Streamloop vs Castr
Focused prerecorded cloud playout compared with a broader multistreaming, hosting, production, and OTT platform.
| At a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Continuous cloud playout of prerecorded video or audio to one destination per stream. | Broad live-video infrastructure spanning multistreaming, hosting, monetization, cloud production, APIs, OTT, and prerecorded playout. |
| Category overlap | Directly serves unattended prerecorded playlist streaming. | Direct overlap exists in Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout; much of Castr's platform is adjacent functionality. |
| Indefinite prerecorded looping | Yes. A published playlist can run indefinitely while credits remain available. | 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 | No. Reaching several destinations requires separate Streamloop streams. | Yes. One ingest can be relayed to 6, 10, 20, or 30 account-wide destinations, depending on plan. |
| Destination setup | Managed YouTube through Google authorization, or a manual YouTube stream key; custom destinations use an RTMP URL and key. | Native social-platform integrations plus custom RTMP or SRT destinations. Direct and custom endpoints both count toward the account-wide destination allowance. |
| Browser production | No webcam, guest, screen, or scene-production studio; Streamloop is for uploaded or imported media. | 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 | Not positioned as a general VOD-hosting or OTT platform. | 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 | Up to 4K60, including HDR when the destination and viewer device support it. | 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 | No public total playlist-item cap is documented. | Pre-Recorded Live allows 2 to 15 files per stream by plan; TV Playout allows 5 to 50 files. |
| Storage model | Uploads and storage are listed as free, with no public total quota. | Hosted-video storage and dedicated prerecorded-video allocations are separate, plan-capped allowances. |
| Pricing model | Prepaid usage billing per live minute, plus a one-time charge per minute of successfully converted source video. | Fixed monthly or annual subscriptions with plan gates and account-wide allowances. |
| Comparable always-on price | About $9.98 for 30 continuous days at 1080p30, plus $0.005 per minute of successfully converted source video. | Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping starts on Premium at $199.99 monthly or $1,999.99 annually. |
Primary job
Streamloop
- Continuous cloud playout of prerecorded video or audio to one destination per stream.
Castr
- Broad live-video infrastructure spanning multistreaming, hosting, monetization, cloud production, APIs, OTT, and prerecorded playout.
Category overlap
Streamloop
- Directly serves unattended prerecorded playlist streaming.
Castr
- Direct overlap exists in Pre-Recorded Live and TV Playout; much of Castr's platform is adjacent functionality.
Indefinite prerecorded looping
Streamloop
- Yes. A published playlist can run indefinitely while credits remain available.
Castr
- 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
- No. Reaching several destinations requires separate Streamloop streams.
Castr
- Yes. One ingest can be relayed to 6, 10, 20, or 30 account-wide destinations, depending on plan.
Destination setup
Streamloop
- Managed YouTube through Google authorization, or a manual YouTube stream key; custom destinations use an RTMP URL and key.
Castr
- 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
- No webcam, guest, screen, or scene-production studio; Streamloop is for uploaded or imported media.
Castr
- 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
- Not positioned as a general VOD-hosting or OTT platform.
Castr
- 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
- Up to 4K60, including HDR when the destination and viewer device support it.
Castr
- 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
- No public total playlist-item cap is documented.
Castr
- Pre-Recorded Live allows 2 to 15 files per stream by plan; TV Playout allows 5 to 50 files.
Storage model
Streamloop
- Uploads and storage are listed as free, with no public total quota.
Castr
- Hosted-video storage and dedicated prerecorded-video allocations are separate, plan-capped allowances.
Pricing model
Streamloop
- Prepaid usage billing per live minute, plus a one-time charge per minute of successfully converted source video.
Castr
- Fixed monthly or annual subscriptions with plan gates and account-wide allowances.
Comparable always-on price
Streamloop
- About $9.98 for 30 continuous days at 1080p30, plus $0.005 per minute of successfully converted source video.
Castr
- Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping starts on Premium at $199.99 monthly or $1,999.99 annually.
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.
| Quality | 30 fps / mo | 60 fps / mo |
|---|---|---|
| 720p | $5 | $8 |
| 1080pMost popular | $10 | $15 |
| 1440p (2K) | $20 | $30 |
| 4K (2160p) | $30 | $45 |
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/month — and 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.
Streamloop vs Castr, side by side
Every feature that matters, with standout differences flagged by a star.
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1Pricing & access | ||
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription | Pay as you go is available; official pages also reference optional monthly credit plans | ✕ |
| Free trial (no card) | Eligible accounts may receive starter credits; no guaranteed public amount or duration | Free trial available; Trial TV Playout is branded |
| Starting price | 720p24: $4.02 per 30 live days; usage billed, not a subscription | Core $19.99/mo; infinite Pre-Recorded Live loop from Premium $199.99/mo |
| 720p 30-day price | $4.02 at 24fps; $5.01 at 30fps | TV Playout starts at $19.99/mo but Starter cannot loop indefinitely |
| 1080p 30-day price | $9.98 at 30fps | TV Playout 1080p starts on Ultra $349.99/mo; max 30-day loop |
| 1440p / 2K 30-day price | $20.00 at 30fps | $17/mo yr / $20 mo |
| 2160p / 4K 30-day price | $29.98 at 30fps; $45.01 at 60fps | 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 | 24, 25, 30, or 60fps | TV Playout 50/60fps on Ultra and Events |
| Up to 4K @ 60fps | Up to 2160p/4K | 4K cloud prerecorded output is not established by current official sources |
| Vertical / portrait streaming | Portrait and landscape output | ✓ |
| HDR streaming publicly documented | HDR supported where destination and playback device support it | ✕ |
| 3Production & design | ||
| Stream designer / layout builder | No general-purpose live scene/layout builder | Cloud Production supports positioning, scaling, transitions, and slates |
| Image, video & logo overlays | No general-purpose overlay designer is documented | Images, tickers, lower thirds, alerts, and external URL overlays |
| Embed live websites & graphs | ✕ | Hosted HTML5 player and video hosting |
| Interactive alerts & widgets | No live games, polls, alerts, or audience widgets | External URL widgets are supported; built-in interactive show tools are limited |
| Custom fonts in overlays | ✕ | ✕ |
| Browser Live Studio (camera) | No webcam, guest, screen, or gaming production studio | 720p Cloud Production switcher; not a full multi-guest studio |
| 4Sources & inputs | ||
| MP4 / MKV / AVI / MOV upload | Docs list MP4, MOV, MKV with AV1/HEVC/H.264; homepage file-limit copy conflicts | Pre-Recorded Live documents MP4 only |
| Separate audio track (music / voiceover) | Separate audio and audio playlists: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, Opus | ✕ |
| Import from Google Drive / Dropbox | Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, and direct-download URL imports | ✓ |
| Playlists with custom ordering | Ordered, non-repeating shuffle, and natural-language custom order | Ordered playlists with per-item enable/disable controls |
| Custom loop logic (shuffle, loop counts) | Ordered playback, shuffle without repeats, and rule-based sequencing | ✕ |
| Edit the stream live (swap / skip / reorder) | Publish playlist edits live; changes apply after the current clip | 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) | Any compatible RTMP destination | Custom RTMP and SRT endpoints consume destination allowance |
| Twitch / Facebook / Kick / TikTok | Twitch, Facebook, Kick, TikTok, and others through compatible RTMP endpoints | 30+ platform catalog with native and custom endpoints |
| Multistream to several destinations | No one-to-many fan-out; create separate streams for several destinations | One source can distribute to several account-wide destinations |
| One-click YouTube (no stream key) | Official Google OAuth connection; manual stream-key option also available | Native YouTube destination integration |
| SRT ingest | ✕ | ✓ |
| 6Lifecycle & automation | ||
| True 24/7 continuous loop | Continuous cloud loop while active and funded | Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium+; TV Playout loops are time-limited |
| YouTube broadcast lifecycle automation | Can create and synchronize broadcast metadata, privacy, thumbnail, latency, DVR, recording, and schedule | Native YouTube destination and scheduling; complete lifecycle automation not established |
| Scheduling | Immediate/future start; duration, end time, or open-ended | One-time prerecorded schedules and TV-style timetables |
| MCP / agent integration | OAuth-protected hosted MCP for streams, playlists, uploads, destinations, usage, and billing | ✕ |
| YouTube ad cue points | ✕ | ✕ |
| Edit title / description / thumbnail live | ✓ | ✕ |
| Public API | Public OpenAPI REST interface plus documented GraphQL | API access begins on Premium |
| Unlimited loop without manual rescheduling | Can run indefinitely until stopped, credit is exhausted, or destination action is required | Yes for Premium+ Pre-Recorded Live; no for TV Playout |
| 7Limits & inclusions | ||
| Storage included | Uploads and storage are free; no published hard total quota | Pre-recorded: 4/4/10/20/20 GB; hosted VOD storage is separate |
| Concurrent streams / slots | Multiple separate streams are supported; no public account hard cap is documented | Created workflows, including inactive ones, count; prerecorded streams are 1/1/2/3/3 |
| Max multistream destinations | One destination per stream | 6 Starter; 10 Standard; 20 Premium; 30 Ultra/Events, account-wide |
| Videos per playlist | No published limit | Pre-recorded: 2/2/10/15/15; TV Playout: 5/10/30/30/50 files |
| Max upload size / length | Current docs say 10 GB/file; homepage still says 1.5 GB free and 5 GB paid | Pre-recorded max 240 min/file Premium+; TV caps range 500 MB–10 GB and 30–240 min |
| Team / multi-user access | Shared workspaces with separate sign-ins; no public RBAC or seat limit | 3 members (Premium), 5 (Ultra) |
| No watermark | No Streamloop output watermark documented | Trial, Starter, and Standard TV Playout output is branded |
| 8Reliability & support | ||
| Automatic monitoring & recovery | Reports over 99.9% uptime with automatic monitoring, restart, and reconnection | ✓ |
| Backup streams | Standby capacity is reported; zero downtime and recovery time are not guaranteed | Failover ingest begins on Ultra and Events |
| Chat / email support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Uptime guarantee / compensation | No contractual uptime compensation or recovery-time SLA published | No standard public compensation-backed SLA found |
| In-app viewer analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| 9Trust & account | ||
| Trustpilot rating | No profile yet | ~4.0 (54) |
| YouTube-Verified encoder | ✓ | Not listed as verified encoder |
| Two-factor authentication | Passkeys | ✓ |
Pricing & access
- Streamloop
- Pay as you go is available; official pages also reference optional monthly credit plans
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- Eligible accounts may receive starter credits; no guaranteed public amount or duration
- Castr
- Free trial available; Trial TV Playout is branded
- 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
- Streamloop
- $4.02 at 24fps; $5.01 at 30fps
- Castr
- TV Playout starts at $19.99/mo but Starter cannot loop indefinitely
- Streamloop
- $9.98 at 30fps
- Castr
- TV Playout 1080p starts on Ultra $349.99/mo; max 30-day loop
- Streamloop
- $20.00 at 30fps
- Castr
- $17/mo yr / $20 mo
- Streamloop
- $29.98 at 30fps; $45.01 at 60fps
- Castr
- No current 4K guarantee for cloud prerecorded playout
Streaming quality
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- TV Playout 1080p on Ultra/Events; lower plans are fixed 720p30
- Streamloop
- 24, 25, 30, or 60fps
- Castr
- TV Playout 50/60fps on Ultra and Events
- Streamloop
- Up to 2160p/4K
- Castr
- 4K cloud prerecorded output is not established by current official sources
- Streamloop
- Portrait and landscape output
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- HDR supported where destination and playback device support it
- Castr
- ✕
Production & design
- Streamloop
- No general-purpose live scene/layout builder
- Castr
- Cloud Production supports positioning, scaling, transitions, and slates
- Streamloop
- No general-purpose overlay designer is documented
- Castr
- Images, tickers, lower thirds, alerts, and external URL overlays
- Streamloop
- ✕
- Castr
- Hosted HTML5 player and video hosting
- Streamloop
- No live games, polls, alerts, or audience widgets
- Castr
- External URL widgets are supported; built-in interactive show tools are limited
- Streamloop
- ✕
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- No webcam, guest, screen, or gaming production studio
- Castr
- 720p Cloud Production switcher; not a full multi-guest studio
Sources & inputs
- Streamloop
- Docs list MP4, MOV, MKV with AV1/HEVC/H.264; homepage file-limit copy conflicts
- Castr
- Pre-Recorded Live documents MP4 only
- Streamloop
- Separate audio and audio playlists: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, Opus
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, and direct-download URL imports
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- Ordered, non-repeating shuffle, and natural-language custom order
- Castr
- Ordered playlists with per-item enable/disable controls
- Streamloop
- Ordered playback, shuffle without repeats, and rule-based sequencing
- Castr
- ✕
- 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
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- Any compatible RTMP destination
- Castr
- Custom RTMP and SRT endpoints consume destination allowance
- Streamloop
- Twitch, Facebook, Kick, TikTok, and others through compatible RTMP endpoints
- Castr
- 30+ platform catalog with native and custom endpoints
- Streamloop
- No one-to-many fan-out; create separate streams for several destinations
- Castr
- One source can distribute to several account-wide destinations
- Streamloop
- Official Google OAuth connection; manual stream-key option also available
- Castr
- Native YouTube destination integration
- Streamloop
- ✕
- Castr
- ✓
Lifecycle & automation
- Streamloop
- Continuous cloud loop while active and funded
- Castr
- Infinite Pre-Recorded Live looping on Premium+; TV Playout loops are time-limited
- 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
- Streamloop
- Immediate/future start; duration, end time, or open-ended
- Castr
- One-time prerecorded schedules and TV-style timetables
- Streamloop
- OAuth-protected hosted MCP for streams, playlists, uploads, destinations, usage, and billing
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- ✕
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- ✕
- Streamloop
- Public OpenAPI REST interface plus documented GraphQL
- Castr
- API access begins on Premium
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Streamloop
- One destination per stream
- Castr
- 6 Starter; 10 Standard; 20 Premium; 30 Ultra/Events, account-wide
- Streamloop
- No published limit
- Castr
- Pre-recorded: 2/2/10/15/15; TV Playout: 5/10/30/30/50 files
- 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
- Streamloop
- Shared workspaces with separate sign-ins; no public RBAC or seat limit
- Castr
- 3 members (Premium), 5 (Ultra)
- Streamloop
- No Streamloop output watermark documented
- Castr
- Trial, Starter, and Standard TV Playout output is branded
Reliability & support
- Streamloop
- Reports over 99.9% uptime with automatic monitoring, restart, and reconnection
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- Standby capacity is reported; zero downtime and recovery time are not guaranteed
- Castr
- Failover ingest begins on Ultra and Events
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- ✓
- Streamloop
- No contractual uptime compensation or recovery-time SLA published
- Castr
- No standard public compensation-backed SLA found
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- ✓
Trust & account
- Streamloop
- No profile yet
- Castr
- ~4.0 (54)
- Streamloop
- ✓
- Castr
- Not listed as verified encoder
- Streamloop
- Passkeys
- Castr
- ✓
When each tool is the right call
There's no objective winner — only which tool fits your actual job.
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 StreamloopPick 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.)
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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