Short answer: For uploaded videos that should loop on YouTube without a live encoder, Castr is the clearer documented fit: it offers a prerecorded-video workflow that can loop continuously. For a live camera or production feed, both services can send a stream to YouTube, but Dacast’s published Simulcast allowances are measured in monthly hours and do not establish a standard-plan 24/7 schedule. Confirm the exact limits with either provider before committing. If you want uploaded videos running from the cloud with no home computer to keep on, StreamNeo is another option, with one flat price per slot for any uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps and a free first day.
Which service fits your always-on YouTube stream?
Start by identifying what will feed the channel. A live source, such as a camera or production encoder, is different from a playlist of uploaded videos. Castr documents both continuous streaming from a live source and a separate prerecorded-video looping workflow. Dacast documents Simulcast to YouTube from an existing encoder channel; its published Simulcast hour allowances do not, by themselves, establish uninterrupted 24/7 service on a standard plan.
| Need | Closest documented fit | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Send an ongoing live camera or encoder feed to YouTube | Both support YouTube as a destination. Castr says continuous streaming can continue while the subscription is active, bandwidth is sufficient, and the source stays live. Dacast Simulcast forwards an existing encoder channel. | Continuous-use terms, plan bandwidth or hours, concurrency, and actual setup for your account. |
| Loop uploaded videos to YouTube without keeping a live encoder running | Castr explicitly describes uploading a file and scheduling or continuously looping it to YouTube. | File-duration limits and how many prerecorded streams can run simultaneously on your plan. |
| Run an uploaded-video loop from a cloud service with a simple setup | StreamNeo: upload a recording or build a playlist, add the YouTube stream key once, then go live. It runs the loop in the cloud. | One slot is one always-on stream; storage is 10 GB per slot, pooled across active slots. |
There is no independent reliability comparison here, so the choice should follow the workflow and published limits rather than a blanket claim that one vendor is better.
How Dacast and Castr handle YouTube
Dacast: Simulcast from an encoder channel
Dacast Simulcast attaches destinations such as YouTube to an existing live channel; it does not create the source stream. Dacast remains the origin, and your encoder sends its feed to that channel before it is forwarded to YouTube. See Dacast’s Simulcast API documentation.
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Dacast’s published plans list 5 Simulcast hours for Starter, 10 for Event, 28 for Scale, and 40 for Custom. Dacast’s support article says these are monthly hours that reset rather than roll over. These listed allotments do not support assuming a nonstop 24/7 schedule on those plans; ask Dacast to confirm in writing whether your specific plan or a custom arrangement supports the schedule and what it costs. See Dacast’s pricing page and its Simulcast billing explanation.
Castr: continuous live-source and prerecorded-video modes
Castr’s help center says a live event can stream without a fixed duration while the subscription is active and has enough streaming bandwidth, and the source remains live. That condition matters: Castr does not keep a failed camera or encoder feed alive just because the account is subscribed. The help page was published December 1, 2022; check current account terms and limits before relying on it for a long-running channel. See Castr’s 24/7 streaming guidance.
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For uploaded programming, Castr has a separate Simulive workflow: upload a video, then schedule it or loop it continuously to YouTube. Castr says this mode does not need an encoder or live source, though plan-level file-duration and simultaneous-stream limits apply. See Castr’s prerecorded-video streaming page.
Plan prices and published resource limits
The figures below are vendor-published plans accessed October 3, 2026, not independently measured performance. Prices and plan terms can change. Dacast monthly figures shown are billed annually; Castr shows both monthly and annual-billing prices.
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| Service and plan | Published price | Bandwidth | Storage | Streams / destinations or Simulcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dacast Starter | $39/month, billed annually | 2.4 TB annually | 500 GB | 5 Simulcast hours monthly |
| Dacast Event | $63/month, billed annually | 6 TB upfront | 250 GB | 10 Simulcast hours monthly |
| Dacast Scale | $165/month, billed annually | 24 TB annually | 2,000 GB | 28 Simulcast hours monthly |
| Dacast Custom | Quote | Not stated on the cited pricing page | Not stated on the cited pricing page | 40 Simulcast hours monthly; confirm whether a custom arrangement covers your schedule |
| Castr Starter | $19.99/month, or $16.67/month billed annually | 200 GB monthly / 2.4 TB annual pool | 100 GB | 2 streams monthly / 3 annually; 6 destinations |
| Castr Standard | $49.99/month, or $41.67/month billed annually | 500 GB monthly / 6 TB annual pool | 200 GB | 2 streams monthly / 3 annually; 10 destinations |
| Castr Premium | $199.99/month, or $166.67/month billed annually | 3 TB monthly / 36 TB annual pool | 2 TB | 5 streams monthly / 10 annually; 20 destinations |
| Castr Ultra | $349.99/month, or $291.67/month billed annually | 5 TB monthly / 60 TB annual pool | 3 TB | 10 streams monthly / 15 annually; 30 destinations |
Castr’s pricing page also advertises a 99.9% uptime SLA. That is a vendor-advertised service-level commitment, not an independent measurement of availability. Castr’s published plan details are at its pricing page.
Estimate bandwidth and storage before choosing
A 24/7 stream has to fit the service’s resource limits, and audience playback may also affect bandwidth consumption depending on the provider’s billing model. Do not equate a plan’s event-duration statement with unlimited data. Estimate your needs from the video bitrate, hours streamed, expected viewing and the provider’s accounting rules, then ask sales or support to validate unusually heavy use.
Rank #4
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- Bandwidth: Ask whether the quoted allowance covers only the incoming stream, outgoing viewer delivery, or both, and whether it is a monthly amount or a pool across a billing year.
- Concurrency: Count all simultaneous live and prerecorded streams, not just YouTube channels; compare that total with the plan’s stream limit.
- Destinations: Count every platform receiving the feed. A YouTube-only channel may need fewer destinations than a multichannel workflow.
- Storage and files: For prerecorded loops, check file size, allowed duration, playlist behavior, and whether uploaded content counts against storage.
- Simulcast hours: For Dacast, match the required monthly schedule against the listed hours and confirm the answer with the provider if it exceeds the allotment.
Set up a YouTube destination
Dacast setup: existing encoder channel first
- Create and configure a Dacast live channel, then set your encoder to send its live feed to Dacast. Simulcast attaches destinations to this existing channel; it does not create one.
- Add YouTube as a Simulcast destination in Dacast and complete the destination’s account or stream-key setup as prompted.
- Recheck the encoder ingest URL after adding Simulcast destinations. Dacast warns that the ingest URL can change when destinations are created, so update the encoder if necessary. The setup and destination limitations are covered in Dacast’s Simulcasting guide.
- Start the encoder and confirm that the feed reaches both Dacast and the YouTube live event. YouTube-side issues and restrictions remain subject to YouTube’s own platform behavior.
- Before leaving it unattended, verify the exact monthly Simulcast allowance and service terms against your full schedule.
Castr setup: connect YouTube or enter RTMP details
- In Castr, choose Add Platform and select YouTube.
- Choose account connection to authorize Google, or use the manual RTMP option and enter YouTube’s server URL and stream key.
- For a live-source broadcast, start the source and confirm the YouTube destination is receiving the feed. The source must remain live for this mode.
- For uploaded programming, use Castr’s prerecorded-video workflow to upload the file, then schedule it or enable continuous looping. Check the account’s concurrent-stream and file-duration limits.
Castr documents both connection methods in its YouTube connection guide. Keep the stream key private; anyone with access to it may be able to broadcast to the associated YouTube stream.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is an uploaded-video loop rather than a live camera feed, StreamNeo keeps a YouTube channel running from the cloud: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home. Your uploaded quality streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, for one flat price per slot. It automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card; the monthly option is $9.99 per month.
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Common issues and what to check
Dacast’s encoder stops reaching the channel after adding YouTube
Recheck the encoder ingest URL: Dacast says it can change when Simulcast destinations are created. Update the encoder configuration with the current ingest details and retest.
The Dacast schedule runs out before the month ends
Compare the planned duration with the plan’s monthly Simulcast hours. The published allotments are finite and unused hours do not roll over. Ask Dacast whether a different plan or custom arrangement supports your intended schedule.
Castr’s live-source broadcast goes offline
Check whether the camera or encoder source is still live, the subscription remains active, and sufficient bandwidth is available. The 24/7 guidance is conditional on all three.
A Castr prerecorded loop will not start or continue
Check file duration, account storage, and simultaneous prerecorded-stream limits for your tier. This workflow is distinct from forwarding a live encoder source.
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Confirm the correct YouTube destination was selected, the account is authorized or the RTMP server/key were entered correctly, and the source is actually sending. With manual RTMP setup, verify the stream key against the intended YouTube event and keep it private.
Quick Recap
Decision checklist
- Choose a live-source workflow only if the source can remain online, unless your provider has a separate recovery arrangement.
- For uploaded-video loops, compare Castr’s documented Simulive limits with StreamNeo’s cloud-loop setup and the storage each requires.
- Do not treat Dacast’s listed Simulcast hours as sufficient for 24/7; get an explicit schedule and price confirmation for your account.
- For Castr, validate bandwidth, concurrency, destination count, storage, and prerecorded file-duration limits against the intended operation.
- Budget using the current provider plan page and your actual stream and audience needs rather than price alone.
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