Castr vs Switchboard Live (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Castr grades higher than Switchboard Live: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Castr 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
Switchboard Live
Multistreaming to unlimited destinations for public sector teams
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 Switchboard Live if
- Fits if you are a public sector team that streams to many places at once
- Works for organisations that can buy under a GSA contract
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before a call, as none is shown
- Tight on inputs: SMB has 1 RTMP input and 2 team members, Public Sector 1 input and 3 members
- Watch out: Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are Coming Soon
- Not for you if you want a free plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACastrFair | 1.8GPASwitchboard LiveWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo prices on the pricing page; each of the three tiers has a Book a Call button. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or trial is listed on the pages read, only a sales call or quote. |
| 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. | CUnlimited destinations, scheduled events and analytics. Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are marked Coming Soon on the homepage. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. You connect inputs and destinations to your encoder. |
| 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 with Facebook, YouTube and Twitch destinations. |
| Best for | multistreaming plus hosting your own video | multistreaming for public sector teams |
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 Switchboard Live. How we grade
Where they differ
- Switchboard Live also covers reports and webinars.
At a glance
| Castr | Switchboard Live | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of the Starter plan, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Castr Live Streaming, Inc. | Switchboard Live |
| Price read from | castr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Switchboard Live
- The pricing page shows three tiers (SMB, Public Sector, Enterprise) with no prices and a Book a Call button on each.
- SMB has 1 RTMP input and 2 team members; Public Sector has 1 input and 3 members; Enterprise lists 3 inputs.
- Scheduled Start/Stop, SRT Input and Archives are marked Coming Soon on the homepage.
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.
Switchboard Live
- Unlimited destinations
- Every plan lists unlimited multistreaming destinations and unlimited Facebook pages, plus a custom RTMP destination.
- PartnerShare
- Lets a partner or guest channel receive the stream without sharing passwords with the broadcaster.
- Auto Start Destinations
- Destinations go live automatically once the streaming software or encoder starts sending.
- Scheduled events and analytics
- The homepage lists scheduled events for meetings and event analytics on how viewers watch.
- Input and archive options
- Public Sector and Enterprise add SRT input; archives of 30 days or more are listed for those two tiers.
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.
Switchboard Live
Pricing could not be confirmed. See switchboard.live.
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.
Switchboard Live
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Castr or Switchboard Live?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Castr starts at $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly), and Switchboard Live has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Castr or Switchboard Live?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Castr nor Switchboard Live has a free plan. Castr 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.