Video has grown into one of the leading marketing and education tools of the last few years,
but with the pandemic it has become even more essential for businesses shifting to
remote work. In this video, we’re going to help you find the best video hosting site for you,
but before we dive in, don’t forget to click that bell button and subscribe to
our YouTube channel so that you can stay on top of the freelance and entrepreneur world.
Video hosting sites provide a place for you to store, play back, and edit your video on
the internet. Every video hosting service comes with a unique collection of features
like faster loading speeds or editing / conversion tools, so let’s take a look
at our #1. YouTube
I don’t need to explain YouTube to you, you’re watching me on it right now.
But as the second largest search engine in the world,
there are plenty of pros for using this platform… and one big con.
YouTube is the largest video host platform in the world, and you’ll get free video hosting
and opportunities to earn money from your videos through paid ads using Adsense. You’ll also find a
robust video search engine that makes it easy for strangers to discover your content organically.
You’ll get unlimited storage, can easily imbed YouTube videos on your site,
and it will be incredibly simple for users to subscribe to your channel.
But here’s the biggest con: YouTube recommends other videos AKA competitors
during their pause screen, which can drive traffic away from your website or channel.
2. Swarmify
Swarmify starts at $49/month, but there’s a couple good reasons why the price may be worth it.
First off, it boasts remarkable video load speeds,
with real-time YouTube-vs.-Swarmify speed comparisons on their site. Just watch the
infamous YouTube loading circle turn while Swarmify plays as soon as you click the button.
Plus, while sites like YouTube promote other people’s content after each video possibly
driving people away from your site, Swarmify doesn’t. You no longer have to worry about
customers being lured away from your site by silly cat videos. In addition to the fast load speeds,
you’ll get unlimited bandwidth, encoding, and storage with a distraction-free layout
that has no outside branding. Throw in advanced analytics and automated Vimeo /
YouTube conversions and it’s definitely something you might want to consider.
The biggest downside here is that without a deal, it’s pretty expensive for small businesses.
Next up is Wistia. This platform helps viewers stay engaged with your video content by offering
features like a customizable, white-label video player and built-in tools like heat maps to help
you grow a following and engage regularly with your audience. With TV-quality video experiences,
it’s both a platform builder and video hosting website. If you want to put some
of your video content behind a digital gate for lead generation, you can configure videos so that
viewers can only access your content by giving you their email address. It’s like
a video lead magnet to grow your email list. Wistia does have a freemium version, but paid
plans start at $99/month, making it pretty expensive for smaller teams.
4. Vimeo
Vimeo is one of the most popular video-hosting sites in the world,
but it’s also a video editor. Most of us are familiar with the freemium version,
while it has paid plans starting at $7/month. You can use their Video Maker platform to
start editing from scratch or choose from their many templates, where you can add copy, images,
and effects for a more professional-looking video. But if you’re not into video editing,
Vimeo connects you with an on-demand freelance video workforce. If you want someone to take
your content to the next level, you can hire talent without leaving the site. Plus it has
team collaboration features, a video marketing tool suite and advanced analytics and reporting.
The downside is that most of these business features are not available in the free plan.
Our number 5 is SproutVideo, a video hosting platform built for businesses,
starting at $24.99/month. It has a ton of features to help companies market their services
while staying secure. The platform also includes templates to let you build video-first websites,
so instead of static images in your header, you can welcome website visitors via video.
To top it off, SproutVideo also offers robust security with password protection,
single sign-on, and login protection. There’s a video marketing suite,
the ability to create custom video playlists and players, and responsive, mobile-friendly
layouts. The downside here is that with all this possibility, there’s a steep learning curve.
And here’s number 6: Brightcove, which helps you build your own streaming service starting
at $99/month. If you want live-streaming, fast load speeds, and a suite of video marketing tools,
Brightcove could be your pick. Its advertising options give you the ability to build a
monetization strategy with your videos and it integrates with many popular marketing platforms
like HubSpot and Marketo. It’s also compatible with popular CMSes like WordPress and Drupal.
Downsides to consider are the search feature functionality and inflexible reporting.
7. Dailymotion Dailymotion, like YouTube, is a video search
engine and entertainment site where viewers can watch video after recommended video. Unlike the
other platforms, Dailymotion has the appearance and feel of a news site. Instead of articles,
the platform displays a collection of today’s biggest video stories, including the news, most
popular videos, and sports. In terms of features, Dailymotion offers livestream, on-demand video,
and standard video hosting. The downside is that the site feels like a clunkier, slower YouTube.
8. Cincopa Cincopa is a robust
image, video, podcast, and media hosting platform that lets you manage your digital
assets with ease. With a freemium version and paid version starting at $9.99/month,
you can choose from slick video player designs, navigate a user-friendly interface,
and create video channels in just a few clicks. You can add annotations and CTAs, use your own
branding, and organize your videos into chapters and forms. Plus, with advanced analytics,
insights, and heatmaps, you’ll know exactly who’s watching your videos, when, and where. The only
downside is that file storage limits might be an issue, depending on how much media you have.
9. VdoCipher VdoCipher lets ed-tech
and media sites play videos on their platforms in the most secure and smooth manner. Pricing
is based on bandwidth and storage requirements, and starts from $149/year. With a combination
of Hollywood standard encryption, viewer-specific watermarking, and licensing technologies, you can
be sure that your videos won’t be downloaded or shared illegally from a video platform.
Platform owners can use VdoCipher on their own website or app. The complete packaged offering
includes Global Amazon AWS CDN server hosting, smart video player, analytics dashboard, WordPress
plugin, and APIs to manage videos. The downside, like with many of these platforms, is cost.
Finding the right video hosting tool is the immediate big decision that will make
future decisions much easier, so make sure you’re making the right decision for the right reason.
Until next time, make sure to subscribe to our channel
so that you can tune into other videos like this one to step up your business game!