Video is taking over the internet. By 2022, video will grow to 82% of all internet traffic, according to one report. Every business should have a video content strategy. However, video content takes up a much heavier load on your website servers than text-based content. So, what’s the answer? A video hosting platform to host your videos online is a common part of a modern marketing strategy in 2021. It’s important that you can upload and share high-quality videos with your audience, without your website going down or suffering a server lag. We’ll give you the 10 best ways to host your videos online and help you choose the best option to suit your business’ needs. We will also break down the pros and cons of each video hosting service.
Hosting Your Own Videos vs. Using a Video Hosting Site
Video can put a significant load on your server, even if you have a dedicated server or a virtual machine. A regular web page with images is typically fewer than a couple of megabytes, while one 720p video generally is more than 100 megabytes. So, if you have ten visitors who watch one minute of HD video, that requires one whole gigabyte of server bandwidth. For the same amount of bandwidth, you could get a thousand visitors or more to a text and image-based page! And typically, web hosting plans put a restriction on bandwidth. That is why we typically recommend you use a third-party video platform. And no matter where you end up hosting your videos, make sure to optimize your videos for search!
Best Free Platforms to Host Your Videos Online
First, we’ll start with the free video hosting options.
1. YouTube
YouTube is the biggest video sharing website on the internet. 1.3 billion people use YouTube! However, this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best option for hosting your videos online.
For a content creator, YouTube is a no-brainer. It’s fairly easy to start your own YouTube channel, and you can use YouTube SEO techniques to optimize your accounts and get more viewers. There is no limit to your data storage or bandwidth. You can even earn a percentage of the ad revenue generated by your videos!
However, for a business, YouTube only offers a branded iframe player as your option for embedding videos into your website. Though YouTube videos might be part of your content marketing strategy, it might not be the best choice for video hosting.
YouTube Pros
- Free unlimited cloud storage for your videos
- Huge audience-building opportunities with 1.3 billion users
- Easily embed videos
YouTube Cons
- Only basic embedding options
- Ads will play automatically, even on videos embedded on your website
- Recommended videos show up at the end of every video
- No download options without a third-party service
- Potential copyright issues
2. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is the main video sharing platform competitor to YouTube. However, its audience is much, much smaller. While this does mean you will have less competition and it might be easier building an audience, it also means you have much less room for growth. Like YouTube, Dailymotion runs on ads. This platform is best for content creators who are looking for additional distribution channels.
Dailymotion Pros
- Free, unlimited video hosting
- Options to make videos private and password-protected
- Some opportunity for audience-building with less competition
Dailymotion Cons
- Smaller audience than YouTube
- Smaller max files sizes
- Cannot download videos without a third-party service
- Ads automatically play before, during, and after videos
3. Vimeo
Vimeo is a video hosting and collaboration suite aimed at creative professionals. It is an excellent platform for creative professionals who want to market themselves and share their work with an interested audience. The types of videos that tend to do well on Vimeo are original short films, original animations, indie music videos, and extreme outdoor sports and nature videos.
The best part about Vimeo is its embedded video player. Vimeo is designed for professional use, so there are no ads and it offers a customizable video embed. It is the best free platform for webmasters who are looking to embed videos on their website. Vimeo offers a free trial so you can see if it’s the right place for your video files. Plus, pro plans start at just $7 per month.
Vimeo Pros
- No ads
- Customizable and discreet video embedding
- Option to create professional social media videos
- Advertise your creative services on the platform
- Enable video downloads
Vimeo Cons
- Narrow audience
- Low upload limits with free accounts
4. Facebook
Facebook is the only video sharing platform that has an audience comparable to YouTube. However, Facebook is best known for being a social media and messaging platform, not a video sharing site. Yet, adding videos to Facebook Watch and the timeline made Facebook one of the leading distributors of videos online. Facebook is an excellent choice for those looking to build an audience for their videos.
When it comes to using Facebook as a video sharing platform, there are some pros and cons. Your video might have a chance of going viral, but, the embedded player options are minimal.
Facebook Pros
- Unlimited free video hosting
- Share your videos directly on Facebook
- Opportunity to build your audience on the largest social media platform
Facebook Cons
- Ads play automatically on all videos
- Only basic branded embedded video player options
- Lower video quality cap than other options
Premium Video Hosting Options
Next, let’s discuss some of the best premium video hosting options for businesses.
5. WordPress Video Hosting: Jetpack
Did you know that WordPress offers video hosting as part of its premium and professional plans with the Jetpack plugin? The premium Jetpack plan includes unlimited video hosting from $11.97 per month. This is an excellent option because it allows you to seamlessly embed videos into your WordPress site with Jetpack’s video blocks. It offers advanced options, like autoplay, mute, and loop, and you can hide all the playback controls.
Jetpack Pros
- Unbranded, customizable embedded video player
- Unlimited video hosting
- See your video stats in your WordPress dashboard
Jetpack Cons
- Few advanced features of other paid video hosting services
- No established audience
6. Wistia
Wistia is a video hosting platform designed specifically for B2B marketers. You can use it to host your videos, but it also allows lots of other advanced features. For example, you embed lead capture forms and other calls to actions within the video player. This platform is ideal for marketers and data-driven businesses. Wistia is also one of the more expensive options on this list, at $99 per month for ten videos.
Wistia Pros
- No ads
- Completely customizable embed player
- You can highlight other videos from your channel
- Create custom audiences for Facebook and Instagram
- Capture leads from the video
- Custom branding
- CRM integrations
Wistia Cons
- More expensive that most options
- No inherent audience
7. vooPlayer
vooPlayer is another premium video hosting service that is best for marketers, rather than casual vloggers. This platform offers advanced video data, helps you populate custom audiences, and collect leads. If you are looking to add video marketing to your business, this is an all-in-one solution. However, if you have little experience with digital marketing, vooPlayer might be too complicated.
vooPlayer Pros
- No ads
- Affordable
- Allows customizable branding
- You have full control over the embed video player
- Advanced video analytics and heatmaps
- Lead capture gates
- Earn money for views with pay-per-view gates
- Set up contests through video
- Integrate with Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads
vooPlayer Cons
- Complex, not for beginners
8. Brightcove
Brightcove is an enterprise video hosting solution that helps with integrating with other marketing tools and server-side ad insertion. It is used mostly by Fortune 500 companies and major publications. It is not typically a solution for small businesses. However, you get what you pay for: Brightcove plans begin at $199 per month, and often require annual contracts. It is best for enterprises that wish to include digital video as part of their marketing efforts.
Brightcove Pros
- Allows you to manage and sell your own video ad inventory
- Live stream directly to your website/app
- Enterprise-friendly CMS
- Advanced marketing automation integrations
Brightcove Cons
- Complexity (not for beginners)
- Price
9. SproutVideo
SproutVideo is another video hosting platform for businesses. It offers features like sharing and collaboration tools, lead capture forms, audience building, and advanced video analytics. You can also use their online creator to design unlimited unique video players, which allows you to match each video player with individual pages on your website. You can also create custom playlists to design an engaging journey for your customers. It also offers marketing tools like lead capture and audience creation.
However, this is a complex tool that is not ideal for beginners. If you are new to editing and creating videos with software, you might want to try another option. It is best for professional marketers or companies that rely on leads and long sales processes.
SproutVideo Pros
- Advanced video analytics
- Capture lead forms from within the video
- Track edits with audit logs
- Design unlimited unique video players
- Custom playlists
- Role-based permissions
SproutVideo Cons
- No platform audience
- Complex
10. Uscreen
Uscreen is a bit different than the rest of the options on our list. It is a VOD, or digital video course platform, which was created to help educators make revenue from their online videos. If you are looking for a video hosting service for that reason, here is your answer! Though it is an excellent option for planning, uploading, managing, and selling an online course, it does come with a hefty price tag. The basic Uscreen plan starts at $99 per month, and has a limit of 300 subscribers.
UScreen Pros
- Allows you to create, organize, and sell online video courses
- Integrate with OTT apps on mobile phones and smart TVs
- Custom pricing models available
- Fast HD video hosting included
UScreen Cons
- Expensive
Find the Best Video Hosting Solution for You with SEO Design Chicago
Unfortunately, there is no one answer for which is the best video streaming service for any one particular business. The right video hosting solution for your business depends on your video and business needs. If you simply want to integrate ad-free videos into your WordPress website, Vimeo is probably the right answer. Or, if you are trying to simply reach new audiences with video content, YouTube and Facebook are your best bets. If you are already a Jetpack subscriber, that is the best choice for you. However, if you want in-depth analytics, Wistia and vooPlayer might be the best option. If you are an enterprise business, Brightcove is a no-brainer. If you are an educator looking to sell a course, you will want to try Uscreen.
For hep choosing the best video hosting solution for your business, contact SEO Design Chicago today! We offer website hosting services and much more.
FAQs:
- What are the best video hosting platforms?
- Should I host my own videos or use a video hosting site?
- Where can I host my videos for free?
- What is the best video hosting solution?
- What platform can I use to sell an online course?
Contact Us Today!