Agora Interactive Live Streaming vs BoxCast

Agora Interactive Live Streaming is a video API for embedding real-time calls and low-latency live streams in web, mobile, and native apps. Hosts can invite audience members on camera, while participants use chat, reactions, and virtual gifts. Collaboration tools include screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, multi-user layouts, and real-time messaging. Agora describes video up to 4K/60fps and audio up to 192 kbps; its network covers more than 200 countries, and streams can be shared across up to four channels. Recording options include cloud, on-premise, and webpage recording for audio, video, and web pages. Developers can use a customizable SDK, a no-code App Builder, or low-code UI Kit libraries. SDKs are listed for Android, iOS, React Native, Flutter, web, ReactJS, Electron, Windows, macOS, Unity, and Unreal Engine. The free plan includes 10,000 participant minutes. Usage-based plans include Audio only at $0.99 a month and Video HD at $3.99 a month. Named use cases include social live streaming, events, education, retail, and telehealth.

BoxCast is a live production and streaming platform for organizations broadcasting video to web, social and TV destinations. BoxCast Producer provides browser-based production and can send streams to a website, Facebook, YouTube, X, smart TV apps and other destinations. The Broadcaster App supports live broadcasts from phones and tablets, and the service accepts BoxCast Spark or other encoders using RTMP or SRT. BoxCast Flow adjusts to link quality and uses recovery, error correction and obfuscation to protect video data. Streaming plans include viewer chat and controls for password protection, geographic restrictions and embedding restrictions. Recorded streams are retained for 30 days, 90 days or one year depending on the plan; Simulated Live can rebroadcast recordings or uploaded broadcasts. Separate offerings include RemoteMix for controlling compatible digital mixers remotely and OTT Apps for branded viewing on Roku, Apple TV, mobile devices and the web. Streaming plans start at $109 per month billed annually, with a 14-day trial. The trial includes Advanced Streaming features except potentially 4K streaming, and does not include a BoxCast Spark encoder. BoxCast is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, with API access listed.