PRODUCTS
Video hosting seems straightforward, until you have to build it.
One upload turns into a checklist: encoding, resolution presets, mobile playback, CDN delivery, access control, subtitles, analytics, and sometimes live streaming. Each step adds more infrastructure, more maintenance, and more edge cases.
That’s why most teams choose a video hosting platform instead.
The right platform handles the time-consuming parts of video:
Whether you're building a learning app, a streaming service, or just need a reliable way to deliver video inside your product, choosing the right platform keeps your team focused on building, not fixing video infrastructure.
This guide covers 7 video hosting platforms each built for different needs, use cases, and teams.
Note: This list isn’t ranked. It’s a curated set of live streaming API options, each suited to different needs, not a hierarchy.
FastPix is a not just a video hosting platform but a full-stack video API platform built for developers who want programmatic control over video infrastructure—without managing pipelines, encoders, or third-party integrations.
From upload to playback, FastPix handles everything: instant encoding, adaptive bitrate delivery, analytics, AI tagging, NSFW filtering, speech-to-text, and more. It’s API-first and built for teams who treat video as a core part of their product.
FastPix is built for engineers and product teams building video-first applications like OTT platforms, live fitness apps, virtual classrooms, or internal video tools. If you need infrastructure-level control with developer-friendly APIs, FastPix gives you everything in one place.
Pros and cons
Cloudflare Stream is a lightweight, API-driven video hosting platform built on top of Cloudflare’s global edge network. It merges encoding, storage, and delivery into a single pipeline, making it a practical choice for teams that need fast, no-frills
video hosting.
It’s designed to minimize configuration and pricing complexity. You upload a video, get a playback link, and it’s ready to stream worldwide.
Cloudflare Stream works well for developers who already use Cloudflare services and want a simple way to host and deliver video without provisioning extra infra. It’s best suited for low-complexity video needs where you don’t need granular analytics, custom encoding, or AI-based workflows.
Pros and cons
Vimeo OTT is a white-label video platform designed for creators, studios, and content businesses that want to launch subscription-based or pay-per-view video services, without hiring a development team.
It offers pre-built app templates, monetization workflows, and content management tools, making it possible to go live across web, mobile, and TV platforms quickly.
Vimeo OTT is built for teams focused on content, not code. It’s ideal for fitness instructors, small broadcasters, media brands, or educators who want to monetize video without managing infrastructure or building custom apps.
But for developers looking to integrate video into a broader product workflow or customize via API, Vimeo OTT can feel limited.
Pros and cons
Check out the: Vimeo alternative list
Dacast is a turnkey video hosting platform for live and VOD streaming. It’s designed for teams that want to launch video quickly, offering a white-label player, monetization features, and content controls without needing to manage backend infrastructure.
It combines hosting, delivery, and access control into a single platform, with a focus on usability over customization.
Dacast works well for event teams, educators, and marketing departments who need to stream professionally without developer involvement. It’s more of a packaged solution than a customizable toolset, great for getting started, but less flexible at scale.
Developers may find the API support limited, especially on entry-level plans.
Pros and cons
Chcek out: Dacast alternatives
JW Player started as a lightweight embeddable player, but now offers a full video platform, combining hosting, playback, advertising, and analytics. It’s optimized for media companies and publishers who want fast-loading, monetized video that fits into their existing content workflows.
It’s best known for its high-performance player and deep ad tech support, including VAST, VPAID, and SSAI integrations.
JW Player is built for media teams, digital publishers, and ad-driven platforms where video sits inside a larger content experience. If monetizing through ads is your primary goal, and you want control over player behavior JW Player is a solid choice.
However, it’s not designed for developers building apps that rely on programmatic uploads, AI video processing, or advanced backend workflows.
Pros and cons
Take a look at: JW Player alternatives
Kaltura is a modular, enterprise-grade video platform with support for both cloud and on-prem deployments. It’s built for complex environments that require governance, compliance, and deep integrations, especially in education, healthcare, and the public sector.
Originally open-source, Kaltura now powers large-scale video systems for universities, telecoms, and enterprises that need more than just video hosting.
Kaltura is best suited for large organizations with strict requirements around data privacy, access control, and workflow customization. If you need to embed video deeply into existing systems with the option to self-host, Kaltura offers the tools.
But the tradeoff is complexity. It’s not the fastest to set up, and not ideal for teams that want to move quickly or avoid operational overhead.
Pros and cons
Cloudinary is a media management platform that supports both images and video, with a focus on transformations, optimization, and delivery. Its API and URL-based workflows make it popular with frontend and web performance teams who want to handle media dynamically, without building complex backend pipelines.
It’s not a full video platform, but it handles the delivery layer well.
Cloudinary is ideal for frontend developers, ecommerce platforms, and content-heavy sites where video is part of a mixed-media stack. If you’re already using Cloudinary for images, adding lightweight video support is seamless.
But it’s not built for video-first apps, there’s no support for adaptive bitrate (ABR), deep playback analytics, or AI tagging. It works best when video is a component, not the product.
Pros and cons
Check: Cloudinary alternatives
Most platforms solve for one part of the video stack, playback, delivery, or monetization. But if you're building a product where video is central, you need more than just hosting.
FastPix gives you the full pipeline: upload, encode, transform, analyze, and deliver, entirely through APIs. No patchwork tools. No hidden limitations.
If your team needs control, flexibility, and infrastructure that scales with your app, FastPix is built for that. Sign up now and start streaming in minutes, with $25 free credits.
.png)
.png)
