Castr vs Viloud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Castr grades higher than Viloud: 2.4 against 2.0 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 platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
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
Viloud
Build 24/7 linear, on-demand and FAST TV channels
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 Viloud if
- Fits if you want an always-on channel from a video library
- Works for media owners moving into FAST channels
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: overage fees apply past the stored and viewed minutes in each plan
- Skip it if you want live streaming on Pro, as it starts on Business at $79
- Pricey if you want M3U8 links: Premium, or an add-on on Business
- Not for you if you need webinar registration
- Watch out: the page showed numbers with no currency symbol
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACastrFair | 2.0GPAViloudFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$29 a month billed annually for 5 channels, between the $20.80 and $45 marks. Premium is $199. |
| 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. | C14-day free trial of all features with no card. |
| 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. | CLinear, on-demand and FAST channels, embeddable player and live streaming. Live streaming starts on Business, and it is not a webinar 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. | CNo store rating on record. You build channels and playlists. |
| 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. | CWeb only, with a single Vimeo link and no apps listed. |
| Best for | multistreaming plus hosting your own video | 24/7 TV-style channels |
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 Viloud. 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. Viloud starts at $29 a month and scores 2.0.
Castr scores higher and starts $12.33 a month lower. Of the other webinar and live streaming tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Castr for less, and 10 score higher than Viloud 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
- Castr also covers multistreaming.
- Viloud also covers reports.
At a glance
| Castr | Viloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly) | $29 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of the Starter plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of all features, no credit card |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Castr Live Streaming, Inc. | Viloud |
| Price read from | castr.com | viloud.tv |
| 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.
Viloud
- Overage fees apply beyond the stored and viewed minutes in each plan, with the per-minute rate falling on higher plans.
- M3U8 links for linear channels need Premium; they are an optional add-on on Business.
- The rendered page showed numbers without a currency symbol; confirm the currency before buying.
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.
Viloud
- Linear channels
- Create 24/7 channels with a daily or weekly scheduler so all viewers see the same content at once.
- On-demand channels
- Viewers can move between videos in a playlist with player controls.
- Embeddable player
- Responsive HTML5 player with adaptive bitrate, branding options and embed restrictions on higher plans.
- Live streaming
- Broadcast with an RTMP encoder and record for later; listed on Business and above, up to 1080p.
- FAST and ads
- FAST channels, SCTE-35 markers with an EPG are add-ons; VAST ad tags are listed in the comparison.
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.
Viloud
Pro$29
per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
5 channels, 200 video links, 1,000 minutes stored, 10k minutes viewed a month.
Business$79
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Unlimited channels, live streaming, 3,000 minutes stored, 40k viewed.
Premium$199
per month, billed annually ($249 billed monthly)
M3U8 for linear channels, 5 team members, 10,000 minutes stored, 120k viewed.
CustomCustom
Volume discount, extra FAST channels, SSAI, migrations and enterprise support.
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.
Viloud
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves up to 20%
The pricing page toggles between monthly and annual billing and says annual saves up to 20%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Castr or Viloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Castr is cheaper to start with: $16.67 a month, against $29 a month for Viloud. Castr starts at $16.67 per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly), and Viloud starts at $29 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Castr or Viloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Castr nor Viloud 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.