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JW Player’s best alternative

Why Choose Castr
Over JW Player?

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Feature

Transparent & Affordable Pricing.

Feature

No yearly commitment. Try and cancel anytime.

Feature

24/7 Tech Support with no extra cost

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Trusted by amazing companies

Castr
  • Transparent bandwidth-based pricing.
  • Cost-effective
  • No contract. No commitment
  • HTML5 player
  • Cloud hosting
  • 24/7 dedicated tech support
  • Advanced cloud playout
  • User-friendly platform
  • Akamai/Fastly CDN
  • Monetization tools on all plans
Try for free
Castr
  • Opaque pricing. Need to contact sales for quotes.
  • Higher cost
  • Yearly commitment
  • HTML5 player
  • Cloud hosting
  • Tiered support
  • No cloud playout
  • More complex platform
  • CDN is not disclosed
  • Monetization tools limited to enterprise plans
See full comparison

Castr: The Preferred Choice Over JW Player

Why industry professionals are making the switch to Castr’s advanced streaming capabilities
Bandwidth-Based Billing Mechanism

Transparent Bandwidth-Based Billing Mechanism

A usage-based billing model that scales with bandwidth consumption, providing clear and predictable operational costs.

Contractual Flexibility

Contractual Flexibility

No long-term commitments required, allowing businesses to adapt quickly to evolving needs and market conditions.

Akamai CDN

Akamai CDN

Leverage Akamai’s global network for superior content delivery. Enjoy reduced latency and consistent high-quality streaming worldwide.

Intuitive User Interface

Intuitive User Interface

A professionally designed UI tailored for broadcasters, ensuring efficient setup and stream management.

24/7 Technical Support

24/7 Technical Support

Round-the-clock assistance from a team of experts, ensuring continuous and seamless streaming operations.

Advanced Streaming Features

Advanced Streaming Features

Castr provides cutting-edge features including cloud playout, live transcoding, ultra-low latency streaming and more.

Castr vs JW Player: Features Comparison

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Castr
Live Streaming Icon
Stream live videos/events to websites with our customizable HTML5 player.
jw_logo
Video Hosting Icon
Castr partners with the world’s largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform to provide advanced web performance optimization.
jw_logo
Customizable HTML5 Player Icon
Embed videos onto your website using embedded links or iframe
jw_logo
Dedicated Tech Support Icon
Get direct support from Castr technical team through your preffered channels like Slack, Skype, or Whatapps.

Dedicated support via Slack, Whatsapp, Skype. 
15-min response.

jw_logo
Pricing Model Icon
How the service charges for its offerings

Transparent bandwidth-based pricing.

jw_logo

Opaque pricing. Need to contact sales for quotes.

Contract terms Icon
The commitment required when signing up for the service

No contract, no yearly commitment

jw_logo

No contract, no yearly commitment

Live Streaming Icon
Stream live videos/events to websites with our customizable HTML5 player.

Limited streaming hours

Video Hosting Icon
Embed videos onto your website using embedded links or iframe
Available for all plans.
No additional storage cost

Additional storage cost

Customizable HTML5 Player Icon
Embed videos onto your website using embedded links or iframe
From Ultra ($250/mo) plan onwards.
15-min response.

From $585/mo plan onwards.
2-hour response.

Dedicated Tech Support Icon
Get direct support from Castr technical team through your preffered channels like Slack, Skype, or Whatapps.
From Ultra ($250/mo) plan onwards.
15-min response.

Dedicated support via Slack, Whatsapp, Skype. 
15-min response.

From $585/mo plan onwards.
2-hour response.

Pricing Model Icon
How the service charges for its offerings
From Ultra ($250/mo) plan onwards.
15-min response.

Transparent bandwidth-based pricing.

From $585/mo plan onwards.
2-hour response.

Opaque pricing. Need to contact sales for quotes.

Contact terms Icon
The commitment required when signing up for the service
From Ultra ($250/mo) plan onwards.
15-min response.

No contract, no yearly commitment

From $585/mo plan onwards.
2-hour response.

No contract, no yearly commitment

MAIN FEATURES

CDN Icon
Castr partners with the world’s largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform to provide advanced web performance optimization.

Multi CDN (Akamai, Fastly, Cloudfront)

jw_logo

CDN is not disclosed

Ingest Protocols Icon
Amount of storage available for storing video files.

SRT, RTMP, HLS, MPEGTS, RTSP

RTMP

Delivery Protocols. Icon
The supported protocols for delivering live and VOD content.

HLS, LL-HLS, MPEG-DASH, SRT

HLS

Adaptive bitrate Icon
Auto-adjusts the bitrate based on the viewer’s internet connection quality.
Subsecond Latency Icon
Charge viewers with a fee for access using paywall.

Ultra low latency

Simulcast Icon
Support streaming to multiple destinations at the same time.
Paywall Icon
Stream to multiple social channels at the same time

Available on all plans

Available on higher-tier plans

Ad Insertion Icon
Monetize by displaying pre-roll ads on stream player. Support VAST/VPAID.

Available on all plans

Available on higher-tier plans

4k streaming Icon
Streaming live and VOD content in 4k quality.
OTT Apps Icon
White-label OTT solution
Cloud Playout Icon
Create and schedule 24/7 TV Programs with a mix of pre-produced content and live streams.
Live to VOD Icon
Convert recorded streams to video-on-demand files that you can embed and share on your website
VOD to Live Icon
Schedule and live stream your pre-recorded video content.
Dynamic Player Icon
Change video or live stream content in a player without changing the embed code.
Playlist Icon
Get HLS URL for your streams to use with OTT platforms like Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and more.
Stream Monitoring Icon
Monitoring the health charts of both real-time and past streams.
Backup Ingest Icon
Broadcast simultaneously to a primary and a backup stream. If your primary stream fails, your backup stream will be broadcast to avoid interruption.
Live Transcoder Icon
Modify codecs, customize resolution and bitrate, perform interlacing and de-interlacing.

Full control over output bitrates,
resolutions, codecs, format

Automatic transcoding with preset settings

Video Analytics Icon
Learn where, when, and how your viewers interact with your content.
Cloud Trimming Icon
Change the start and end points of a video so viewers only see a specific “clip” of the video.
Cloud Recording Icon
Record up to 96 hours and store for maximum 3 days.
Chapter Markers Icon
Break your videos into chapters so your viewers can easily navigate and rewatch different parts of the video.
Developer API Icon
Integrate Castr’s powerful features, such as live streaming and video uploading, into your own apps using our developer API.
Stream Protection Icon
Secure your embed player by setting a password, and control access by restricting or allowing it for specific regions or domains.

DRM, Geo Blocking, Domain & Password Protection

DRM, Geo Blocking, Signed URL,
Password Protection

Experience the Castr
Difference Today

From unlimited broadcasts to top-tier tech support, Castr offers more than just streaming

Try Castr for Free
Talk to us

Trusted by 200,000+ Streamers

We're rated 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra

The glue that brings things together. Very easy to use with lots of platforms available to choose from. Support is very responsive if you have any issues.

Clayton C.

Assistant Director, Government Administration

Our overall experience with Castr has been completely positive. We stream weekly to Facebook, YouTube, and Periscope all at the same time, and have really seen an improvement in our social media reach and especially engagement. It's a really fair price and a great service.

Brian C.

General Manager, Entertainment

The customer service has been great. Questions are answered in a timely manner and completely.

Tim W.

Assistant Pastor, Religious Institution

Overall Castr has been excellent and in the few issues I have experienced, customer service has sorted things out very quickly. I have never had my stream cut out. It offers Pull URL at no extra cost on my package which is much cheaper than other similar services.

Stephen C.

Content Creator, Media Production

A critical part of our stream. Castr was exactly what we needed to livestream our show on multiple platforms at the same time. Simply put, we wouldn't have the audience that we currently do without Castr. It's an integral part of our daily operation.

Todd D.

General Manager, Broadcast Media

Best multistreaming out there! When looking for a solution to livestream to both Facebook and YouTube, we came across Castr and it solved all of our issues. We love the fact that it doesn't require you to put any of their branding in the descriptions and that the stream looks great on both sites.

Jake B.

Creative Director, Religious Institution

View more

Frequently asked questions

Can’t find it here? Check out our Help Center.

FAQ

  • What is unique about Castr's Video Hosting?

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    Castr offers ad-free video hosting, ensuring your content remains uninterrupted and true to your brand.

  • Can I protect my hosted videos with a password?

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    Yes, Castr allows password protection for your videos, ensuring access is limited to your intended audience.

  • How does Geo-Blocking enhance video hosting?

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    With Geo-Blocking, you can control the availability of your content in specific countries, either blocking or granting access as needed.

  • What does Video Replacing mean for my content?

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    Castr's Video Replacing feature lets you update videos while maintaining the same URL, eliminating the need to change embedded codes on your website.

  • Can I get an HLS URL for my video?

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    Yes, Castr provides HLS URLs for your videos, enabling seamless streaming across various devices and platforms with high compatibility.

  • How does the Dynamic Player benefit video hosting?

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    Our Dynamic Player enables you to switch between on-demand and live content using a single embed code, simplifying content updates on your site.

  • Can I stream pre-recorded videos as live events?

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    Yes. We transcode the streams in the cloud and you have the option to enable or disable the adaptive bitrate streaming options for your livestreams.

  • What are the advantages of Castr’s Paywall for video hosting?

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    The Paywall feature allows you to monetize your video content, offering a sustainable way to generate revenue from your hosted videos.