Videos on social media get more engagement than any other medium, and the same goes for your website. If you’re not leveraging video to increase clicks and sales, you’re missing out on a big piece of the market.

But before you add videos to your website, you’ll want to take steps to keep your site’s performance at peak levels. The best way to do this is with a video hosting platform.

Let’s look at seven of the best video hosting solutions for your website.

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What is a video hosting platform?
Video hosting is a solution for storing your videos on a third-party server instead of hosting them yourself on your web server. Video hosting platforms are the services that allow you to upload videos and share them, either for free or by paid subscription.

Some video hosting sites host only live or prerecorded content, while others offer a combination of both. In short, a video hosting platform serves as a vehicle for effortlessly delivering video to the public.

Why use a video hosting platform?
The simple answer is that videos are by far the largest file type on a traditional website, and size is the main enemy when it comes to uploading to a website.

When someone visits your site, their browser loads all the resources on the page: text, photos, videos, and other content. The average web page with text and video is only a few megabytes; one minute of HD video is almost 90 MB in size. The more data to be transferred, the longer it takes to load the page. And since slow websites lose conversions, it is in your best interest to increase speed.

How? With a video hosting site. These platforms allow you to embed a link to a video hosted on their server rather than trying to manage a large video file on your own server.

In addition, video hosting platforms can save you money. Because web hosting usually limits daily or monthly bandwidth (especially on limited budget plans), hosting heavy video is not the best use of your resources. By using a video hostig platform, you won’t have to upgrade to a plan with higher bandwidth.

The 7 best video hosting platforms
Although all video hosting platforms are designed to make it easy to add video content to your website, they are not all the same. There are countless options available on the Internet, some of which you may have already heard of.

To help you narrow down your search for the best video platform, we will discuss our seven favorites (in no particular order).

  1. YouTube

When it comes to free video hosting, few platforms have as much staying power and name recognition as YouTube . This recognition is one of the main reasons to use YouTube as a video hosting platform: it has been a familiar and reliable service since 2005.

Pros
Some of the other advantages of YouTube are:

  • Unlimited storage space : allows you to upload 12-hour videos and 128 GB files
  • Integrated audience : YouTube is not only a hosting where you can host your videos, it is also a social media platform. With over 2 billion monthly users, you can reach new customers organically without them visiting your website. And if you want your videos to be exclusively on your site, you can make the content unlisted or private.
  • Take advantage of Google Analytics : because Google owns YouTube, you can analyze how much traffic your site gets based on how many users have clicked on your YouTube video links.

Cons
Since YouTube is a free service, you will have to endure some downsides, including:

  • Embedding limitations : there are only a few ways to display YouTube videos on your website and all of them are watermarked, which is not ideal for businesses.
  • Unwanted competition : ads from your competitors may appear on your videos, and the “Recommended Videos” list that appears at the end can distract customers from your content.

Overall, YouTube may not be the most professional option for businesses, but it is a fantastic platform for uploading videos for free.

Costs
Hosting videos on YouTube is 100% free, with no hidden costs.

  1. Vimeo

Vimeo is another free hosting option with a smaller audience. The platform is more geared toward professional videography than everyday content. That said, you can upload any video you wish to embed on your site.

Pros
Here are some reasons to try Vimeo:

  • Elegant video embedding : The service allows you to customize the look of your embedded videos. Change the appearance of the player, choose what happens when a video ends, and show multiple videos at once.
  • Ads – Unlike YouTube, there are no ads before, during or after the video.
  • HD Video : Your viewers can enjoy uninterrupted HD videos with quality up to 1080p.

Cons
Disadvantages of Vimeo include:

  • Free account limits : the free option is powerful, but you can only upload 500 MB of video per week and 5 GB in total.
  • Niche content : The platform seems to focus on streaming short films and music videos, so the best videos may not reach a wide audience.
  • Little traffic – If your goal as a content creator is to generate traffic to your site, don’t expect much traffic from Vimeo. Although Vimeo has 100 million subscribers, it unfortunately pales in comparison to the number of YouTube subscribers. Another factor against Vimeo is Google: this is unconfirmed but some content creators suspect that Google prefers displaying YouTube videos in search results.

All in all, Vimeo will satisfy most companies, but prolific posters will have to pay for an upgrade.

Costs
In addition to the free Vimeo Basic option, Vimeo offers five plans with increasing benefits:

  • Plus ($7/month)
  • Pro ($20/month)
  • Premium ($75/month)
  • Enterprise (customized pricing for large-scale operations)
  1. Facebook
    Although Facebook has become famous as a social media platform, it can also function as a video hosting solution. Uploading videos to Facebook and linking them to your website requires no special experience.

Pros
Facebook is a useful video hosting platform because of:

  • Social media integration : the ability to share videos easily with your Facebook followers is the best part of using the platform for video hosting.
  • Unlimited hosting space : you will never run out of storage space!

Cons
The following areas could be improved:

  • Below average video quality : the resolution is generally limited to 1080p or lower.
  • Advertisements : your customers might see ads on your videos, even when they are on your website.

Facebook wins for familiarity and ease of use, but it is not the most professional option.

Costs
To use Facebook to upload videos, all you need is a free account.

  1. Dailymotion

Like Vimeo and YouTube, Dailymotion is a social video platform that also serves as a hosting solution. You can upload videos on the platform and embed them on your website reaching Dailymotion viewers organically.

Pro
If you’ve never heard of Dailymotion, here’s what you’re missing:

  • No storage limit : the total video storage limit is infinite (although you can only upload two hours of video per day).
  • Easy registration : start uploading content in minutes, with Facebook and Google social login options.

Cons
The platform is behind in some areas, such as:

  • Ads : ads will play before, during and after videos, even if embedded on your site.
  • Upload limitations : videos cannot be longer than an hour and the maximum file size is 2 GB.

Dailymotion is an excellent free option, but don’t expect the YouTube-level amount of organic coverage.

Costs
There are no costs: Dailymotion is a free service.

  1. Brightcove

Brightcove is a video platform that combines hosting with innovative marketing tools. Video hosting is just the beginning; the service is about creative delivery and integration with other platforms. When you use Brightcove, you will join companies like Wendy’s and Hugo Boss.

Pro
Not surprisingly, world-renowned organizations use the platform, with benefits such as:

  • Detailed analytics : Brightcove’s detailed video information is best-in-class, with comprehensive data on users, devices, viewing time, and more.
  • No limits : you can upload files of any size and quality. Storage is dictated by your plan.

Cons
This premium video hosting site has one major drawback.

  • High startup fees : the cheapest option is $199 per month, with higher tiers available.

Brightcove is probably the best video hosting platform on the market, if you can afford it. Small businesses should evaluate something else.

Costs
Brightcove’s pricing is customizable but not stated. The only way to receive a quote is through a contact form.

  1. Hippo Video

With Hippo Video you can manage videos for sales, customer service, and marketing purposes. Choose one or all three, then start sharing videos with the world.