Tool profile
Dacast: cost, fit and limits
Dacast is a live and on-demand video streaming platform made by DACAST, LLC that hosts VOD libraries, runs live channels over RTMP and HLS, and sells paywalls, advertising, simulcast and a developer API to event producers and publishers.
What to know first
Dacast sells four plans: Starter at $39 a month, Event at $63, Scale at $165 and a custom quote, all billed annually. The pricing page shows two figures for Starter, $39 on the plan card and $29 in the features table, without saying why. Data comes in allowances such as 2.4 TB a year on Starter and 24 TB on Scale. The pages opened name no AI feature.
Dacast at a glance
| Maker | DACAST, LLC, Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | $39 per month, billed annually (Starter) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Video Hosting Software in 2026, rank 12 of 12 |
| Website | dacast.com |
Who Dacast is best for
Event and conference streamers
Event adds live stream monitoring, scheduling, a live countdown and 10 transcoding channels, which suits producers who run dated broadcasts rather than a continuous channel.
Publishers selling access to video
A paywall and pre, mid and post-roll advertising are included from Event and are add-ons on Starter, so pay-per-view and ad-funded models both fit.
Developers who need a stream API
The homepage links Video API and Player API documentation, SDK and developer tools, and an MCP server, so a team can script channel creation and playback.
Dacast plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $39 per month billed annually (the features table shows $29) | 2.4 TB data a year, 500 GB storage, unlimited concurrent viewers, 1080p HD, 3 live transcoding channels, 5 hours of simulcast, VOD to Live and analytics. |
| Event | $63 per month billed annually | 6 TB of upfront data, 250 GB storage, live stream monitoring, scheduling, countdown, paywall, ads, 10 transcoding channels and 10 hours of simulcast. |
| Scale | $165 per month billed annually | 24 TB a year, 2,000 GB storage, unlimited transcoding channels, 28 hours of simulcast, DRM and AES for VOD, chapter markers, player CNAME and phone support. |
| Custom | Custom quote | Everything in Scale plus M3U8 links, custom SLAs, migrations, integrations and large-scale events, with 40 hours of simulcast. |
Checked November 2026.
What Dacast does
- Live streaming channels
- Channels take RTMP and HLS input at 1080p HD with unlimited concurrent viewers on Starter. Live transcoding channels scale from 3 on Starter to 10 on Event and unlimited on Scale.
- Simulcast
- Simulcast hours differ by plan: 5 on Starter, 10 on Event, 28 on Scale and 40 on Custom. A producer who restreams to social platforms daily will hit the Starter cap fast.
- VOD hosting and VOD to Live
- Starter includes VOD hosting, VOD to Live and advanced analytics from the first tier. Scale adds chapter markers and advanced library management, which helps once a catalog grows large.
- Monetization
- The paywall and pre, mid and post-roll advertising are included from Event. On Starter, both are add-ons, so check the add-on price before choosing the cheapest tier.
- Protection and delivery
- DRM and AES encryption for VOD are listed on Scale and Custom. Multi-CDN and China Live and VOD are paid add-ons from Event and unsupported on Starter.
How Dacast handles your data
The privacy policy at dacast.com/privacy-policy says resources and servers are located in various countries, including the United States, and names AWS, Akamai, Linode, Wasabi and Tencent as infrastructure partners, with no regions given. It states no retention period: personal data is deleted on request, though some residual information may be kept, and data of minors is deleted within twenty business days of a request. The policy names only the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, no SOC 2 or ISO certification, and does not address AI training.
Where Dacast falls short in practice
- Two Starter prices on one page. The plan card shows $39 a month while the features table lists $29, and the FAQ example uses $25. The page does not explain the difference, so confirm the quoted price before paying.
- Storage and data allowances. Starter holds 500 GB with 2.4 TB of data a year, Event holds 250 GB with 6 TB upfront, and Scale holds 2,000 GB with 24 TB a year. Heavy viewing can use an allowance up before the year ends.
- Annual billing and no AI. Listed prices are billed annually, and paying month to month requires a three-month minimum. The pages opened name no AI feature, so transcripts or summaries need a separate tool.
Works with
Alternatives to Dacast
Dacast: common questions
How much does Dacast cost per month?
Starter is $39 a month on the plan card, billed annually, but the features table on the same pricing page lists $29, and the page does not explain the difference. Event is $63, Scale is $165 and Custom is quoted. Confirm the Starter figure with the vendor before paying.
Does Dacast have AI features?
No AI feature is named on the homepage, the pricing pages or the privacy policy that were opened for this review. Dacast is a streaming host with live channels, VOD, paywalls, ads and an API, so AI transcripts or summaries would need another tool.
Can I pay Dacast month to month?
The plan prices are shown as billed annually. The FAQ says plans paid month to month require a three-month minimum. The monthly price was not captured, so ask the vendor what a monthly-billed Starter costs compared with the annual card price.
Does Dacast include a paywall and ads?
A paywall and pre, mid and post-roll advertising are included from the Event plan at $63 a month billed annually. On Starter both are add-ons, and Starter also lacks Multi-CDN and China Live and VOD support, per the pricing page.
Where does Dacast host video?
The privacy policy says servers are in various countries, including the United States, and names AWS, Akamai, Linode, Wasabi and Tencent as partners. No regions are given, and the only framework it names is the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield, so EU residency is not confirmed.