Comparison
DynTube is the on-demand-first alternative to Dacast
Dacast is built around live streaming and events, with on-demand folded into the same data allowance. DynTube is built the other way round: a protected on-demand library delivered onto pages you own, with delivery priced explicitly and generously. If most of your video is watched on demand, the numbers below move sharply in one direction.
What decides it
Four things to compare before the Dacast headline price
The first one settles most of these decisions on its own.
- Live versus on demand
- A platform whose allowance bundles live and on-demand together is priced for event traffic. One that prices on-demand delivery on its own is priced for a library.
- On DynTube — On demand is the main product: adaptive HLS playback, encrypted delivery and generous monthly delivery bands. Live streaming with RTMP ingest and HLS delivery is available as its own plan profile.
- How much delivery you get per dollar
- Annual data allowances and monthly delivery bands are hard to compare until you convert both to the same unit.
- On DynTube — 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB of delivery per month on the three published plans, so the monthly figure is the figure — no annual arithmetic required.
- What a busy month costs
- Per-gigabyte overage is where a successful campaign becomes an unwelcome invoice.
- On DynTube — The published custom estimator uses USD 20 per terabyte delivered and USD 23 per terabyte stored.
- Protecting the library
- A paid or private on-demand library needs the playback key tied to your domains and links that expire.
- On DynTube — Encrypted on-demand delivery on every plan, playback keys restricted to your origin allowlist, signed private links you can rotate or revoke, and dynamic watermarking.
Side by side
Dacast and DynTube plans side by side
Dacast rows are read from its own pricing page; DynTube rows come from our live plan catalogue. Billing cadence is stated beside every figure.
| Criterion | Criterion | Dacast | DynTube |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | — | Starter at USD 39 per month billed annually, including 2.4 TB of data per year.Official pricing | Starter at USD 24 per month billed monthly, with 300 GB storage and 1 TB of delivery every month. |
| Event plan | — | Event at USD 63 per month billed annually, with 6 TB of data provided upfront for one-off or occasional events.Plan details | No equivalent one-off event bundle. Live streaming is sold as its own plan profile, and a large single event is better priced as a custom shape. |
| Upper plan | — | Scale at USD 165 per month billed annually, including 24 TB of data per year.Plan details | Plus at USD 50 and Pro at USD 100 per month billed monthly, with 2 TB and 4 TB of delivery every month respectively. |
| Extra usage above the plan | — | Overage data at USD 0.30 per GB and overage storage at USD 0.15 per GB.Plan details | USD 20 per terabyte delivered and USD 23 per terabyte stored in the published custom estimator. |
| Team seats | — | Additional team member seats at USD 10 per user, per month.Plan details | No per-seat charge on any plan, so the whole team can have logins from the entry band. |
| Live streaming | — | Live streaming is central to the product, with paywall and monetisation features and live stream recording listed across the plans.Plan details | RTMP ingest and HLS live delivery, sold as a separate live plan profile. Segment encryption for live is available but has to be switched on for your account, so confirm it before you build around it. |
| Protecting on-demand video | — | Access controls including password, domain and geographic restrictions are listed across the tiers.Plan details | Encrypted on-demand delivery on every plan, origin-restricted playback keys, signed expiring private links and dynamic watermarking. |
| API and automation | — | An API and integrations are available; check the operations for the tier you want.Plan details | REST API access on every published plan: resumable upload sessions, videos, projects, captions, private links, webhook endpoints with delivery retries, and nine analytics report endpoints. |
Dacast figures are the annual-billing rates read from its official pricing page; monthly billing is higher and a currency selector is present, so confirm the exact plan with Dacast before committing. DynTube figures come from our live plan catalogue and the current amount is shown again at checkout.
Where another platform may fit better
- If live events are the business, Dacast is the stronger purchase. Paywalled streams, an upfront event data bundle and live-first tooling are real advantages, and DynTube does not match them.
- Dacast’s allowance covers live and on-demand from one pool, which is simpler if you do both in roughly equal measure. DynTube prices the two separately.
- DynTube includes aggregate engagement reports and can associate viewing with a user ID supplied by your own application on Plus and larger plans.
Worked example
On-demand delivery per dollar, with the arithmetic
To compare fairly, both allowances have to be in the same unit. Dacast publishes data per year; DynTube publishes delivery per month, so the Dacast figure is divided by twelve.
Dacast Starter is USD 39 a month billed annually and includes 2.4 TB of data per year, which is 200 GB a month. DynTube Starter is USD 24 a month billed monthly and includes 1 TB of delivery every month, plus 300 GB of storage. That is 38 per cent less money for five times the monthly delivery: 39 minus 24 is 15, and 15 divided by 39 is 0.385.
| Dacast Starter | Dacast Scale | DynTube Starter | DynTube Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | USD 39 / mo (annual) | USD 165 / mo (annual) | USD 24 / mo (monthly) | USD 50 / mo (monthly) |
| Included data | 2.4 TB / year | 24 TB / year | 1 TB / month | 2 TB / month |
| Same unit | 200 GB / month | 2 TB / month | 1 TB / month | 2 TB / month |
| Extra usage | USD 0.30 / GB | USD 0.30 / GB | USD 20 / TB | USD 20 / TB |
At the top of the table the comparison is even cleaner. Dacast Scale is USD 165 a month billed annually for 24 TB a year, which is 2 TB a month — exactly what DynTube Plus includes for USD 50 a month. On matched monthly delivery that is 70 per cent lower: 165 minus 50 is 115, and 115 divided by 165 is 0.697.
- Assumption: Dacast annual allowances divided evenly by twelve. If your traffic is concentrated into a few event months, an annual pool is more forgiving than a monthly band and that advantage is real.
- Assumption: Dacast at its annual-billing rate, the lower of its two cadences; DynTube at the catalogue monthly rate.
- Assumption: on-demand delivery only. Dacast’s allowance also covers live streaming, which DynTube prices as a separate live plan profile — so a live-heavy programme is not covered by this arithmetic.
- Extra usage compares directly: USD 0.30 per GB is USD 300 per terabyte against USD 20 per terabyte in DynTube’s published estimator, which is 93 per cent lower.
Fit
Choosing between Dacast and DynTube
Stated in both directions, because live changes the answer.
Choose DynTube — an on-demand library
Courses, help centres, product pages and members areas where video is watched on demand all month rather than at scheduled events.
Choose DynTube — encrypted delivery from the entry plan
Encrypted segments, origin-restricted playback keys, signed expiring links and dynamic watermarking start at the first paid band.
Choose DynTube — predictable monthly delivery
A monthly band plus a published per-terabyte rate means a launch month can be priced in advance instead of discovered on an invoice.
Choose Dacast — live events and paywalled streams
If your revenue comes from ticketed or paywalled live events, Dacast is built for that and it is the better buy. Our live capability is a separate profile and narrower in scope.
Migration
Moving an on-demand library across
The order that avoids rework, and the one thing to settle first.
- 01
1. Split live from on demand
- 02
2. Convert your allowance to a monthly figure
- 03
3. Export sources and caption files
- 04
4. Rebuild access rules as an allowlist
- 05
5. Prove one page, then measure a real week
Common questions
Questions people ask when comparing Dacast and DynTube
Is DynTube a good alternative to Dacast?
Yes, if most of your video is watched on demand. DynTube prices delivery per month rather than pooling it with live traffic, includes encrypted delivery, origin-restricted playback keys, signed expiring links, dynamic watermarking and REST API access on every plan, and charges nothing per seat. If ticketed or paywalled live events are your business, Dacast is built for that and remains the stronger choice.
Is DynTube cheaper than Dacast?
For on-demand video, yes, on comparable allowances. Dacast Starter is USD 39 a month billed annually for 2.4 TB a year, which is 200 GB a month; DynTube Starter is USD 24 a month for 1 TB a month — 38 per cent less money for five times the delivery. Dacast Scale is USD 165 a month for 2 TB a month against DynTube Plus at USD 50, which is 70 per cent lower on matched delivery.
What happens if I go over my allowance?
Dacast publishes overage data at USD 0.30 per GB and overage storage at USD 0.15 per GB. DynTube’s published estimator uses USD 20 per terabyte delivered and USD 23 per terabyte stored, which works out 93 per cent lower per terabyte delivered. Either way, ask for your own case in writing before a campaign rather than after.
Does DynTube do live streaming?
Yes, as its own plan profile with RTMP ingest and HLS delivery, rather than folded into the hosting allowance. Segment encryption for live streams is available but has to be switched on for your account, so confirm it is enabled before you rely on it. Paywalled ticketing for a live event is not something DynTube provides.
What protection comes with the cheapest plan?
Encrypted on-demand delivery, playback keys issued only to the origins on your allowlist, signed private links you can expire, rotate or revoke, dynamic watermarking and REST API access. Populate the allowlist and leave the account-level exemptions off, and an embed copied onto another site stops playing in a browser.
How do I migrate my videos?
Export the best available source file and caption tracks per video, convert your annual allowance to a monthly delivery figure to pick a band, rebuild access rules as an origin allowlist plus private links, then swap embeds page by page. For a large library, drive the uploads through the REST API using resumable upload sessions.
Convert your allowance, then compare
Divide the annual data allowance you are paying for by twelve, check it against a busy month, and read both price lists against that one number.