6 Top Video Hosting Websites: Comparison Deep Dive
Content may be king, but video content rules the world these days. If you're a business or an artist uploading high-quality online videos can be a great method to increase the number of people who follow you both on social media and your website.
But hosting videos, especially in top-quality HD or 4K format, could make servers very shaky and strain your website bandwidth and storage. This is why both businesses and individuals frequently use a video hosting site to create, edit, and upload their own video.
Jump ahead
- What is video hosting?
- What is the reason you require a video hosting service
- What factors to take into consideration when deciding on a video hosting site
- The top websites for hosting videos: A side-by-side comparison
- six of the best websites for hosting videos
- Services for hosting videos FAQ:
- Which video hosting site will work best to you?
What is video hosting?
Video hosting websites are online videos platforms (OVP) which offer an opportunity to upload videos as well as edit or manage the videos, and also upload videos to the internet easily. Once you upload a video to a hosting site, you'll receive an embed code or link that enables you to share videos both through your website and on social media or other sites.
Alongside being a video sharing site Certain video hosters offer live streaming and video analytics as well as video monetization and various other tools for marketing video.
Why you need an online video hosting service
What to consider when choosing an online video hoster
Before we dive into the specifics of the most popular video hosting sites, let's outline what to look for when choosing a video sharing website.
- Video upload limits. You might be able to upload videos for gratis, but be sure to read the small print. Certain platforms for sharing videos have limits on the quantity and length of videos you can upload and share.
- Storage for video. Some video platforms do offer unlimited video hosting and storage, but it comes with limitations on the length of videos.
- Customizing and embedding videos. Free video hosting sites are a great way to save money, but they can also cost you in terms of harm to your brand if they don't embed correctly, don't support customization, or don't integrate with your analysis.
- Editing and video creation software. Creating custom video content isn't just about a fresh angle behind the lens. It's also about what the video hosting service brings to the table during the editing of your video.
- Video monetization. When your goal is to generate revenue from your video content, you have to consider certain aspects, such as whether you plan to generate revenue through ads or whether you'd rather an entirely ad-free video player.
- Video analytics. Getting serious about video is about being serious about video marketing. The most effective video hosting service for brands and businesses will offer insight into how video is performing.
The best video hosting sites: A side-by-side comparison
Check out the primary characteristics of each video hosting website side-by-side in our graph of comparisons so that you can easily see which one has the attributes (and cost) you're searching for.
| YouTube | Wistia | Kaltura | Brightcove | Dropbox | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost |
Freemium, $0-$65/mo
|
Free | Freemium, $0-$99/mo |
$$$$
Enterprise only |
$$$$
Enterprise is the only one. |
Freemium, $0-26/mo
|
| Enterprise plans available | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video quality |
4K HDR
(Up to 8K) |
4K HDR
(Up up to 8K) |
4K HD | 4K HD | 4K HD | 4K High Definition (Paid plans) |
| Limits to upload | 500 videos/yr | 12 hours or 256GB | 8GB in 2 hrs or 2 hrs | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2-250 2250 GB |
| Ad-free | Yes | No (free accounts) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 2 TB/mo | Unlimited | 10 videos/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2-15 2-15 |
| Videos that are private | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | There is no | Yes |
| Analytics | Yes | Some | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
6 of the best video hosting sites
We obviously offer video hosting, which is why we are a little biased. But that also means we know a lot about video hosting, and the things you should look for. While we believe that we're the most reliable but we'd like to provide you with useful details to help you make the right decision for your needs.
1. Hosting videos
- High-quality video (4K 8K, 4K, and HDR)
- Full-featured player that is customizable
- The built-in suite includes video editing tools
- Advanced privacy settings
- CRM and Social Media integration
- Advanced video analytics
- Only player to support Dolby Vision on Apple devices
Cons
- Video upload limits (based on a plan)
- Storage limits (based upon the plans)
- Limited features available for free users
-
The best for those who want to be themselves.
Cost: Free
Pros
- Free
- Concentrate on the most advanced SEO
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Extensive, global reach
- Supports live streaming
Cons
- Insufficient brand control because of advertising
- Advertisements are displayed even when embedded videos
- Player customization is not limited.
- There is no team management feature.
- Editing features are limited.
3. Wistia video hosting
Best for lead generation
Cost: free, Pro $99/month
Wistia is taking video hosting to the next stage for marketers who want to increase leads. They specialize in embedding lead-capture forms as well as other CTAs right into the ad-free, customizable video player for better advertising campaigns. The downside is Wistia can be quite expensive and only has a limited storage for videos, and no built-in audience on the platform.
Pros
- Customize audiences to use social media
- Integrate lead capture into the embed as well as CTAs
- Ad-free customizable video player
- Advanced video analytics
Cons
- Advanced features confined to higher-tier plans
- Limited team collaboration tools
- Limited video uploads and storage
- A steeper learning curve is required for embed code codes
4. Kaltura video hosting
Best for educators
Cost: $$$$, Enterprise only
The open-source video hosting platform has the mission of empowering learning through collaboration. Kaltura concentrates on webinars, virtual events, and video content management tools. The pricing structure is complicated to navigate and relies upon the sales process. However, the company does offer a trial test.
Pros
- Advanced video analysis
- Open source platform supports customisation
- Geared for webinars and virtual occasions.
- Virtual classrooms and educational solutions support
Cons
- More time for implementation due to sales process
- Complicated pricing structure
- Security issues due to dependence on Flash
5. Brightcove is a video hosting service from Brightcove.
Ideal for branding video Monetization
Cost: $$$$, Enterprise only
Brightcove's VideoCloud is a publishing platform that provides quality, custom-designed video hosting for many big brands, including household names. Brightcove is a specialist in live event streaming and offers advanced integrations. However, due to the fact that it involves some coding, it can be less easily accessible as other solutions for video hosting.
Pros
- Advanced integrations
- Engaging embedded video and the possibility of monetization
- Advanced security options
Cons
- The business-only model can be a barrier to individuals
- It is prohibitive for a typical user.
6. Hosting for videos on Dropbox
Ideal to host multimedia content
Cost: Nothing, plan plans with a price starting at $9.99/month
It's not the first choice you're thinking of when looking for help hosting videos. But you may still host your videos there along with other media. But, Dropbox does enable you to share videos easily, especially with clients and other organizations or marketing departments. The company's Replay tool also offers an easy way to review and providing feedback to videos. Also, if you're planning to include videos on your site, there are some plugins and clever workarounds that allow you to be creative.
Pros
- Familiar platform
- Free up to 2 GB
- Inexpensive video storage
Cons
- Video editing is limited and there are no analytics
- Bare-bones video player
- It requires a third-party plug-in in order for embedding videos
Services for hosting videos FAQ:
How can you self-host your own videos?
The hosting of your own video could put a lot of stress on your site. Indeed, certain web hosting plans even restrict bandwidth, and hosting one video can push you past your limits. That's why most professional sites as well as businesses utilize video hosting.
Where can I host videos at no cost?
What's the most popular web-based video hosting service?
The most popular video hosting site according to numbers is YouTube, primarily because it's a completely free service with a large, built-in users. However, YouTube offers only a few video-making and editing tools, and doesn't have many features to support video marketing for businesses and brands.
Which website for video hosting will work best for you?
As with most decisions making, choosing the right website for hosting videos will depend on how you plan to make use of your video content. If you're trying to increase an audience with professional video content, with high-quality quality or to attract new customers through branded videos There's a video hosting service that's suited to your needs.
Its platform is among the best options out there for an ad-free, high-quality video hosting experience with the capabilities to support both creatives as well as professionals. To those who want to take care to curate videos alongside a supportive community, it is the best choice for video hosting.