Castr Review
Castr is a professional live-video infrastructure platform spanning multistreaming, hosting, monetization and TV playout; indefinite prerecorded looping is a Premium-or-higher feature, not the $19.99 Starter offer.
What Castr does well, and where it falls short
An honest breakdown based on published features, third-party reviews, and their own disclosures.
- Broad multistreaming, hosted VOD, player, monetization, and API stack
- Documented infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium and above
- Account-wide delivery to 6–30 destinations depending on plan
- TV Playout adds scheduling, live inputs, breaks, and EPG on higher tiers
- Cloud Production provides browser-based switching and external URL overlays
- The valid infinite-loop entry price is $199.99/month, not $19.99/month
- Starter and Standard can schedule prerecorded content but cannot loop indefinitely
- Cloud prerecorded playback has no current documented 4K guarantee
- Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout have separate storage, file, quality, and loop rules
- Cloud Production is a 720p switcher, not a full Restream-style guest studio
Castr feature checklist
Every feature we've verified against Castr's published materials, organized by category.
| Feature | Castr |
|---|---|
| 1Pricing & access | |
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription | ✕ |
| Free trial (no card) | Free trial available; Trial TV Playout is branded |
| Starting price | Core $19.99/mo; infinite Pre-Recorded Live loop from Premium $199.99/mo |
| 720p 30-day price | TV Playout starts at $19.99/mo but Starter cannot loop indefinitely |
| 1080p 30-day price | TV Playout 1080p starts on Ultra $349.99/mo; max 30-day loop |
| 1440p / 2K 30-day price | $17/mo yr / $20 mo |
| 2160p / 4K 30-day price | No current 4K guarantee for cloud prerecorded playout |
| 2Streaming quality | |
| 720p / 30fps | ✓ |
| 1080p / Full HD | TV Playout 1080p on Ultra/Events; lower plans are fixed 720p30 |
| 60fps | TV Playout 50/60fps on Ultra and Events |
| Up to 4K @ 60fps | 4K cloud prerecorded output is not established by current official sources |
| Vertical / portrait streaming | ✓ |
| HDR streaming publicly documented | ✕ |
| 3Production & design | |
| Stream designer / layout builder | Cloud Production supports positioning, scaling, transitions, and slates |
| Image, video & logo overlays | Images, tickers, lower thirds, alerts, and external URL overlays |
| Embed live websites & graphs | Hosted HTML5 player and video hosting |
| Interactive alerts & widgets | External URL widgets are supported; built-in interactive show tools are limited |
| Custom fonts in overlays | ✕ |
| Browser Live Studio (camera) | 720p Cloud Production switcher; not a full multi-guest studio |
| 4Sources & inputs | |
| MP4 / MKV / AVI / MOV upload | Pre-Recorded Live documents MP4 only |
| Separate audio track (music / voiceover) | ✕ |
| Import from Google Drive / Dropbox | ✓ |
| Playlists with custom ordering | Ordered playlists with per-item enable/disable controls |
| Custom loop logic (shuffle, loop counts) | ✕ |
| Edit the stream live (swap / skip / reorder) | Items can be managed, but the playing TV item should not be moved or replaced live |
| 5Destinations | |
| YouTube (one-click OAuth) | ✓ |
| Custom RTMP (any platform) | Custom RTMP and SRT endpoints consume destination allowance |
| Twitch / Facebook / Kick / TikTok | 30+ platform catalog with native and custom endpoints |
| Multistream to several destinations | One source can distribute to several account-wide destinations |
| One-click YouTube (no stream key) | Native YouTube destination integration |
| SRT ingest | ✓ |
| 6Lifecycle & automation | |
| True 24/7 continuous loop | Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium+; TV Playout loops are time-limited |
| YouTube broadcast lifecycle automation | Native YouTube destination and scheduling; complete lifecycle automation not established |
| Scheduling | One-time prerecorded schedules and TV-style timetables |
| MCP / agent integration | ✕ |
| YouTube ad cue points | ✕ |
| Edit title / description / thumbnail live | ✕ |
| Public API | API access begins on Premium |
| Unlimited loop without manual rescheduling | Yes for Premium+ Pre-Recorded Live; no for TV Playout |
| 7Limits & inclusions | |
| Storage included | Pre-recorded: 4/4/10/20/20 GB; hosted VOD storage is separate |
| Concurrent streams / slots | Created workflows, including inactive ones, count; prerecorded streams are 1/1/2/3/3 |
| Max multistream destinations | 6 Starter; 10 Standard; 20 Premium; 30 Ultra/Events, account-wide |
| Videos per playlist | Pre-recorded: 2/2/10/15/15; TV Playout: 5/10/30/30/50 files |
| Max upload size / length | Pre-recorded max 240 min/file Premium+; TV caps range 500 MB–10 GB and 30–240 min |
| Team / multi-user access | 3 members (Premium), 5 (Ultra) |
| No watermark | Trial, Starter, and Standard TV Playout output is branded |
| 8Reliability & support | |
| Automatic monitoring & recovery | ✓ |
| Backup streams | Failover ingest begins on Ultra and Events |
| Chat / email support | ✓ |
| Uptime guarantee / compensation | No standard public compensation-backed SLA found |
| In-app viewer analytics | ✓ |
| 9Trust & account | |
| Trustpilot rating | ~4.0 (54) |
| YouTube-Verified encoder | Not listed as verified encoder |
| Two-factor authentication | ✓ |
Pricing & access
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- Free trial available; Trial TV Playout is branded
- Castr
- Core $19.99/mo; infinite Pre-Recorded Live loop from Premium $199.99/mo
- Castr
- TV Playout starts at $19.99/mo but Starter cannot loop indefinitely
- Castr
- TV Playout 1080p starts on Ultra $349.99/mo; max 30-day loop
- Castr
- $17/mo yr / $20 mo
- Castr
- No current 4K guarantee for cloud prerecorded playout
Streaming quality
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- TV Playout 1080p on Ultra/Events; lower plans are fixed 720p30
- Castr
- TV Playout 50/60fps on Ultra and Events
- Castr
- 4K cloud prerecorded output is not established by current official sources
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- ✕
Production & design
- Castr
- Cloud Production supports positioning, scaling, transitions, and slates
- Castr
- Images, tickers, lower thirds, alerts, and external URL overlays
- Castr
- Hosted HTML5 player and video hosting
- Castr
- External URL widgets are supported; built-in interactive show tools are limited
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- 720p Cloud Production switcher; not a full multi-guest studio
Sources & inputs
- Castr
- Pre-Recorded Live documents MP4 only
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- Ordered playlists with per-item enable/disable controls
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- Items can be managed, but the playing TV item should not be moved or replaced live
Destinations
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- Custom RTMP and SRT endpoints consume destination allowance
- Castr
- 30+ platform catalog with native and custom endpoints
- Castr
- One source can distribute to several account-wide destinations
- Castr
- Native YouTube destination integration
- Castr
- ✓
Lifecycle & automation
- Castr
- Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium+; TV Playout loops are time-limited
- Castr
- Native YouTube destination and scheduling; complete lifecycle automation not established
- Castr
- One-time prerecorded schedules and TV-style timetables
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- ✕
- Castr
- API access begins on Premium
- Castr
- Yes for Premium+ Pre-Recorded Live; no for TV Playout
Limits & inclusions
- Castr
- Pre-recorded: 4/4/10/20/20 GB; hosted VOD storage is separate
- Castr
- Created workflows, including inactive ones, count; prerecorded streams are 1/1/2/3/3
- Castr
- 6 Starter; 10 Standard; 20 Premium; 30 Ultra/Events, account-wide
- Castr
- Pre-recorded: 2/2/10/15/15; TV Playout: 5/10/30/30/50 files
- Castr
- Pre-recorded max 240 min/file Premium+; TV caps range 500 MB–10 GB and 30–240 min
- Castr
- 3 members (Premium), 5 (Ultra)
- Castr
- Trial, Starter, and Standard TV Playout output is branded
Reliability & support
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- Failover ingest begins on Ultra and Events
- Castr
- ✓
- Castr
- No standard public compensation-backed SLA found
- Castr
- ✓
Trust & account
- Castr
- ~4.0 (54)
- Castr
- Not listed as verified encoder
- Castr
- ✓
When to consider Streamloop instead of Castr
Choose Castr when the broader job includes one-to-many multistream distribution, hosted video, an embeddable player, paywalls, APIs, cloud switching or OTT-oriented delivery. Its prerecorded tools sit inside a much wider professional video stack.
Consider Streamloop when the narrower requirement is to keep a prerecorded video or audio playlist running continuously to one managed YouTube channel or compatible RTMP destination. Streamloop does not replace Castr's multistream fan-out, browser switching, hosted-player or OTT capabilities.
Compare equivalent loop-capable products rather than entry prices. Castr's documented infinite Pre-Recorded Live loop begins at Premium for $199.99 monthly or $1,999.99 annually, while Starter and Standard support prerecorded broadcasts without that indefinite-loop entitlement. Castr TV Playout is a separate linear-programming product with 15- or 30-day loop limits on eligible plans.
Castr FAQ
Common questions about Castr's features, pricing, and fit
What kind of streaming product is Castr?
Castr is broader than a dedicated prerecorded looper. Its official product and pricing pages cover multistreaming, video hosting, website players, recording, monetization, live-video APIs, cloud production and TV-style playout alongside Pre-Recorded Live.
That breadth can be useful for broadcasters and organizations building a wider video stack, but it makes the $19.99 entry price an unsuitable shorthand for the cost of an indefinite prerecorded channel.
What is the least expensive Castr plan with infinite prerecorded looping?
Castr's pricing and Pre-Recorded Live pages place infinite looping on Premium and higher. Premium is listed at $199.99 per month or $1,999.99 per year, displayed as a $166.67 monthly equivalent when paid annually.
Starter and Standard include one prerecorded stream with smaller storage, file-count and duration allowances, but they should not be described as indefinite-loop plans.
Does Castr have a free plan or trial?
Castr does not list an ongoing free plan. It advertises a seven-day Starter trial without a credit card.
The trial can demonstrate the broader workflow, but Starter does not include the Premium-level infinite-loop entitlement.
Are Castr Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout the same product?
No. Pre-Recorded Live is the simpler MP4 playlist product with date-and-time or loop modes. Premium and higher document infinite looping.
TV Playout is a more structured linear-channel workflow with scheduled VOD, livestream sources, breaks and EPG support. Its loop mode ends after a maximum of 15 days on Premium and 30 days on Ultra or Events unless Castr agrees to a longer arrangement.
How does Castr handle multistream destinations?
Castr can relay a stream to multiple social, RTMP or SRT destinations. Current plan allowances run from six destinations on Starter to 30 on Ultra and Events.
The destination allowance is account-wide, and Castr defines concurrent streams as created workflows, including inactive ones. Those two limits should not be interpreted as a fresh destination quota for every stream.
What quality does Castr document for TV Playout?
Starter, Standard and Premium TV Playout are documented at 720p and 30 FPS. Ultra and Events can be configured for 720p or 1080p and 25, 30, 50 or 60 FPS.
The reviewed official sources did not establish a current 4K guarantee for Castr's cloud prerecorded products, so live pass-through or general platform claims should not be reused as proof of 4K prerecorded playout.
Who should choose Streamloop rather than Castr?
Streamloop is the more directly scoped option when the job is one unattended prerecorded playlist per destination and the buyer does not need Castr's hosted-video, multistreaming, paywall, live-switching or OTT stack.
Castr remains the more relevant option when those broader infrastructure capabilities are central rather than incidental.
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