Castr vs Lightstream (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lightstream grades higher than Castr: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lightstream 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.
Castr
Multistreaming, video hosting and 24/7 playout in one service
Lightstream
Browser-based live streaming studio, built for console streamers
Which one is for you
Pick Castr if
- Fits if a church or school streams services or events to several platforms
- Works for selling access to live streams behind a paywall
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a studio in the browser without asking Castr to switch it on
- Not for you if you've never used an encoder and don't want to learn
- Tight if you stream a lot to your own player, since each plan has a bandwidth allowance
- Watch out: monthly plans get less bandwidth and fewer concurrent streams than annual ones
- Pricey if you need DRM or phone and TV apps, which are Events add-ons on top of $624.99 a month
Pick Lightstream if
- Fits if you stream from an Xbox or PlayStation and have no capture card
- Works for creators who want to simulcast to up to 5 places for free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a clean stream for free, as the free plan carries a Lightstream logo
- Tight if you want 1080p, guests or URL imports, which need Premium at $12 a month
- Not for you if you run webinars: it has no registration or attendee tools
- Watch out: RTMP video sources are marked as coming soon on the pricing section
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACastrFair | 2.8GPALightstreamGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $16.67 a month billed annually ($199.99 a year, $19.99 by the month) and streams to 6 destinations, enough for three platforms. That's level with Restream and Ecamm, well under StreamYard's Core, and it includes hosting and a paywall. | APremium is $12 a month, or $9 on an annual plan, well under the $16.20 mark (60% of the category's cheaper quarter of $27). |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 7-day free trial of Starter with no credit card. The other plans go straight to checkout. | BA free plan streams to up to 5 destinations for up to 10 hours at a time, but with a Lightstream logo and 720p video. |
| Features | CMultistreaming to 30 destinations, hosting, a player, cloud recording, 24/7 playout and a paywall on every plan. The gaps: you bring the encoder, as the browser Cloud Production switcher is enabled by Castr on request, and recordings are kept up to three days. | CConsole capture, simulcasting, scenes, overlays and alerts, but RTMP sources are marked coming soon and there is no registration or attendee tool. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You set up an encoder such as OBS or a camera, add each destination and embed the player, which takes some know-how. | CWeb only, with no rating on record, and you connect each destination account first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web service with no desktop or phone app listed. It sends to YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and LinkedIn, takes RTMP, SRT, RTSP and HLS input from OBS or cameras, and has an API on Premium. | BWeb only, with Xbox, PlayStation, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and custom RTMP. |
| Best for | multistreaming plus hosting your own video | console streamers who want to skip the PC |
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: Castr and Lightstream. How we grade
Price against what you get
Castr starts at $16.67 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lightstream starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Lightstream starts $7.67 a month lower. Of the other webinar and live streaming tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Castr for less, and 1 scores higher than Lightstream 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
- Lightstream also covers video calls.
At a glance
| Castr | Lightstream | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly) | $12 per month, or $9 per month on an annual subscription |
| Free plan | None | Simulcasting to up to 5 destinations, 720p, 10-hour limit per stream and up to 3 scenes at once, with a Lightstream Studio logo on all streams. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of the Starter plan, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Castr Live Streaming, Inc. | Infiniscene, Inc. |
| Price read from | castr.com | golightstream.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Castr
- Streams come in from encoder software, hardware or IP cameras; the browser-based Cloud Production switcher is enabled by Castr on request.
- Each plan has a player-bandwidth allowance, and monthly plans get less upfront bandwidth and fewer concurrent streams than annual ones.
- Only Starter has the 7-day trial; the other plans go straight to checkout.
- DRM and native iOS, Android and TV apps for the Events plan are add-ons arranged with sales.
Lightstream
- The free plan puts a Lightstream Studio logo on every stream and caps video at 720p.
- Guests, 1080p and URL imports are Premium-only.
- RTMP video sources are marked as coming soon on the pricing section.
- It is a streaming studio for creators and has no webinar registration or attendee tools.
Key features
Castr
- Multistreaming
- One RTMP or SRT feed goes out to up to 30 destinations, including YouTube, Facebook pages and groups, Twitch and LinkedIn; TikTok and Instagram connect through custom RTMP.
- Video hosting and player
- An embeddable player with analytics, video storage from 100 GB, and unlimited viewers within each plan's bandwidth allowance.
- Cloud recording and live-to-VOD
- Records streams of up to 72 hours, keeps the recordings for up to three days, and turns live streams into on-demand videos.
- 24/7 playout
- Runs pre-recorded videos as an always-on live channel, like a TV station, on every plan.
- Paywall and monetization
- A paywall comes with every plan, in-stream ads start on Standard, and Events adds subscriptions, pay-per-view and more than 30 payment gateways.
- Ingest protocols and API
- Takes RTSP, RTMP, HLS, MPEG-TS and SRT input, offers pull links from Standard, and adds API access and HLS URLs on Premium.
Lightstream
- Cloud capture for consoles
- Captures Xbox and PlayStation gameplay in the cloud, so a stream does not need a PC.
- Simulcasting
- Streams to up to 5 destinations at once on both plans, including a custom RTMP destination.
- Guests
- Premium lets up to 10 guests join a stream, aimed at multiplayer games and talk-style shows.
- Overlays, alerts and templates
- Preset templates, overlays and XPN alerts are available inside Studio, and custom overlays can be uploaded.
- Scenes
- The free plan goes live with up to 3 scenes at once and Premium with up to 20.
Plans
Castr
Starter$16.67
per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly)
2 concurrent streams (3 on annual), 6 destinations, 200 GB of player bandwidth a month and 100 GB of video storage.
Standard$41.67
per month, billed annually ($49.99 billed monthly)
10 destinations, 500 GB of bandwidth a month and 200 GB of storage, plus SRT and RTMP pull links and in-stream ads.
Premium$166.67
per month, billed annually ($199.99 billed monthly)
5 streams (10 on annual), 20 destinations, 3 TB of bandwidth, 2 TB of storage, adaptive bitrate, API access and 3 team members.
Ultra$291.67
per month, billed annually ($349.99 billed monthly)
10 streams (15 on annual), 30 destinations, 5 TB of bandwidth, 3 TB of storage, failover ingest and low-latency playback.
Events$624.99
per month, billed annually ($749.99 billed monthly)
A branded OTT web app with a CMS, subscriptions and pay-per-view sales, 15 streams, 30 destinations and 10 TB of bandwidth a month.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom stream, bandwidth and storage allocations, enterprise controls and migration help, arranged with sales.
Lightstream
Free$0
Core Studio features with a Lightstream logo on every stream, 720p, up to 5 destinations, 10-hour limit per stream, 3 scenes at once.
Premium$12
per month, billed monthly ($9 per month on an annual subscription)
Removes the logo, adds up to 10 guests, 1080p, a 48-hour stream limit, URL imports from third-party services and up to 20 scenes at once.
Ways to pay less
Castr
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Castr's pricing page says annual billing gives 2 months free plus a larger upfront bandwidth pool: Starter is $199.99 a year against $19.99 a month.
Lightstream
- Annual discount
Annual subscription at $9 a month
Premium shows $12 a month, or $9 a month on an annual subscription.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Castr or Lightstream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lightstream is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $16.67 a month for Castr. Castr starts at $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly), and Lightstream starts at $12 per month, or $9 per month on an annual subscription.
Which has a free plan, Castr or Lightstream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Lightstream has a free plan. Castr does not, though it has 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.