Stagebound vs Cast98
Both are built for theater. Stagebound is the remote casting studio — productions, roles, self-tapes, and the pipeline. Here is how the two line up.
The honest summary
Cast98 is an all-in-one theater production platform that spans auditions, casting, rehearsal calendars, attendance, and a digital playbill. Stagebound is narrower on purpose: it is casting-first, a remote studio built around productions, roles, invites, self-tapes, notes, and a real-time pipeline. If you want one system that follows a show from audition through to the printed program, Cast98 covers more of that arc; if the casting decision itself is where your team spends its energy, that is what Stagebound is designed around.
A comparison of Stagebound and Cast98.
Feature by feature
| Dimension | Stagebound | Cast98 |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Theater casting teams, community to professional | Theater companies managing full productions |
| Self-tapes | Request and review self-tapes next to notes and the pipeline | Audition intake with scoring reports |
| Casting pipeline | Real-time pipeline board with custom stages and private notes | Role assignment and offers with contract terms |
| Bringing performers in | Invite performers or import a CSV | Audition and rehearsal calendars with conflict tracking |
| Beyond casting | Focused on casting; hands off to your rehearsal tools | Rehearsal management, attendance, and a digital playbill |
| Performer cost | Performers are always free | Not publicly disclosed |
| Team collaboration | Shared real-time workspace with private staff-only notes | Collaborative admin dashboards |
| Data import | CSV, Excel, and Google Sheets import | Not publicly documented |
| Public performer profiles | Opt-in public portfolios performers control | Cast credits and headshots surfaced via digital playbill |
When Cast98 is the better fit
No tool wins every time. Here is where the other option is the honest choice.
- You want one platform for the whole production — rehearsal calendars, attendance, and a digital playbill alongside casting.
- A generated, shareable digital program is a must-have for your audiences.
- Your bottleneck is coordinating rehearsals and cast logistics after casting closes, not the casting decision itself.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Stagebound handle rehearsals like Cast98?
- No. Stagebound is the remote casting studio: productions, roles, invites, self-tapes, notes, and the pipeline. It does not manage rehearsal calendars, attendance, or a digital playbill — Cast98 covers more of the post-casting production arc.
- Do performers pay to use Stagebound?
- No. Performers keep a profile and submit self-tapes for free, always. Stagebound charges casting organizations per seat, with a free tier to start.
- Can I move existing audition data into Stagebound?
- Yes. Stagebound imports from CSV, Excel, and Google Sheets, so a spreadsheet of performers can become a live pipeline without re-entry.
- Is Stagebound only for large theaters?
- No. It is built to scale from community groups to professional companies. The free tier is designed so a small team can run a real audition without paying.
See how Stagebound fits your season.
Start free, invite your team, and run your next audition without the spreadsheet drift.