that fits the workflow
Select support coverage based on the plan and operational requirements.
Migration checklist
Moving from Restream to Castr
- Inventory your current streams, destinations, encoder settings, and every place a player is embedded.
- Recreate your ingest (RTMP/SRT) and multistream destinations in Castr, then customize the white-label player.
- Map access control (password, geo, domain) and any monetization (paywall, ads) to the equivalent Castr settings.
- Run a parallel test broadcast and confirm playback across desktop, mobile, and TV.
- Update embeds (or use replace-URL for hosted VOD), then cut over and monitor your first live event.
Questions before you switch
Common questions about moving to Castr.
What is Castr?
Castr is a video streaming platform for live streaming, multistreaming, video-on-demand and IP camera streaming.
What is Restream used for?
Restream is a multistreaming and browser-production platform. Teams use it to send one live input to many destinations at once, mostly social channels, and to produce a show in the browser with Restream Studio, which covers guest invites and on-screen production. Its plans also include cloud recording and pre-recorded or scheduled streaming. The website embed player and SRT ingest sit on its higher Business tier, checked August 2026.
How much does Restream cost?
Restream publishes tiered monthly and annual plans, and the tier decides how many simultaneous channels you get and whether the website embed player and SRT ingest are included. Both of those sit on its higher Business tier. Plans and prices change often, so check the Restream pricing page for current figures rather than any comparison table. On the Castr side, plans start at $19.99 per month on monthly billing or $16.67 per month billed annually, with no long-term contract required, and Starter includes a 7-day trial that needs no credit card.
Who is Castr best for?
Production teams, broadcasters, agencies, and businesses that have outgrown basic multistreaming: anyone who needs to reach their own website and OTT devices, wants SRT reliability, runs multiple or 24/7 streams, or needs to monetize and control access to their content.
Can I stream to my own website with Castr?
Yes, on every Castr plan. Each stream comes with an HTML5 player you can embed on your site with a responsive or fixed-size iframe and customize with your own colors and logo.
Can I stream pre-recorded video as if it were live?
Yes. Upload MP4s, arrange them into a playlist, and play them out on a schedule or in a continuous loop, ideal for simulated-live premieres, replays and 24/7 channels.
Can I monetize my content with Castr?
Yes, in three ways: a pay-per-view paywall, in-stream advertising using your own VAST tag, and full subscription/transactional monetization through a branded white-label OTT platform.
What ingest protocols does Castr support?
You can publish to Castr over RTMP, RTMPS, SRT or WHIP (WebRTC), or have Castr pull from an RTMP, HLS, RTSP or MPEG-TS source.
What encoders and hardware work with Castr?
Castr works with major software encoders such as OBS, Streamlabs, Wirecast, vMix and XSplit, and hardware and switchers like Teradek, Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro, SlingStudio and LiveU. Mobile streaming works via Larix Broadcaster over RTMP or SRT.
Is Castr a good Restream alternative?
Castr is a strong Restream alternative once you need owned-site playback, SRT ingest from the entry plan, VOD hosting, monetization, and OTT, not just social multistreaming. Restream remains a good fit for simple browser-based multistreaming and its in-browser studio.
Customer workflows
See how video teams put the platform to work.
Sports · ClipMyHorse.TV
How ClipMyHorse.TV Made Equestrian Event Distribution More Repeatable
With more than 1,000 live events a year to cover, ClipMyHorse.TV uses Castr to manage recurring channels, event streams, commentary versions, and partner delivery through one consistent workflow.
Read the storyEducation · Samford University
How Samford Brings High-Profile Campus Livestreams to Its Own Website
Samford’s media team uses Castr to manage public event streams and give families, alumni, students, and guests a consistent place to watch on the university’s website.
Read the storyFitness · FressiTV
How FressiTV Runs Live Classes and a Workout Library as One Service
Since 2020, FressiTV has used Castr to run its live class schedule and workout library as one experience, whether a member joins a class, picks a recording, or casts a session to the TV.
Read the storyEvents · DanceBUG
How DanceBUG Streams Hundreds of Dance Competitions with Castr
Each season, DanceBUG creates hundreds of competition streams through Castr’s developer API and delivers them as HLS inside the app families are already using.
Read the storyReady to compare for yourself?
Move your live, hosting, and OTT workflow to Castr.
Start a self-serve trial or talk with our video team about migration, workflow, and support.
Build the complete workflow
Explore the rest of the Castr platform.
Compare other platforms
See how Castr stacks up elsewhere.
For larger teams
Evaluating Castr for an organization?
Castr vs Restream · 7-day trial, no credit card