Can I open-source Crowdcast?
YES · mature open-source replacementYes. Jitsi Meet (25k stars), LiveKit (13k stars), BigBlueButton (9k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Crowdcast — self-host with docker and stop paying $49/mo.
People still pay for Crowdcast because video products survive because real-time media quality and global reliability are infrastructure businesses, not weekend interface projects. The recurring cost buys TURN capacity, codecs, browsers, packet loss, scaling, recording, consent, abuse, monitoring, and incident response, not just the visible interface.
xlive-event media, registration, chat, questions, analytics, and community audience
xglobal low-latency media network
xdial-in and telephony
xlarge webinars
xtranscription, support, and compliance
These projects already replace it, free.
BBigBlueButtonInteractive live sessions, polls and replay recordings; public-event polish remains your job.open source↗JJitsi MeetVideo conferencing with no accounts and no time limits. Embed it, brand it, or just use meet.jit.si.open source↗LLiveKitRealtime audio/video/data infrastructure over WebRTC for calls, rooms, and AI voice agents.open source↗What each one is, in full: BigBlueButton · Jitsi Meet · LiveKit
all 3 open-source alternatives to Crowdcast →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Crowdcast pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| lite | $49/workspace | $34.30/workspace | 100 live attendees; 10 live hours/month; 1 host seat; 1 GB studio storage; 2-hour sessions; 5% ticket fee |
| pro | $89/workspace | $62.30/workspace | 250 live attendees; 20 live hours/month; 2 host seats; 5 GB studio storage; 4-hour sessions; 1 multistream; 5% ticket fee |
| business | $195/workspace | $136.50/workspace | 1,000 live attendees; 40 live hours/month; 4 host seats; 10 GB studio storage; 6-hour sessions; 3 multistreams; 2% ticket fee |
free tierno free tier; 14-day trial is limited to 10 live attendees and 60-minute sessions
billingmonthly + annual (30% lower)
hidden costsOverage is $0.15 per extra live attendee, $20 per extra 5 live hours and $29 per extra host seat; paid events also incur Crowdcast's 2%–5% fee plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30.
verified 2026-08-14 · source ↗
Can I open-source Crowdcast?
Yes. BigBlueButton replaces Crowdcast today — self-host it on your own server or machine with no subscription. The full list of open-source alternatives is on this page.
How much does Crowdcast cost?
Crowdcast costs about $49/month (Lite, checked 2026-07-31), which is $588 per year. That's what you save by replacing it with open source.
What do I lose by replacing Crowdcast?
Honestly: live-event media, registration, chat, questions, analytics, and community audience; global low-latency media network; dial-in and telephony; large webinars; transcription, support, and compliance. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Crowdcast?
Yes: BigBlueButton (Interactive live sessions, polls and replay recordings; public-event polish remains your job.) Jitsi Meet (Video conferencing with no accounts and no time limits. Embed it, brand it, or just use meet.jit.si.) LiveKit (Realtime audio/video/data infrastructure over WebRTC for calls, rooms, and AI voice agents.) All 3 curated open-source alternatives are at caniopensourceit.online/crowdcast/alternatives.