Content may be king, but it’s video content that rules the world these days. Whether you’re a brand or a creator, sharing high-quality videos online is an excellent way to grow an audience both on social media and on your own website.
But hosting videos, especially in high-quality HD or 4K, can be hard on servers and stress your site storage and bandwidth. That’s why individuals and businesses often use a video hosting site to create, edit, and share their own videos.
What is video hosting?
Video hosting sites are online video platforms (OVP) that provide a place to upload videos, edit or manage video content, and share online videos easily. Once you upload a video to a video hosting platform, you’ll get an embed code or link that enables you to share videos both on your own site and on social media or other websites.
In addition to being a video sharing site, some video host providers support live streaming, video analytics, video monetization, and provide other video marketing tools.
Why you need a video hosting service
If you’ve ever gone to a brand website and watched a product or how-to video, chances are that content isn’t stored on the site’s servers. Instead, businesses embed videos through a video hosting website.
There are a few reasons for embedding video, but the primary one is that most sites can’t support the bandwidth and storage needed to upload video quickly. Both paid and free video hosting provide solutions to take the stress off sites and servers while offering a superior viewing experience.
What to consider when choosing a video hosting site
Before diving into the details of the best video hosting websites, let’s outline what to look for in a video sharing platform.
- Video hosting cost. You can opt for free video hosting at social media sites like Facebook and YouTube or lean into free or paid plans on private video hosting platforms. The disadvantage to a free video hosting platform is you usually sacrifice some control of your content, including an inability to choose the ads that get displayed in your videos.
- Video player quality. Video hosting services offer varying levels of video quality, so check to make sure the video player supports HD 4K and can provide a minimum resolution of 1080p.
- Video upload limits. You might be able to upload videos for free but check the fine print. Some video sharing platforms limit both the number and length of the videos you can upload and share.
- Video storage. Some video platforms do offer unlimited video hosting and storage, but it comes with caveats like caps on video length.
- Platform reach and audience. If you broadcast videos or live stream to grow an audience, you’ll want to go where you can find your people. That might mean uploading video to a social media site that doubles as a video platform.
- Video privacy and sharing controls. Being able to control access to video content and create private videos is crucial to brands and businesses, so look to video hosting solutions that offer privacy and security features.
- Video embedding and customization. Free video hosting sites can be a budget-saver, but they can also be costly in terms of damage to your brand when they don’t embed correctly, don’t support customization, or don’t integrate with your analytics.
- Video creation and editing tools. Creating custom video content isn’t just about a fresh angle behind the lens. It’s also about what your video hosting solution brings to the table during the video editing process.
- Video monetization. When your goal is to make money from your video content, you have to consider specific factors, like whether you plan to generate revenue through ads or whether you prefer an ad-free player.
- Video analytics. Getting serious about video means getting serious about video marketing. The best video hosting solution for businesses and brands will provide insight into video performance.
The best video hosting sites: A side-by-side comparison
See the main features of each video hosting site side by side in our comparison chart so you can easily see which platform has the features (and the price tag) you’re looking for.
| Vimeo | YouTube | Wistia | Kaltura | Brightcove | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Freemium, $0–$65/mo | Free | Freemium, $0–$99/mo | $$$$ Enterprise only | $$$$ Enterprise only | Freemium, $0–26/mo |
| Enterprise plans available | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video quality | 4K HDR (Up to 8K) | 4K HDR (Up to 8K) | 4K HD | 4K HD | 4K HD | 4K HD (Paid plans) |
| Upload limits | 500 videos/yr | 256 GB or 12 hrs | 8 GB or 2 hrs | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2–250 GB |
| Ad free | Yes | No (free accounts) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 2 TB/mo | Unlimited | 10 videos/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2–15 TB |
| Private videos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Analytics | Yes | Some | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
6 of the best video hosting sites
We obviously offer video hosting, which makes us a bit biased. But that also means we know a lot about video hosting and what you should look for. Even if we do think we’re the best, we still want to present you with helpful information so you can make the right choice for yourself.
1. Vimeo video hosting
- Superior video quality (4K, 8K, and HDR)
- Fully customizable player
- Supports live streaming, webinars, and virtual events through Vimeo Venues
- Built-in suite of video editing tools
- Team collaboration tools
- Advanced privacy settings
- Video management features (video library)
- Social media and CRM integration
- Advanced video analytics
- Only player to support Dolby Vision on Apple devices
Cons
- Video upload limits (based on plan)
- Storage limits (based on plan)
- Limited features available for free users
2. YouTube video hosting
YouTube is definitely the largest free video sharing website in the world, but you also get what you pay for. While Google-owned YouTube has a vast global audience and is often prioritized in search results, YouTube as compared to a platform like Vimeo lacks some video editing and video marketing features. YouTube Create was recently rolled out and offers some editing capabilities, but it’s a mobile-only tool. Unverified users are also limited to uploading YouTube videos under 15 minutes, and you’ll have to deal with a plethora of ads in the video player.
Pros
- Free
- Focus on advanced search optimization
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Extensive, global reach
- Supports live streaming
Cons
- Lack of brand control due to ads
- Ads display even on embedded videos
- Limited player customization
- No team management features
- Limited editing features
3. Wistia video hosting
Wistia takes video hosting to the next level for digital marketers looking to maximize lead generation. They specialize in embedding lead-capture forms and other CTAs right into the ad-free, customizable video player to optimize marketing campaigns. The downside is Wistia can be relatively expensive, has limited video storage, and no built-in audience on its platform.
Pros
- Create custom audiences for social media
- Embed lead capture and 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
- Steeper learning curve for embed codes
4. Kaltura video hosting
This open-source video hosting platform is on a mission to empower education through collaboration. Kaltura focuses on webinars, virtual events, and video content management tools. Its pricing structure can be tricky to tackle and relies on going through the sales process, but it does offer a free trial.
Pros
- Advanced video analytics
- Open source platform supports customization
- Geared for webinars and virtual events
- Virtual classroom and education solution support
Cons
- Longer implementation period due to sales process
- Complicated pricing structure
- Security concerns due to reliance on Flash
5. Brightcove video hosting
Cost: $$$$, Enterprise only
Brightcove’s VideoCloud is a video publishing platform that provides high-quality, customized video hosting for many major brands that are household names. Brightcove specializes in live event streaming and includes advanced integrations, but because it requires some coding, it can be less accessible than other video hosting solutions.
Pros
- Advanced integrations
- Embedded video engagement and monetization
- Advanced security options
Cons
- Enterprise-only, can present barriers for individuals
- Cost-prohibitive for the average user
6. Dropbox video hosting
Cost: Free, paid plans starting at $9.99/month
Dropbox isn’t the first solution you think of when you're looking for help hosting videos (and of course unlike platforms like Vimeo, Dropbox doesn't feature robust video editing tools), but you can still host your videos there alongside other content. However, Dropbox does enable you to share videos easily, especially with clients and other companies or marketing teams. The company’s Replay tool also offers an easy platform for reviewing and leaving feedback on videos. And if you’re looking to embed videos in your site, there are some plugins and clever workarounds for those willing to get creative.
Pros
- Familiar platform
- Free up to 2 GB
- Inexpensive video storage
Cons
- Limited video editing and no analytics
- Bare-bones video player
- Requires third-party plug-in to embed videos
Video hosting services FAQ:
Why not self-host your videos?
Hosting your own videos can put quite a bit of stress on your site. In fact, some web hosting plans even restrict bandwidth, and hosting a single video could put you past your limits. That’s why most professional sites and businesses use video hosting services.
Where can I host videos for free?
Most video hosting sites have options for free video hosting and distribution, including Vimeo. Facebook and YouTube, which are social media platforms geared towards video sharing rather than video hosting, provide free video hosting supported by ads and with some upload limitations.
What's the most popular video hosting site?
The most popular video hosting site by the numbers is YouTube, primarily because it’s a free video host with a large, built-in audience. But YouTube provides limited video creation and editing tools and doesn’t have many features to support video marketing for brands and businesses.
Which video hosting site is best for you?
As with most decisions, the best video hosting site for you will depend on how you’re hoping to use your video content. Whether you’re seeking to grow an audience with professional, high-quality videos or trying to reach and convert new customers with branded video content, there’s a video hosting platform out there suited to your needs.
Vimeo’s platform is one of the most versatile choices out there for an ad-free, high-quality video hosting experience that has the tools to support both creatives and professionals. For those looking to carefully curate videos alongside a supportive community, Vimeo is the obvious choice for video hosting.