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If you are a Netflix buff like I am, you will definitely have watched the ICONIC show “The Bold Type.” Season five just dropped, and I couldn’t resist watching it the day it came out.
*Spoiler alert* What if Richard and Sutton do not end up together? Does Jane become the Editor in Chief?
I hopped on Netflix, and to my surprise, my favorite show ain’t there! I had been so HYPED! Luckily, Google came to my rescue. After a couple of searches, I stumbled upon a site that streamed all the episodes of various shows, and I FOUND IT. Voila! *sigh of relief*
What am I driving at with all this talk about my favorite show? you may wonder.
Well, I noticed a “common” name amongst the servers, and that was Dailymotion. The clarity was unparalleled – these free, high-definition videos were a dream come true.
Before you ask, “What are these servers?” let me explain.
The servers I’m referring to are video hosting platforms that allow you to upload video content on their sites. Once uploaded, you get a unique code specific to your video, which you can use to upload the video anywhere you want, such as on your personal website.
In this article, we will explore 10 such video hosting sites.
Top 10 video hosting sites
A breakdown of the best video hosting platforms and what they’re good for
| Name | What is it best for? |
| Vimeo | A leader in video formats, it’s ideal for artists who want to share their work via optimized streaming. |
| Wave Video | Best online editing toolkit with cloud-based hosting facilities. |
| Hippo Video | The best video hosting service for getting exactly what you need for your specific industry. |
| Dailymotion | The best free video streaming platform for publishing and embedding videos on your website in a limitless number of ways. |
| Unscreen | Bulk upload under various pre-built themes and AI allows you to switch video backgrounds without a green screen. |
| JetPack | The best video hosting service for WordPress users with unlimited video content needs, such as bloggers. |
| Vidyard | The best video hosting site for businesses of all sizes to communicate with customers and strengthen interpersonal bonds. |
| Wistia | Professional video content for courses, podcasts, and other digital marketing needs are provided here. |
| Rumble | The quickest video player and an ad program are available on this platform. |
| YouTube | The most widely used online video platform for growing a social media audience through videos. |
1. YouTube
How is it that I’ve written an entire article on the best video streaming platforms and not mentioned a word about YouTube? It’s obvious we saved the best for last.
YouTube needs no introduction; it’s a part of our daily lives.
For creators, entrepreneurs, influencers, celebrities, and everyday people, it is one of the most popular digital content platforms of all time. It allows you to store hours of video footage of almost anything.
Top highlights:
- Big audience: YouTube, being such a popular search engine, allows you to look for any video under the sun. The audience is wider, and so is the reach.
- Analytics: Manage your own channel with insights and analytics on how your video performs.
- Embed: Fast embedding functionalities allows you to post and share your content anywhere.
- Monetize: Monetize your account once you’ve surpassed 1000 subscribers and make money from the ad revenue.
- Unlimited everything: Create and upload unlimited videos with unlimited bandwidth and sharing.
Pricing:
On YouTube it’s free to sign up, watch and upload. However, if viewers wish to skip ads, they’ll need to upgrade to a premium version.
My take:
This is nothing but the best for your video content needs. My grandma is out here watching her favorite shows on YouTube. That shows you the reach on this platform.
Market and monetize, you have the power.
2. Vimeo
Sharing, creating, or hosting: you name it, and Vimeo’s got it.
Vimeo functions as Software as a Service (SaaS) and caters to video content creators and businesses.
Video creation, editing, broadcasting tools, and a way for video professionals to connect with clients and other professionals are available to all members on the platform.
After YouTube, Vimeo is the next biggest household name for sure.
Highlights
- No ads: It’s a world without ads, my friends. Your audience will not be distracted, which will guarantee a greater watch time.
- Paid business account: Offers 5 terabytes of video content along with tools for analytics and business palette customization.
- Personal branding: Enjoy the liberty of your own domain name and branding under your portfolio.
- Embed and sell: Post or sell your content anywhere to gather your target audience.
- Community building: Niche community with more room for constructive criticism. Bid farewell to trolls.
Pricing
Regular pricing ranges from $7-$75/month, and the enterprise plan pricing depends on your business’s needs post-negotiation.
There’s a free trial, too. But that obviously wouldn’t give you everything that a business account would.
My take:
Enjoy the simple interface and its exceptional video formats for your business. Try Vimeo for free now, and you’re going to fall in LOVE.
3. Wave Video
Wave.video is a video marketing platform that combines a top-of-the-line online editing toolkit, cloud-based video hosting, and a landing page builder into one convenient package.
It’s ideal for creating, repurposing, and sharing videos on websites, blogs, social networking platforms, and emails. It’s a game-changer for firms looking to use videos to boost return on investment at every marketing/content strategy point.
Highlights:
- Video creation: Don’t fret about not having video footage. Create your own video on the platform, with no installations needed. All your data is saved on the cloud, so you can edit as you go.
- Landing page: Boost your business engagement and convert clicks into sales via your own page. You can promote your business and videos simultaneously.
- Creative templates: Video formats are different over various platforms; customize your content to fit any aspect ratio and video type.
- Social calendar: Design your own business calendar and plan your content to fit the festivities with video inspiration.
- Custom subtitles: Use Wave’s automatically and accurately-generated subtitles to attract more viewers.
Pricing:
Wave’s pricing ranges from $0-$48/month.
The option for a free video hosting site is genius for beginners! You can test the waters with it and then dive into a business plan when you plan on expanding. The free option doesn’t strip you of of the key features, which is amazing.
My take:
Trendy formats attract the internet-savvy generation, and those are our key audience members. They will thoroughly enjoy the innovative content produced from this platform. It’s definitely worth a shot for the free trial, at least.
4. Hippo Video
Hippo Video is a one-stop-shop video hosting site that will meet all of your needs. Record incredible videos, edit them with Hippo’s powerful editor, distribute them across many platforms, and track their performance.
As a video hosting platform, Hippo enables sales and marketing teams to make the most of their visual content. It’s a powerhouse with a slew of impressive features.
As a video distribution platform, it also enables you to send customized video emails automatically.
Highlights:
- Replacing text: Hippo believes that video is the next form of content, and people would rather watch a video than read text on the screen.
- High conversion rate: Insights on audience engagement and demographic analysis can help businesses to better understand their customers’ needs, which can quickly convert clicks to sales.
- Personalized landing page: Be creative with your own thumbnails and landing page.
- Built-in editor: Edit your videos on the platform, from the simplest to the most advanced edits. There’s an option to get the edits done professionally as well.
- Transcoding ability: Each video can be coded for various viewing formats for a seamless viewing experience across platforms.
Pricing
Hippo has an insane amount of plans, with thirteen different options for sales, marketing, support, and team building. The pricing ranges from $10-$99/month!
Pick what you want as per your needs and check out their free trial for added insight into how the platform performs.
My take:
Hippo is a fantastic video integration site with a vision to convert the way consumers see marketing. The 7-day trial version is the best way to get your hands dirty with Hippo.
5. Dailymotion
Dailymotion? Does it ring a bell? This is the video hosting site I mentioned right at the beginning of this article.
Dailymotion is the second most popular site for watching videos online, and it is one of YouTube’s main competitors. Users can browse the site and contribute videos by simply searching based on channels, tags, and user-created groups.
Any video on Dailymotion can have a maximum file size of 4 GB. However, the maximum duration is limited to 60 minutes.
Top highlights:
- TV show base: As you may recall, Dailymotion is a partner to several TV show producers who wish to air their content on the web.
- Livestreams: This is something many other video hosting sites do not offer. It’s an outstanding way of connecting with your audience in real-time and building a community.
- Advanced analytics: Understand your audience and revenue streams through the analytics suite. It offers you real-time data and multiple filtering dimensions.
- Custom branding: Let your business’s aesthetics and class shine through your videos.
- Multiple support options: Embed and stream ultra-high-definition videos on various platforms with multiple partners.
Pricing:
Although there are no fees associated with uploading movies to Dailymotion, it is worth noting that the site does offer Partner Plans.
Through these, the specialists at Dailymotion can assist you in realizing your ideas and branding. They may even be able to assist you in monetizing your videos.
My take:
Dailymotion is a social media favorite and more along the lines of YouTube than many others. Its reputation speaks for itself, and its free offer is like the icing on a cake.
6. Unscreen
This one is for artificial intelligence enthusiasts. Unscreen uses AI technology to switch backgrounds on videos without having to use a green screen. How cool is that?
It is also a video hosting site that makes it simple to share your content on demand. It allows you to bulk upload any type of content. This platform has pre-built themes that can be adjusted to meet your specific business requirements.
Highlights:
- Livestreams: This newly added feature is a fantastic method to develop a community and communicate with your audience in real-time.
- App service: This allows your business to have its own white-label app and website for your audience to download and stream content on.
- Revenue-share model: Cut out the middlemen with this subscription-based service, and keep all the revenue to yourself.
- Multifunctional: Unscreen helps you create, manage, and process videos – all of which would be costly and difficult to implement from scratch if you tried to do it yourself.
- Sales strategies: Runs sales and marketing campaigns for your brand and generates promos and coupons.
Pricing:
Pricing starts from $149/month, which is quite a hefty price tag for a monthly subscription. However, the best part is that you can pay as you go and subscribe whenever you need it.
A free 14-day trial is an excellent way to get used to the features offered by the site.
My take:
Overall, Unscreen is a straightforward and cost-effective platform for professional publishers looking to grow their audience and monetize their video content. You can pick up where you left off.
7. JetPack for WordPress
Jetpack is a multi-purpose plugin for WordPress which offers a player created specifically for this site, so you can host ad-free, high-speed, HD videos.
It also includes features such as security, performance optimization, marketing tools, analytics, and more.
This video hosting site offers the simplest approach to increase the speed and SEO of your website, with no need for a developer.
Top highlights:
- Disaster management: If a crisis hits, be ready with the Jetpack mobile app. You can restore your site and remove viruses from anywhere.
- Cloud-based: Every modification is saved, and one-click restorations get you back on the internet quickly.
- Unlimited storage: Create and upload unlimited videos, preferably sized between 1-2 GB.
- Direct integration: WordPress is directly associated with JetPack which enables you to integrate and embed content instantly.
- Brand promo: Auto-shares your latest posts, pages, and goods to Facebook and Twitter.
Pricing:
Ranges from $8-$80/month. The complete package offers you a customer relationship management (CRM) service, which is a great tool to build your audience and communicate with them.
Otherwise, the $20 plan will meet all your video hosting needs.
My take:
If your company runs on WordPress, JetPack for WordPress’s video hosting solution is the best.
JetPack makes it simple to host your videos and incorporate them into their proprietary video player without having to pay for a third party.
8. Vidyard
Vidyard is a video-based company that is changing the way businesses interact and communicate.
They work with businesses of all sizes to customize their messaging and consumer experiences. Vidyard is a business-oriented video hosting platform that goes beyond hosting and management.
Highlights:
- Creative tools: The drag and drop feature makes it easy to add content and the editing tools offer you a creative edge to make it stand out in a crowd.
- CRM: With advanced customer relationship management tools, businesses can explore endless opportunities to interact with their audiences and build a connection.
- Design features: Design your own thumbnails and GIFs with Vidyard and make your videos attractive. There are also numerous features to brand your videos.
- Zoom integrated: With the pandemic upon us, you can embed your video conferencing links or webinars to stay connected.
- Unlimited everything: Create and upload unlimited videos, with unlimited bandwidth and sharing.
Pricing:
Pricing varies from $0-$1,250/ month. Yup, $0! Vidyard offers a Google Chrome extension as well.
The business version allows more than 5 people to access the database with an extensive CRM software.
For those who are just starting out, the free version with no credit card requirements is a total win.
My take:
Vidyard presents a holistic approach to uploading, sharing, and analyzing video content. It’s the holy grail of video hosting and marketing, regardless of your company’s size.
9. Wistia
Wistia is a video marketing platform that helps you connect with your target audience. You can use it to embed videos on any website.
This service provides you with a premium video hosting site/podcast software site (YES, podcast, the new-age form of the radio) and a digital marketing platform.
Highlights:
- Fully optimized: Optimized viewing for your desktop, tablet, or phone on various video player options.
- Podcasting: Helps you plan, record, and strategize your podcasts with the tools built into the software. It also takes on the responsibility of distribution to popular podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- Analytical integration: Send engagement data to your CRM, ad platforms, and marketing tools by integrating with your IT stack.
- Quality adjustment: The video quality is customized to the internet connection and bandwidth. This leads to lower buffering and longer watch time.
- CMS: An extensive content management system that provides insights on your content, pre-upload. All this data is saved on the cloud.
Pricing:
Pricing varies from $0-$99 per month, with an advanced version as well.
The Wistia Pro package, which costs $99 per month, is for you if you want to start spending on digital marketing using videos and podcasts.
The Wistia Advanced plan is for businesses and budgets that are ready to go all in. You also have the option of selecting a premium integration!
My take:
If your company is just getting started, Wistia provides a free plan. Use that to get going.
In general, Wistia seems to be excellent for online learning and as a digital marketing platform for your business, while the added podcasting feature is sure to gather a bunch of creative minds for the platform.
10. Rumble
Think of Rumble as YouTube’s little sister. Love capturing videos and creating them? You’ll love Rumble.
It’s a platform for independent content creators or strategists. Upload the content you want and make money from AdSense.
Rumble is known to be one of the swiftest video players and has fewer restrictions on the kind of content you can upload.
Highlights:
- Monetization: Create your own videos, upload them on the platform and make money from it! Once your account is monetized, you can start making money through the ads featured before your videos.
- Custom page: Create your own landing page which reflects your brand and personality.
- Equal treatment: No discrimination against creators, and the algorithm is chronological.
- Account management: You can get your account managed via a manager and distribute your video through it onto several platforms with no hidden fees.
- Speed: It’s the fastest media player in the market to upload 4K videos.
Pricing:
As I said, Rumble is a free video-hosting platform, but they also offer further plans for businesses and entrepreneurs, which are custom-made by the team.
My take:
Rumble offers a personalized interface meant for individual growth and branding. Go for it if you are in the game for yourself and not just your business
Conclusion:
Made it this far? You’re a real one, and you really need a great video hosting site for yourself. I hope you were able to distinguish one platform from the other and make an informed decision. Whether you want to scale up your business or create a podcast, you now have multiple options at varied price ranges.
And if you’re still confused, there’s always a free trial to the rescue!