Most Affordable Video Players of 2020 for Businesses
By: Uros Stanimirovic
Tags: Video Marketing, Video, Video Player

In these tough times of a global pandemic, many businesses have found themselves in a predicament. Now, it’s more vital than ever for companies, both big and small, to invest in digital marketing as most of the world is practicing social distancing. However, it’s also the ideal time to cut costs due to the impending global economic crisis.

So whether you’re a digital marketer with a knack for video content or a video-oriented business looking to penny-pinch in these grave times, you’re in the right place! We’ve prepared for you a selection of most affordable video players (in no particular order) as well as a quick overview of each of them. Here are our choices:

Note: We did not include YouTube on our list since our focus was on premium, business-oriented video platforms.

Now, let’s get right into it!

Most Affordable Video Players of 2020

Vimeo is a video platform aimed at professionals that has been around for quite a while — since 2004. As such, it has established a firm foothold on the online video market. Today, it has over 90 million satisfied users worldwide!

Features:

Vimeo offers both video hosting and streaming services with a seamless and intuitive embedding process. One of the most notable aspects of this platform is that it provides custom hardware and software, as well as a video management platform. This player also has built-in social media integration and video analytics. Aside from that, password protection and other high-end security features will prove particularly attractive for many business owners out there.

Who Is It For?

Vimeo is best suited for businesses and professionals whose primary purpose is sharing their video content. It is also a particularly suitable platform for short films and documentaries due to its demographics.

Price:

Vimeo offers four payment plans, with prices ranging from $7 to $75 a month. The differences between these are in the number of available features, the number of supported users, and bandwidth and weekly limits. All of these come with a 1-month free trial option. Get a full insight into their payment plans here.

Pros:

Customizable video embeds

No ads on your videos

Allows video downloads

Social media integration

Video analytics

Cons:

Upload limits of lower-tier plans leave much to be desired

Limited possibilities of video customization

Has a pretty narrow audience nichewise

Limited video monetization options

JW Player started as purely an online video player in 2005 but has since branched out fervently. It now offers video hosting and live streaming services as well, alongside many other prominent features. Nowadays, JW Player is held in high regard by many industry giants, such as Electronic Arts and ESPN.

Features:

JW Player offers a cloud-based CMS with an integrated content-recommendations system and allows for easy embedding on custom websites. Aside from video, the player also supports streaming services, up to 1080p HD. When it comes to the advertising side of things, JW Player does include video monetization options, including ad tag macros support and header bidding. All of that is accompanied by in-depth video analytics and high player customizability.

Who Is It For?

JW Player is best suited for businesses or entrepreneurs looking to an affordable solution for embedding videos on their websites.

Price:

JW Player features three payment plans, one of which is a free developer variant (but highly limited regarding bandwidth and features). Their basic plan will set you back $10 a month, while the last one can be tailored to your needs (that includes the price). Do note that JW Player requires you to sign a 1-year contract when settling for their services — the fees are processed immediately. Find out more about JW Player’s pricing plans here.

Pros:

Offers both video and streaming services

Custom video galleries

Supports HD videos and streams

Easy embedding

Video analytics

Cons:

Modest video monetization options

A 1-year contractual obligation — a dealbreaker for many

Slow and inefficient customer support

Analytics aren’t as user-friendly as most people would like

Brightcove is an international enterprise-focused video hosting platform that has been on the market since 2004. This platform focuses on integration with various marketing tools and server-side ad insertion and primarily caters to large businesses.

Features:

Brightcove offers numerous different features across its multiple solutions, ranging from an all-device HTML5 video player to live streaming services and video analytics. Aside from that, this solution supports video analytics and features several social publishing tools. Brightcove also offers a monetization solution that fully supports ad server integrations and server-side ad insertion.

Who Is It For?

Brightcove is the perfect all-in-one solution for large enterprises that want to expand their marketing efforts on the web.

Price:

Brightcove offers multiple price plans for different packages aimed at marketers, enterprises, and advertisers. However, they do not disclose their exact fees but require you to contact them to get an estimate. Find out more about their pricing scheme and various plans here.

Pros:

Enterprise-friendly and intuitive CMS

Supports both video and live streaming content

Marketing automation integrations

Customizable player

Cons:

Steep learning curve for their API

Non-transparent prices

Not the most user-friendly UI

Lacks readily available customer support (they charge extra for 24/7 support)

BridTV is an HTML5 platform and video monetization solution that’s relatively new on the market, having been founded in 2016. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the company from satisfying the needs of many independent publishers, such as AdscendMedia and Futbol Sites.

Features:

BridTV offers a fully customizable, white-label HTML5 video player for all your business needs. Aside from that, the platform also supports live streaming. When it comes to BridTV’s CMS, it allows users to easily retrieve embed codes for their videos or live streams, making the embedding process hassle-free. However, this platform’s focus is primarily on video content monetization, and there are many features to support that. BridTV has extensive ad macro support, allows users to play pre-, mid-, and post-roll ads at will, and it supports the latest VAST and VPAID ad tags. Aside from this, their clients can enjoy commodities like AdBlock solutions, unlimited ad waterfall, real-time video analytics, unique in-house Any-Ad outstream tech, Ad Pods, and much more.

Who Is It For?

BridTV is best suited for businesses looking for optimal ways of monetizing their video content. The variety of monetization features the platform offers is one of the best on the market. So if that is your primary focus, BridTV is probably the best choice for you.

Price:

BridTV offers three different pricing plans, one of which is free (but with limited features and functionality). Their basic plan will set you back $25 a month but comes with no contractual obligation, so you’d be free to cancel it anytime. The premium package includes full functionality, all the platform’s features, and a custom bandwidth and price tailored to your individual needs. For more information on BridTV’s pricing plan, visit this page.

Pros:

One of the broadest arrays of video monetization features on the market (Ad Pods, latest VAST/VPAID ad tag support, ad waterfalling, Any-Ad intelligent banner fallback, ad GEO targeting, and more)

Fully comprehensive video and ad analytics

Fully customizable white-label video player and live streaming service

No contract required

Intuitive and user-friendly CMS

WordPress plugin

Allows easy and hassle-free content migration from JW Player, Playwire, and Brightcove

Cons:

A significant number of features is only available to premium users

Free plan has low limits, with only 250k plays and 150k ad calls before having to subscribe to the basic or premium plan

Steep overage fees if you happen to pass your plan’s limits

Credit cards aren’t available as a payment method

Wistia is a marketing-focused video platform that was founded in 2006 by two university graduates. In just over a decade, the company has evolved from a startup run by two friends into an industry giant with over 100 employees and more than 300,000 satisfied clients.

Features:

Wistia is best known for its multi-bitrate and adaptive video and streaming services, as well as global content delivery. That and the fact the player is 100% embeddable means it provides its users with full control over their video content. Many users even say that video quality is TV-like. Wistia’s player also supports user subscriptions, creating custom channels, and allows for ad-free viewer experience. On top of that, the platform offers not one but six different APIs, so you’re bound to find one that suits you. And last but not least, Wistia takes the security of its users seriously, which is why they include features like password protection, domain restriction, and email gating in their offer.

Who Is It For?

Wistia is best suited for data-driven marketing businesses and companies whose digital marketing strategy relies on lead generation.

Price:

Wistia features three payment plans, the first being entirely free (but is limited only to one channel, three video embeds, and 250 channel subscribers). Their pro plan, however, increases those restrictions to ten embedded videos and removes Wistia branding, but doesn’t provide much more. That package will cost you $99 a month. Finally, Wistia’s advanced plan offers much more freedom regarding limits, but the company doesn’t disclose its exact price. If you want more information on Wistia’s pricing scheme, you can find it here.

Pros:

Global content delivery

High-quality video

Six different APIs

Extensive analytics

Various CRM integrations

Reliable security

Cons:

Can be pricey for smaller businesses

No video monetization options

Even higher-tier plans have limited bandwidth

The platform has a narrow audience

No live streaming support

Many hidden fees

Only custom plan users can take advantage of premium support

To Wrap Things Up…

As you can see, there are multiple affordable solutions for your video marketing needs. Now, we know that not all of these seem cheap, but they all fulfill different purposes and suit different needs. So all that is left for you to do now is figure out which of these fits your business goals the best. Are you merely looking to get your content out there? If so, perhaps Vimeo would be the best choice for you. But what if you’re looking for the best video monetization solution for your company? Well, BridTV is likely your best option. Are you an enterprise in search of an all-in-one solution for your digital marketing needs? In that case, Brightcove has you covered!

We hope you found this list insightful! Take care!