Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported, which means we earn commissions from links on Digital. Commissions do not affect our editorial evaluations or opinions.
Hosting videos on your website gives you more control over your content than streaming platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. However, hosting video content also requires more resources than most standard web hosting plans offer.
You need a few essential things to create a website specifically for videos:
- Significant storage
- Bandwidth and computation power
- Secure data center and top-of-the-line CDN
Read more about our picks for the best video hosting sites, based on expert and customer reviews, and an overview of what makes video hosting unique and worth your money.
Best Video Hosting Sites: Shortlist
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Best Premium Video Hosting Site
Great Video Watermarking
Best for WordPress Websites
Video Hosting for Online Courses
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review video hosting sites.
The Top Video Hosting Sites of 2023
Best Overall
Features
- Make money with advertising
- Grow your channel with subscribers
- Millions of daily users
#1 Top Pick for 2023
YouTube is synonymous with video hosting. It’s the first place you think of, but it also has some great features for businesses, including advertising and analytics.
Starting Price
Free
Guarantee
No
24-7 Support
Knowledge base only
Monetization Options
Ads, merchandising
Read More
It’s easy to see why YouTube’s platform is so popular. As an ad-supported service, it’s completely free for both video uploaders and viewers.
And if you’re looking to monetize your videos, YouTube offers many millions of daily users that can be used to generate revenue. Once you’ve been accepted into the YouTube Partner Program, you can make money through advertising, channel subscriptions, and merchandise.
- Pros and cons of YouTube
YouTube is free to use and arguably the best platform for video monetization. But if you ever run into an issue, you’ll need to look up how to fix it yourself.
Reasons to choose YouTube
- Free video hosting
- Monetization features
- Built-in audience
Reasons to avoid
- No live support
What Customers Are Saying About YouTube
Many users find that YouTube performs better than other providers. “The videos usually start up quickly on YouTube compared to many other top video hosting websites,” wrote one user. “I like that YouTube has different versions that we can load for mobile and desktop. There are also great tagging features and video editing options that give us ways to customize the viewing experience and make it more interactive.”
Best Premium Video Hosting Site
Features
- Protect videos with passwords
- Live Q&A, audience chat, version history
- Email-based customer support
Starting Price
$7 per month
Guarantee
30 days
24-7 Support
Email
Monetization Options
Subscriptions, events
Read More
Vimeo’s prices start at $7 per month for the Plus plan. It includes 250 GB of annual storage, player customization, privacy control, password protection, social sharing, and an analytics dashboard for one user.
Upgrading to one of the more premium plans can get you features such as custom branding, live Q&A, audience chat, version history, more users, and more storage.
These plans include unlimited bandwidth, 4K/HDR support, and no ads before, after, or on your videos.
- Pros and cons of Vimeo
Vimeo is one of the biggest names in video hosting, and that’s no surprise, given that their high-quality service is available at such affordable prices.
Reasons to choose Vimeo
- Low starting price
- Feature-rich video hosting plans
- Great monetization options
Reasons to avoid
- Not free
What Customers Are Saying About Vimeo
This provider is already ahead of most of its competitors, and they are still continuing to improve their service. “Vimeo gives users an extremely affordable way to store and share videos,” wrote one customer. “Over the last few years, I have seen the company make continuous improvements to functionality and interface, keeping it ahead of other video services.”
Great Video Watermarking
Features
- Watermark your videos
- Built-in performance analytics
- 4k 60 fps encoding
Starting Price
Free
Guarantee
No
24-7 Support
Email
Monetization Options
In-stream ads
Read More
There are only two video hosting plans available with Dailymotion: Standard and Advanced.
The Standard plan offers an HTML5 video player, 4K 60fps encoding, watermarking, a content management system, and performance analytics.
While anyone can register for the Standard plan, you’ll need to contact Dailymotion and apply for the Advanced plan. It includes extra features such as live streaming with unlimited viewers, publication on social media platforms, and mobile upload.
- Pros and cons of Dailymotion
Dailymotion earns its revenue through ads, so you don’t need to pay to use the services. But unfortunately, there’s no live support.
Reasons to choose Vimeo
- Free video hosting
- Simple, streamlined interface
- Easy to monetize with ads
- Low advertising threshold
Reasons to avoid
- No live support
- User experience isn’t as good
- Have to request mobile uploading
What Customers Are Saying About Dailymotion
Users like Dailymotion’s streamlined, intuitive interface. “Dailymotion is very straightforward,” wrote one user. “The design is clean, and it’s simple to upload and share your content.”
Best for WordPress Websites
Features
- Free and paid plans to suit everyone
- Includes a built-in CDN for fast speeds
- Strong analytics and security
Starting Price
Free
Guarantee
30 days
24-7 Support
Email
Monetization Options
None
Read More
Jetpack offers a variety of security, performance, and marketing tools for WordPress users.
Video hosting with Jetpack allows you to take advantage of their high-speed CDN; and they also allow you to review stats for individual and overall video plays.
While a free version of Jetpack is available, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Jetpack Security (Daily) plan for unlimited video hosting. This plan includes daily backups, brute force attack protection, and SEO tools.
- Pros and cons of Jetpack
Jetpack offers many helpful features for managing a WordPress site, but there are relatively few features specifically for video hosting (for example, there are no monetization or interactive video features). Also, there’s no live support.
Reasons to choose Vimeo
- Strong security
- High-speed CDN is built in
- Works directly on your website
- Basic video stats
Reasons to avoid
- No live support
- Few video hosting features
What Customers Are Saying About Jetpack
According to this customer, Jetpack is an excellent all-around solution for WordPress users: “What I like most about Jetpack are the extensive features it has to manage a WordPress website; for example, it has modules for themes, website statistics tools, tools for social networks, ads, backups, and more. It is easy to install and use. I also like their price, since they have different plans and even a free version. Also, their customer service is very good.”
Video Hosting for Online Courses
Features
- Built-in A/B testing tools
- Video analytics and heatmaps
- Brandable video player
Starting Price
$7 per month
Guarantee
30 days
24-7 Support
Live chat & phone
Monetization Options
Online courses, PPV
Read More
Spotlightr, formerly known as vooPlayer, has three plans: Spark, Aurora, and Polaris.
The Spark plan offers 50 GB of monthly bandwidth, 50 GB of storage, an unbranded player, and in-depth video analytics.
The Aurora plan includes everything in Spark along with 200 GB of monthly bandwidth and storage and advanced playback options.
The Polaris plan has all platform features and 600 GB of monthly bandwidth and storage.
- Pros and cons of Spotlightr
Spotlightr has many options depending on your storage needs and provides many other advanced features. However, there are some user complaints about bugs in the UI.
Reasons to choose Vimeo
- Tons of useful course tools
- Brandable and personalized
- Built-in A/B testing
- Plenty of storage space
- Video analytics
Reasons to avoid
- UI could use improvement
- Users reported bugs
What Customers Are Saying About Spotlightr
Users report that the A/B testing feature is especially useful. “I love the A/B testing feature, which helps me determine when is the best time to show an opt-in box to capture leads (or use any other CTA buttons),” wrote one customer.
Compare Video Hosting Sites
Video Hosting Platform
Best Features
Starting Price
Best Overall
- Make money with advertising
- Grow your channel with subscribers
- Millions of daily users
Free
Best Premium Video Hosting Site
- Protect videos with passwords
- Live Q&A, audience chat, version history
- Email-based customer support
$7 per month
Great Video Watermarking
- Watermark your videos
- Built-in performance analytics
- 4k 60 fps encoding
Free
Best for WordPress Websites
- Free and paid plans to suit everyone
- Includes a built-in CDN for fast speeds
- Strong analytics and security
Free
Video Hosting for Online Courses
- Built-in A/B testing tools
- Video analytics and heatmaps
- Brandable video player
$7 per month
What You Need to Know
What is video hosting?
Video hosting is the process of storing videos on robust and resource-rich high-performance hosting servers, often with the intent to deliver those videos to audiences. Video hosting is used to present streamable or downloadable video material, as well as live streams.
Where can I host videos besides YouTube?
Many people like Vimeo because it is thought to have a more pleasant interface. But if you plan to use it a lot, you will need to use their paid service. Dailymotion is also popular and offers 4k video quality. Other services are limited in terms of video file support and bandwidth constraints. But like YouTube, most have similar disadvantages like advertising breaks.
What is live video streaming?
Live streaming allows you to send video straight from a camera (or mixing board) to online viewers in real-time. It is used to present everything from streaming concerts to millions of people to broadcasting a birthday party to far-flung family members. Most video hosting companies offer this service. It is a great way to engage with a larger live audience.
What is the best file format for streaming videos?
The most popular video file formats include MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, AVCHD, FLV, and SWF. As to which format is the best to stream your videos, it will depend entirely on your setup and requirements. Choosing the best format will depend on different factors, like your video hosting service or streaming platform.
How much does video hosting cost?
If you want to self-host your videos, your options are cloud, VPS, or dedicated hosting, which tend to be more expensive. Cheaper options like shared hosting do not have the resources needed for video hosting. However, affordable plans will still give you the speed and storage you need to host your videos successfully.
What is video compression?
There are two main types of compression used: individual frame and video frame compression. Individual frame compression works with individual image files like jpg. Video frame compression is accomplished by sending selected image frames and filling the missing frames with some parts of the image that changed, basically recycling repetitive data.
What are the most popular video-sharing platforms?
The most popular video platforms include YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Hulu, Twitch, and Metacafe. There are many other video-sharing platforms that specialize in live streams, ones like Twitch. Many organizations are now hosting their own videos, one of these being TED.
What are my options for displaying videos on my site?
You can display videos on your website by using a third-party service that hosts your videos. Alternatively, you can host your own videos with a video hosting solution. There are specialist third-party services for video hosting, just as there are specialist hosting solutions with generous resource allowances designed for purposes like video hosting.
What’s the difference between hosting and embedding videos?
Hosting videos on your site involves having the video files on your server and distributing them to users in appropriate formats. When you embed a video, the content is stored on another server and not your own. Irrespective of hosting or embedding your videos, the user’s perspective of your website serving the video doesn’t change.
Why shouldn’t I host my own videos?
Hosting videos on your site involves having the video files on your server and distributing them to users in appropriate formats. When you embed a video, the content is stored on another server and not your own. Irrespective of hosting or embedding your videos, the user’s perspective of your video-sharing the video doesn’t change.
Should I host my videos on YouTube?
There are many advantages to hosting with YouTube. It is easy to use, well-resourced, rarely has streaming problems, and it’s by far the most popular video hosting system. Having your videos on YouTube means they are much more likely to come up high on search engine results.
What are the benefits of paid video hosting?
Having a paid service allows you much greater control and eliminates pre-roll and pop-up advertising. And generally, linking to your video gives your site more visibility rather than, for example, YouTube, which gets Google Page Rank boasts from the videos you post on it. Paid video hosting also removes many mass restrictions on what you can and can’t upload.
What’s the difference between a video and a video stream?
A video is a series of images, each of which is displayed for a short time. However, sending a video over the network like that would use far too much bandwidth. So a video codec is used to convert (compress and decompress) the original video into a video stream.
Can I host videos on WordPress?
Yes, you can host videos on WordPress. Since it is a CMS, it allows you to store content, including videos. WordPress allows you to stream videos by installing and configuring the right plugins. However, the WordPress CMS is not designed for video-heavy content, in which case a CDN is a useful supporting feature.
How We Review Video Hosting Sites
We looked at hundreds of the top hosts to find the ones with cloud, VPS, and dedicated server plans that had generous resource allocation. Then we filtered down to choose the ones that offered easy CDN integration.
We combined these with our expert reviews and thousands of customer reviews to create our top video hosting options.
These are the most important video hosting considerations to keep in mind:
Learn more about our review methodology.