Comparison of The 20 Best Video Hosting Software in 2024

As more businesses move toward video content as an integral part of their operations, it’s more important than ever to find and utilize the right tools to make storing, organizing, and sharing video content easier.

Video hosting software is specifically designed for helping broadcasters manage their video content, sharing it quickly and easily to help improve audience reach.

There are a variety of options available to broadcasters, and choosing one of the free platforms can be tempting for the budget-conscious. However, weighing all factors that make up quality video hosting platforms against the deficiencies of many free sites makes it clear that, for most businesses to be successful with their video marketing, professional software is necessary.

In this article, we’ll cover what video hosting software is, the key features to look for in professional video hosting software, and the 16 best video hosting platforms available for business in 2024.

Please note that video hosting software technology and pricing change regularly. This post reflects the most accurate information as of July  2024.

Table of Contents

• Video in Business: What You Need to Know
  • Business Video Hosting Stats and Facts
• What is a Business Video Hosting Platform?
• Top Features for Business Video Hosting
  • Video Privacy and Security Features
  • Monetization Tools
  • Sales and Marketing Tools
  • Encoding and Transcoding Tools
  • Live Stream Recording and Auto-Archiving
  • HTML5 Video Player
  • API Access
• Top 15 Premium Business Video Hosting Platforms 
• 1. Dacast
  • Key Features
  • New!
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 2. Brightcove
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 3. IBM Video Streaming
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 4. Vimeo Livestream
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 5. Kaltura
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 6. Wistia
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 7. Vidyard
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 8. SproutVideo
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 9. JW Player
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 10. Wowza
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 11. StreamShark
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 12. Hippo Video
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 13. Cincopa
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 14. TwentyThree
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• 15. HubSpot
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Pricing
  • Reviews
  • Best Use Case
• Top 5 Free Online Video Platform Alternatives
• 1. YouTube
  • Key Features:
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Best Use Case
• 2. Dailymotion 
  • Key Features:
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Best Use Case
• 3. Facebook Live
  • Key Features:
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Best Use Case
• 4. Twitch
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Best Use Case
• 5. LinkedIn Live
  • Key Features
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Upload Guidelines and Specs
  • Best Use Case
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Video Hosting at a Glance

Video hosting is the technology that allows broadcasters to store and manage online video content. This is becoming increasingly important for brands across many industries since more studies are proving that online video is effective in improving a variety of business operations.

Here are a few stats and facts to back this up:

• 87% of marketers say adding video content to their marketing strategies has directly increased sales
• 82% of consumers have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a video online
• 53% of viewers will watch a video to the end regardless of its length
• 90% of marketers say using videos has helped them increase brand awareness

For more data supporting the value of online video for professionals, please check out our live streaming statistics post.

What is Video Hosting Software?

Video hosting software is a piece of software, either that you get free or that you pay a subscription fee for, allowing you to host, publish, and share your video content with the wider public.

Choosing to use video content as part of your business means you also choose to make that video content the best you possibly can. Subpar video quality and unprofessional presentation may end up doing your business goals more harm than good.

To help you achieve your video content goals, it’s essential to employ the use of professional video hosting services to make the process as seamless as possible.

Why Video Hosting Software is Important for Business

Video content takes up a great deal of storage space, and storing and streaming the large file sizes of even a few professional videos can be more than many small business servers can handle.

Additionally, while being able to conceive, shoot and edit high-performing video content is something many teams can manage, the technical know-how required to stream and promote that content for the best experience for each viewer is something most businesses don’t possess.

With professional, secure video hosting software, your team gets all the tools that much larger, more well-funded businesses have at your fingertips. This allows you to take all the video content you produce — streamed conference replays, recorded lectures, sales explainer videos, and more — and present it to each viewer in the best format for their device, at a speed that will save them from constant buffering.

Providing a great video streaming experience for your viewers improves the image of your business in their eyes, making them more likely to become loyal customers or to recommend you to their friends and family.

In short: If you plan to use video content to grow your business, you need to utilize secure video hosting software.

Premium vs. Free Video Hosting Software

When selecting a piece of video hosting software, the first decision many businesses have to make is whether to go with one of the many free self-hosting video options available or to pay the extra money to subscribe to a professional video platform.

The affordability of the free options is attractive to many small businesses or creators just starting out with their content, but there are some trade-offs that many businesses find unappealing.

Many free platforms limit the length of videos you can upload, putting restrictions on creators who produce longer-form content. They also restrict the options for monetizing videos, which makes it difficult for those creators whose business models would be better suited to a different type of video monetization.

The free platforms also retain control of the content posted on them. This means that your content can be demonetized, lost in search, or even deleted by the platform without your knowledge. For a creator whose business relies on their video content, this could be devastating.

If you’re just getting started with video creation as part of your business, or you’re on an exceptionally thin budget for software, the free options available will serve their purpose for a while.

However, for those who already have a library of video content or who want to be able to access some of the more professional features such as hosting in the cloud, as well as retaining full control of the way their content is stored and promoted, paid video hosting software is a necessity.

Features of Professional Video Hosting Software 

Finding the right video hosting software to support your business goals is a key part of a well-executed, successful video content strategy. Without the proper features and functions, even the best video content will be less impactful for your business than it should be.

When looking for professional video hosting software, there are a variety of features to explore to ensure that you will get the most out of your choice, including:

• Video content management system 
• Video transcoding and encoding
• Live stream recording
• Video security and privacy
• Mobile video hosting
• Direct S3 upload

These features not only allow you to store, publish and share your content with ease, but they provide you the opportunity to maintain full control of your content so you can make the most out of your videos.

Video Content Management System (CMS)

Even if you only have a few videos now, over time, your library of content will naturally grow. And, as it grows, you will need a way to store and organize all the content for easy searching to allow viewers to find the content they’re looking for.

The right video hosting software allows you to easily upload, transcode, organize, monetize, analyze, and share video content with your audience.

The built-in search function helps to match your users’ searches with the right videos, improving the user experience and boosting their confidence in your business.

Video Transcoding & Encoding

Your video content needs to be playable by a multitude of browsers and devices and should be presented seamlessly in the format that works best in each situation.

In situations where your content is streamed live, such as conference coverage or worship services, the video hosting software you use must be able to present the images that come from your camera in a format that’s playable by viewers. This process, called transcoding, is handled automatically by the right software, taking the RAW files from your camera and turning them into something that can be viewed online.

Once you’ve uploaded a pre-recorded video for viewing, your video hosting software also needs to be able to present that video file in a format that will work best on every viewer’s device and that will play with the least amount of interruptions for buffering.

With automatic video encoding, your software takes the files in whatever format you send them and presents them to individual viewers in the manner that’s most suited to their device specifications and internet connection speed. This provides viewers with a positive experience watching your videos and reduces viewer abandonment.

Live Stream Recording

Even if you live to stream your content as a matter of habit, chances are you want to preserve at least some of that for future use. The best way to do this would be to record your live streams for on-demand playback.

Being able to record video at the same time as it’s sent live to viewers is important to increasing your ROI from live content. Those viewers who see the video live become your first audience, and the ability to distribute that content for later playback increases your reach and maximizes the profit from each live streaming video.

Video Security & Privacy

You put a lot of time, money, and resources into producing your video content, and protecting it from unauthorized users is essential.

With advanced security and privacy features such as domain control, password-protected hosting, encrypted streaming in the cloud, and watermarking, you can keep your videos safe from piracy, unauthorized access, and illegal downloads.

Whether you offer access only to internal viewing, unlimited viewing with a monthly subscription, or free access funded by advertisements, there’s an option to protect your property so you’re the one who benefits.

Mobile Video Hosting

More and more video content is being watched on mobile devices, and the ever-changing landscape of technology makes it more important than ever to ensure easy broadcasting on a variety of streaming platforms and devices.

Software that offers an HTML5 video player shows videos in the right format on every browser and device automatically. This prevents the frustrating need to download a new browser or use a different device to watch a video when one format isn’t working.

Direct S3 Upload

For large libraries of videos or creators who make longer videos, being able to quickly move their content where it needs to be is crucial.

Where this job was once given to file transfer protocol (FTP), it has recently been replaced by direct S3 upload. This method provides all the ease of using an FTP server but with added benefits, including:

• Unlimited storage
• Lower latency
• Faster network transfer speeds
• Multiple data backups
• Increased security measures

Quickly and securely move large amounts of data with direct S3 uploading, decreasing overall costs, and frustration in the meantime.

The 20 Best Video Hosting Software

Now that you know what to look for in video streaming software, let’s take a look at the top 20 options for broadcasters. We will cover some professional-grade platforms, like Dacast, as well as a few consumer-grade and prosumer options.

1. Dacast

Company Background

Dacast is a unified streaming solution that supports both live stream and VOD hosting. As far as private video hosting platforms go, it is equipped with the most robust set of tools businesses need to carry out professional streams of any type.

Dacast offers enterprise video hosting features at affordable price points. Key features include ad-free live streaming, a completely white-label video player, and delivery using a top-tier video CDN. Our platform is known for its 24/7 customer support, advanced security features, monetization options, customizability, and more. 

Key Features

Dacast offers enterprise-grade features at affordable price points. Key features include ad-free live streaming, a completely white-label video player, and delivery using a top-tier video CDN.

• SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD video monetization tools
• Large-scale content management features
• Real-time video analytics
• Advanced video security capabilities, including password-protected hosting
• Secure, global content delivery and AES video encryption
• Multi-bitrate streaming and an adaptive bitrate video player
• RTMP (real-time messaging protocol) ingest, playback, and streaming support
• VOD platform to monetize on-demand content, and scale your VOD business
• Low latency HTML5 channels for video streaming
• Player API and Video API access

Pros

• Reliable video security 
• Top-tier CDN partnerships
• VOD and live stream hosting
• Business video hosting in China
• M3U8 media links to stream to mobile and smart TV apps such as Roku, Apple TV, etc.
• Mobile device support
• Live stream recording
• 24/7 customer support with both email and live chat options

Cons

• A slight learning curve for new users

Upload Guidelines and Specs

• Minimum dimension: none (but 240p is the recommended minimum)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p or 4K (depends on the user’s hardware and internet)
• Aspect ratio: no restrictions (but 16:9 is the default)
• Max file size: none
• Max video length: none
• Total file storage: 10-1000GB (depends on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (preferred), MOV, M4V, M2V, AVI, MPG, FLV, WMV, MKV, WEBM, OGV, MXF, ASF, VOB, MTS

Pricing

Dacast’s pricing plans come in 4 different packages suitable and customizable to any organization’s needs:

• Starter – $39month (includes 2.4 TB of bandwidth per year & 500 GB of storage)
• Event – $63/month (includes 6 TB of bandwidth upfront and 250 GB of storage)
• Scale – $165/month (includes 24 TB of bandwidth per year and 2000 GB of storage)

Customized pricing plans are available for those businesses that need higher volume solutions.

Reviews

“We usually use Dacast for our streaming service in the equestrian competition. We found this service very affordable since [sic] the first time. We have never had problems with service interruptions, which is very important to guarantee good live streaming services.” – Luca M., via Capterra

“[Dacast is] A firm streaming platform where you can customize channels for events and schools. As a long-term user of five years, Dacast has provided a stable platform to meet our streaming needs at a reasonable cost. They have excellent customer and support services that have been quick to address any issues we have had quickly and professionally. Recommend them often.” – Shawn O., via G2

Best Use Cases

Dacast offers an area of industry-specific solutions. Best use cases include:

• VOD hosting
• Marketing and sales
• Online education and e-learning,
• Live streaming of events
• Enterprise use

Technical Specifications

• Minimum dimension: None (but 240p is the recommended minimum)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p or 4K (depends on the user’s hardware and internet)
• Supported video aspect ratios: No restrictions (but 16:9 is the default)
  Maximum file size: Unlimited, though larger file sizes can impact viewer experience
• Maximum video length:
• Total file storage: 10 to 1,000 GB, depending on the planAccepted video formats: MP4 (preferred), .MOV, M4V, M2V, .AVI, MPG, .FLV, .WMV, .MKV, WebM, OGV, MXF, ASF, VOB, MTS

Want to try Dacast risk-free for 14 days? Create an account now to get started on your free trial. No credit card is required.

Dacast is an all-around solid corporate video hosting solution. It provides you with all the tools you need for sharing private, internal videos and training, as well as all the tools you need for public live events and video-on-demand.

2. Brightcove

Company Background

Since 2004, Brightcove offers video hosting software that is designed for both video monetization and marketing. With thousands of users in more than 70 countries worldwide, they’re one of the common names in the industry.

If you’re looking for top-of-line video technology paired with the ability to integrate your favorite marketing, communications, or advertising software, Brightcove is a great option.

Basic Functionality

Brightcove is intended to integrate easily with marketing and advertising campaigns, offering cloud-based video and video player capabilities.

This video hosting site is designed to improve audience engagement by allowing live interactions. This is a helpful feature if you’re focused on transforming passive viewers into active ones. You can easily interact with your audience and ask them questions to make them engage with the live stream. 

Key Features

• Multiple app integrations offering enhanced customization
• TV Everywhere (TVE) streaming services
• Over-the-top (OTT) streaming services
• Live event and 24/7 streaming capabilities
• Customization for video monetization and advertising

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Powerful editing tools
• Easily configure permissions for multiple users
• Customize privacy and security settings

Cons

• Limited reporting
• 24/7 support costs extra
• No China delivery
• Sophisticated tools can make it difficult to learn

Pricing

Brightcove offers several pricing plan levels. These include the following:

• Starter: Includes 1 account with up to 10 users and the option to add additional accounts
• Essential: Everything in the Starter plan plus MAP/CRM integrations and playback restrictions
• Premium: Everything in the Essential plan plus in-depth engagement analytics, premium customer support, and basic encryption for playback restrictions

Brightcove doesn’t publish its pricing plans for Video Cloud live streaming services online. For a customized quote, you need to contact them directly to discuss your specific business needs.

Best Use Cases

• Live streaming sports
• Streaming video for sales
• Live event streaming
• Enterprise video hosting
• Marketing video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: Determined by user
• Supported aspect ratios: Determined by user
• Maximum file size: Unlimited
• Maximum video length: Unknown (No limits are published)
• Total file storage: Depends on the plan 
• Accepted video formats: MP4, .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .FLV, .MKV, 3GPP

3. IBM Video Streaming

Company Background

Previously known as UStream, IBM Video Streaming is among the best video distribution software options on the market. It is regarded as a reliable platform, but its most inclusive plans come with a hefty price tag compared to other similar options.

Basic Functionality

IBM Video Streaming offers live streaming and video-on-demand services.

IBM Video Streaming stands out among other video hosting sites because it offers advanced transcoding and live streaming with automated speech-to-text functions. It also allows simultaneous live streaming and provides multi-language audio tracks. This makes it a great option for broadcasters who want to upload videos that target a diverse audience.  

Additionally, IBM Video Streaming makes a great choice if you’re on the lookout for a platform that automates live stream captioning. You can use it to create online videos that adapt to different devices, bandwidths, and screen sizes with automatic bitrate switching. 

Key Features

• Highly reliable
• Superior customer support
• Video is delivered using an internal VOD server

Pros

• Suited for larger businesses
• Exceptional customer support
• Powerful features great for broadcasters
• Very reliable

Cons

• Cannot customize monetization
• Doesn’t use a CDN
• API access is only available with custom-priced, expensive plans

Pricing

IBM offers a 30-day free trial and pricing plans that range from $137 to $1380 per month.

• Silver: $137/month
• Gold: $688/month
• Platinum: $1380/month
• Custom: Please contact IBM Video Streaming for custom plan pricing.

Best Use Cases

• Live event streaming
• Marketing video hosting
• Enterprise video hosting
• Streaming video for sales

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 4K (3840×2160)
• Supported aspect ratios: Unknown (Not published)
• Maximum file size: 4 GB
• Maximum video length: Unknown (No limits are published)
• Total file storage: 1 TB – 5 TB, depending on plan
• Accepted video formats: MKV, MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MPEG2, H264, H263, MPEG4, VP6, VP8, THEORA, WMV, MP3, AAC-LC, NELLYMOSER, PCM, SPEEX, VORBIS, WMA

4. Kaltura

Company Background

Kaltura is a video hosting software that is based in Israel. It offers both live video and VOD streaming. What makes Kaltura unique is that it is open-source, which means it is totally customizable.

It provides a suite of specialized services, making it suitable for enterprises, educational institutions, and other large organizations.

Basic Functionality

Kaltura can handle online and in-person training, such as webinars.

Kaltura is a great option if you’re looking for a video hosting site that offers multiple integrations with third-party CRM platforms and marketing automation tools. You can connect Kaltura with platforms like Zoom, Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot. This makes it a suitable choice for marketers who want to host webinars and generate leads. 

You can use Kaltura to create a minisite and a fully customized landing page for your webinars. Doing this allows you to easily promote the webinars and get more inbound traffic for them. 

What’s more?

Kaltura allows you to record and upload your webinars when the live sessions are over. This means you can still generate leads from past webinars.

Key Features

• Cloud TV service
• Video looping available
• Password protected hosting, encryption, watermarking, and other security features included
• Closed captioning available
• Customizable monetization options

Pros

• Bulk video uploading is available
• Easily accessible for viewers
• Multiple monetization choices

Cons

• Uploading and video processing slow
• No China delivery
• Users must provide their own CDN, increasing cost and complexity

Pricing

Kaltura offers pricing for different use cases, such as webinars and virtual classrooms. 

Webinars

• Free Trial: 
• Business: $199/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Virtual Classroom

• Free Trial
• Standard: $23/month
• Pro: $55/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Kaltura also offers pricing plans for other use cases like media services, virtual events, town halls, and meetings. However, you will have to contact its sales team for more pricing information. 

Best Use Cases

• Marketing video hosting
• Streaming video for sales
• Live event streaming
• Enterprise video hosting
• Streaming video for education

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 180p (320×180) to 1080p (1920×1080)
• Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3
• Maximum file size: 2 GB
• Maximum video length: Unknown (No limits are published)
• Total file storage: 10 GB to unlimited, depending on the plan
• Accepted video formats: MOV, MP4

5. Wistia

Company Background

Wistia is another great video hosting software that offers “TV-quality” streaming, making it ideal for broadcasters. Custom players allow users to add their own logos and branding.

Wisita is especially well-suited for marketers since it is equipped with analytics, reporting, and other tools that make it easy to track results. This helps broadcasters to assess and revamp their strategies as necessary.

Basic Functionality

Wistia is good for the creation, management, and streaming of marketing video content.

With Wistia, you can easily track the performance of your online videos and optimize them for better results. The platform provides video heatmaps that help you identify sections of your videos with the most and least engagement. 

The great thing about Wistia is that you can easily create a video gallery that aligns with your branding. It provides several customizable templates with stunning designs. All you need to do is upload videos, add your logo and brand colors and you’re good to go. 

When it comes to recording and editing videos, Wistia also makes it a breeze. It has a text-based editing feature that makes it easy to cut out unnecessary pauses or muffled sounds from your videos. 

Wistia also provides a huge library of royalty-free music you can use. Its smart tracks automatically adjust to the length of your video, eliminating the need for further audio editing.

Key Features

• Ad-free experience
• Custom video player
• Interactive video tools
• SEO features and video analytics
• CRM integrations make it ideal for marketing and sales team use

Pros

• Users don’t see ads on videos
• Exceptional customer service
• Custom branding options
• Built-in analytics

Cons

• Customization options can be clunky
• No China delivery

Pricing

Wistia pricing plans have 3 tiers and include:

• Free
• Plus: $19/month
• Pro: – $79/month
• Advanced: $319/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Best Use Cases

• Live event streaming
• Enterprise video hosting
• Streaming video for sales
• Marketing video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: Maximum of 4K (3840×2160)
• Supported aspect ratios: Any
• Maximum file size: 8 GB
• Maximum video length: 2 hours
• Total file storage: Up to 10 videos with the pro plan ($99 per month), $0.25 per month for every extra video
• Accepted video formats: MP4 (recommended format), .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .FLV, .MKV, 3GPP

6. Vidyard

Company Background

Vidyard is a video hosting software that is aimed at marketing, sales, and corporate communications teams. They endeavor to support businesses with professional content distribution.

Basic Functionality

Vidyard is designed to assist marketing, sales and corporate communications teams turn their viewers into customers.

This is one of the video hosting platforms that allows you to upload videos and customize them using custom thumbnails and in-video actions. It also provides automatic captioning that creates a more pleasant viewing experience for your audience. 

Key Features

• Video personalization and creation
• Interactive playback experiences
• Customizable security controls
• Custom pages for video sharing
• Video analytics and built-in SEO tools

Pros

• In-depth analytics and data reporting
• Active user community
• Superior customer service
• A broad range of features

Cons

• No China delivery
• Backend is not considered user-friendly
• Mixed reviews from customers

Pricing

Vidyard’s pricing is dependent on whether you plan to use the platform for marketing, sales, or corporate communications.

Vidyard pricing plans come in four tiers. All plans are billed monthly or annually and include:

• Free:
• Pro: $29/month billed monthly
• Plus: $89/month billed monthly
• Business: Custom pricing

Best Use Cases

• Streaming video for sales
• Enterprise video hosting
• Marketing video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 360p to 4K (480×360 to 3840×2160)
• Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3
• Maximum file size: 5 GB to 16 GB, depending on the plan
• Maximum video length: 1 hour for live streams
• Total file storage: Unknown (not published)
• Accepted video formats: WEBM, MP4, MKV, MOV

7. JW Player

Company Background

JW Player is a video streaming software that offers VOD hosting and live streaming at affordable prices. This company was originally known for its video player that shared some of its code with the initial YouTube video player. It offers limited features and is best suited for those on a very tight budget who don’t mind its limited capability.

Basic Functionality

JW Player is a good option for those looking for lower prices and great customer service. However, they must be willing to sacrifice access to some features and services.

You can use JW Player’s content protection features to safeguard your video content and ensure it is accessible only to authorized users. Some of these protection features include URL signing, geo-blocking, and DRM like Widevine, Fairplay, and PlayReady.  

Key Features

• Ad optimization
• Video analytics
• Tokenized access and DRM support
• Designed for organizations of varying sizes
• Video distribution management

Pros

• Affordable plan pricing
• The user interface is easy to use
• Advertising monetization integrations
• Video auto-converted for playing on different devices
• Excellent customer service and sales support

Cons

• No China delivery
• No live streaming via API
• Live events limited to 5 hours
• No closed captioning or screen sharing
• No monetization customization options

Pricing

With JW Player, live streaming support begins at a free trial level. There are 3 pricing plan tiers:

• Free Trial: Includes full API and SDK access and a non-commercial license, with 25 GB hosting bandwidth and 75 GB streaming.
• Stream: Custom pricing (offers access to video delivery ad asset management)
• Play: Custom pricing (offers access to cloud hosting and OTTP apps)
• Engage: Custom pricing (offers access to real-time analytics and custom reports)
• Monetize: Custom pricing (offers access to ad insertion and player bidding) 

Best Use Cases

• Streaming video for sales
• Marketing video hosting
• Enterprise video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 360p to 1080p (480×360 to 1920×1080)
• Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3, 2.39:1
• Maximum file size: 25 GB
• Maximum video length: Unknown
• Total file storage: 25 GB to 500 GB, depending on the plan
• Accepted video formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, 3GP, FLV

8. Vimeo Livestream

Company Background

Vimeo Livestream is a powerful video distribution software that is used for hosting live and on-demand video content. It was purchased by Vimeo in 2017 and the Livestream technology is now sold by Vimeo.

Vimeo Livestream is on the more expensive side and it is best-suited for professional broadcasters looking for an all-in-one platform for business use.

Basic Functionality

For professionals looking for one platform that allows them to stream, manage, and monitor video content, Livestream has the solution. Marketing, video management analytics, and live streaming video services are included.

This is a video hosting platform that helps you gather more leads by embedding forms and CTAs into your videos. It also provides a caption search feature and automatic transcriptions. 

One of the most notable features of this video hosting site is its adaptive streaming. It is capable of providing high-quality streams in 1080p HD to an audience of over 100,000 viewers. It also provides backup streams, eCDN, and stream health monitoring to ensure that the live streams go uninterrupted. 

Key Features

• Multiple security features
• Additional marketing capabilities
• Audience interaction tools

Pros

• Detailed video analytics
• Works with YouTube
• Excellent security features
• Easy-to-use for both users and viewers

Cons

• No China delivery
• Limited CDN capabilities
• Streaming pauses frequently for software updates

Pricing

Vimeo Livestream offers three main pricing plans, including:

1. Vimeo Premium:

• • Premium pricing: $65/month

2. Vimeo Enterprise:

• • Enterprise Pricing: Please contact Vimeo for custom pricing information

3. Vimeo OTT:

• • Starter Pricing: Please contact Vimeo for custom pricing information

Best Use Cases

• Live event streaming
• Marketing video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 720p (1280×720)
• Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3
• Maximum file size: 3 GB
• Maximum video length: Unknown
• Total file storage: Unknown
• Accepted video formats: MP4 (recommended)

9. SproutVideo

Company Background

SproutVideo is a video hosting software that provides live and on-demand video hosting. This company provides a variety of plans for all budgets and needs.

Basic Functionality

SproutVideo is best for broadcasters who want an all-in-one platform that offers both live and VOD streaming.

This is one of the video hosting solutions you can use to provide on-demand and live video content. It supports videos in high quality formats like UltraHD and 8K. It is also equipped with a global CDN and adaptive bitrate streaming. 

SproutVideo is a video CMS software designed with automatic bandwidth detection and AES 128 encryption. This means that it doesn’t only provide secure streaming, but also periodically adjusts the quality of the live stream to ensure uninterrupted playback for viewers. 

This is a video hosting site that provides video SEO. This makes it a great choice for marketers who are interested in improving their online search rankings and increasing organic inbound traffic.

Key Features

• All plans receive live chat support
• API access
• Privacy and security features are customizable

Pros

• Detailed analytics reporting
• Plans for all budgets and business needs
• Wide range of customization options

Cons

• Limited storage
• Sub-par video SEO tools
• Slow playback caching causes buffering

Pricing

SproutVideo offers a 30-day free trial and four pricing plans to target different budgets.

• Seed: $10/month
• Sprout: $35/month
• Tree: $75/month
• Forrest: $295/month

Best Use Cases

• Live video streaming
• Enterprise video streaming
• On-demand video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: None
• Supported aspect ratios: Any
• Maximum file size: Up to 100 GB
• Maximum video length: Unlimited
• Total file storage: 500 GB with 500 GB of bandwidth, minimum 
• Accepted video formats: MP4, .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .FLV, .MKV, 3GPP

10. Hippo Video

Company Background

Hippo Video is a professional video streaming hosting provider that offers tools for marketing, sales, education, and more. It was founded in 2016 by Lyceum Technologies.

This company is unique in the sense that it has plans for broadcasters with a wide range of budgets.

Basic Functionality

The basic functionality of Hippo Video is video hosting and streaming for sales professionals, marketing professionals, and educators.

Hippo Video stands out among other video hosting platforms owing to its AI-powered features. 

With Hippo Video, you can create interactive, life-like human avatars within minutes. All you have to do is provide prompts to serve as a basis for the video. 

Hippo Video is equipped with markup tools for annotating or highlighting specific information in your videos. 

Another great feature Hippo Video offers is video analytics. It provides detailed insights into user activity by monitoring key video metrics such as user location, views, plays, devices used, and percentage watched. 

Key Features

Aside from video hosting, Hippo Video is equipped with tools for video editing and creation.

Pros

• Editing and creation tools
• Customization options
• Marketing tools (CTAs, analytics, etc.)
• Screen recording
• Hosting tools (transcoding, closed captioning, organization)
• Collaboration tools

Cons

• Some complaints about the reliability of tech support
• The platform can be a bit buggy
• Some issues with the built-in editor
• The free trial does not represent the platform well

Pricing

Hippo Video has a four-tiered pricing structure since it offers a variety of solutions for different use cases. Here’s a breakdown of pricing.

• Free
• Pro: $20/month billed annually, $30/month billed monthly
• Teams: $60/month billed annually, $75/month billed monthly
• Enterprise: $80/month, billed annually (minimum 10 seats)

Hippo Video also has special pricing plans for Personalization and Education. Users can contact Hippo Video directly for recorder API pricing.

Best Use Cases

• Video hosting
• Marketing
• Sales
• Education

Technical Specifications

• Minimum dimension: 480p
• Maximum dimension: 1080p
• Aspect ratio: not available
• Max file size: 3 GB
• Max video length: 5 minutes on Free plans, 2 hours on Premium plans
• Total file storage: n/a
• Compatible video formats: not available

11. Cincopa

Company Background

Cincopa is an intuitive video delivery platform that allows you to host live events such as town halls and webinars in high quality formats. It is designed to provide a responsive display across different screen sizes and different devices. 

Furthermore, Cincopa keeps your live stream events secure by providing domain locks, email gates, and passwords. It is also compatible with Wirecast, OBS, Zoom, and other popular streaming studios.

Key Features

Cincopa is a multimedia hosting platform that is capable of hosting video, audio (podcasts and music), photos, and more.

Pros

• Tools or businesses with large multimedia storage/hosting needs
• Solutions for sales, marketing, education, production, publishing, and more
• Video monetization tools
• Video analytics

Cons

• Not a dedicated video streaming hosting provider
• A large number of features makes the platform a bit complicated

Pricing

Cincopa offers three distinct pricing plans:

• Plus: $30/month 
• Corporate: $119/month 
• Agency/Enterprise: $420/month 

Please check out Cincopa’s pricing page for a further breakdown of storage and capabilities that come with each plan.

Best Use Cases

• Multimedia hosting
• Video hosting
• Photo gallery hosting
• Music and podcast hosting

Technical Specifications

• Minimum dimension: 144p
• Maximum dimension: 4K
• Aspect ratio: 4:3, 16:9
• Max file size: 1, 2, 20GB (depending on the plan)
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 5 videos, 40 videos, unlimited videos (depending on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, M4A, F4A,  F4B, F4V, F4P, M2TS, MTS, VOB, MKV, RMVB, M1V, QT, DIV, DIVX, DV, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, MPG, MPEG, MPE, FLV

12. Wowza

Company Background

Founded in 2005, Wowza offers both live and on-demand streaming, offering flexibility and accessibility across all devices. It is a highly scalable video hosting platform that enables professionals to provide video content to large audiences without compromising on quality.

Basic Functionality

Wowza allows broadcasters to customize their workflows using integrations, APIs, and advanced features.

Owing to Wowza’s half-second latency, you can easily interact with your audience in real time, which improves engagement during live streams.

Key Features

• Built-in transcoding
• API access for customization and integrations
• White-label video player
• HTML5 video player
• Digital Right Management (DRM) like encryption and watermarking

Pros

• Live stream recording
• Customer service support is available
• Range of security options
• Offers both live streaming and on-demand video hosting

Cons

• Limited video monetization and audience analytics tools
• No simulcasting tools

Pricing

Wowza has unique pricing plans for its two offerings, Streaming Cloud and Streaming Engine. There are several pricing tiers within each of those offerings.

Streaming Cloud:

The Wowza Streaming Cloud offers 3 distinct pricing plans and services. Live Event Pricing, monthly plans include:

• One Month of Streaming: $149 one-time purchase ( 15 streaming hours and $2.50 per additional hour, 500 viewing hours and $0.10 per additional hour)
• Pay As You Go: $2.50 per streaming hour and $0.10 per viewing hour
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

All of these Live Event plans include full brand control, multi-bitrate streaming, and HD and UHD streaming.

Streaming Engine:

The Wowza Streaming Engine has its own pricing plans. These professional-grade streaming plans are billed annually and include:

• Basic: $195/month + $195/month for each additional instance and $125/month for each additional prepaid instance
• One Month Event: $295/month + $295month for each additional instance
• Enterprise: Please contact Wowza directly for access to their custom-tailored high volume enterprise solutions

Best Use Cases

• Live video streaming
• Enterprise video streaming
• On-demand video hosting

Technical Specifications

• Recommended dimensions: 240p to 4K (320×240 to 3840×2160)
• Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3
• Maximum file size: Unknown
• Maximum video length: Unknown
• Total file storage: 250 GB, depending on the plan 
• Accepted video formats: MP4, FLV, MP3, SMIL, AMLST, ID3, NGRP

13. StreamShark

Company Background

StreamShark is another video hosting software that supports live and on-demand video streaming. This streaming software is an offering from MetaCDN, which means that the platform supports reliable content delivery.

Basic Functionality

StreamShark is designed for advanced online video streaming for both live and on-demand content.

Streamshark is one of the video hosting sites that allows you to remotely manage your encoders across intranets. This means you can easily simulcast your live streams to other social media destinations. 

Another notable feature that makes Streamshark a great choice is its end-to-end encryption. With this feature, you can limit who gets access to your video content via domain, IP address, URL, or geographical location. This gives you full control over the type of viewers who watch your videos. 

Key Features

• Global video delivery
• 360 live streaming
• All-device streaming.
• Video analytics
• Customizable video player
• Secure streaming
• Tech support
• Video modernization

Pros

• Innovative video hosting software
• Wide range of features
• Highly compatible 
• Capable of supporting advanced streaming setups
• Increased storage space

Cons

• Does not support channels or playlists
• Some complaints of limitations on analytics
• No China video delivery

Pricing

Monthly live streaming plans with StreamShark begin at $199 per month and include the following:

• Standard: $199/month and include 1000 GB of VOD storage an additional overage of $0.10 per GB
• Team: $499/month and includes 4000 GB of storage, and lowers per GB overage prices to $0.09
• Business: $999/month and includes 9000 GB of storage, and reduces the overage to $0.08 per GB
• Enterprise: Please contact StreamShark for their custom enterprise solutions and plans

Best Use Cases 

• Enterprise video hosting
• Live streaming
• On-demand video hosting
• 360 live streaming

Technical Specifications

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: not available
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 500GB, 1TB, 3TB
• Compatible video formats: HLS, WebM VP9, WebM VP8, WebM VP9 DASH, MP4

14. StreamYard

Company Background

If you are looking for an in-browser streaming solution, StreamYard could be an option for you. This site is an in-browser live streaming platform.

StreamYard is relatively basic, but it will get the job done for broadcasters with minimal live streaming needs. Please note that StreamYard can only be used to host live streams, not VOD content.

Basic Functionality

StreamYard is built to host basic live streams.

StreamYard enables you to create a fully-white label experience for your viewers. This means that you can customize the platform by adding logos and color schemes to match your company branding. 

StreamYard also makes your videos more engaging by allowing your viewers to interact with each others’ comments with chat reactions.

Key Features

• In-browser streaming
• Live streaming 
• Brand customization
• Graphic overlays
• Simulcasting tools
• Multi-source streams
• Screen sharing 

Pros

• Easy to use
• Great for hosting engaging streams
• Collaboration tools

Cons

• Very basic platform 
• No video monetization
• Does not support on-demand streaming
• Some limitations with browser compatibility 

Pricing

StreamYard offers a free trial but there is no information available on the website regarding the pricing plans. You have to contact the sales team for further information.

• Free: Access StreamYard on a limited basis for free.
• Basic: $20/month; access some advanced streaming features, including unlimited streaming, brand customization, graphic overlays, simulcasting, and stream recording.
• Professional: $39/month; adds additional usage capabilities and full HD streaming

StreamYard also offers enterprise plans that are priced on a case-by-case basis.

Best Use Cases 

• Basic live stream hosting
• In-browser streaming
• Low-budget live streaming

Technical Specifications

StreamYard does not publish upload guidelines and specs.

15. Panopto

Company Background

Panopto is a video hosting software option that is focused on education streaming for both businesses and universities. This platform enables streaming, sharing, recording, and managing video content. With more than 100 employees in 6 offices around the world, Panopto serves an audience of over 5 million end-users in the e-learning space.

With Panopto, users have a single mobile-ready solution for video management, recording, live streaming, video search, quizzing, and analytics. Their video content management (CMS) system allows for the centralization of video streams, playlists, and playback.

Basic Functionality

Panopto’s basic functionality is video hosting for online education and video training video organization than the other best live streaming platforms considered here.

Panopto offers advanced features like AI-powered keyword search, ASR captioning, and in-depth engagement analytics. With the keyword search function, you can easily find moments, words, or topics in your videos.

Key Features

• Live streaming
• On-demand video hosting 
• Video search technology
• Video analytics and reporting
• Secure streaming
• Privacy tools
• White-label streaming
• API access customization
• LMS integrations

Pros

• Audio and video hosting
• Video organization and management
• Media asset categorization
• Customizable Branding
• China video hosting

Cons

• The platform is “barebones”
• Requires a bit of a learning curve 
• Some “clunkiness” with certain features

Pricing

Panopto offers only custom pricing.

Best Use Cases 

• Live streaming
• On-demand video streaming
• Video management
• Screen recording

Technical Specifications

• Compatible video formats: AVI, MP4, MPG, WMV, MOV, QT, ASF, 3GP, WMA, MP3, M4V
• All other upload guidelines and specs are only available to paying customers.

Free Video Hosting Software

Not all businesses want to or are able to, invest in video hosting software right away.

These 4 platforms can help get you started for free:

16. LinkedIn Live

Company Background

LinkedIn is a popular social media app that is meant to help professionals network and gain business connections. This app recently launched LinkedIn Live which is an exclusive tool that helps brands connect with professionals through live-streamed content.

Streaming on LinkedIn Live requires the support of a custom RTMP streaming setup (self-hosted) or the support of a third-party streaming platform (like Dacast).

Basic Functionality

LinkedIn is primarily a social media platform, and LinkedIn Live is a newly added feature for enhanced engagement. 

Key Features

• Live streaming
• Social media community building
• Integrates with LinkedIn Events for virtual event hosting
• Strict content restrictions
• Exclusive feature
• Quality-control 
• Designed to boost engagement

Pros

• Free to use
• Niche audience (professionals)
• Helps build brand awareness
• Engaging streaming tool

Cons

• Access runs on an application basis
• Requires third party support
• Content restrictions can be limiting 

Pricing

LinkedIn Live is free to use.

Best Use Cases 

• Live streaming for a professional audience
• Free live streaming

Technical Specifications

The technical specs and upload guidelines depend on the platform that you use to support your stream.

17. YouTube