Head-to-head
Streamloop logoStreamloop
VS
Castr logoCastr

Streamloop vs Castr

Updated August 4, 2026

Focused prerecorded cloud playout compared with a broader multistreaming, hosting, production, and OTT platform.

Primary job

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Continuous cloud playout of prerecorded video or audio to one destination per stream.
Castr logoCastr
Broad live-video infrastructure spanning multistreaming, hosting, monetization, cloud production, APIs, OTT, and prerecorded playout.

Category overlap

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Directly serves unattended prerecorded playlist streaming.
Castr logoCastr
Direct overlap exists in Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout; much of Castr's platform is adjacent functionality.

Indefinite prerecorded looping

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Yes. A published playlist can run indefinitely while credits remain available.
Castr logoCastr
Yes in Pre-Recorded Live on Premium and above. TV Playout looping is unavailable below Premium and is capped at 15 days on Premium or 30 days on Ultra and Events.

One-to-many multistreaming

Streamloop logoStreamloop
No. Reaching several destinations requires separate Streamloop streams.
Castr logoCastr
Yes. One ingest can be relayed to 6, 10, 20, or 30 account-wide destinations, depending on plan.

Destination setup

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Managed YouTube through Google authorization, or a manual YouTube stream key; custom destinations use an RTMP URL and key.
Castr logoCastr
Native social-platform integrations plus custom RTMP or SRT destinations. Direct and custom endpoints both count toward the account-wide destination allowance.

Browser production

Streamloop logoStreamloop
No webcam, guest, screen, or scene-production studio; Streamloop is for uploaded or imported media.
Castr logoCastr
Cloud Production provides browser switching, flows, overlays, media sources, and transitions. Standard output is 720p25/30, and the reviewed documentation does not describe a guest-room workflow.

Hosted video and OTT

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Not positioned as a general VOD-hosting or OTT platform.
Castr logoCastr
Player, analytics, recording, paywall, and hosting features span the plans. Events adds a branded web app, CMS, SVOD, and TVOD; native TV and mobile apps are separately scoped.

Cloud prerecorded quality

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Up to 4K60, including HDR when the destination and viewer device support it.
Castr logoCastr
TV Playout is 720p30 through Premium and can reach 1080p60 on Ultra or Events. No current first-party 4K guarantee was found for Castr's cloud prerecorded modes.

Playlist limits

Streamloop logoStreamloop
No public total playlist-item cap is documented.
Castr logoCastr
Pre-Recorded Live allows 2 to 15 files per stream by plan; TV Playout allows 5 to 50 files.

Storage model

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Uploads and storage are listed as free, with no public total quota.
Castr logoCastr
Hosted-video storage and dedicated prerecorded-video allocations are separate, plan-capped allowances.

Pricing model

Streamloop logoStreamloop
Prepaid usage billing per live minute, plus a one-time charge per minute of successfully converted source video.
Castr logoCastr
Fixed monthly or annual subscriptions with plan gates and account-wide allowances.

Comparable always-on price

Streamloop logoStreamloop
About $9.98 for 30 continuous days at 1080p30, plus $0.005 per minute of successfully converted source video.
Castr logoCastr
Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping starts on Premium at $199.99 monthly or $1,999.99 annually.
Real cost

What a 24/7 stream actually costs, by quality

Streamloop bills by the minute — pick a resolution and frame rate and pay only while you're live. Optional monthly credit plans are also available. Below is the cost of a stream running nonstop for a full 30 days.

720p

30 fps
$5
60 fps
$8

1080p

Most popular

30 fps
$10
60 fps
$15

1440p (2K)

30 fps
$20
60 fps
$30

4K (2160p)

30 fps
$30
60 fps
$45

Metered by the minute, so a week of streaming costs about a quarter of these figures, and a day about a thirtieth. Plus a one-time ~$0.005 per minute of video to encode it once. Uploads, storage, and idle loops are free.

A 1080p stream running 24/7 on Streamloop is about $10/monthand you only pay while it's live. Castr charges a flat Core plans from $19.99/month; infinite looping from $199.99/month whether you stream all month or not.

Full feature comparison

Streamloop vs Castr, side by side

Every feature that matters, with standout differences flagged by a star.

Pricing & access

Pay-as-you-go, no subscription
Streamloop
Pay as you go is available; official pages also reference optional monthly credit plans
Castr
Free trial (no card)
Streamloop
Eligible accounts may receive starter credits; no guaranteed public amount or duration
Castr
Free trial available; Trial TV Playout is branded
Starting price
Streamloop
720p24: $4.02 per 30 live days; usage billed, not a subscription
Castr
Core $19.99/mo; infinite Pre-Recorded Live loop from Premium $199.99/mo
720p 30-day price
Streamloop
$4.02 at 24fps; $5.01 at 30fps
Castr
TV Playout starts at $19.99/mo but Starter cannot loop indefinitely
1080p 30-day price
Streamloop
$9.98 at 30fps
Castr
TV Playout 1080p starts on Ultra $349.99/mo; max 30-day loop
1440p / 2K 30-day price
Streamloop
$20.00 at 30fps
Castr
$17/mo yr / $20 mo
2160p / 4K 30-day price
Streamloop
$29.98 at 30fps; $45.01 at 60fps
Castr
No current 4K guarantee for cloud prerecorded playout

Streaming quality

720p / 30fps
Streamloop
Castr
1080p / Full HD
Streamloop
Castr
TV Playout 1080p on Ultra/Events; lower plans are fixed 720p30
60fps
Streamloop
24, 25, 30, or 60fps
Castr
TV Playout 50/60fps on Ultra and Events
Up to 4K @ 60fps
Streamloop
Up to 2160p/4K
Castr
4K cloud prerecorded output is not established by current official sources
Vertical / portrait streaming
Streamloop
Portrait and landscape output
Castr
HDR streaming publicly documented
Streamloop
HDR supported where destination and playback device support it
Castr

Production & design

Stream designer / layout builder
Streamloop
No general-purpose live scene/layout builder
Castr
Cloud Production supports positioning, scaling, transitions, and slates
Image, video & logo overlays
Streamloop
No general-purpose overlay designer is documented
Castr
Images, tickers, lower thirds, alerts, and external URL overlays
Embed live websites & graphs
Streamloop
Castr
Hosted HTML5 player and video hosting
Interactive alerts & widgets
Streamloop
No live games, polls, alerts, or audience widgets
Castr
External URL widgets are supported; built-in interactive show tools are limited
Custom fonts in overlays
Streamloop
Castr
Browser Live Studio (camera)
Streamloop
No webcam, guest, screen, or gaming production studio
Castr
720p Cloud Production switcher; not a full multi-guest studio

Sources & inputs

MP4 / MKV / AVI / MOV upload
Streamloop
Docs list MP4, MOV, MKV with AV1/HEVC/H.264; homepage file-limit copy conflicts
Castr
Pre-Recorded Live documents MP4 only
Separate audio track (music / voiceover)
Streamloop
Separate audio and audio playlists: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, Opus
Castr
Import from Google Drive / Dropbox
Streamloop
Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, and direct-download URL imports
Castr
Playlists with custom ordering
Streamloop
Ordered, non-repeating shuffle, and natural-language custom order
Castr
Ordered playlists with per-item enable/disable controls
Custom loop logic (shuffle, loop counts)
Streamloop
Ordered playback, shuffle without repeats, and rule-based sequencing
Castr
Edit the stream live (swap / skip / reorder)
Streamloop
Publish playlist edits live; changes apply after the current clip
Castr
Items can be managed, but the playing TV item should not be moved or replaced live

Destinations

YouTube (one-click OAuth)
Streamloop
Castr
Custom RTMP (any platform)
Streamloop
Any compatible RTMP destination
Castr
Custom RTMP and SRT endpoints consume destination allowance
Twitch / Facebook / Kick / TikTok
Streamloop
Twitch, Facebook, Kick, TikTok, and others through compatible RTMP endpoints
Castr
30+ platform catalog with native and custom endpoints
Multistream to several destinations
Streamloop
No one-to-many fan-out; create separate streams for several destinations
Castr
One source can distribute to several account-wide destinations
One-click YouTube (no stream key)
Streamloop
Official Google OAuth connection; manual stream-key option also available
Castr
Native YouTube destination integration
SRT ingest
Streamloop
Castr

Lifecycle & automation

True 24/7 continuous loop
Streamloop
Continuous cloud loop while active and funded
Castr
Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium+; TV Playout loops are time-limited
YouTube broadcast lifecycle automation
Streamloop
Can create and synchronize broadcast metadata, privacy, thumbnail, latency, DVR, recording, and schedule
Castr
Native YouTube destination and scheduling; complete lifecycle automation not established
Scheduling
Streamloop
Immediate/future start; duration, end time, or open-ended
Castr
One-time prerecorded schedules and TV-style timetables
MCP / agent integration
Streamloop
OAuth-protected hosted MCP for streams, playlists, uploads, destinations, usage, and billing
Castr
YouTube ad cue points
Streamloop
Castr
Edit title / description / thumbnail live
Streamloop
Castr
Public API
Streamloop
Public OpenAPI REST interface plus documented GraphQL
Castr
API access begins on Premium
Unlimited loop without manual rescheduling
Streamloop
Can run indefinitely until stopped, credit is exhausted, or destination action is required
Castr
Yes for Premium+ Pre-Recorded Live; no for TV Playout

Limits & inclusions

Storage included
Streamloop
Uploads and storage are free; no published hard total quota
Castr
Pre-recorded: 4/4/10/20/20 GB; hosted VOD storage is separate
Concurrent streams / slots
Streamloop
Multiple separate streams are supported; no public account hard cap is documented
Castr
Created workflows, including inactive ones, count; prerecorded streams are 1/1/2/3/3
Max multistream destinations
Streamloop
One destination per stream
Castr
6 Starter; 10 Standard; 20 Premium; 30 Ultra/Events, account-wide
Videos per playlist
Streamloop
No published limit
Castr
Pre-recorded: 2/2/10/15/15; TV Playout: 5/10/30/30/50 files
Max upload size / length
Streamloop
Current docs say 10 GB/file; homepage still says 1.5 GB free and 5 GB paid
Castr
Pre-recorded max 240 min/file Premium+; TV caps range 500 MB–10 GB and 30–240 min
Team / multi-user access
Streamloop
Shared workspaces with separate sign-ins; no public RBAC or seat limit
Castr
3 members (Premium), 5 (Ultra)
No watermark
Streamloop
No Streamloop output watermark documented
Castr
Trial, Starter, and Standard TV Playout output is branded

Reliability & support

Automatic monitoring & recovery
Streamloop
Reports over 99.9% uptime with automatic monitoring, restart, and reconnection
Castr
Backup streams
Streamloop
Standby capacity is reported; zero downtime and recovery time are not guaranteed
Castr
Failover ingest begins on Ultra and Events
Chat / email support
Streamloop
Castr
Uptime guarantee / compensation
Streamloop
No contractual uptime compensation or recovery-time SLA published
Castr
No standard public compensation-backed SLA found
In-app viewer analytics
Streamloop
Castr

Trust & account

Trustpilot rating
Streamloop
No profile yet
Castr
~4.0 (54)
YouTube-Verified encoder
Streamloop
Castr
Not listed as verified encoder
Two-factor authentication
Streamloop
Passkeys
Castr
Key differentiator Feature included Not included Not publicly documented
Which should you pick?

When each tool is the right call

There's no objective winner — only which tool fits your actual job.

Pick Streamloop if… logo

Pick Streamloop if…

Pick Streamloop when the real job is an affordable, unattended prerecorded playlist rather than a complete video platform.

  • You need continuous prerecorded video or audio playout to one managed YouTube or compatible RTMP destination per stream.
  • Usage billing is preferable to a high fixed tier for one always-on channel or intermittent schedules.
  • You want ordered playback, shuffle without repeats, or rule-based custom order, with live changes published at the next clip boundary.
  • Free uploads and storage, server-side media imports, separate audio playlists, and documented REST, GraphQL, and MCP interfaces matter.

Streamloop bills per live minute: approximately $4.02 per 30 days at 720p24 or $9.98 at 1080p30, plus a one-time $0.005 charge per minute of successfully converted source video.

Start with Streamloop
Pick Castr if… logo

Pick Castr if…

Pick Castr when prerecorded playout is one part of a professional distribution, hosting, monetization, production, or OTT stack.

  • One contribution feed must reach several destinations without creating a separate playout job for each endpoint.
  • You need hosted VOD, an embeddable player, viewer analytics, paywalls, advertising, or OTT workflows.
  • Operators need cloud switching, recording, stream-health monitoring, SRT or WHIP ingest, or pull-link support.
  • Castr's fixed limits and Premium-or-higher price are acceptable for the wider feature set.
  • Your linear channel needs scheduled breaks, EPG data, or other Castr livestreams as playout sources.

Castr core plans start at $19.99 monthly, but indefinite Pre-Recorded Live looping starts on Premium at $199.99 monthly or $1,999.99 annually.

(We'll leave you to find them — we don't pass link equity to competitors.)

FAQ

Streamloop vs Castr: FAQ

The questions people actually ask before picking one

Is Castr a direct Streamloop alternative?

Conditionally. Castr's Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout products overlap directly with Streamloop. Castr's multistreaming, hosted video, monetization, cloud production, and OTT tools are broader capabilities that Streamloop does not try to replace.

Which is better for multistreaming to several platforms?

Castr is the appropriate choice when one contribution feed must be replicated to several destinations. Streamloop is not a one-to-many multistreaming service; each Streamloop stream has one destination, so several platforms require separately billed streams.

Can Castr Starter loop prerecorded content forever?

No. Starter and Standard support bounded prerecorded broadcasts, but current Castr pricing gates infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping to Premium and above. TV Playout looping is also unavailable below Premium and has separate 15- or 30-day maximums on eligible tiers.

Which is less expensive for one continuous prerecorded channel?

Streamloop is usually less expensive on published prices for a single channel: continuous 1080p30 is approximately $9.98 per 30 days, plus the one-time source-video conversion charge. Castr's documented infinite-loop tier starts at $199.99 monthly, but that subscription includes a much broader platform.

Does Streamloop replace Castr video hosting or OTT features?

No. Choose Castr when hosted playback, VOD libraries, monetization, audience analytics, cloud production, or OTT operations are central requirements. Choose Streamloop when those features would be overhead and the primary need is unattended prerecorded playlist playout.

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