OBS Studio vs Castr

OBS Studio9.0Visit Castr8.6Visit

Higher score OBS Studio #4 in YouTube Live Streaming Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit OBS Studio

vs

Castr #7 in YouTube Live Streaming Tools 8.6/10 7-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Castr

• OBS Studio fits best

  Free creators wanting powerful desktop production

• Castr fits best

  Professional cloud production and multistreaming

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Side by side

Feature	OBS Studio 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Castr 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.6
Ranking	#4 in YouTube Live Streaming Tools	#7 in YouTube Live Streaming Tools
Best for	Free creators wanting powerful desktop production	Professional cloud production and multistreaming
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$199.99/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	7 days
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Live chat, Docs · 24/7
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OBS Studio 2/4 · Castr 4/4
Browser studio	—	✓ (best)
Multistreaming	—	✓ (best)
Stream scheduling	✓	✓
Loop or replay streams	✓	✓
Specs
Max destinations	Not checked yet	6 destinations
Maximum resolution	4k	4k
Primary stream mode	Encoder	Encoder
Our review
Pros	Free, open-source software across Windows, macOS, and Linux Detailed scenes, audio filters, transitions, replay, and multiview Supports plugins, scripts, APIs, local recording, and 4K output	Supports RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, WHIP, and pull-based ingest Browser production includes source switching and overlays Records streams, converts Live-to-VOD, and supports up to 4K
Cons	Desktop software rather than a hosted browser studio No documented native multistreaming destination integrations Requires more production setup than simpler streaming tools	No free plan; the trial lasts 7 days Multistreaming supports up to six destinations API access starts with the Premium plan
Our verdict	OBS Studio is free, open-source desktop software for recording video and producing live streams. It is suited to individual creators, gamers, educators, event producers, and organizations broadcasting to services such as YouTube. The… Read the review →	Castr is a professional cloud video platform for production agencies, media operators, organizations, and event teams. It accepts multiple ingest formats, sends one encoder feed to social and custom endpoints, and adds browser-based… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OBS Studio — where it wins

  • Free, open-source software across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Detailed scenes, audio filters, transitions, replay, and multiview
  • Supports plugins, scripts, APIs, local recording, and 4K output

  Where it doesn't

  • Desktop software rather than a hosted browser studio
  • No documented native multistreaming destination integrations
  • Requires more production setup than simpler streaming tools

• Castr — where it wins

  • Supports RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, WHIP, and pull-based ingest
  • Browser production includes source switching and overlays
  • Records streams, converts Live-to-VOD, and supports up to 4K

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; the trial lasts 7 days
  • Multistreaming supports up to six destinations
  • API access starts with the Premium plan

• OBS Studio9.0/10 · Free plan

  A capable free desktop studio for creators who want detailed scene and audio control.

  Visit OBS StudioFull verdict →
• Castr8.6/10 · 7-day trial

  A professional cloud studio for multistreaming, scheduled broadcasts, and OTT workflows.

  Visit CastrFull verdict →