Comparing the Top 20 Video Streaming Hosting Providers: Everything You Need to Know [2023 Update]
31 Min Read
Max Wilbert
Max Wilbert is a passionate writer, live streaming practitioner, and has strong expertise in the video streaming industry.
Did you know that 59% of executives report that they’d rather consume information through a video than reading written text? Watching videos accounts for nearly one-third of all online activities of computer users.
People have turned to online video services for news, entertainment, sports, and more, so it makes sense that this trend has carried over into the professional realm.
Research shows that the percentage of screen time spent on video consumption is multiplying. Businesses and other organizations are taking advantage of this trend by streaming their own videos. To produce this content, you need streaming video hosting services.
Dedicated streaming video providers offer easy-to-use interfaces, feature-rich plans, secure video upload, CDN access, tech support, and more.
But do you know the most valuable perk of going with a paid service vs. a free one? It’s that you have more control over how you broadcast and upload videos with the paid ones.
Today, we’ll discuss what video hosting is and the key features to look for in streaming video providers before we dive into a comparison of the 20 best live streaming platforms offering online video host services and video streaming server hosting. We will compare both dedicated solutions and some consumer-grade alternatives.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
- Streaming Video Hosting
- Why Professionals Use Streaming Video Hosting
- Drawbacks of Free Streaming Video Hosting Sites
- Key Features for Professional Streaming Video Providers
- Review and Comparison of the Top 20 Streaming Video Hosting Services
- Conclusion
Streaming Video Hosting
As we’ve covered, video content is very valuable in the professional world. However, due to their size, videos can be a pain to share, especially when you want to maintain their quality. Streaming video hosting providers offer a solution to this problem.Professional video hosting solutions offer a multitude of features related to video production, including tools for editing, monetization, video analytics, video SEO, and more. To take this a step further, live video hosting platforms support broadcasting in real time.
While many free video hosting solutions are available, they are much more restricted than paid alternatives. Businesses and professional broadcasters are better off choosing paid streaming video hosting for business solutions to reach their audiences.
Why Professionals Use Streaming Video Hosting
An online video is an engaging form of content that helps businesses, universities, and other professional organizations connect with members of their audience both near and far.
So many organizations are using professional video hosting for online streaming because it is effective for keeping an audience engaged, increasing sales, and more.
Let’s take a look at some evidence that backs this up:
- 94% of marketers report that video helps their audience understand their offer more clearly
- 83% of brands that use video in their marketing strategies say that it is effective
- Over three-fourths of people watch online videos each week, and over half of the internet users watch online video content every day
- Videos helps retain a brands message better than static content
- 69% of marketers that are not currently using video content plan start using it soon
For more data supporting the value of video hosting for professionals, check out our live streaming statistics post.
Drawbacks of Free Streaming Video Hosting Solutions
Many private individuals that create content use free video hosting services. The most popular of these is YouTube Live.
However, these services simply aren’t suitable for broadcasting at the professional level for a few reasons. First and foremost, most consumer-grade hosting platforms don’t offer the streaming server hosting features necessary for professional users.
Some drawbacks of free streaming video hosting solutions include:
- The hosting site has rights to your published content
- The video player has third-party branding
- No control over ads (whether or not you want ads to appear on your video content)
- Minimal customer service/tech support (which is crucial during live broadcasts)
- Limited or no monetization options
- Limited security options (e.g., secure video upload)
- Limited integration and API options
Free video streaming services are simply not designed for a polished and professional end-user experience. If you are creating content for your business or professional organization, you are better off streaming with paid alternatives that offer white-label service that gives you brand control and monetizes your video in a truly professional manner.
51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name videos as the type of content with the best ROI. Some companies are reporting triple-digit returns on their video investments.
With that context in mind, this article centers on professional video hosting services like Dacast. Read on for a complete comparison of video streaming hosting providers.
Key Features of Professional Streaming Video Hosting Providers
Before we dive into our streaming video provider’s comparison, let’s talk about some of the specific features that are valuable to professional broadcasters.
Security
Digital video piracy costs the U.S. economy between $29.2 and $71 billion annually. To combat this reality, we’ll compare security features for each platform we review.
Some popular security features include
- Secure upload
- Password protection
- Domain restrictions
- Geographic restrictions
- Digital rights management
Your videos have value. It is important to protect that value. With security features, you can ensure no one hijacks your own videos and streams with other content or steals content you monetize for their own gains.
Monetization
Worldwide OTT platform revenue was roughly $67.8 billion in 2018. That number is expected to rise to $210 billion by 2026. Therefore, any streaming video hosting service you choose should include monetization tools.
Three popular monetization methods for videos are ad-based, pay-per-view, and subscription-based:
A quality video streaming host will offer you the ability to engage in all three monetization methods.
Ideally, they will support connecting with your own advertising network for ad-based monetization. For pay-per-view and subscription-based monetization, a platform should offer an integrated paywall so you don’t have to work with a third-party app to monetize your video content.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A full 63% of live stream viewers in 2017 cited buffering issues as the most severe problem they encounter. Furthermore, that figure represents an increase from the previous year.
Buffering is when you press play on a video, and it doesn’t load and starts playing immediately. Buffering is what you experience when a video “freezes” while watching it. This is a serious issue that impacts the end-user experience.
CDNs help resolve latency and buffering by eliminating bottlenecks in the system for video content distribution. CDNs help to reduce buffering by shortening the distance between the end-user and where the content is stored. A quicker connection is one method for increasing video quality.
If you’re looking to stream video in China, make sure your chosen video hosting service supports this, as well. Video streaming to China requires specific licenses and infrastructure and is a feature only a few platforms offer.
API Access
The last several years have seen the beginnings of the API economy. APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, allow you to build custom apps, video platforms, workflows, and integrations.
These are key for many businesses to use the best web hosting for live video streaming.
Pricing
Whether you have a fixed or infinite budget, the cost is always a factor when choosing among video hosting solutions.
We’ll provide basic streaming pricing plan details for each platform below. Costs can vary widely from platform to platform, as can the features included in each plan level.
These are just a few features you should pay attention to when comparing video streaming hosting providers. Make a list of the most important features for your business to determine which hosting service is right for you.
Top 20 Video Streaming Hosting Services: A Comparison
Here’s a comparison and in-depth review of the top 20 streaming hosting providers equipped with the features your business needs to broadcast professional-grade video content.
This list offers 17 professional-grade solutions and 3 consumer-grade alternatives that businesses find useful.
1. Dacast
Company Background:
Dacast offers online video services. It’s a comprehensive streaming solution that targets business professionals and enterprises. It offers features that everyone from solo entrepreneurs to large corporations needs in a streaming solution.
With so many features to support your streaming needs, it can take a bit of time to learn how to use Dacast. Dacast offers a complete knowledge base of articles and numerous video tutorials to make learning how to use the platform easy.
The platform is designed to be accessible to newbies and advanced broadcasters alike, so we’re sure you will be able to navigate the platform in no time comfortably!
Dacast also offers 24/7 customer support, so if you have questions or concerns, there is always someone to help you!
Basic Functionality:
Dacast is a streaming platform for broadcasters that want to process and stream their videos with top-notch security, monetization, and professional distribution tools.
Key Features:
Dacast offers critical features that make this platform stand out from other video hosting providers.
- API access: Want to integrate your video player with your existing system or create a custom app? You can do that with player API access and take your video experience to the next level with video API access.
- Easy video monetization: Want to make money from your content? Dacast supports multiple video monetization options, allowing you to make money however you want with your content.
- Advanced analytics: Feedback is the best way to improve your content. Dacast offers advanced real-time analytics so you can see how you are doing at the moment with your videos.
- Quality end-user experience: Dacast offers multiple tools that support a quality end-user experience, such as multi-bitrate streaming, adaptive bitrate streaming, streaming ad-free videos, and access to reliable top-tier live streaming CDNs.
- Custom video experience: Create a customized video experience with white-label capabilities. Don’t have a website? Use Dacast’s Expo 2.0 galleries to create video portals that support an immersive video experience.
- Quality Security: Keep your videos secure with AES video encryption, domain and geographical restrictions, digital rights management, and an entire host of security features.
Top Benefits:
Working with Dacast as your video host has many benefits.
- Top-level tech support: All plans include access to 24/7 tech support, so no matter if you are on the biggest or smallest plan, you get access to email and live chat support.
- All-inclusive pricing plans: Want to live stream and host videos on-demand? Dacast offers both options on all pricing plans, so you don’t have to choose the type of video content you want to create. There are plans for every budget and organization.
- Mobile support: Worldwide, the most popular way to access the internet is through one’s mobile device, and Dacast understands that. You can live broadcast directly from your mobile phone and ensure quality content delivery to mobile device users watching your content.
- No limits: When creating content, you don’t want to impose limits on yourself. Dacast offers unlimited viewers and live channels for your business.
- China support: China has a population of over 1.7 billion people, and Dacast has the tools to support China video hosting and live streaming.
- Custom video player: When live streaming, you can customize your HTML5 video player and embed the live stream directly on your website or social media channels.
Cons:
One of the only drawbacks of using Dacast is that the platform does present a slight learning curve for new users. However, Dacast has many knowledge base articles, video tutorials, and a responsive support team to help get over this drawback.
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
- Maximum video length: none
- Total file storage: 10-1000GB (depends on plan)
- Compatible formats: MP4 (preferred), MOV, M4V, M2V, AVI, MPG, FLV, WMV, MKV, WEBM, OGV, MXF, ASF, VOB, MT
Pricing:
D
Dacast has multiple live streaming pricing plans. Here is a quick summary of all plans:
- Starter Plan: $39/month (includes 1,000 GB of bandwidth & 50 GB of storage)
- Event Plan: $63/month (includes 6 TB of bandwidth upfront and 50 GB of storage)
- Scale Plan: $188/month (includes 24 TB of bandwidth per year and 1 TB of storage)
- Custom plan: Contact us for custom pricing plans
The Starter plan is ideal for newcomers with 1,000 GB of bandwidth, and 50 GB of storage, at just $39 per month billed annually.
However, business users will likely want to use the popular Scale plan, which includes 24 TB of bandwidth with 1 TB of storage per year, for $188 per month billed annually.
This premium pricing plan adds phone support, a monetization paywall, M3U8 links for live channels, ad insertion, white-label Cnames, and video API access. Additional bandwidth is available upon request for monthly plans.
Our online video services also have the Event plan, ideal for organizations that stream events once, occasionally, or on an irregular schedule, it includes 6,000 GB upfront with 50 GB of storage for $63 per month billed annually.
You can access this bandwidth for up to one year after purchase, making it an economical option for occasional event streamers.
Broadcasters can contact Dacast directly to learn more about custom-priced high-volume plans.
Please check out our calculator to discover the recommended plan for your needs.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Video On Demand Hosting
- Streaming Video for Education
- Enterprise Video Platform
- Marketing Video Hosting
- Video Prospecting For Sales
2. Brightcove
Company Background:
Brightcove has been in the video hosting game for almost two decades. They started hosting videos for businesses in 2004, so they bring a lot of experience to the table. Marketing and monetization are the two video features that Brightcove focuses on.
Brightcove has users in over 70 different countries around the world. Some include BBC, Johnson & Johnson, Adobe, Ford, and Masterclass.
Their features are tailored for users who want to integrate video content into their marketing, advertising, and communication software.
Basic Functionality:
Brightcove is a video marketing and enterprise video suite designed to work smoothly in all your marketing and ad campaigns. It also has a cloud video platform and video player capabilities.
Key Features:
- Video monetization: Want to make money with your videos? Brightcove supports multiple monetization efforts. They can help you set up your video advertisements, and they support other monetization methods. For subscription and payment-based monetization, they offer integrated global payment models.
- Live events: Brightcove supports live events of all sizes. They also support 24/7 streaming, so if you want to create a 24/7 channel, you can do that with Brightcove.
- App integration: Extend the functionality of Brightcove with app integration, such as the Adobe Experience Manager video integration app, Salesforce Pardot, or CaptionHub.
- Corp TV: Corp TV is a new feature that allows you to turn your corporate videos into a premium streaming platform experience. CorpTV allows for consistent training programs and communication across your channels.
- PlayTV: Need to know how to create better content? Check out PlayTV, where you can get tips, ideas, and inspiration 24/7.
Pros:
Brightcove offers some top benefits that make its platform stand out.
- Video Editing: Need to edit your video? Use Brightcove’s comprehensive editing and video marketing tools.
- Customer support: Need some help? Brightcove has a responsive customer support team.
- Easy-to-use interface: It shouldn’t be hard to create, manage and upload videos; with Brightcove, it isn’t.
- Privacy & Security: You don’t want to share all videos with the world, especially internal training and communication videos, which is why Brightcove offers robust privacy and security settings.
- Good audience insights: You can view conversions, lost customers, and engagement data. You can also segment your audiences and view their analytics separately.
Cons:
The biggest cons of Brightcove is that reporting is limited, which means you may not get the analytics and information you need to drive your video content forward. It’s also quite challenging to set up custom reports.
If you want 24/7 support, you have to pay for it; it isn’t a part of all plans. The UI of this video streaming provider is outdated, and you might have to spend some time learning where all the features are.
Additionally, if you haven’t used the platform before, you may experience a bit of a learning curve when you start.
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: Determined by the user
- Maximum dimension: Determined by the user
- Aspect ratio: No restrictions (since Brightcove uses a responsive player)
- Max file size: No limits on video files size
- Maximum video length: No published limits
- Total file storage: Varies by plan
- Compatible formats: MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MKV, 3GPP
Pricing:
Since Brightcove mainly targets enterprise-level clients, they offer several custom-priced streaming plans at high price points.
The three pricing tiers include
- Starter: includes 50 to 200 videos, up to 100,000 plays, and 2-5 users
- Professional: unlimited videos, 100,000+ plays, and no overage plays, with +10 users
- Enterprise: unlimited videos, 100,000+ plays, and no overage plays, with 10+ users, unlimited uploads, and analytics-only users
Interested broadcasters can contact their sales department to receive a quote or sign up for a 30-day free trial.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Streaming Sports
- Live Event Streaming
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
3. Wistia
Company Background:
Wistia is a streaming video hosting site focused on helping businesses with marketing through videos.
Wistia’s top marketing features include annotation links, email, and integrated CTAs. Wistia’s video engagement tools help capture and convert leads through your content.
Basic Functionality:
Wistia’s basic functionality is creating, managing, and streaming video or audio content shared for marketing purposes.
Key Features:
- Video creation and editing tools: You can utilize soapbox, Wistia’s browser-based screen recorder, to record your screen for video creation. They also offer essential editing tools, such as trimmers, to increase the quality of your videos.
- Custom video player: You want your brand front and center with marketing videos. You can design your video player to match the feel of your brand with Wistia’s custom video player. They even have an “Up Next” feature to keep people engaged with the content you can add to your video player.
- Cloud-based content management system: When you start producing videos regularly, you need a way to keep things organized. Wistia offers a cloud-based CMS so your team can easily manage your video content.
- Video analytics and SEO: Wistia offers SEO features to help ensure your embedded videos get the traffic they need to benefit your business. They also provide video analytic tools to drive your marketing efforts.
- CRM integration: Integrate Wistia with your CRM to make managing customer relationships easier.
Top Benefits
- Various calls to action: A marketing video aims to get people to act. With Wistia’s various CTA tools, you can integrate a wide range of CTAs into your videos.
- Automated SEO: Don’t stress over optimizing your content for search engines; Wistia offers automated SEO tools
- No Advertisements: Want to create an ad-free experience? You can easily do that for your viewers.
- Custom branding: Customize the video experience to match your brand’s look and feel.
- Channels and subscribers: You can create all the custom channels you need, and your viewers can subscribe to your content, allowing them to get notifications when you add new content.
Cons:
If you use Wistia’s free plan or one of their smaller paid plans. Many users also experience some road bumps with customization options within the platform.
The project folder structure of this video streaming provider isn’t the best, and you might face glitches trying to move videos between folders. Its customizations are limited for advanced users who want to make the interface for Wistia the same as their business website.
Also, it lies on the pricier end of the online video services spectrum if you have high traffic.
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimensions: None
- Maximum dimensions: Maximum of 4K (3840 x 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 formats: MP4 (recommended format), .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .FLV, .MKV, 3GPP
Pricing:
Wistia has these pricing plan tiers.
- Free: No cost to use; up to 250 subscribers and 3 videos; cannot remove Wistia’s branding from the video player
- Plus: $24/month, up to 3 users and 20 videos
- Pro: $99/month; 50 free videos with additional videos for $0.25/each 5 users. white-label video player
- Advanced: $399/month 250 videos, 20 users,multiple channels, 250+ subscribers
- Premium: Custom pricing, Upto1000 videos and unlimited subscribers.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
4. JW Player
JW Player had a role in the creation and development of Youtube. Source: JWplayer.com
Company Background:
JW Player was originally a video player that shared some of its code with the original Youtube video player. However, the platform has since evolved to include VOD hosting, and live streaming. While JW is a solid platform and a great video player, it has a few noteworthy drawbacks.
JW Player is very affordable, and its features reflect that. It is a viable option if you are on a budget and are prepared to make do with extremely limited capabilities.
Nevertheless, some of its prominent clients include AccuWeather, EuroSport, Insider Inc., Vice, and Fox.
Some of the industries this streaming video provider serves include:
- Fitness
- Sports
- Faith and Religion
- Online Courses/ e-learning
- Retail
Basic Functionality:
JW Player is a live streaming service with limited services and capabilities. However, it is known for its low price points and magnificent customer service.
Key Features:
- Tokenized access and DRM support
- Designed for firms of all sizes
- Powerful analytics
- Ad optimization
- Video distribution management
- Features, such as recommended videos from your library, to keep users on your platform and engaged in your content for longer.
Pros:
- Integrations for advertising monetization
- Auto converts video for different devices
- Simple user interface
- Very affordable
- Great customer service
- Excellent sales support
Cons:
- Live streaming via API is currently not supported
- Live events are limited to 5 hours duration
- Does not support subscriptions or pay-per-view
- No closed captioning
- No screen sharing
- Uses internal VOD streaming server hosting for content delivery
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 360p (640 x 360)
- Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3, 2.39:1
- Max file size: 25GB
- Max video length: Not available
- Total file storage: 25GB to 500GB (depends on the plan)
- Compatible video formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, 3GP, FLV
Pricing:
JW Player has pricing plans which range from free, with a non-commercial license paid and numerous benefits and features, to paid ones.
Their pricing packages include:
- Free trial: JW Player offers a 30-day free trial subscription which includes full API and SDK access, a non-commercial license, 25 GB hosting bandwidth, and 75 GB streaming.
- Starter plan: At $10 per month, the Starter pricing plan includes an HTML5 Video Player, a video gallery, with 150 GB hosting bandwidth, and 500 GB streaming (50,000 plays) per month (billed annually).
- Enterprise plan: these business-specific plans are available with custom pricing for high-volume storage and streaming. Enterprise plans support live streaming, while lower-tier plans only support VOD.
Best Use Cases:
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
5. Kaltura
Kaltura is known for its Cloud Hosting and TV capabilities. Source: Kaltura.com
Company Background:
Kaltura is an Israeli video hosting service that serves clients around the world.
Like other streaming video hosting services, Kaltura supports both live video and VOD. However, it does have some differences from other platforms as well. For example, Kaltura offers a unique ecosystem of services aimed at large institutions like universities.
Basic Functionality:
Kaltura’s cloud video hosting service is video management. It is most commonly used for educational purposes for both employees and students in schools.
It is perfect for online and in-person training. Many use Kaltura to host webinars.
Key Features:
- Various security features for the Kaltura OVP include password protection, encryption, and watermarking
- Three main options for monetizing OTT video: advertising, subscriptions, and one-time transactions
- Cloud TV service
- Video looping capabilities
- Closed captioning for accessibility
Pros:
- Several monetization options
- Popular for both internal business use and education use
- Easily accessible for viewers
- Allows bulk uploading
- Customer support is available through chat, email, or 24/7 live phone call
- Supports Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, Android, and Apple devices
- Supports interactive live streams, which are great for teachers
- The video streaming platform performs well with media-rich resources on desktop
Cons:
- “Bring-your-own CDN” platform, which entails additional cost and complexity
- Slow uploading and processing
- Requires a bit of a learning curve
- The user interface is less intuitive, especially on iPads and Samsung Galaxy Tabs
- The transcript automation features are not the best
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 180p (320 x 180)
- Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920x 1080)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size: 2GB
- Max video length: Not available
- Total file storage: 10GB to Unlimited (depends on the plan)
- Compatible video formats: MOV, MP4
Pricing:
Kaltura’s pricing is based on usage in terms of bandwidth and features. They offer both annual and pay-as-you-go pricing.
You can pay for what you use each month, but if you want to buy credits in bulk at a discounted rate, these commitments start at $5,400 and are billed monthly. Kaltura also offers free trials.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
6. Vimeo Live
Vimeo was once simply a video-on-demand company, but when they acquired Livestream in 2017, they were able to expand into the live streaming space and video hosting. Source: Vimeo.com
Company Background:
Vimeo has long offered a video-on-demand service focused on the artist and creative market. However, in 2017 the company acquired Livestream and launched its own live streaming solution.
Vimeo Live and Livestream (Vimeo) offer services that are independent of one another.
Basic Functionality:
Vimeo Live is an inclusive streaming video hosting service that covers every base from video players to live streaming services, collaboration tools to distribution and marketing, monetization to analytics, and more.
Some popular users of this video streaming provider include Wix, Zendesk, Mailchimp, and Samsung.
Key Features:
Vimeo Live is a one-stop shop for all of your video streaming needs. However, this convenience comes with a hefty price tag. As you add services to your plan, the price adds up quickly.
Pros:
- Unlimited events and viewers
- No ads
- Sleek and professional appearance
- Thoroughly detailed real-time analytics, including the max number of viewers during the stream, current number of viewers, and average view time
- Easy to use
- Pay-per-view option
- Basic privacy settings
- You can stream from mobile, desktop, or API using this video streaming provider
Cons:
- Extra fees for monetization
- Reported issues in regards to distribution due to connection issues on an internal hosting server
- Generates less traffic than competing sites
- No China delivery
- No feature to chat with your viewers in real-time
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Recommended dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size: 3GB
- Max video length: Information not available
- Total file storage: Information not available
- Compatible video formats: MP4 (recommended)
Pricing:
Vimeo offers basic video hosting plans that are suitable for content creators and startups.
- Basic: 30-day free trial
- Plus: $7/month; 5GB/week or 250GB every year; Single user; Brand customization and privacy tools
- Pro: $20/month; 20GB/week or 1TB every year; 3 users; collaboration tools and video showcase sites
- Business: $50/month; 5TB every year; lead generation, player calls-to-action
- Premium: $75/month; Unlimited live streaming with 7TB of storage; unlimited viewers
All plans are billed annually. The Plus plan can be billed monthly at an increased rate of $12/month.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
7. Vimeo Livestream
Livestream, owned by Vimeo, is an excellent streaming service for businesses that need extra marketing support. Source: Livestream.com
Company Background:
Livestream is a longtime competitor in this industry and has both strengths and drawbacks to consider.
As mentioned above, Vimeo purchased Livestream in 2017. Since then, the companies merged their services under Livestream (Vimeo), which is different from Vimeo Live.
Basic Functionality:
The primary services of Livestream include marketing, video management analytics, and lifestreaming. It is great for professionals who are looking for an all-in-one platform to stream, manage, and monitor their videos.
Key Features:
In addition to its primary video services, Livestream is known for its excellent security, audience interaction, and additional marketing capabilities.
Livestream is slightly more expensive than Vimeo Live. But this streaming video provider allows you to share content on Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope, Twitch, and LinkedIn.
You can use Livestream on Apple devices, Windows, and Android.
Pros:
- Works directly with Youtube
- Easy-to-use for both users and viewer
- Detailed analytics
- Top-notch security
- Conveniently create recurring live stream events in advance and market them to your target audience
- Seamless integration with RTMP applications
Cons:
- Limited CDN capabilities
- Regular pauses in streaming for software updates
- No China delivery
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
**Since Vimeo now owns Livestream, these specs overlap:
- Recommended dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size: 3GB
- Max video length: Information not available
- Total file storage: Information not available
- Compatible video formats: MP4 (recommended)
Pricing:
Vimeo Livestream offers three main pricing plans, including:
- Premium pricing: $75/month, both live streaming and VOD services.
- Enterprise Pricing: Please contact Vimeo for custom pricing information. White-label service, monetization, and video APIs. It also includes branding control and added security features.
- Vimeo OTT:
- Starter Pricing: $1/subscriber per month
- Growth Pricing: starting at $500/month
The OTT-specific pricing packages come with the Vimeo.com relationship. These plans include all the basics for starting your web-based OTT channel, as well as growing your OTT business online.
For more details, check out our comprehensive guide to Vimeo Livestream pricing.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Marketing Video Hosting
8. IBM Cloud Video
IBM Cloud Video, one of the pioneers of Cloud Computing, has a video hosting and streaming platform which is great for monetization and marketing. Source: Video.IBM.com
Company Background:
IBM Cloud Video, formerly known as UStream is known as one of the most reliable streaming video services. It is a capable video streaming provider and VOD platform, but it is also quite expensive relative to the features it provides.
Basic Functionality:
The purpose of IBM Cloud Video is to provide live streaming and video-on-demand services.
Key Features:
IBM Cloud Video is known for its reliable platform and stellar customer support.
Something that makes IBM Cloud Video different from other streaming video services is that it delivers videos via an internal video-on-demand hosting server. While this method works for some, others do not prefer this.
This streaming video provider offers interactive chat rooms and live polls that you can set up at different times during the live stream video.
Pros:
- Reliable platform
- Suitable for larger businesses
- Excellent customer support
- Equipped with powerful features for broadcasters
- Real-time closed captions on your video stream
- Feature to set up a registration form for viewers to join your live stream so you can capture leads
Cons:
- No monetization tools
- Does not use a CDN
- Access to the platform via APIs is only available on custom-priced “Media and Enterprise Plans”
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 480p (480 x 270)
- Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
- Aspect ratio: No published aspect ratio
- Max file size: 4 GB
- Max video length: No published limits
- Total file storage: 1TB – 5TB (depends on plan)
- Compatible video formats: MKV, MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MPEG2, H264, H263, MPEG4, VP6, VP8, THEORA, WMV, MP3, AAC-LC, NELLYMOSER, PCM, SPEEX, VORBIS, WMA
Pricing:
Pricing plans range from $99/month to $999 per month and include:
- Silver – $99/month: 100 viewer hours, 5 channels, and 1 TB video storage
- Gold – $499/month: 2,000 viewer hours, 10 channels, and 2 TB video storage
- Platinum – $999/month: 5,000 viewer hours, 20 channels, and 5 TB video storage
- Custom – Please contact IBM Cloud video for custom plan pricing.
Password protection comes with all plans. The $499/month plan adds embed restrictions. The $999/month plan includes full embed controls and a private channel URL.
Best Use Cases:
- Live Event Streaming
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
9. Vidyard
Vidyard’s hosting solution is changing the way businesses connect through video. Source: Vidyard.com
Company Background:
Vidyard is an all-in-one streaming video provider built for businesses. They offer three major packages: marketing, sales, and corporate communications. Vidyard’s hosting services are meant to help businesses put out their videos in a professional manner and to help them take advantage of being a business operating in a growingly digital world.
Basic Functionality:
Vidyard is a great solution for hosting streaming videos for marketing, sales, and corporate communications purposes. Its mission is to help its users turn viewers into customers.
Key Features:
- Video hosting
- Interactive playback experiences
- Video SEO
- Video personalization and creation
- Video for email
- Drive next steps
- Video playlists
- Custom video-sharing pages
- Video analytics and notifications
- Video hubs
- Security controls
- Offers a chrome extension for quick access
Pros:
- Great analytics and data reports
- Customer service
- Wide variety of features
- Robust user community
Cons:
- The backend is not user friendly
- Inconsistently positive user experience
- No China delivery
- Expensive pricing plans that are suitable for enterprises and not for small to medium-sized businesses
- It doesn’t always remember your settings, such as where you like to have your face screen appear when you’re sharing a screen while live streaming
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 360p (480 x 360)
- Maximum dimension: 4k (3840 x 2160)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size:5GB to 16GB (depends on the plan)
- Max video length: 1 hour (live stream)
- Total file storage: Not available
- Compatible video formats: WEBM, MP4, MKV, MOV
Pricing:
There are a few ways to break down Vidyard’s pricing. They have two main umbrellas that their services, and are packaged as follows:
Packages for Individuals and Teams:
- Free Forever: Free
- Pro Package: $15/month; comes with password protection and marketing tools
- Teams Package: $300/month; access for 3 or more users; video analytics and custom branding
- Business Package: $1250/month; access for 5 or more users; custom integrations
Custom Video Solutions:
All enterprise pricing packages are custom priced.
Best Use Cases:
- Streaming Video for Sales
- Enterprise Video Hosting
- Marketing Video Hosting
10. SproutVideo
SproutVideo is an option for you if you are looking for a video hosting provider that can grow your business. Source: SproutVideo
Company Background:
SproutVideo is a streaming video provider that offers live and on-demand video hosting for a variety of broadcasting needs.
Their plans range from simple and budget-friendly to fully loaded with a higher price tag.
Basic Functionality:
SproutVideo is a unified streaming solution for both live and VOD content.
Key Features:
- Video API access
- Live chat support for every plan
- Live streaming and VOD hosting
- Powerful privacy and security
Pros:
- Detailed analytics
- Wide range of customization options
- Plans for every budget
Cons:
- Reports of inadequate SEO
- Some buffering because of slow playback caching
- Limited storage
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: None
- Maximum dimension: None
- Supported aspect ratios: Any
- Maximum file size: Up to 100 GB
- Maximum video length: Unlimited
- Total file storage: 500 GB
- Accepted video formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, 3GPP
Pricing:
SproutVideo offers four pricing plans:
- Seed: $24.99/month; best suited for broadcasters who don’t need many tools or functions
- Sprout: $59.99/month; comes with additional privacy tools
- Tree: $199.99/month; great for secure embedding
- Forest: $499.99/month; fully loaded with the features an advanced broadcaster would need
Best Use Cases:
- Live Video Streaming
- On-Demand Video Hosting
- Streaming Solution for Enterprises
11. Hippo Video
Hippo Video is a newer video streaming hosting provider for professional broadcasting.
Overview and Company History:
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 streaming video provider 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.
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
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- 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
Pricing:
Hippo Video has a complex pricing structure since it offers a variety of solutions for different use cases. All plan prices below are based on annual billing and include a free 7-day trial. Here’s a breakdown of pricing for the most popular categories:
Sales
- Starter: $15/month; 500 MB file size limit; 15-minute video length limit; streaming with a watermark and end card; 100GB of bandwidth
- Pro: $30/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Growth: $48/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Enterprise: $79/month; contact Hippo Video to learn more
Marketing
- Starter: $23/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Pro: $49/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Growth: $99/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
Support
- Starter: $10/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Pro: $29/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Growth: $49/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
Team Communications
- Starter: $7/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Pro: $15/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
- Growth: $23/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
Other Solutions
- Education: Free to $9/month OR $1/user
- Personalization: Starting at $109/month + fees
- Recorder API: Contact Hippo Video for a custom quote
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
12. Cincopa
Cincopa offers video hosting as one of many solutions.
Overview and Company History:
Cincopa is a unique multimedia hosting solution that provides tools for storing and managing video, photo, and audio content.
Almost all of the other providers we’ve reviewed in this article support video hosting exclusively. Many businesses prefer a dedicated video hosting service, but Cincopa is a great option for businesses and organizations that need more than that.
Key Features:
Cincopa is a multimedia streaming video provider 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
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- 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
Pricing:
This streaming video provider offers three distinct pricing plans:
- Plus: $25/month; includes marketing tools (CTAs, email integrations, etc.)
- Corporate: $99/month; advanced broadcasting tools
- Agency/Enterprise: $350/month; advanced broadcasting tools with more flexibility
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
13. Muvi
Muvi’s hosting platform is an all-inclusive, fully managed OTT solution.
Overview and Company History:
Muvi is another great video streaming hosting provider. This platform is especially well-suited for OTT video hosting.
Their unique model empowers users to launch their own video or audio streaming platform quickly and easily. Additionally, the platform includes an all-inclusive and fully-featured website, mobile, and TV apps.
Basic Functionality:
Muvi is a streaming video provider that supports both live and on-demand video content. Their service allows businesses to launch white-label multi-device video streaming services for both audio and video. It includes fully managed, end-to-end solutions, all controlled from one unified platform.
Key Features:
With Muvi, you can create a multi-screen OTT VOD platform relatively quickly. Their video streaming solution comes with a plethora of functionalities and capabilities.
Its closed caption feature is one of its best offerings. Analytics and social share options are also great and make it stand out from all the other online video services.
Pros:
- White-label with branding customization
- HTML5 video player
- Easy setup
- Video analytics
- Monetization tools
- DRM and security features
- Live and on-demand hosting
- Powerful CDN
- Video CMS
- Transcoding
- Secure streaming
- Website and Apps for Mobile and TV
- User friendly
Cons:
- Hard to integrate or connect external app
- CMS user interface is complex
- Lack of user tutorials
- Doesn’t support Android devices, iPad, or iPhone
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 144p (256 x 144)
- Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x2160)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size: not available
- Max video length: not available
- Total file storage: 1TB, 2TB, 5TB (depending on plan)
- Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, FLV, VOB, M4V, AVI, 3GP, MPG
Pricing:
Muvi has five different pricing plans:
- Standard: $399/month (+ $299/month per app + infra fees), allows 2000 concurrent viewers, 1TB of bandwidth, 1 TB of storage, and API access.
- Professional: $1,499 per month (+ $499/month per app + infra fees) increases limits and adds premium support.
- Enterprise: $3,900 per month (+ $499/month per app + infra fees) adds a dedicated server with auto-scaling.
- Ultimate: $8,900/month (+ $499/month per app + infra fees) doubles the bandwidth and storage of the enterprise plan and adds your own CDN and unlimited API calls.
- Black: this is a custom solution and includes everything in the Ultimate plan plus premium services and project management.
Muvi also offers a variety of add-ons to help users build customized plans. For more information, check out this third-party review of the platform.
Best Use Cases:
- Advanced video hosting
14. Panopto
Panopto serves large organizations, like enterprises and universities. Source: Panopto.com
Overview and Company History:
Panopto is a video streaming provider whose focus is on businesses and universities. This platform enables streaming, sharing, recording, and management of 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.
Basic Functionality:
With a primary focus on internal use for online education, Panopto provides powerful tools for creating “internal YouTubes” and integration with Learning Management Systems. Overall, Panopto is a more focused online video organization than the other best live streaming platforms considered here.
Key Features:
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.
Detailed Features:
- Video analytics
- Access control & security features
- White-label streaming
- APIs for further integrations
- Content hosting
- Document Indexing
- Full-Text Search
- You can save the live stream video in your library and add timestamps to it
- Excellent security features such as oAuth, SAML, and Active Directory
Pros:
- Video streaming hosting
- Asset categorization
- Customizable branding
- China video hosting
Cons:
- No customizable templates
- No version control
- Somewhat of a learning curve
- You have to pay extra after 50 hours of storage in your library
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- 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.
Pricing:
Panopto recently simplified its pricing packages and includes the following three options:
- Basic: Free
- Pro: $14.99/month
- Enterprise: Please contact Panopto for custom pricing.
After establishing a contract, you have access to unlimited streaming and storage. However, this aspect may represent a potential downside for some streamers as Panopto does not handle any external-facing video content.
Best Use Cases:
- Enterprise video hosting
- University and education video hosting
15. StreamShark
StreamShark is a streaming host that is owned by MetaCDN. Source: StreamShark.io
Overview and Company History:
StreamShark is another of the best streaming video providers offering multi-faceted online video functionality. In fact, StreamShark is a business wing of MetaCDN. This means that the platform specializes in fast and innovative content delivery.
Basic Functionality:
As a live streaming hosting service, this company offers both a consumer-grade (B2C) platform and a distinct enterprise platform for streaming. StreamShark is a technology company with expertise in reliable video stream delivery for global reach. It excels at making the live streams of large-scale, high-profile events a massive success with viewers having an exceptional viewing experience.
Key Features:
Their live event platform offers users the ability to efficiently and reliably manage the different phases of an event’s stream while ensuring maximum reach and reliability of the live stream via its multi-vendor approach and HLS ingests. Additionally, this streaming video provider focuses overall on providing global video CDN services.
Detailed Features:
- SSO support
- Global coverage via a multi-CDN network
- Mobile-compatibility
- Detailed viewer reports
- Customizable live streaming video player
- Privacy controls
- Advertising and customer support
Pros:
- Localized media ingestion
- Encoding support
- Video redistribution
- Large storage capacity
Cons:
- Does not offer channels for video organization
- No embeddable playlists
- Minimal analytics
- Does not support China video delivery
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- 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
Pricing:
Monthly live streaming plans with StreamShark begin at $199 per month and include the following:
- Standard: $199/month; includes 1,000 GB of bandwidth; 500 GB of VOD storage an additional overage of $0.10 per GB
- Team: $499/month; includes 4,000 GB of bandwidth; 2,000 GB of storage, and lowers per GB overage prices to $0.09
- Business: $999/month; includes 9,000 GB of bandwidth; 5,000 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 Case:
- Enterprise streaming hosting
- Advanced broadcasting
16. Wowza
Wowza offers two main streaming products. Source: Wowza.com
Overview and Company History:
Wowza is a video streaming hosting service with both live and on-demand streaming capabilities.
Wowza offers two main products: Wowza Streaming Engine and Wowza Streaming Cloud.
Wowza Streaming Engine is widely used in the industry for self-hosted streaming. Wowza video streaming services, however, come with the Wowza Streaming Cloud offering. The Streaming Cloud functionality includes a variety of features aimed at providing low-latency content access to global audiences of all sizes.
Basic Functionality:
Wowza focuses on greater accessibility, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. This streaming video provider also places a focus on all-device streaming, delivering content to users on phones, tablets, and consoles.
Key Features:
Wowza is designed to help developers, event producers, and technical entrepreneurs host streams with the support of third-party integrations, closed captioning, API, and more.
If you’re new to live streaming, you’ll love their resource library to help you set up your first live stream.
Detailed Features:
- Low latency streaming
- Cloud video streaming
- High-quality streaming (up to 4K)
- Video security
- Closed captioning
- API access for customization
- Live stream recording
Pros:
- Google Analytics integrations
- Tools for engagement
- Performance monitoring
- Reliable video
- Mobile streaming support
- Supports China video delivery
Cons:
- Doesn’t support simulcasting
- No native monetization support
- Single-source streaming only
- Customer support is slow
- It doesn’t work with Android, iPad, or iPhone
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 240p (320 x 240)
- Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
- Max file size: Not available
- Max video length: Not available
- Total file storage: 250 GB (depends on the plan)
- Compatible video formats: MP4, FLV, MP3, SMIL, AMLST, ID3, NGRP
Pricing:
Wowza Streaming Cloud offers 4 distinct pricing plans and services. Live Event Pricing, monthly plans include:
- Pay As You Go: $29/month, ($300 annually), with a 3-month minimum; flexible streaming with low startup costs
- Basic: $99/month ($1068 annually); includes 20 hours of live streaming and 1000 viewing hours based on video resolution of 720p
- One Month Event: $149 one-time purchase; includes 20 hours of live streaming and 1000 viewing hours also at 720p
- Plus: $499/month; includes 150 hours of live streaming and 7000 viewing hours based on video resolution of 720p
All of these Live Event plans reflect the rate when paid monthly and include full brand control, multi-bitrate streaming, and HD and UHD streaming.
The Wowza Streaming Engine has its own pricing plans. These professional-grade streaming plans are billed annually and include:
- Basic: $175/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 and $95/month for each additional prepaid instance
- Enterprise: Please contact Wowza directly for access to their custom-tailored high-volume enterprise solutions
17. Resi
Resi offers quite a few broadcasting tools, including streaming hosting. Source: Resi.io
Overview and Company History:
Resi is an end-to-end streaming video hosting service that is equipped with a variety of streaming tools. Resi offers support for video hosting, simulcasting, video upload, and video presentations. The company also offers hardware for encoding and decoding.
Basic Functionality:
Resi has a variety of streaming hosting software offerings. Its main functionality is live streaming, but it also supports simulcasting.
Key Features:
Resi has several professional streaming features including live video hosting, monitoring, automation tools, and flexible functionality.
Detailed Features:
- Live and on-demand streaming hosting
- Resilient Streaming Protocol (RSP)
- Multi-destination streaming
- Upload and automation
- “Error-free, perfect quality”
- Cloud video streaming
- Monitoring tools
Pros:
- High-quality streaming
- Hardware and software offerings
- Robust platform
- Reliable support
- Almost no learning curve hence beginner friendly
- 90-second buffer window to ensure seamless streaming for your viewers
Cons:
- Limitations of video analytics
- Limited chat tools
- Users have less control over basic operations. For example, you have to contact tech support to enable the HDMI input
- Costs can become too much if you add multiple users or locations
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: None
- Maximum dimension: 1920×1080
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Max file size: 15 GB
- Max video length: 6 hours
- Total file storage: Unavailable
- Compatible video formats: MP4
Pricing:
Broadcasters who are interested in learning more about Resi’s pricing must fill out and submit an inquiry form.
Best Use Case:
- Live streaming hosting
- Video encoding
18. YouTube Live
The online video streaming giant offers both desktop and mobile live streaming services.
Overview and Company History:
YouTube is one of the most popular streaming platforms, and it was one of the first on the market. This Google-owned website is designed for consumers, but many businesses use it while they are getting into broadcasting.
YouTube is not the best option for business video hosting since the site has strict limitations on monetization and other professional tools. Additionally, YouTube takes partial ownership of all content on the platform.
Basic Functionality:
Youtube is a free B2C video streaming provider, so it is best suited for broadcasters who are new to the industry. It is also commonly used by small businesses and start-ups that don’t have the budget for professional solutions.
Key Features:
YouTube is primarily a consumer-grade video-sharing platform. It supports both VOD and live streaming, but the most popular content on the platform is on-demand videos.
Pros:
- Popular among consumers
- Free to use (for both viewers and broadcasters)
- YouTube is a household name, so viewers are comfortable using it
- Easy to share videos
- Easy to use (for both viewers and broadcasters)
- Videos can be embedded in other websites
- Live and VOD hosting
Cons:
- Cannot remove YouTube’s branding
- Limitations on live streaming
- Strict restrictions on content
- No notable security features
- YouTube owns partial rights to your content
- Distracting third-party ads and branding
- No white-label capabilities
- Ad-based monetization comes with strict limitations
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
- Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (adds padding to videos with other aspect ratios)
- Max file size: 128 GB
- Max video length: 12 hours
- Total file storage: No storage limit
- Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG4, FLV, AVI, Web M, WMV, MPEG-PS, 3GPP
Pricing:
- YouTube live is free to use, but content streaming is supported with ads.
Best Use Cases:
- Video hosting for startups
- Independent content creation
- Low-cost broadcasting
19. Facebook Live
Facebook is a social media platform that businesses use to reach consumers with video. Source: Facebook
When it comes to video hosting, Facebook offers “Live” (live streaming) and “Watch” (on-demand) features. Live streams can be hosted on personal profiles, pages, and groups, but on-demand “Facebook Watch” videos can only be published by users with a Facebook Page.
Facebook is commonly used by businesses and organizations that are just dipping their toes in the world of live broadcasting. Since it is a free platform, Facebook poses many challenges related to video ownership, time limits on videos, monetization, and more.
Aside from those few technical restrictions, live streaming with Facebook Live is valuable for connecting with existing audiences.
Basic Functionality:
It is common for broadcasters who use paid streaming solutions to connect their accounts to multicast to both Facebook and their websites. This allows users to tap into their existing Facebook audiences while accessing the professional tools of a video hosting solution.
Key Features:
Facebook is a social media platform with tools for uploading and sharing videos to online communities, so it also serves as a video streaming provider.
Detailed Features:
- Facebook Live & Watch
- Business Groups & Pages
- Easy video sharing
- Live engagement tools
- Some business tools
Pros:
- The site and app are free to use
- Popular among consumers
- Live chat promotes engagement
- Allows you to reach your existing following
Cons:
- No monetization options
- Time constraints on live videos
- Cannot remove Facebook’s branding
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 720p (1280×720)
- Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920×1080)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16, 2:3, 4:5, 1:1
- Max file size: 4 GB
- Max video length: 90 minutes
- Total file storage: No storage limit
- Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG4, AVI, 3GPP, WMV, FLV, MKV
Pricing:
- Facebook live is free to use, but content streaming is supported with ads.
Best Use Cases:
- Video hosting for startups
- Independent content creation
- Low-cost broadcasting
20. DailyMotion
Dailymotion is suitable for news, sports, and music video hosting. Source: Dailymotion.com
Dailymotion is a video streaming platform that many refer to as the “French YouTube.” One thing that many broadcasters like about Dailymotion is that it allows just about any content whereas YouTube is quite strict.
The purpose of Dailymotion is essentially the same as YouTube. It is a basic platform for new broadcasters to upload and host video content. Since this site is free, it is pretty “bare bones” in terms of professional broadcasting tools.
Basic Functionality:
The growing popularity of Dailymotion and the greater freedom of expression makes this video streaming provider a great choice for many broadcasters.
Some of its popular features include the social share option, analytics, and closed captions.
Key Features:
DailyMotion is a basic video-sharing platform that is primarily used by consumers and independent content creators. It includes tools for easy video sharing.
Detailed Features:
- Basic video sharing platform
- Founded in France
- Small creator fund
- Minimal content limitations
Pros:
- Copyright protection tools
- Very few content restrictions
- Growing in popularity around the world
Cons:
- Not as popular as YouTube (especially in the US)
- No real monetization tools (slim “creator fund’)
- Minimal video analytics
- Offers customer support only through chat
Upload Guidelines and Specs:
- Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
- Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (adds padding to videos with other aspect ratios)
- Max file size: 128GB
- Max video length: 12 hours
- Total file storage: Unlimited
- Compatible video formats: MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV, MPEG-PS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM
Pricing:
- Dailymotion is free to use.
Best Use Cases:
- Video hosting for startups
- Independent content creation
- Low-cost broadcasting
Conclusion
Since video streaming is an ever-growing industry, it is wise for businesses to jump on board now when there is still so much room for growth. Video content is a magnificent way to reach your audience in both product and service-based industries.
These 20 streaming hosting providers come with their own sets of benefits and packages. Once you determine your business’s goals, needs, and budget, choosing the perfect video hosting service will be a breeze.
We hope that this article has educated you about the best streaming providers on the market today. And remember, it’s worth taking the time to review and compare your options and needs before committing to a platform.
Ready to start broadcasting live today? You can take advantage of Dacast’s streaming video hosting services with our 14-day free trial. No credit card is required.
Simply sign up today, and we’ll have you up and streaming in a matter of minutes. Dacast offers a wide variety of customization tools and is designed to grow with companies, meeting you where you are (at a price you can afford) and working with you as you scale.
Any questions or feedback about this streaming video hosting services review? Let us know in the comment section down below! We love to hear from our readers, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
For regular tips on live streaming in a community of experts, as well as exclusive offers, you’re invited to join our LinkedIn group.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your broadcasts.
Max Wilbert
Max Wilbert is a passionate writer, live streaming practitioner, and has strong expertise in the video streaming industry.
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