The 10 Best Brightcove Alternatives with Competitor Pricing Comparison [Updated for 2021]

The online video streaming industry is growing fast. The live streaming industry alone is expected to be valued at 184.27 billion USD by 2027. With this trend, viewers are becoming more and more selective about how they consume content. As a result, video streaming platforms that can satisfy these viewers are growing in demand.

Brightcove is one of the longest players in the video streaming game. It is a well-equipped platform that helps broadcasters bring their online streams to life. However, this platform is suited for larger enterprises with large budgets, which means that it is not ideal for all broadcasters.

Fortunately, there are plenty of reliable Brightcove alternatives on the market, including Dacast, IBM Cloud Video, Vidyard, and more. These streaming solutions offer great features and have a strong focus on content management. 

In this post, we will go over everything you need to know about streaming with Brightcove, including Brightcove pricing, top features, and user reviews. We will also discuss why a broadcaster may want to shop around before we present 10 worthy Brightcove alternatives.

Table of Contents:

• What is Brightcove?
  • Brightcove’s Key Features
  • Brightcove User Reviews
• Brightcove Pricing Plans: What We Know
• Why Shop Around?
• The 10 Best Brightcove Alternatives in 2021
• Conclusion

Let’s get started!

What is Brightcove?

Brightcove is an online video platform that focuses on video marketing resources to help develop viewership. This Boston-based platform was launched in 2004. This is a high-end video platform that offers start-to-finish consulting, strategy, and design services. 

Brightcove offers an extensive list of features that are geared towards helping medium to large-size companies. These features include an emphasis on marketing, analytics, viewership, advertisements, and other aspects of video content delivery. 

Brightcove’s Key Features

Brightcove is fully loaded with tools for professional broadcasting. Some of Brightcove’s top features include:

• Viewer-facing video portals for displaying content
• Professional integrations (MAP, CRMs, and more)
• Server-side ad insertion (for bypassing ad-blockers)
• Advanced video analytics
• Reliable content delivery
• Gold-standard video security
• Video playback
• Internal tools for enterprise use
• Linear live streaming
• OTT streaming solutions

Please note that not every feature is included with every pricing plan.

Brightcove User Reviews

“If you are looking for a video solution that will allow your organization to simultaneously stream live events while maintaining a large catalog of on-demand videos Brightcove is perfect. Normal learning curve aside, any web producer with video experience should have no issues working with Brightcove” – Ashley Buley, via TrustRadius

“Brightcove is well suited for large marketing departments with a heavy emphasis on video content, creation, storage, and editing. It’s not great for content distribution and if you’re looking for a centralized location for all creative assets (images, copy, PDFs) Brightcove won’t cut it. You’ll need a larger content management solution for that.” – Chloe Sayers, via TrustRadius

“I think Brightcove is a great solution if you are looking for simplicity in your video delivery. For more complicated media solutions, they are working on getting there, they have so much potential. If they could remove the BEML coding reliance and bring the Player GUI into more of a WYSIWYG format, they would skyrocket.” – Cody Innazzo, via TrustRadius

Brightcove Pricing Plans: What We Know

Brightcove offers pricing plans for Marketing, Enterprise Comms, and Monetization. 

No pricing information is listed on the Brightcove website, so broadcasters should contact the Brightcove sales team directly for this information. However, they have posted quite a bit of information about how their streaming packages are structured. 

Let’s take a look at how Brightcove structures its pricing plans.

Enterprise Comms and Marketing

Enterprise Comms and Marketing plans come in the following tiers:

• Starter:
  • 50 or 200 videos
  • Up to 100,000 plays with no overages
  • 2 or 5 users
  • 1 video portal
  • 3 social destinations
• Enterprise:
  • Unlimited videos
  • 100,000+ plays with no overages
  • 10+ users
  • Unlimited video portal
  • 12+ social destinations

Marketing also offers a Professional plan that offers the following:

• Unlimited videos
• 100,000+ plays with no overages
• 10+ users
• Unlimited video portal
• 6+ social destinations

There are some feature limitations on Brightcove’s Starter and Professional plans.

Monetization

Brightcove’s monetization pricing plans are entirely customized in terms of features included and pricing. 

Interested broadcasters can contact their sales department to receive a quote or sign up for a 30-day free trial.

Why Shop Around?

Although Brightcove is a powerful platform with a wide range of professional streaming functions, it is not the right option for every broadcaster.

While Brightcove does not post pricing information on its website, third-party reviews say that plans start at about $200. Many broadcasters, especially new ones, don’t have the budget for this. 

Additionally, Brightcove has video analytics, but one of the biggest complaints from users is that their analytics reports are lacking. This may pose issues for broadcasters that need access to analytics, especially when it comes to sales and marketing. 

There are also some complaints about the UX on the hosting platform. Newer broadcasters that need a seamless hosting experience may not do well with Brightcove.

Fortunately, there are many Brightcove competitors on the market, so broadcasters that need an alternative have plenty of options.

The 10 Best Brightcove Alternatives

With so many streaming platforms on the market, you are sure to find a Brightcove alternative that suits your organization’s broadcasting needs.

Let’s review the 10 best Brightcove competitors. We will cover features, pros and cons, pricing, and more.

1. Dacast

Dacast Overview:

Dacast is an online video platform that serves broadcasters across the globe. Founded in 2010, it is a fully equipped streaming service for audio and video content. Dacast is affordably priced with a wide range of features. 

Unlike most of the other Brightcove alternatives, we will discuss, Dacast includes almost all of the advanced tools that broadcasters need on all of their plans, even with the Starter plan. The multiple packages and pricing options make Dacast a great choice for new and advanced broadcasters alike.

Dacast’s value lies in its ability to provide all of the essential features of a live video platform for a reasonable price. With Dacast’s partnerships with top-tier video streaming CDNs, you get an easy-to-use, CDN-backed video streaming service.

Key Features:

• Secure, global content delivery
• Reliable video hosting
• 24/7 tech support with all plans, including email and live chat
• Video security features, including password protection and encryption
• RTMP (real-time messaging protocol) ingest, playback, and streaming support
• RTMP Encoder for ingesting and support of HLS streaming
• Player API and Video API access
• Zoom live streaming integration
• Expo galleries video portal 
• Adaptive bitrate streaming
• Cloud-based transcoding tools
• Powerful video analytics
• Ad-free streaming

Pros:

• Live streaming and VOD streaming packages on all pricing plans
• Unlimited concurrent viewers and live channels
• White-label and branding customization
• Embeddable HTML5 video player
• SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD monetization options
• Mobile device support
• Live stream recording
• China Video Hosting

Cons:

• Requires a bit of a learning curve due to large feature offering

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: none (but 240p is the recommended minimum)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p or 4K (depends on the user’s hardware and internet)
• Aspect ratio: no restrictions (but 16:9 is the default)
• Max file size: none
• Max video length: none
• Total file storage: 10-1000GB (depends on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (preferred), MOV, M4V, M2V, AVI, MPG, FLV, WMV, MKV, WEBM, OGV, MXF, ASF, VOB, MTS

Pricing:

One reason that many choose Dacast as a Brightcove alternative is that it has a very similar feature offering at a much lower price point. 

The pricing plans from Dacast include:

• Starter: Ideal for newcomers with 1,000 TB of bandwidth and 50 GB of storage per month, at just $39 per month billed annually.
• Scale: Includes 24 TB of bandwidth per year, with 1 TB of storage for $188 per month billed annually. These Scale pricing plans add phone support, monetization paywall, an M3U8 online player for live channels, ad insertion, white-label video player, and video API access.
• Event: For organizations who’d rather not sign a contract, and want to purchase bandwidth separately to live stream an event. It offers 6 TB of bandwidth upfront, 50 GB of storage, and costs just $63 per month (or $750/year). Additional data and storage can be added as needed.
• Custom: If your enterprise business has high-volume streaming needs, you can contact Dacast for a custom plan tailored to your needs.

Broadcasters can contact Dacast directly to learn more about custom-priced high-volume plans.

2. Kaltura

Kaltura Overview:

The Kaltura online video platform targets large institutions. Kaltura provides cloud-based video hosting and distribution for both VOD and live streams. This is a great Brightcove alternative for businesses that have a need for greater customization.

Kaltura servers four main markets: educational institutions, enterprises, media companies, and OTT video services. Historically, Kaltura has worked most extensively with educational institutions.

Key Features:

• Live streaming and VOD hosting
• Global content delivery with several CDN partnerships
• Cloud transcoding
• Live production software
• Video marketing tools
• Highly customizable broadcasting experience

• Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming
• Multiple monetization options  

Pros:

• Totally customizable streaming experience
• Endless options for streaming features
• Several monetization options
• Reliable video security

Cons:

• Slow customer  support
• Highly complex due to its fully customizable nature
• Not suited for beginners
• Does not support China video delivery

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 180p (320 x 180)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: 2GB
• Max video length: Not available
• Total file storage: 10GB to Unlimited (depends on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: MOV, MP4

Pricing:

Kaltura doesn’t publish pricing information on their website, but it is on the higher end in terms of cost. This live streaming solution offers custom-priced and pay-as-you-go plans to broadcasters. 

Interested broadcasters must contact their sales department directly to design a custom package. Given the degree of customization of plans with Kaltura, this option is best suited for large-scale enterprises with larger budgets.

3. IBM Cloud Video

IBM Overview:

IBM Cloud Video is another worthy Brightcove alternative that offers video hosting and cloud video streaming solutions, as well as a variety of features. This platform was formerly known as UStream until IBM purchased UStream in 2016, and it was founded in 2007 to connect military service members with family.

The basic functionality of IBM Cloud Video is live streaming. However, this platform also hosts on-demand video content.

Basic streaming accounts are free, but videos contain ads that generate revenue for IBM Cloud Video. Paid accounts remove advertising and grant access to advanced features. Enterprise accounts allow for full custom branding and offer analytics, multiple live channels, content syndication, and more.

Key Features:

• Streaming up to 720p resolution 
• HTML5 video player
• White-label custom branding 
• API access available
• OTT video management
• Internal CDN 
• Monetization capabilities

Pros:

• Easy-to-use platform
• Reliable customer support
• Fully loaded with professional features
• Hong Kong video delivery

Cons:

• HD streaming only comes with more inclusive plans
• Limited closed captioning support

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 480p (480 x 270)
• Maximum dimension:  4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: No published aspect ratio
• Max file size: 4 GB
• Max video length: No published limits
• Total file storage: 1TB – 5TB (depends on plan)
• Compatible video formats: MKV, MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MPEG2, H264, H263, MPEG4, VP6, VP8, THEORA, WMV, MP3, AAC-LC, NELLYMOSER, PCM, SPEEX, VORBIS, WMA

Pricing:

IBM Cloud Video offers four different pricing plans:

• Silver: $99/month
• Gold: $499/month
• Platinum: $999/month
• Custom: Please contact IBM Cloud video for custom plan pricing

IBM Cloud Video also offers a basic free trial plan so that broadcasters can try it before they buy.

4. JW Player

JW Player Overview:

The JW Player project began as a video player. This now streaming solution was founded in 2005 as part of a student project. In fact, part of JW Player’s original technology was used in the first YouTube video player.

Today, this service offers video hosting services and live streaming.

This solution is known for its HTML5 video player for VOD content. In addition to that, JW Player is now a full-service live streaming provider.

Key Features:

• Live streaming and VOD hosting
• Custom “watch next” recommendations
• Analytics tools and revenue tracking
• Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming
• Global content delivery
• Video API access 
• Basic security features
• Monetization via advertising

Pros:

• Great video player
• Easy-to-use platform
• Reliable advertising tools

Cons:

• Live streaming is limited to custom-priced plans 
• Only ad-based monetization
• No delivery to China

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 360p (640 x 360)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3, 2.39:1
• Max file size: 25GB
• Max video length: Not available
• Total file storage: 25GB to 500GB (depends on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, 3GP, FLV

Pricing:

JW Player pricing plans include the following tiers:

• Free trial: JW Player offers a 30-day free trial subscription which includes full API and SDK access, a non-commercial license, 25 GB hosting bandwidth, and 75 GB streaming.
• Starter plan: At $10 per month, the Starter pricing plan includes an HTML5 Video Player, a video gallery, with 150 GB hosting bandwidth, and 500 GB streaming (50,000 plays) per month (billed annually).
• Enterprise plan: these business-specific plans are available with custom pricing for high-volume storage and streaming. Enterprise plans support live streaming, while lower-tier plans only support VOD.  

5. Cincopa

Cincopa Overview:

Cincopa is a unique multimedia hosting solution that provides tools for storing and managing video, photo, and audio content. This is a great Brightcove alternative for businesses and organizations that need to host more media than videos.

Almost all of the other competitors we’ve discussed so far support video hosting exclusively. Many businesses prefer a dedicated video hosting service, but Cincopa is a great option for businesses and organizations that need more than that.

Key Features:

• Multimedia contnet hosting
• User-facing video portals
• Solutions for multiple use-cases
• API access
• Professional integrations
• Large collections of media templates

Pros:

• Tools or businesses with large multimedia hosting needs
• Solutions for sales, marketing, education, production, publishing, and more
• Monetization tools
• Insightful video analytics

Cons:

• Not a dedicated video streaming solution
• A wide range of features makes the platform a bit complex

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 144p
• Maximum dimension: 4K
• Aspect ratio: 4:3, 16:9
• Max file size: 1, 2, 20GB (depending on the plan)
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 5 videos, 40 videos, unlimited videos (depending on the plan)
• Compatible video formats: AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, M4A, F4A,  F4B, F4V, F4P, M2TS, MTS, VOB, MKV, RMVB, M1V, QT, DIV, DIVX, DV, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, MPG, MPEG, MPE, FLV

Pricing:

Cincopa offers four pricing plans for multimedia hosting:

• Startup: $9/month; designed for a team of 1; limited hosting tools
• Plus: $25/month; includes marketing tools (CTAs, email integrations, etc.)
• Corporate: $99/month; advanced broadcasting tools
• Agency/Enterprise: $350/month; advanced broadcasting tools with more flexibility 

Please check out Cincopa’s pricing page for a further breakdown of storage and capabilities that come with each plan.

6. Panopto

Panopto Overview:

Panopto is one of the live video streaming solutions aimed at educational and institutional users. This platform aims to deliver an “internal YouTube” experience for training and more. This is a great Brightcove alternative for educational institutions and organizations that use video streaming for internal uses.

This online video streaming solution enables streaming, sharing, recording, and managing video content.

With a focus on online education, it provides viewer-facing video galleries and integrates with Learning Management Systems. Overall, Panopto is a more focused online video organization than the other best live streaming solutions considered here.

Key Features:

• Secure video CMS
• Live streaming and auto-archiving using webcams
• Internal video SEO
• Access control & security features
• White-label streaming
• Integration with LMS systems
• API access

Pros:

• Audio and video streaming
• Video analytics
• Customizable branding
• Full-text search 
• Asset categorization for easy video organization
• China video streaming

Cons:

• No customizable templates
• No image editor

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Compatible video formats: AVI, MP4, MPG, WMV, MOV, QT, ASF, 3GP, WMA, MP3, M4V
• All other upload guidelines and specs are only available to paying customers. 

Pricing:

Panopto recently simplified its pricing packages and includes the following three options:

• Basic: Free
• Pro: $14.99/month
• Enterprise: Please contact Panopto for custom pricing.

These offerings are much more affordable than Brighcove’s pricing.

7. Wistia

Wistia Overview:

Wistia was founded in 2008 as a video streaming platform focused primarily on marketing. Wistia’s core business is that they provide a television-quality experience for their viewers that helps users grow their audiences. They are known for being the online video platform that puts users in control of their content. 

The biggest limitation to this Brightcove alternative is that does not offer live streaming functionality. That means that it is best suited for businesses that plan to use VOD exclusively.

Key Features:

• Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming
• Reliable tech support
• Video API access
• Security features, including password-protected hosting, email gating, and domain restriction
• Powerful video analytics
• Fully customizable HTML5 player

Pros:

• Unlimited concurrent viewers
• Global content delivery
• Easy embedding and sharing
• Almost unlimited bandwidth

Cons:

• No live streaming support
• No China video delivery
• Only basic integrations are available
• Premium tech support is only available on custom-priced plans

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimensions: None
• Maximum dimensions: Maximum of 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Supported aspect ratios: Any
• Maximum file size: 8 GB
• Maximum video length: 2 hours
• Total file storage: Up to 10 videos with the pro plan ($99 per month), $0.25 per month for every extra video
• Accepted video formats: MP4 (recommended format), .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .FLV, .MKV, 3GPP

Pricing:

Wistia pricing plans come in 3 tiers. These include:

• Free – $0/month
• Pro – $99/month
• Advanced – Please contact Wistia directly for pricing information.

8. Livestream

Livestream Overview:

Livestream, which is a premium offering from Vimeo, offers live streaming and video hosting solutions. Livestream was an independent platform until it was acquired by Vimeo in 2017.

Since the acquisition, the two companies have been merging their services. Like Brightcove, Livestream is on the higher end of the live streaming pricing market.

Vimeo offers streaming as well as video hosting services. The services include analytics and a video management platform.

Key Features:

• Full-HD quality
• All-device video player with adaptive bitrate streaming
• Privacy tools, or embed to any website
• White-label service
• Live audience chat
• Pay-per-view monetization
• Large storage capacity
• Privacy options
• Video management service
• High-quality videos and streams

Pros:

• Unlimited events and viewers
• Ad-free streaming
• Sleek and professional appearance
• Thoroughly detailed analytics
• Easy to use
• Monetization options

Cons:

• High price point
• No China video delivery

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Recommended dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: 3GB
• Max video length: Information not available 
• Total file storage: Information not available
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (recommended)

Pricing:

Vimeo Livestream offers three main pricing plans, including:

Vimeo Premium:

• Premium pricing: $75/month
• Their Premium plan includes both live and VOD streaming services. This plan is the way to go for professional broadcasting.

Vimeo Enterprise:

• Enterprise Pricing: Please contact Vimeo for custom pricing information
• The Enterprise plan includes white-label service, monetization, and video APIs. It also includes branding control and added security features.

Vimeo OTT:

• Starter Pricing: $1/subscriber per month
• Growth Pricing: starting at $500/month
• The OTT-specific pricing packages come with the Vimeo.com relationship. These plans include all the basics for starting your web-based OTT channel, as well as growing your OTT business online.

For more details, check out our comprehensive guide to Vimeo Livestream pricing.

9. Vimeo

Vimeo Overview:

Vimeo started as a consumer-grade video sharing platform like YouTube, but it has developed to serve as a tool for beginner broadcasters. It has low-priced plans with limited streaming capabilities. 

Vimeo is a great Brightcove alternative for businesses, organizations, and creators that are just dipping their toes in broadcasting.

Key Features:

• Low-priced options
• Multiple plans for different budgets
• VOD hosting

Pros:

• Cheap Brightcove alternative 
• A familiar platform for viewers

Cons:

• Very limited live-streaming capabilities
• Not suited for enterprise use
• Weekly storage and upload limits

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Recommended dimension: 720p (1280 x 720)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: 3GB
• Max video length: Information not available 
• Total file storage: Information not available
• Compatible video formats: MP4 (recommended)

Pricing:

• Basic: Free to use forever; no privacy features, customization capabilities, live streaming, or advanced analytics; 500MB per week of upload space, up to 5GB total account storage; 10 videos per day, create 1 channel, 1 group, and 3 showcases
• Plus: $7/month; 5 GB of bandwidth per week, 250 GB storage every year, and allocates for a single user; only professional functions available at this level are player customization, privacy controls, and social distribution.
• Pro:  $20/month;20 GB of bandwidth per week, 1 TB storage every year, and 3 team member seats; Unlocks tools to create and publish unlimited videos, custom video templates, review, and approval; team collaboration projects for up to 3 team members
• Business: $50/month;5 TB total storage, 10 team member seats, with no weekly bandwidth limitations; sales and marketing-specific tools 
• Premium: $75/month; 7 TB total storage; claims “unlimited” live streaming on Vimeo; 10 team members

10. YouTube

YouTube Overview:

YouTube was one of the first websites that made online video streaming so popular. It has grown exponentially in the past decade. It is a great consumer-grade Brightcove alternative. This Google-owned platform is designed for beginner broadcasters, but many businesses use it when they are new to broadcasting since it is free and easy to use.

YouTube is not ideal for business use since the site has strict limitations on the type of content that you can post. Additionally, there is limited access to monetization and other professional tools. 

One of the biggest turn-offs for professional broadcasters is that YouTube requires users to give up partial ownership of their content when they upload it to the platform.

Key Features:

• Ad-based monetization (with strict limitations)
• No reliable security features
• Popular among viewers
• Owned by Google
• Easy to share videos
• Videos can be embedded in other websites
• No white-label capabilities

Pros:

• Free to use
• YouTube is a household name, so viewers are comfortable using it
• Easy to use (for both viewers and broadcasters)
• Easy to embed video player
• Live and VOD hosting

Cons:

• Not white-label
• No custom branding 
• No option for ad-free streaming
• Limitations on live streaming
• YouTube owns partial rights to your content

Upload Guidelines and Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (adds padding to videos with other aspect ratios)
• Max file size: 128 GB
• Max video length: 12 hours
• Total file storage: No storage limit
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG4, FLV, AVI, Web M, WMV, MPEG-PS, 3GPP

Pricing:

YouTube is free to use.

Dacast vs. Brightcove: Features Comparison

Which is Better?

Dacast and Brightcove are very similar in feature offerings. However, when comparing Dacast vs Brightcove with regards to live streaming pricing plans, only Dacast offers broadcasters a wide range of budgets.

Although Brightcove’s pricing is not published on its site, third-party reviews indicate that plans start at around $200/month. That is much more expensive than Dacast’s $39/month starter plan.

The bottom line is that both platforms are capable of professional video hosting and broadcasters can find success with either.

Conclusion:

Brightcove’s pricing plans are geared towards enterprise-level and advanced broadcasters. If you are newer to broadcasting or working with a smaller budget, it’s probably a good idea to go with a Brightcove competitor.

The Brightcove alternatives that we’ve discussed in this post are all great options. After reviewing features and comparing your top options, we recommend taking advantage of free trials to determine which platform is right for you.

Why not test all of our great features for yourself! Sign up with Dacast today to try streaming free for 14 days (no credit card required).

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Do you have questions or feedback about Brightcove or Brightcove competitors? We love to hear from our readers! Feel free to respond in the comment section below, and we’ll do our best to get back to you. For regular tips on live streaming, you can also join our LinkedIn group.