Free Video Hosting and Video APIs
Which video hosting platforms and video APIs a startup can host and stream video with for free today, how much storage and bandwidth the free plan covers, whether the player carries the platform's branding, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Video platforms change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you embed your videos.
Video hosting platforms a startup can use for free today include Wistia (25 GB storage max, 1 user only), Mux (100K delivery minutes a month), Vimeo (Free plan, 2 TB bandwidth a month), api.video (Sandbox with unlimited tests), and Streamable (250 MB / 10 min limit, free plan). Each of the 10 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its player branding, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Product demos, onboarding videos and course lessons need a place to live that plays well on your site. Video hosting platforms give you a hosted player to embed, and video APIs encode, store and stream video inside your own app. Most have a free plan or a free monthly allowance.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap storage, bandwidth or minutes, some put the platform's logo or ads on your player, and some delete videos after a while. Each platform below shows what is free, its main limit, its player branding, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which platforms we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which platforms are listed or where.
Video hosting platforms with a free plan
Upload, embed and share videos with a hosted player, free to start.
- 1
Wistia
Businesses hosting a few videos on their own site
Wistia's Free plan gives 25 GB of storage max and needs no credit card, but Wistia branding is included on free videos. Business is $79 a month billed annually.
- Player branding
- Wistia branding on free videos (source: wistia.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: wistia.com)
- First paid plan
- Business: $79 a month, billed annually (source: wistia.com)
- 2
Vimeo
Individuals who want an ad-free player and no card
Vimeo's Free plan includes 2TB of bandwidth a month in the Vimeo player, and Vimeo says it never puts ads on videos, even on Free. Starter is $12 per seat a month.
- Player branding
- No ads, even on the Free plan (source: vimeo.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $12 per seat a month (source: vimeo.com)
- 3
Streamable
Short clips shared by link, with no setup
Streamable's free plan has a 250 MB / 10 min limit, deletes videos after 90 days and shows ads in playback. Basic is $8.99 a month billed yearly.
- Player branding
- Ad-supported playback on free (source: streamable.com)
Start free at StreamableTerms read on streamable.com on Streamable: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Gumlet
Video hosting with an ad-free player and monthly bandwidth
Gumlet's Free Forever plan gives 60 storage minutes and 100 GB of bandwidth a month with an ad free video player. Creator is $6 a month billed annually.
- Player branding
- Ad free video player (source: gumlet.com)
- First paid plan
- Creator: $6 a month, billed annually (source: gumlet.com)
Start free at GumletReferral linkTerms read on gumlet.com on Gumlet: the free allowance and how to start Gumlet Startup Credits Program (SCP): what startups get - 5
Publitio
Media hosting with storage and bandwidth at no cost
Publitio's Free plan includes 5 GB of storage and 10 GB of monthly bandwidth, with no credit card required. Premium is $19 a month, flat fee.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: publit.io)
- First paid plan
- Premium: $19 a month, flat fee (source: publit.io)
Start free at PublitioReferral linkTerms read on publit.io on Publitio: the free allowance and how to start - 6
SproutVideo
Teams that want to test every feature before paying
SproutVideo lets you try every feature for 30 days with no commitment and no credit card. Seed is $12 a month billed annually after the trial.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: sproutvideo.com)
- First paid plan
- Seed: $12 a month, billed annually (source: sproutvideo.com)
Start free at SproutVideoTerms read on sproutvideo.com on SproutVideo: the free allowance and how to start
Video APIs with a free tier
Encode, store and stream video in your own app, with a free allowance.
- 1
Mux
Developers adding on-demand video to an app
Mux's Free plan includes 100K free monthly delivery minutes and up to 10 stored videos, with no credit card required. Launch is $20 a month for $100 in credit.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: mux.com)
- First paid plan
- Launch: $20 a month for $100 in credit (source: mux.com)
- 2
api.video
Developers testing an upload and playback flow
api.video's free sandbox allows unlimited tests, but videos are limited to 30 seconds, watermarked and deleted after 24 hours. Delivery starts at $0.0017 per minute.
- Player branding
- Watermarked with api.video's logo (source: api.video)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: api.video)
- First paid plan
- Delivery from $0.0017 per minute (source: api.video)
- 3
Livepeer Studio
Transcoding and delivery with a monthly free sandbox
Livepeer Studio's Free Sandbox includes 1,000 transcoding minutes and 60 storage minutes a month. Pay as you go delivery is $0.03 per 60 minutes.
Start free at LivepeerTerms read on livepeer.studio on Livepeer Studio: the free allowance and how to start - 4
bunny.net Stream
Video delivery on a CDN, pay for the traffic you use
bunny.net Stream offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial, storage starts at $0.01 per GB.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: bunny.net)
- First paid plan
- Storage from $0.01 per GB, pay as you go (source: bunny.net)
Start free at bunny.netTerms read on bunny.net on bunny.net Stream: the free allowance and how to start
Video startup programs
Programs from video companies that give startups credits on paid usage.
Also useful for cloud and hosting
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers video hosting platforms and video APIs a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each platform's terms. Every term comes from the platform's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on storage or minutes streamed, or the platform's branding on the player, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these platforms pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a platform appears, and no platform pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free video hosting?
It depends on what you host. By the terms each provider states, Vimeo's free plan includes 2 TB of bandwidth a month, Wistia's up to 25 GB of storage for one user, Gumlet's 60 storage minutes and 100 GB of bandwidth a month, and Publitio's 5 GB of storage.
Is Vimeo free?
Vimeo has a free plan with 2 TB of bandwidth a month and no ads on the player; paid plans start with Starter at $12 per seat a month.
Is there a free video API?
Yes. Mux includes 100,000 delivery minutes a month for up to 10 stored videos, Livepeer Studio 1,000 transcoding minutes a month, and api.video a sandbox for tests, with videos capped at 30 seconds.
Which free video hosting has no ads or logo?
By their own pages, Vimeo shows no ads even on its free plan and Gumlet's player is ad free, while Wistia adds its branding to free videos and Streamable's free playback is ad-supported.
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