Top 5 VOD Platforms for Online Video Hosting in 2020

/

Video On Demand, or VOD, is exploding. More and more people want to watch their online videos when and wherever they desire. One recent report found video viewing on VOD platforms “[is] up 155% year-over-year, with an average viewing time of 17.1 minutes per session.”

Businesses are taking advantage of this. The video streaming market is predicted to be worth $30.6 billion by 2022. 

Relatedly, video monetization is a key part of many modern business strategies. With a variety of methods available (including SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD), monetization becomes a breeze.

Today, we will review the top 5 VOD platforms for online video hosting. We’ll compare them on a feature-by-feature basis and discuss different plans and pricing options.

Table of Contents:

  • Top 5 VOD Platforms for Video Hosting

    • Dacast

    • IBM Cloud Video

    • Kaltura

    • Muvi

    • Wistia

  • Conclusion

We have rounded up the top five online video hosting platforms for VOD so that you can review their pricing and features.

Please keep in mind that not every broadcaster needs every tool or feature. The most important thing to consider when choosing a VOD hosting platform is whether or not it has the features you need to reach your broadcasting goals.

With this in mind, let’s dive into the top VOD video on demand platform providers for video hosting.

Top 5 VOD Platforms for Video Hosting

1. Dacast

Dacast is a professional VOD platform with a variety of advanced online video hosting

features. These advanced features include video monetization, top-notch security, video API global video delivery, and top-tier CDN video delivery. 

Although this hosting and video on demand platform provider is loaded with so many powerful features, Dacast manages to keep prices extremely competitive. 

It is best suited for enterprise business and other professional organizations that aim to host high-quality video broadcasts, both live and on demand.

Video Encoding

Video Hosting and Library Organization

Uploading / Migration

Video Monetization

  • Integrated white-label paywall built-in

  • Pay-per-view (TVOD) support

  • Subscriptions (SVOD) support

  • Advertising (AVOD) support

  • Coupon codes and packages to sell bundled content

API and Security Features

Pricing

  • Developer plan: $21/month, includes 100 GB bandwidth, 20 GB of storage

  • Scale plan: $188/month, includes 2,000 GB bandwidth, 1000 GB of storage as well as all professional features

  • Event plan: $63/month, includes 6,000 GB bandwidth, 10 GB of storage as well as all professional features

More on all our live streaming pricing plans, advanced video hosting, and other custom options here.

2. IBM Cloud Video

As a massive corporation, IBM provides a sprawling video service. Their VOD solution, IBM Cloud Video, is packed with features. 

However, the expansive nature of the platform is a double-edged sword since it can be hard to navigate. 

IBM Cloud Video is an excellent platform for large organizations with expert broadcasters.

Video Encoding

  • Support for multiple bitrates

  • Adaptive video player: delivers best video quality automatically

  • Cloud encoding: simply and easily transcode videos into multiple bitrates

  • Live transcoding

Video Hosting and Library Organization

  • VOD hosting and live streaming

  • Categories and subcategories for organization

  • Tags for further sub-organization

  • Hong Kong (China) video hosting

  • Custom metadata fields

  • Playlists

Uploading / Migration

  • Video library migration: available for an additional fee via professional services.

  • Phone technical support available

Video Monetization

  • Subscriptions (SVOD) support (only with custom enterprise plans)

  • Subscriber management tools

API and Security Features

  • Full video API included

  • SDKs for iOS and Android development

  • Password-protected videos

  • AES encryption and/or DRM

  • Domain restrictions

  • IP restrictions

  • HTTPS delivery

IBM Cloud Video Limitations

  • No SSL secure paywall built-in

  • No pay-per-view (TVOD) or advertising (AVOD) support

  • Bulk upload tool and Dropbox upload are NOT included

Pricing

  • Basic plan: $99 to $999/month

  • Custom plans for businesses: Custom pricing

3. Kaltura

Another large VOD hosting platform comes from Kaltura. Kaltura takes an entirely customized approach to video. Since it is customizable, the platform offers a lot of flexibility. 

Kaltura is best for enterprise businesses and other large organizations. Their prices are not published on their website, but users have reported that Kaltura’s software comes with a hefty price tag.

Video Encoding

  • Support for multiple bitrates

  • Adaptive video player: delivers best video quality automatically

  • Cloud encoding: simply and easily transcode videos into multiple bitrates.

  • Support for transcoding from unusual and proprietary codecs(e.g. GoToMeeting).

Video Hosting and Library Organization

  • VOD hosting and live streaming

  • Categories and subcategories for organization

  • Tags for further sub-organization

  • Playlists

Uploading / Migration

  • Bulk upload tool 

  • Custom XML/CSV upload tool supports offline metadata editing

Video Monetization

Kaltura only allows monetization with external integrations.

API and Security Features

  • Full video API included

  • SDKs for iOS and Android development

  • Password-protected videos

  • AES encryption and/or DRM

  • Domain restrictions

  • IP restrictions

  • HTTPS delivery

Kaltura Limitations

  • No SSL secure paywall built-in

  • No pay-per-view (TVOD), subscriptions (SVOD) or advertising (AVOD) support

  • Do dropbox upload or video library migration

Pricing

  • All plans: no pricing information available. As a result, users must negotiate all plans on a custom basis with Kaltura.

4. Muvi

Muvi

is a feature-rich, flexible video platform. If you need high-end features and have a large budget, Muvi could be right for you. 

Muvi’s most popular feature is its wide range of monetization tools. This is appealing to organizations who set out to make money on their video content with ads, subscriptions, or pay-per-view models.

Video Encoding

  • Support for multiple bitrates

  • Adaptive video player: delivers best video quality automatically

  • Cloud encoding: simply and easily transcode videos into multiple bitrates

  • Automatic transcoding with support up to 4K resolution

Video Hosting and Library Organization

  • VOD hosting and live streaming

  • Categories and subcategories for organization

  • Tags for further sub-organization

  • Playlists

  • 24/7 support available for high-end customers

Uploading / Migration

  • Bulk upload tool

  • Dropbox upload

  • Video library migration

  • Support for audio and image files in addition to video

Video Monetization

  • SSL secure paywall built-in

  • Pay-per-view (TVOD) support

  • Subscriptions (SVOD) support

  • Advertising (AVOD) support

  • Customer loyalty program (allow your viewers to redeem points for free content)

API and Security Features

  • Full video API included

  • SDKs for iOS and Android development 

  • AES encryption and/or DRM

  • Domain restrictions

  • IP restrictions

  • HTTPS delivery

Muvi Limitations

  • No password protection for videos

  • High price point

Pricing

  • Basic plan: $399/month and up

  • Professional plan: $1,499/month and up

  • Enterprise plan: $3,900/month and up

5. Wistia

Wistia

is a VOD-only platform that has a main focus on marketing. It includes some excellent and unique features, such as “heat maps” analytics. 

SinceWistia is a more specialized platform, it does not include all of the great features that are included with the other VOD platforms we’ve covered. It has quite a few limitations, and it may not be ideal for all users. 

Video Encoding

  • Support for multiple bitrates

  • Adaptive video player: delivers best video quality automatically

  • Cloud encoding: simply and easily transcode videos into multiple bitrates.

Video Hosting and Library Organization

  • VOD hosting, but no live streaming

  • Categories and subcategories for organization

  • Tags for further sub-organization

  • Playlists

  • Powerful analytics tool with heat maps

  • Unique “project” organizational structure

Uploading / Migration

  • Bulk upload tool

  • Dropbox upload

Video Monetization

Wistia does not offer any native monetization features, but you can integrate external paywalls.

API and Security Features

  • Full video API included

  • Password-protected videos

  • Domain restrictions

  • HTTPS delivery

Wistia Limitations

  • No video library migration

  • No SSL secure paywall built-in

  • No pay-per-view (TVOD) support

  • No subscriptions (SVOD) support

  • No advertising (AVOD) support

  • No SDKs for iOS and Android development

  • No AES encryption and/or DRM

  • No IP restrictions

Pricing

  • Basic plan: $99/month for 10 videos

  • Premium plan: $399/month for 100 videos

Conclusion:

There are a lot of great VOD hosting

platforms on the market today, but these video on demand platform providers differ in both features and pricing.

Take a moment to consider your target audience and what sort of content you plan to deliver to them. The platform you choose should depend on what features you need to reach your broadcasting goals. 

If you are getting started in the world of professional broadcasting, we recommend taking advantage of Dacast’s 30-day free trial to get a better feel for all of the amazing features.

When you’re ready, just click the button below to sign up and check it out.

This article and cited credit goes to:

https://www.dacast.com/blog/top-5-vod-platforms-online-video-hosting/