The Mux Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Mux in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Mux
The Insider’s Guide
Video API for storing, streaming and analyzing video in apps
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among screen recording and video tools, read from Mux’s own pages.
Made by Mux · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Mux’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Mux’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 42 of the 133 other screen recording and video tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Mux, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and it's an API: you write code to use it, and there is no app.
- 1
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.
- 2
Paid plans start at $20 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $20 per month for $100 in credit (Launch, prepaid).
- 3
There is a free plan
100K delivery minutes and 100K Mux Robots units a month, up to 10 videos stored, on-demand video only, no credit card.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
Video delivery
100K delivery minutes a month are free, then rates start at $0.0008 per minute.
- 7
Mux Robots AI workflows
AI jobs priced per minute or per job, including caption translation, summaries, chapters, key moments, content moderation and audio translation.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 42 of 133
That is against the other screen recording and video tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing Mux does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 5 things listed below take a company.
Mux at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $20 per month for $100 in credit (Launch, prepaid)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Mux
- Category
- Screen Recording & Video
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Free 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A free plan with 100K delivery minutes a month, but only 10 stored videos and no live video, no card needed. |
| Features | B | Hosting, delivery, live, analytics, a free player, AI workflows and signed URLs. The listing shows costs on top: custom domains are $100 a month. |
| Ease of use | D | No store rating on record, and it's an API: you write code to use it, and there is no app. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web via API, with a free Video.js player and delivery to anything that plays video. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- Developers adding video to an app through an API
- Products with spiky or unpredictable video usage
- Teams that want AI captions or summaries per video
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$20
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Mux has a free plan. Paid plans start at $20 per month for $100 in credit (Launch, prepaid).
Cost depends on minutes, not seats, so it's hard to set against per-seat tools.
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
$0
per 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
$20
per 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
$500
per 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.
The free plan
100K delivery minutes and 100K Mux Robots units a month, up to 10 videos stored, on-demand video only, no credit card.
Read from mux.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Video API for storing, streaming and analyzing video in apps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, transcription, web analytics.
Hosting, delivery, live, analytics, a free player, AI workflows and signed URLs.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Video.js
Mux is made by Mux.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
42/133
Other screen recording and video tools it is graded above
Mux's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 42 of the 133 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 23.
It stands best on features (B, above 78 of 133) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $12.25 for the category: 67 of the 88 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 29 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 134 screen recording and video tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mux’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 20 of 133
- CFree plan and trialAbove 24 of 133
- BFeaturesAbove 78 of 133
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 133
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 67 of 133
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 102 screen recording and video tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Mux is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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: 68 of the 133 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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Brightcove, JWX (JW Player), Vimeo, Wistia and Kaltura
The 5 tools Mux is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Brightcove
Paid
Enterprise video hosting, player and live streaming platform.
- Mux has a free plan. Brightcove does not.
- Mux also covers transcription and web analytics.
- Brightcove also covers reports.
- 1.8GPA
JWX (JW Player)
Paid
Video streaming, delivery and ad monetization platform.
- Mux has a free plan. JWX (JW Player) does not.
- Mux also covers transcription and web analytics.
- 2.6GPA
Vimeo
Free plan · from $12/mo
Ad-free video hosting with a customizable player and review tools.
- Only Vimeo lists macOS, iOS and Android apps.
- Mux also covers web analytics.
- Vimeo also covers templates, screen recording and video editing.
- 2.4GPA
Wistia
Free plan · from $79/mo
Video hosting, recording and webinars for marketing teams.
- Mux also covers web analytics.
- Wistia also covers noise cancellation, screen recording and video editing.
- 2.2GPA
Kaltura
Paid
Video platform for education, enterprise and media, sold by quote.
- Mux has a free plan. Kaltura does not.
- Mux also covers transcription and web analytics.
- Kaltura also covers video calls and webinars.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Mux free?
Mux has a free plan. 100K delivery minutes and 100K Mux Robots units a month, up to 10 videos stored, on-demand video only, no credit card.
How much does Mux cost?
Mux lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Mux work on?
Mux is available on Web.
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.
What does Mux integrate with?
Mux's listing names Video.js. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Mux?
Mux is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Mux?
The closest alternatives to Mux in our directory are Brightcove, JWX (JW Player), Vimeo, Wistia and Kaltura.
How does Mux compare with other screen recording and video tools?
Mux's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 42 of the 133 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 23.
Is Mux good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Mux C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $12.25 for the category: 67 of the 88 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Mux?
Nothing Mux does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 5 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Mux’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mux. Prices change, so check mux.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Mux, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/mux
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Mux: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mux
Know someone choosing between screen recording and video tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/mux/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded screen recording and video tools after Mux, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Screen Recording & Video Insider's GuideEvery one of the 134 screen recording and video tools we grade, compared
- DaVinci Resolve Insider's GuideVideo editing, color, effects and audio post-production in one app3.4 GPA
- Zencastr Insider's GuideFree podcast recording, chat-based editing and hosting in one app3.4 GPA
- Cap Insider's GuideOpen-source screen recorder with instant share links and an editor3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Mux’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Mux is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mux. Prices and plans change: check mux.com before you buy.