11 best video hosting sites: Free and paid options

Long before most of us were born, this song “Video Killed the Radio Star” came out. Nowadays, video hasn’t only killed the radio star but also traditional marketing.

So, whether you’re on the grind as a solopreneur, you’ve just launched your startup, or running an enterprise, you should focus on video marketing.

But, to do that, you need a video hosting site that will suit your needs. Sure, you can post your content on social media. You can gather up an audience on TikTok or Instagram and funnel them to your offerings.

The thing is, a video hosting platform can reduce a lot of the friction and help you have everything in one place. And, the best thing is that there are free solutions out there that are better than most social media platforms.

Alas, I’ll go over the 11 best video hosting sites on the market right now. Some of them are free, some are paid, but most aren’t one-size-fits-all, with a few exceptions, like YouTube and Whop. That’s why I’ll cover the best ones for your specific needs.

So, let’s get to it.

How does video hosting work?

Video hosting sites allow you to post your video content without having to handle stress on your own servers. You can then share these videos through embedded links on your website.

The reason why most use these platforms is that hosting content on your own website is gonna be costly and takes up a lot of bandwidth. And, the reason why you should use them is that the TikToks and Instagrams of the market come with a lot fewer tools and features.

Pretty straightforward, right? Let’s go over the list together.

An overview of the best video hosting sites 

11 of the best video hosting sites

Now, admittedly, the table above has all the info you need. But I think it’s worth reviewing each platform more in-depth to gauge what you’re getting and help you narrow down your options.

1. Whop

Whop is undoubtedly the best all-around option for video hosting. You’ll correctly point out that Whop isn’t a traditional video hosting platform, and I’ll agree with you. With Whop, you upload your video files using the “Files” app or as part of an online course.

The thing is, you can use all of Whop’s other apps to take this to the next level, and that’s why it’s the best for up-and-coming solopreneurs and influencers. For instance, if you want to host a video course, you can use the “Courses” app, which also comes with some extra analytics and options. If you want to talk with your video viewers then you can add a "Chat" app for community conversation. You can even host live sessions with the "Video Calls" app.

And, of course, Whop is much more than just that. You can host webinars and live streams on your whop, as well as your very own community with the help of the “Chat” app. Everything fits in just one place, and it takes a few minutes and a bunch of clicks to get the show started.

Pricing: Starting your whop and hosting your videos won’t cost you anything upfront. If you want to host your videos for free and view them for free, then it won't cost you a cent. Then, if you want to charge for access to your videos or community, Whop takes a small fee of your revenue, starting at 3%.

Pros

• All-in-one platform
• No upfront costs
• Safe and secure way to upload gated video content
• Mobile-friendly

Cons

• Not a dedicated video hosting platform

2. YouTube

I know, I know, YouTube’s technically a social media platform as well, and I just went on a rant about these just a minute ago. But, when it comes to video hosting, is there really any other platform that’s as well known as YT? It’s become a search engine of its own at this point.

The thing is, it’s not the most intuitive platform out there. Many, many more have better tools, no ads, and no excruciating guidelines and TOS. So, why do I think it’s the best platform to build your brand?

Well, it’s simple. You’re presenting your content to 2.5 billion monthly active users. Just a tiny fraction of that is enough to help you build a brand and then make good bank off it.

Pricing: Creating a YouTube account and hosting your videos is 100% free. If you monetize your videos, YT will take around half of your ad revenue, though. Check out our guide to find out how much money you could make as a YouTuber.

Pros

• 100% free to start
• Global reach
• Mobile-friendly
• Plenty of analytics

Cons

• Lacks more intuitive tools
• Can be a pain to deal with its strict community guidelines

3. Vimeo

Now, let’s get into some more business-focused video hosting platforms, like Vimeo. While it’s not as popular as YouTube, Vimeo has found its audience by allowing you to host your videos without any ads and offering you plenty of tools to work with.

That’s why I believe it’s the best starting point for any small business owner. You can simply host your videos on there and share them across your other marketing channels. Your video player can also be customized (colors, logos, etc), so it’s that little bit extra that makes the platform stand out to me.

Pricing: Vimeo has a free plan that gives you access to some of its basic tools. As a small business owner, you can also go for the Starter or Standard plans, which come at $20 and $41 per month, respectively. There’s also the Advanced plan at $108/month, which has everything the other plans do, alongside all Vimeo’s AI tools.

Pros

• Very intuitive tool suite
• Ad-free video hosting
• Customizable video player

Cons

• Free plan can be limited as your business grows
• No built-in monetization options

4. Wistia

Many platforms only allow you to host your videos on there, but Wistia is quite a bit different. It’s fully tailored for marketing teams as a fully-fledged video marketing platform. This means that you get access to tons of marketing tools that you can embed within each of your videos.

That’s why I consider it the best option around for marketing campaigns. You can have lead gen forms on your more informational videos, as well as keep the engagement high with CTAs and the like. You can also host webinars on Wistia, similar to Whop and Uscreen (which you can see right below).

Pricing: All these features do come at a price, though, which is rather steep. While you can upload up to 10 videos for free, you’ll have to go for the Plus membership to remove the platform’s branding, which will set you back $24/month. Then, there are the Pro and Advanced plans, costing $99 and $399 per month, respectively, which come with the full suite.

Pros

• Full suite of marketing tools
• Plenty of analytics
• Ad-free and full of engagement tools

Cons

• Very limited free version
• Not a good all-around option; mostly suited for marketers

5. Uscreen

Uscreen is definitely up there as one of the best platforms for video hosting. It’s pretty similar to Whop, in that it offers a lot more than just video hosting. In fact, Uscreen focuses on building your community and hosting your online courses with the help of their video hosting offering.

Uscreen is a great platform in terms of features if you want to grow through videos and live streams. It has a lot going for it, including the ability to launch your very own app through the platform.

Pricing: There’s one big caveat with Uscreen, though: its cost. It’s one of the most costly platforms out there, with their basic plan, Growth, costing $199/month. If you want to get access to more features, like community building and more video storage, you’ll have to pay $599/month for the Pro plan. There’s also a subscriber fee at $1.99/sub (Growth) or $1.49/sub (Pro).

Pros

• Great all-around option
• Live streaming and mobile app capabilities
• Designed for video-focused niches

Cons

• Very costly for new entrepreneurs
• Doesn’t have as many tools as others

6. Spotlightr

Spotlightr really focus on courses, and so is a great option if that's your main goal. There’s another area where the platform has a ton of edge, and that’s analytics.

Spotlightr has the most in-depth analytics of any video hosting site I’ve seen, especially at its price point. For every video, you’ll get to know exactly how each of your viewers engaged with it, as well as which parts received the most view time. Plus, you can pair Spotlightr co-publish content on platforms like YouTube, making it easier to migrate from one to the other.

Pricing: The great thing about Spotlightr is that it’s affordable. You can start with the “Light” plan at $15/month, which allows you to post up to 25 videos. For unlimited videos, you can go for the “Plus” or “Premium”, at $25/month and $65/month, respectively. If you want to scale, there’s the aptly named “Scale” plan at $195/month, with 6 TB of bandwidth per month.

Pros

• Very in-depth analytics
• Affordable plans
• Designed for video courses

Cons

• Can be a bit difficult to navigate for beginners
• Not as well-known as the other platforms

7. SproutVideo

What if you combined the marketing tools from Wistia and the pricing from Spotlightr? Well, you’d get SproutVideo. It’s really got a bit of everything, and I’d say that’s a pretty good all-around video hosting site. But, it speaks to a specific audience: digital marketers.

Much like Wistia, you can get your viewers through every marketing funnel stage with lead gen forms, post-play screens, CTAs, and so on. Plus, you can even post 8K videos and natively integrate with platforms like Zapier, Mailchimp, and Hubspot.

Pricing: SproutVideo has 4 different pricing plans:

• Seed for $10/month
• Sprout for $35/month
• Tree for $75/month
• Forest for $295/month

Pros

• Very good value for money
• Tons of marketing tools
• All the analytics you’ll need

Cons

• It can be rather complex for non-marketers
• Storage and bandwidth limits are on the lower side

8. Jetpack VideoPress

This one’s a lot more straightforward than the rest. If you host your website on WordPress, chances are you’ve heard of Jetpack, as it comes with most managed WP hosting. It’s got a bit of everything, but I’m focusing on its VideoPress tool.

This lets you host videos directly on your site, which is neat. Jetpack VP isn’t anything too fancy, but it’s hands down the best option for WordPress users. It comes with simple drag-and-drop video uploading and an ad-free, customizable video player, which is all you’ll really need.

Pricing: Jetpack VideoPress has a single pricing plan with major discounts for yearly and bi-yearly payments. The monthly payment comes in at $14.95.

Pros

• Designed for WordPress websites
• Very simple to use and upload videos
• Pretty affordable long-term plans

Cons

• Doesn’t have as many features as other platforms
• Not optimized for mobile users

9. Hubspot

I couldn’t really talk about video hosting without mentioning Hubspot as a platform. Again, this is definitely not dedicated to videos, but when paired with all of its other offerings, Hubspot has one of the best video hosting solutions out there.

For one, you’ll be able to use all of the other tools included in your Hubspot Content Hub, all of which are some of the best on the market. But, more importantly, you’ll get access to some really advanced analytics and be able to embed your videos across your social media without any ads.

Pricing: Hubspot doesn’t sell a video hosting plan separately, so you’ll have to get access to the Content Hub, which costs $500/month (Professional) or $1500/month (Enterprise).

Pros

• Industry leader in content, marketing, and sales software
• Access to tons of content tools
• Advanced analytics

Cons

• Can be costly for entry-level or mid-level professionals

10. Brightcove

Since I’m already talking about the more “enterprise-level” platforms, let’s go over the one that’s actually the best for enterprises: Brightcove. If you have the budget for it, there’s really no better video hosting site that offers this many offers and customizability.

You can host videos and livestreams, get all the analytics you need from these, and integrate with tons of SaaS and social media platforms to make sure everything runs smoothly. The only real caveat is that since Brightcove is an enterprise solution, many of its tools are really complex for a solopreneur.

Pricing: Brightcove doesn’t explicitly state any pricing plans. You’ll need to get in touch with them and get a customized plan that’ll work for you.

Pros

• Huge suite of video tools
• Tons of integrations
• Advanced analytics and safety measures

Cons

• Can be very complex for solopreneurs and influencers
• Only suitable for enterprise-level budgets

11. Dropbox

Now that the more expensive options are out of the way let’s go back to a freemium platform. Dropbox is pretty much the best option for sharing videos internally or with your clients. 

There aren’t any really fancy features here. It’s purely a hosting platform to get your videos on and share them across the board. Better yet, if you have a community, you can also use Dropbox to share videos with them privately, which is pretty neat.

Pricing: Dropbox has a free version, but the 2 GB limit won’t do any wonders for video sharing. Instead, you can go for one of the paid plans, all of which come with a minimum of 2 TB storage:

• Plus for $11.99/month
• Essentials for $19.99/month
• Business for $18/user/month
• Business Plus for $30/user/month

Pros

• Easy to use and share videos
• Basic plans are affordable
• Can be used across all your devices
• Plenty of integrations

Cons

• Doesn’t have any video tools

What to consider when choosing a video hosting site

So, since you’ve just gone over the sites I consider the best, let’s check out some of the factors you should consider to find the one that’ll work best for you.

Cost

Cost’s obviously a major one. There are plenty of free options out there, like YouTube, that will be more than enough when you’re starting out. However, when it comes to the paid options, you’ll need to remember that these platforms cost between $15-$500+ per month. 

If you’re a solopreneur, I’d definitely suggest going for an option like Whop, which allows you to host some videos and only takes a percentage of your revenue without any upfront costs.

Video player quality

Any video you share with your customers, members, or clients should be of high quality. All the platforms I’ve covered offer at least a maximum of 1080p, with most going up to 4K and some even 8K. Personally, I’d suggest using a platform with a max of 4K or one that offers 8K without costing a lot more.

Upload limits

Every platform has some sort of upload limits, be that storage or bandwidth. Try to look for ones that have a cap of at least 1 TB. The more, the better, of course, and all the platforms I’ve mentioned have high limits.

Analytics tools

One key thing to look out for is analytics tools. If you’re uploading videos for marketing purposes, more analytics means that you can refine your strategy and see what works and what doesn’t. Sites like Spotlightr have some very in-depth analytics, so try to find things like heatmaps and viewing analytics.

SEO tools

While I didn’t go too in-depth for these above, SEO tools are definitely a nice-to-have. Videos are starting to show up in Google Search a lot more, so if you can have tools that automate SEO process, that’ll help get your videos across to more people.

Ability to embed

A video hosting site, at the end of the day, is just that. Hosting. Unless it’s a household name like YouTube, you’ll need to be able to distribute your videos across the web. So, look for platforms that allow you to embed your videos, preferably without any ads.

Video monetization

If you’re building your personal brand through videos and aren’t selling any other digital products, look into sites that have some form of monetization. I sound like a broken record, but YouTube is doing this pretty well. 

Whop also allows you to get paid for your videos by putting them behind a paywall. That’s not the only way you make money with them, though - keep reading for more ideas.

Looking to make money with your videos? You’re in the right place!

There are plenty of ways to make money with your videos. I already covered some of these above. But, essentially, you have to treat your videos as a way to bring more people into your true offerings.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that you want to build a brand in the self-improvement space. A good plan would be to find a video hosting platform and start raking in the views with some quality videos.

Once you have some loyal subs or followers, dive into some digital products. You can sell a course, self-improvement templates/journals, or even 1-on-1 coaching. 

The thing is, you can do all 3 with Whop. Better yet, you can host everything in one place: your whop. 

How can you do that? Well, it’s simple, really.

Monetize your videos with Whop

While I went over 11 different video hosting platforms, you’ve probably stuck around for one reason. You want to start something on your own. You want to be a solopreneur. You want to build a brand and either make money from it or create digital products to sell to your followers.

You’re in the right place. Whop is the go-to platform for anything digital, including your videos. As I’ve extensively yapped on, you can host your videos on Whop. You can create a course and sell that to your followers.

But that’s not all. You can also become a Whop Affiliate and find other whops in your niche that you can promote to your viewers. I’m talking big-time players in each niche who know what they’re talking about. They can all be found directly on the Whop Marketplace.

So, maybe you’re ready to become an affiliate. Maybe you’re ready to start building your brand. In either case, signing up on Whop takes mere minutes, and setting up your whop is only a few clicks away.

Join the thousands making millions every month.