Author:Joaquim Cardona - Apr 24th, 2023
This article is part of our Video API Guide.
In this article, we will be exploring the top 5 video hosting APIs of 2023. We will evaluate each API based on criteria such as pricing, ease of use, and available features.
Whether you're building a video sharing platform or simply need to host videos for your application, this article will help you choose the best video hosting API for your needs.
What is a Video Hosting API?
A Video Hosting API is a tool that enables developers to integrate video hosting functionality into their applications or build their own video hosting platforms. With a video hosting API, developers can upload, store, and manage video content, as well as customize playback and streaming options.
This kind of API is part of the wider video API ecosystem.
Video hosting APIs typically offer a range of features, including video transcoding, video storage, content delivery networks (CDNs), and video playback options. By using a video hosting API, developers can save time and resources by not having to build these features from scratch. This allows them to focus on other aspects of their application while providing a reliable and robust video hosting solution.
Video hosting APIs also provide a scalable solution for developers, as they can easily expand their video hosting capabilities as their needs grow. This flexibility is particularly valuable for developers building video sharing platforms or applications that require the hosting of large amounts of video content.
Criteria for Choosing a Video Hosting API
When choosing a video hosting API, there are several key factors to consider. These include:
- Cost: Some video hosting APIs are free, while others charge a fee based on usage. It's important to consider the cost of the API, as well as any additional fees for features like transcoding or storage.
- Features: Different video hosting APIs offer different features, such as support for different video formats or APIs for integrating with other services. It's important to evaluate the available features to ensure that the API meets your requirements.
- Ease of Use: The API should be easy to use and integrate with your existing infrastructure. Look for documentation, support, and sample code to ensure that the API can be integrated quickly and easily.
- Scalability: As your video hosting needs grow, the API should be able to scale to meet your requirements. Look for APIs that offer scalable storage and transcoding options to ensure that your platform can handle increased usage.
By evaluating video hosting APIs based on these criteria, you can select an API that meets your needs and provides a solid foundation for your video hosting platform or application.
Usually, hosting is not enough when building your own video solution, and you need to consider how you will integrate with other video APIs like CDNs, live streaming or video automation.
Top 5 Video Hosting APIs of 2023
After evaluating several video hosting APIs, we have compiled a list of the top 5 video hosting APIs of 2023:
JWPlayer
JW Player is a video platform that allows businesses to transcode, host, embed and stream video content on their websites, apps, and other digital platforms. It offers advanced customization options, cross-device compatibility, and a range of features including video hosting, player branding, analytics, and advertising. JW Player is a popular choice for video publishers, e-learning providers, sports websites, and media companies due to its flexibility and ease of use.
One of the top features that puts JW Player in the top 5 video hosting APIs of 2023 is the powerful and at the same time easy to use video API. JWPlayer's Video Management API allows you to upload, store, and manage metadata about your videos. You can assign tags and custom fields to your videos that can then be used to create playlists, search, filter or get segmented analytics.
Pros:
- Easy to use and powerful API, read more →
- A customisable HTML5 video player
- A one-stop shop solution for businesses
Cons:
- There isn't a free tier plan
- Aimed to big companies
API.video
api.video is a cloud-based video infrastructure provider that enables developers to integrate video-related functionality into their applications, websites, and other digital projects. The company offers a range of services, including video encoding and hosting, live streaming, player customization, and analytics.
Again, one of the top features that puts api.video in this list is the quality of the API. All its services can be executed via API: uploading, transcoding, storing, managing metadata, and more.
Pros:
- Easy to use and powerful API, read docs
- Transparent pricing, in a pay-as-you-go model
- Tons of plugins, SDKs in different programming languages
Cons:
- Although you can use your own video player, the one provided is not yet comparable with others like JWPlayer or Brightcove in terms of customisation
- The analytics solution seems to be deprecated and rely on your own integration of player events and your own analytics service
Read reviews of api.video at ProductHunt.com
MUX
Mux is a cloud-based video platform that offers video hosting, streaming, encoding, and analytics services for businesses of all sizes. With Mux.com, users can upload their video content to the platform and deliver high-quality streaming experiences to their audience across a range of devices and platforms. The platform supports a variety of video codecs, including H.264, HEVC, and VP9, and also provides advanced analytics and monitoring tools to help users track the performance of their videos and optimize their video streaming workflows.
Mux.com is known for its user-friendly interface, powerful APIs, and scalable infrastructure, making it a popular choice for businesses looking to deliver high-quality video experiences to their customers.
Mux has 3 main products: Video hosting & delivery, Video Player, and Analytics. The easy integration of these three products is a key feature that makes Mux.com a great choice.
Pros:
- A clear API-oriented solution easy to use
- A strong integration between the hosting and analytics product
- A competitive pay as you go pricing
Cons:
- The player is not as customisable as JWPlayer
Read reviews of Mux at ProductHunt.com
LiveAPI
LiveAPI.com is another video platform that offers video hosting, streaming, transcoding services for developers building their own video applications. LiveAPI.com is more focused on live streaming then VOD, compared to MUX, API.video and JWPlayer, but video hosting is also part of its offering.
LiveAPI is also full API-oriented, with APIs for live streaming, video uploading, hosting and encoding.
Pros:
- A good live-streaming solution
- A small solution that is really straight forward
Cons:
- The player solution is the simpler of the five
- The pricing model is a but confusing compared to MUX or API.video
- The overall product is not at the level of the others
Other Video Hosting APIs
There are many other video hosting APIs that offer a variety of features that could not be included in the list above but worth considering when choosing a video hosting platform.
Brightcove
Brightcove is another video platform that offers video hosting. It's been in the market for many years and is one of the most popular video hosting platforms. The product has not received any significant updates in some time, and as a result, it has fallen behind its competitors in terms of features and functionality.
Wistia
Wistia is a video marketing and hosting platform that enables businesses to create, host, and manage video content on their websites and other digital channels. The product approach is not so API oriented and aims for business and marketers than developers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, video hosting APIs are essential tools for developers looking to create video applications quickly and efficiently. While several world-class products exist, none of them offer video editing API features. Therefore, developers should consider combining video hosting APIs with other products that offer video editing and processing functionalities. By selecting the right API, developers can create high-quality video applications that meet their specific needs and deliver exceptional video experiences to their users.
Published on April 24th, 2023