FastPix Vs Kultura

How is FastPix different from Kaltura?

1. We’re an all-in-one platform for Video

FastPix is built for teams building software products with video, not for teams operating a media platform.

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That means you get everything needed to add video as an infrastructure layer:

• Video-on-Demand for fast uploads, real-time encoding, and global delivery

• Live streaming with RTMP, SRT, LL-HLS, simulcasting, clipping, and live-to-VOD

• In-video AI for subtitles, chapters, highlights, summaries, and moderation

• Video Data to understand playback quality, user behavior, and errors

• A free, customizable video player across web, mobile, and TV

• Cloud Playout to launch 24/7 or scheduled linear channels programmatically

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Kaltura and FastPix both cover these capabilities, but they’re designed for different worlds.

Kaltura is built around a media-platform model. It works well when you’re managing a media library or running broadcast-style operations, but it often means your application adapts to Kaltura’s structure.

FastPix is built as video infrastructure. You don’t manage media objects and workflows you call APIs. Video behaves like storage, compute, and data pipelines, and fits naturally into backend systems

Let’s see the difference between FastPix and Kaltura, feature by feature.

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1. Uploads

Both FastPix and Kaltura support large-file and resumable uploads suitable for production video workflows.

FastPix exposes uploads as a streamlined API flow with native SDKs and immediate playback availability.

Kaltura supports uploads through its platform APIs and ingestion workflows, with processing and availability managed as part of its broader video platform.

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FastPix vs Kaltura: upload, processing, and playback readiness

The table below shows the total time taken for a video to be uploaded, processed, and ready to play across different file sizes and durations.

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What this shows

Across all tested file sizes, FastPix consistently makes videos playable faster after upload. The difference becomes more pronounced as file size and duration increase.

Kaltura reliably processes videos of all sizes, but playback readiness increases significantly for larger files, reflecting a more complete ingest-then-process workflow before playback is enabled.

In practical terms:

• FastPix prioritizes faster time-to-playback, even for large uploads

• Kaltura prioritizes full processing before availability, which can introduce longer wait times for larger videos

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2. Video transformation & VOD

Both FastPix and Kaltura support the essential steps required to prepare video for on-demand playback.  

FastPix exposes transformations as direct, programmable APIs that can be executed at runtime. Kaltura relies on transcoding profiles, flavor assets, and workflow configuration, which works well for standardized pipelines but is less dynamic.

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3. Video AI

Both FastPix and Kaltura offer AI-assisted capabilities for understanding and repurposing video content. The difference is how AI is exposed to developers.

FastPix treats AI as a programmable layer. AI outputs are structured, API-accessible, and designed to be embedded directly into product logic. Kaltura’s AI capabilities are primarily oriented toward content enrichment and editorial workflows, often configured within the platform rather than composed dynamically.

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4. Live streaming

Both FastPix and Kaltura support production-grade live streaming, including secure ingest, adaptive delivery, DVR, and live-to-VOD. The difference is in how much of the live pipeline is programmable vs workflow-driven.

FastPix treats live streams as API-managed objects that can be created, monitored, clipped, recorded, and distributed programmatically. Kaltura’s live capabilities are powerful and mature, but are more tightly coupled to platform workflows and configuration

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5. Video playback & player

Both FastPix and Kaltura support secure, adaptive playback across devices. The difference is in how much control developers get at the API/SDK level and how playback data flows back into analytics.

FastPix focuses on a lightweight, customizable player with uniform APIs and deep instrumentation. Kaltura provides a mature player ecosystem tightly integrated with its platform services and access control.

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6. Video data & analytics

Both FastPix and Kaltura provide analytics for on-demand and live playback. The difference is how granular the data is and how developers can use it.

FastPix treats video analytics like application observability, with real-time, event-level data exposed through SDKs and APIs. Kaltura focuses more on reporting and aggregated metrics, designed for operational visibility and business insights.

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7. Cloud playout (linear channels)

Both FastPix and Kaltura support creating linear channels using VOD and live sources. The difference is who the system is optimized for.

FastPix Cloud Playout is designed for teams that want to automate channels programmatically inside their applications. Kaltura’s playout capabilities are oriented toward broadcast and media operations, with UI-driven scheduling and workflow control.

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8. Pricing

FastPix and Kaltura take fundamentally different approaches to pricing.

FastPix is usage-based and public. Costs scale linearly with storage, encoding, streaming, AI, analytics, and playout usage, making it easier for product teams to forecast and iterate.

Kaltura pricing is contract-based and modular. Costs depend on selected services, deployment model, support tier, and negotiated terms, which works for large enterprises but adds friction for teams that want to start quickly or experiment.

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