api.video vs Vimeo (2026): which should you pick?

Pick api.video if

• Fits if you build video features into your own app through an API
• Works for teams that want live streams simulcast to YouTube, Facebook or Twitch

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't write code, as the product is an API
• Tight if you want free hosting: the sandbox deletes videos after 24 hours
• Pricey if you need a custom domain, at $60 a month per domain
• Watch out: analytics beyond a month cost $12 to $299 a month, and AI transcription is $0.10 per minute
• Watch out: pay as you go caps API calls at 100 uploads and 500 reads a minute

Pick Vimeo if

• Fits if you embed videos on your own site and want no ads or suggested videos
• Works for creative teams passing cuts around for time-coded comments, from $12 a month

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free, as 1 GB of storage is all you get for the life of the account
• Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 for Starter against $12 a month on the annual bill
• Pricey if you run webinars, since livestreamed events need Advanced at $75 a month billed annually
• Skip it if your videos pull huge audiences, since self-serve plans have a bandwidth limit of 2TB a month
• Watch out: the help center lists newer plans than the pricing page, the trial length isn't stated, and there's no Windows app

api.video

• The free sandbox caps videos at 30 seconds, watermarks them and deletes them after 24 hours; production needs a paid account.
• Custom domains are an add-on from $60 a month per domain (the add-ons list shows 60 euros); domain referrer restrictions are $20 a month.
• Analytics retention beyond one month costs from $12 to $299 a month depending on plays; AI transcription is $0.10 per minute.
• Pay as you go allows 100 upload, 200 write and 500 read API calls per minute; Enterprise raises these limits.

Vimeo

• The Free plan is capped at 1 GB of storage for the life of the account; the allowance does not reset or renew.
• Livestreamed events and webinars need the Advanced plan at $75 a month billed annually, or Enterprise.
• Self-serve plans have a bandwidth limit of 2TB a month; accounts that expect more are asked to talk to sales.
• Vimeo's help center also describes newer Core, Professional and Studio plans, with Professional rolling out gradually, so the plans an account is offered may differ.

api.video

Video on demand API

Upload by file or URL, with HLS and MP4 output, encoding from 240p to 4K, trimming, watermarks, captions, chapters and thumbnails.

Live streaming

Concurrent and 24/7 streams over RTMPS or SRT, DVR, recording, low latency and simulcasting to platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.

Analytics

Viewing analytics for videos and live streams with one month of retention free, and longer retention sold by play count.

AI transcription and summaries

Transcription in 33 languages is priced at $0.10 per minute of video; summaries and takeaways are billed per minute too.

Access control

Private videos and streams, delegated upload tokens, domain referrer restrictions and AES 128-bit encryption.

Vimeo

Ad-free hosting up to 4K

Videos stream at up to 4K with HDR and Dolby Vision support, and Vimeo places no ads before, during or after them on any plan.

Customizable, embeddable player

Embed videos on any site. Paid plans unlock player customization, and Standard adds your own branding, calls to action and lead capture forms.

Privacy and access controls

Paid plans add password protection, unlisted links and embed domain-level privacy. Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM and custom permissions.

Review and collaboration

Share cuts for review, collect time-coded comments, track versions and keep work in shared folders across team seats.

Browser recorder and editor

Record your screen, webcam or both in the browser and trim on a timeline. Text-based editing and AI teleprompter scripts start on Standard.

Live events and webinars

Advanced adds hosted livestreamed events with Q&A, polls and chat, streaming to multiple destinations and event-level analytics.

api.video

• Pay as you go$0

  No monthly fee. Hosting from $0.00285 and delivery from $0.0017 per minute of video; encoding is free.

• Enterprise planCustom

  Higher API rate limits, 99.9% SLA with credits, signed MSA and DPA, security review, annual billing, wire transfer.

Vimeo

• Free$0

  1 GB of total storage, one seat, ad-free playback, basic viewer analytics and recordings of up to 30 minutes each.

• Starter$12

  per month, billed annually ($144); $20 billed monthly

  1 user and 2TB of storage, with a customizable player, password privacy and unlisted links, review tools and engagement analytics.

• Standard$25

  per month, billed annually ($300); $41 billed monthly

  5 users and 4TB of storage. Adds player branding, a custom watermark, branded video galleries, lead capture and calls to action.

• Advanced$75

  per month, billed annually ($900); $125 billed monthly

  10 users and 7TB of storage. Adds hosted livestreamed events with Q&A, polls and chat, multi-destination streaming and marketing integrations.

• EnterpriseCustom

  More users, storage and bandwidth, plus SSO and SCIM, custom permissions, advanced AI capabilities and dedicated support.

api.video

No public discounts listed.

Vimeo

• Annual discount

  Save about 40% with annual billing

  Starter is $12 a month billed annually against $20 billed monthly. Standard is $25 against $41, and Advanced is $75 against $125.