Mux review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Video API for storing, streaming and analyzing video in apps
Black Friday: is there a Mux sale?
Mux report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for developers building video into an app
Mux is video infrastructure you use through code: upload, store, stream and analyze video, billed by the minute. The free plan stores 10 videos and has no live, and you need to write code to use any of it.
Who Mux is for
- Fits if you're a developer who needs video inside your own product
- Works for apps that want per-minute billing and playback analytics
Who Mux is not for
- Not for you if you don't write code, because there's no app, only an API
- Tight if you stay free, with 10 stored videos and no live
- Watch out: custom domains are $100 a month and live simulcast is $0.020 a minute per target
- Watch out: usage billing means the bill moves with your audience
Why Mux gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyFree to start and usage-based after, with Launch at $20 for $100 of credit. Cost depends on minutes, not seats, so it's hard to set against per-seat tools.
- CFree plan and trialA free plan with 100K delivery minutes a month, but only 10 stored videos and no live video, no card needed.
- BFeaturesHosting, delivery, live, analytics, a free player, AI workflows and signed URLs. The listing shows costs on top: custom domains are $100 a month.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record, and it's an API: you write code to use it, and there is no app.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb via API, with a free Video.js player and delivery to anything that plays video.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mux's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/mux#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/mux.svg" alt="Mux: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Mux stands among screen recording and video tools
Mux's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 19 of the 84 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on features (B, above 49 of 84) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 48 of the 62 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 26 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 85 screen recording and video tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mux’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 84, level with 40
- CFree plan and trialAbove 13 of 84, level with 52
- BFeaturesAbove 49 of 84, level with 33
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 84
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 84, level with 48
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 71 screen recording and video tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Mux, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing Mux does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 5 things listed below take a company.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 49 of the 84 other screen recording and video tools grade higher. It costs $240 a year.
What you could not
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- A tracking script and a database that counts every visit.
- It plugs into other products, Video.js among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Mux’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Mux?
Mux is a video infrastructure service that developers use through APIs to upload, store, stream and analyze video. Billing is by minutes of video, with a free plan, a usage-based plan and prepaid credit plans. It includes a free player, video analytics and AI workflows called Mux Robots.
Worth knowing
- Mux is an API, so using it means writing code; the pricing page lists no desktop or mobile app.
- The Free plan allows 10 stored videos and no live video.
- Custom domains cost $100 a month, and live simulcasting is $0.020 per minute per target.
Key features
- Video hosting by the minute
- Prices are per minute of content, not file size, with no rounding up to the next minute. Input is free and storage starts at $0.0024 per minute.
- Video delivery
- 100K delivery minutes a month are free, then rates start at $0.0008 per minute.
- Mux Robots AI workflows
- AI jobs priced per minute or per job, including caption translation, summaries, chapters, key moments, content moderation and audio translation.
- Live video
- Live streaming on the paid plans, with live captions free for 6K minutes a month and simulcasting charged per target.
- Analytics and player
- Mux Data video analytics and the Video.js player are listed as free.
- Content security
- Signed URLs and domain and referrer restrictions are free. Media-grade DRM costs $100 a month plus $0.003 per play.
Mux pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mux has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month for $100 in credit (Launch, prepaid).
- Starts at
- $20 per month for $100 in credit (Launch, prepaid)
- Free plan
- 100K delivery minutes and 100K Mux Robots units a month, up to 10 videos stored, on-demand video only, no credit card.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100K free monthly delivery minutes and Mux Robots units, up to 10 stored videos and on-demand video only. |
| Pay as you go | $0per month plus usage | Usage-based billing with all API features, on-demand and live video, no storage limit and a $20 monthly usage credit. |
| Launch | $20per month for $100 in credit | Prepaid credits that apply to usage, with the 100K monthly delivery minutes and Robots units. Usage billing applies after the credits run out. |
| Scale | $500per month for $1,000 in credit | Prepaid credits for larger volumes, with the same monthly free delivery minutes and Robots units. Usage billing applies after the credits run out. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Steeper volume discounts over $3k a month, account security features, SLAs and 24/7 support. |
Read from mux.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Mux before you buy.
Works with
- Video.js
Mux alternatives
- Mux vs Vimeo
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Mux vs Wistia
Free plan · from $79/mo
- Mux vs Kaltura
Paid
Common questions
Does Mux have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Mux is listed for Web.
Does Mux have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Mux is listed for Web.
Is Mux open source?
Mux is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Mux have an API?
Yes. Mux offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.