BoxCast vs Shed

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.

Shed, also called Muxshed, is a self-hosted live production studio that receives RTMP, SRT, or WebRTC video, mixes it in a browser, and sends the program to multiple destinations. It can stream simultaneously to YouTube, Twitch, Kick, Facebook, and custom RTMP or RTMPS endpoints. The browser switcher supports scenes, layered compositions, cuts, and frame-accurate stinger transitions. Guests can join through a browser invite link over WebRTC without an app or account. The compositor supports image overlays and lower thirds, while scheduled premieres, back-to-back playlists, and 24/7 loops cover programmed broadcasts. Each instance can provide an unlisted HLS watch page with custom branding and an optional viewer password. Stream Deck and Bitfocus Companion can control the switcher. Shed is an AGPL-3.0 Rust binary that runs with ffmpeg on Docker, Podman, Unraid, Proxmox, or Linux. Self-hosting costs nothing, with unlimited destinations and no per-channel fees. Source builds specify Rust 1.88+ and Node.js 20+.