For some reason or another, you may be looking to choose a free video hosting platform and you’re not sure where to start. To be sure, video is becoming more and more important.
With Cisco reporting that by 2022 videos will make up 82% of all online consumer internet traffic, hopefully, you already know the reasons your website needs video.
And if you’ve decided to add video integration to your website, you’ve probably done some research on video content and how to use video to market your blog or small business.
If you’re like a lot of bloggers, there’s a chance you’re blogging on a budget. And if that’s the case, chances are you need to save money where you can. So why pay for video hosting when there’s plenty of free video hosting options that can help you stay within your budget?
That’s right, for the low, low fee of $0/month, you too can host beautiful videos that will take your blog to the next level. And there are some really good free video hosting options available that you can get started with today.
How to Pick the Best Video Host
In order to pick a video hosting service, first, it is crucial to figure out exactly what you want from it. To do that, you will want to take some time thinking about your specific video needs.
What kind of video hosting features do you need. Ask yourself the right questions.
- Do you just want a video site that makes it easy to upload and share your videos?
- How important is access to in-depth analytics?
- Are good video and streaming quality top priorities?
- Does the largest possible audience offer your best chance at success?
- Would you like to be able to monetize your videos?
These are just a few of the questions to think about when establishing your needs. There is definitely more to consider when making your choice, but these should get you in the right mindset for doing so.
Best Free Video Hosting Options
Once you’ve established your needs, it’s time to start comparing your options based on which video host offers the best chance to reach your goals.
There is plenty of competition among the free video hosting websites, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research to find which video site is best suited for your blog, but below are some of our favorite picks among the free options available.
YouTube
With more than 5 billion videos uploaded to its servers and over 30 million daily active users, it’s hard to have a conversation about video hosting options without starting with YouTube. By far the No.1 leader in video hosting, YouTube trails only its parent company Google as the second-most visited website in the world. And it’s easy to see why.
YouTube Studio features a user-friendly dashboard where you can track your videos, view individual video metrics, keep up with the news, and dive into channel analytics like overview, reach engagement, and audience.
Within YouTube Studio, you can also access monetization options for your videos (which become available as soon as you reach 1,000 subscribers), track all your comments, and add subtitles to any of your uploaded videos.
Despite the great features and useful tools, one big downside to YouTube is the amount of competition. Not only do you have to worry about similar video suggestions leading to direct competitors, but you also have to worry about your audience’s competing interests. Viewers may find a better video than yours, or they could just be pulled away by something else that caught their attention.
Vimeo
Nothing can compare to YouTube’s numbers, but with 90 million registered members and 715 million monthly video views, Vimeo is a great free video hosting option that doesn’t have near as much competition as the industry giant.
One truly great thing about Vimeo is that it doesn’t allow video adverts. This means nothing interrupts your video when your audience is watching and that you’re not subjected to advertisements when watching others’ videos.
Not only is your content safe from advertisements, but it’s also safe from whoever you don’t want to see it. With the option to password protect videos, you have control over your content and who can view it.
Vimeo also features a beautiful player, and its content tends to be good on multiple levels. Most content is high resolution, and the content promoted is based on staff picks rather than video view count. One of the only drawbacks to Vimeo is that the high-quality videos and rich media player do not get along well with poor internet connections, which can limit reach and engagement.
Dailymotion
One of the other top YouTube alternatives and another good free video hosting option is Dailymotion. With 300 million monthly users, it’s got plenty of consumers to get your content in front of, and it allows for adverts in videos so you can monetize your content once you grow your following.
By default, ads only play at the end of videos, but this has not stopped Dailymotion users complaining about the number of ads they have to deal with during their viewing experience.
A cool perk of Dailymotion is how much control you have over the customization of your player with options to change the color scheme, logo, and specific behavior features to match your blog’s identity.
Not necessarily a downside, but something good to know for those who intend to post longer videos is that all Dailymotion videos are limited to 60 minutes. So if you’re planning on posting more than hour-long videos consistently, it might not be for you.
Wistia
Wistia doesn’t have the name recognition of some of the other free video hosting options on this list, but it does have some really useful features that make it worth checking out.
Wistia features a fully-customizable video player that really allows you to control its appearance like some of the other video sites, but it also gives you the option to add calls to action to your videos. This can be really useful for guiding viewers along the purchasing journey. Another big perk is that does not limit users. Even on its free plans, you can invite whoever you want, set and change permissions, and ad password-protected access to certain projects.
You’ll also have access to advanced video analytics with Wistia so you see how many people interact with your video and how well your video resonates with clients.
Additionally, Wisita has one of the coolest features available on a free plan, allowing for A/B testing. That means you can set up two videos and test them against each other to see which does better with your audience.
Plus, with dozens of integrations featuring the tools you already use like MailChimp and Keap, it is an easy fit for a lot of workflows.
One caveat with Wisita is that you are responsible for creating your own audience. Unlike YouTube, Wistia does not have an inherent distribution network. So unless you’re actively working to drive people to your page, it’s likely your video won’t get any views.
Great for tracking all your views in one place and letting those views rack up social credibility, Facebook can be a great free video hosting option. By allowing you to embed videos anywhere, you can embed your Facebook video on your website or blog and it’ll count all the views together.
Not only does it make tracking analytics easy, but a high view count can act as social proof that your content is worth watching. If a video does especially well, you can run it as a Facebook ad and immediately watch it grow in popularity.
Twitch
Another popular YouTube alternative, especially among gamers, is Twitch. This live-streaming video platform garners more than 15 million daily views, largely thanks to teen gamers.
But while it’s most popular with gamers, Twitch can also be utilized for blogging and marketing strategies. Live-streaming presents a unique chance to interact with your target audience, and if you have something of value to add to a community or topic, Twitch presents an opportunity to connect with them on a very personal level.
VideoPress
The only video hosting site on the list specifically-designed for WordPress, VideoPress makes it extremely easy to upload videos straight to your blog, even from your phone or tablet.
VideoPress is an unbranded, ad-free tool so there’s no other brands or competitors pulling traffic from your site, and your video starts and ends with your content only. It also features a completely-customizable interface giving users more control over the look and feel of their player. VideoPress is included free in all WordPress or Jetpack paid plans.
Final Thoughts on Free Video Hosting Options
When making a choice among the free video hosting options, it can be tempting to join the masses and go with the most popular option. True, nothing can offer the detailed analytics or massive audience that Google-backed YouTube can, but a lot of bloggers and small businesses don’t need all that.
With perks like fully-customizable media players, lack of attention-stealing advertisements, more niche/targeted audiences, and even A/B testing, some of the smaller free video hosting sites offer more personalized touches that may be perfect for your blog or small business’s needs.
One little reminder: Your free video hosting options are not limited to the list above. We encourage you to do your own research on your options to find which of the video sites works best for you and your individual needs. And if you have any questions or aren’t sure what your video hosting needs are, you can reach us 24/7/365. We’re always happy to help.