BoxCast vs Dacast (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Dacast grades higher than BoxCast: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dacast grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BoxCast
Live streaming platform with encoders, captions and OTT apps
Dacast
Live streaming and video hosting with bandwidth-based plans
Which one is for you
Pick BoxCast if
- Fits if you broadcast services or events to a large audience and need unlimited viewers
- Works for groups that want captions and TV apps from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you stream occasionally: Standard is $109 a month with one broadcast and 90 days of storage
- Not for you if you want webinars with sign-up pages and polls, since it is a broadcast platform
- Watch out: TV apps cost $25 to $200 a month more, and ticketing and the Spark encoder are extra
- Tight if you need more than one live stream at once, because that starts at the $249 Advanced plan
- Skip it if you want a trial you can judge in advance: its length is not stated
Pick Dacast if
- Fits if you stream and host video for a paying audience
- Works for events where you can estimate the bandwidth you will use
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want registration, polls or attendee chat, because none are listed
- Watch out: overage costs $0.30 per GB of bandwidth and $0.15 per GB of storage
- Pricey if you need paywalls or ads, since they start on the $63 Event plan
- Tight if you pay monthly, as that carries a three-month minimum
- Watch out: extra team seats are $10 each a month, and multi-CDN and China streaming are add-ons
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABoxCastWeak | 2.2GPADacastFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$109 a month billed yearly for Standard, more than double the category's middle of $49, and it allows one broadcast at 1080p30. White-labelled embeds start at $169. | C$39 a month billed yearly for Starter, between the cheaper quarter ($27) and the middle ($49) of webinar tools, with only 2.4 TB of bandwidth a year. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free trial is offered but its length is not stated; there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, which does not count as free use. | CA 14-day trial needs no card, and there is no free plan. |
| Features | CStreaming, storage and viewer-hour allowances are clear, but the TV apps, ticketing and the Spark encoder are separate purchases, and it has no registration or polls. | CLive channels with RTMP and HLS, a video library, paywall and ads from the Event plan, and analytics. It lists no webinar tools. |
| Ease of use | CWeb only, with no rating on record, and getting the best from it means setting up an encoder. | CWeb only, with no rating on record, and the encoder side is yours to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it lists Facebook, YouTube, X, RTMP and SRT plus a public API. | BWeb only, but there is a public API and Google Analytics and Google Drive links. |
| Best for | church and school live broadcasts with encoders | live streaming and video hosting by bandwidth |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BoxCast and Dacast. How we grade
Price against what you get
BoxCast starts at $109 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Dacast starts at $39 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Dacast starts $70 a month lower. Of the other webinar and live streaming tools on the chart, 6 score higher than BoxCast for less, and 2 score higher than Dacast for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BoxCast also covers ticketing and web analytics.
- Dacast also covers reports and webinars.
At a glance
| BoxCast | Dacast | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $109 per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly) | $39 per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial offered; the page does not state its length. 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | BoxCast | Dacast |
| Price read from | boxcast.com | dacast.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BoxCast
- Each plan includes at least 10,000 viewer hours a month, though viewer numbers are not capped.
- BoxCast OTT apps are priced separately: $25, $75 or $200 a month billed annually ($35, $100 or $250 billed monthly).
- Ticketing is an add-on, and the BoxCast Spark encoder is bought separately.
- A Premium plan exists but is quoted through sales. It is a broadcast platform, not a webinar tool with registration and polls.
Dacast
- Overage runs $0.30 per GB of bandwidth and $0.15 per GB of storage.
- Monthly payment carries a three-month minimum, and extra team seats cost $10 per user per month.
- Multi-CDN, China Live and China VOD are paid add-ons.
- The page lists no webinar-specific features such as registration or polls.
Key features
BoxCast
- Cloud transcoding
- Creates up to 4 adaptive bitrate streams so playback adapts to each viewer's connection.
- Scheduling and simulated live
- Broadcasts can be scheduled in advance, and recordings or uploads can be re-broadcast as simulated live.
- Captions
- Automated captioning is listed for recorded broadcasts, and automated live captioning is listed among the plan features.
- Streaming to social media
- Streams at the same time to Facebook, YouTube and X.
- Viewer chat, overlays and documents
- Viewer chat, graphic overlays and PDF document display sit beside the live player.
- OTT apps
- Branded web, mobile and TV apps can be bought as a separate product, from $25 a month billed annually.
Dacast
- Live streaming
- Full 1080p broadcasting with RTMP and HLS channels and browser or mobile streaming.
- Video hosting
- VOD library with bulk upload from Google Drive and VOD to Live.
- Monetization
- Paywall and pre, mid and post roll advertising start on the Event plan.
- Security
- Domain and country restriction on all plans; DRM and AES for VOD on Scale.
- Analytics
- Advanced analytics and a Google Analytics integration are listed.
- Support
- 24/7 support on all plans, with phone support on Scale.
Plans
BoxCast
Standard$109
per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)
Up to 1080p30, 1 concurrent broadcast, 90 days of storage, 10,000 viewer hours a month and unlimited viewers.
Deluxe$169
per month, billed annually ($189 billed monthly)
Up to 1080p30, 1 concurrent broadcast, 1 year of storage and white-labeled embeds.
Advanced$249
per month, billed annually ($279 billed monthly)
Up to 1080p60, 3 concurrent broadcasts, 1 year of storage.
4K$449
per month, billed annually ($499 billed monthly)
Up to 4K60, 3 concurrent broadcasts, 1 year of 1080p storage and 30 days of 4K storage.
Dacast
Starter$39
per month, billed annually
2.4 TB bandwidth a year and 500 GB storage, with live streaming, simulcast and VOD hosting.
Event$63
per month, billed annually
6 TB upfront and 250 GB storage; adds paywall, ads, countdown and stream monitoring.
Scale$165
per month, billed annually
24 TB a year, 2,000 GB storage, unlimited channels, DRM, 3 team members and phone support.
CustomCustom
High-volume plans with custom SLAs, migrations and extra support.
Ways to pay less
BoxCast
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves $10 to $50 a month
Standard drops from $119 to $109 a month and 4K from $499 to $449 when billed annually.
Dacast
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BoxCast or Dacast?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Dacast is cheaper to start with: $39 a month, against $109 a month for BoxCast. BoxCast starts at $109 per month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly), and Dacast starts at $39 per month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, BoxCast or Dacast?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither BoxCast nor Dacast has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.