Online video streaming is a booming industry. This type of media distribution is leveraged by brands to help their viewers feel updated and informed. Live streaming, in particular, is often used to make their audience feel they are part of an event.

This increased viewer engagement is valuable to countless businesses, schools, and other professional organizations. Of course, doing so requires an online video platform (OVP). Wowza is among the most popular options for broadcasters looking for a comprehensive OVP.

Although Wowza is a powerful platform, some broadcasters have unique needs that require a different solution. Luckily, there are a variety of Wowza alternatives providing online video streaming services.

In this article, we’ll consider Wowza and several Wowza alternatives for online video streaming. We will provide an in-depth comparison based on pricing, pros and cons, and features of each platform.

New to Dacast and interested to try out a feature-packed and lower-cost professional-grade Wowza alternative? Sign up for a 14-day trial of our streaming platform and test out all of our features for free. No credit card is required.

Get Started for Free

Let’s get started by taking a close look at what Wowza has to offer and how the platform prices its packages.

Table of Contents

• What is Wowza?
  • Wowza’s Key Features
  • Wowza User Reviews
  • Wowza’s Pricing Plans
• Who Needs Wowza?
• Why Shop Around?
• Top 15 Wowza Alternatives
• Final Thoughts

What is Wowza?

Wowza is a streaming-focused company that released its first products in 2007. Originally Wowza Media Server existed as an alternative to the Adobe Flash Media Server. In 2014, the product name became Wowza Streaming Engine.

Today, Wowza provides products and services that are widely used in the streaming video industry. These include the popular Wowza Streaming Engine, a self-hosted media server. This Wowza software lets you set up your own live streaming server.

Wowza Streaming Cloud is another major offering from this company. It is an end-to-end cloud streaming service that is less technical than the Wowza Streaming Engine.

Wowza’s Key Features

• Live streaming video delivery
• Support for 4K streaming
• Low latency streaming
• White-label streaming
• Security access controls (encryption, tokenized access, and geo-restrictions)
• RESTful API to integrate with custom applications and automate services
• Cloud management portal
• Live stream recording

Wowza User Reviews

“Wowza Media Server and eventually Wowza Streaming Engine were game changers for our organizations. Prior to finding Wowza, our live streaming solution was a compilation of several vendors. We were able to customize the software using their catalog of RestAPI endpoints in conjunction with custom Wowza Modules to deliver a customized, end-to-end streaming solution used by countless organizations worldwide.” – Brian D.

“We have Wowza running 24/7/365 within our streaming platform and it has remained rock solid throughout, with minimal issues or errors. Setup is straightforward and offers a high degree of flexibility – you can build almost anything streaming-related on top of it. Outstanding feature set. We have also appreciated the continual improvements and updates made to the product over time.” – Tyler F. 

Wowza’s Pricing Plans

As we mentioned, Wowza offers two different streaming products: the Wowza Streaming Cloud and Wowza Streaming Engine. There are several different pricing tiers within each offering.

Here’s how Wowza’s pricing is broken down for Woza Streaming Cloud and Wowza Streaming Engine. 

Wowza Streaming Cloud

Wowza Streaming Cloud is broken down into the following plans:

• One Time – $149
  • One month of streaming
  • Meant for one-time events
  • 15 live streaming hours
  • 500 viewing hours (in 720p)
• Pay-as-You-Go – $25/month
  • Flexible pricing model 
• Basic – $85/month
  • 180 live streaming hours
  • 6000 viewing hours (in 720p)
• Plus – $425/month
  • 1200 live streaming hours
  • 60,000 viewing hours (in 720p)
• Enterprise – custom pricing
  • Enterprise plans are built to meet your streaming needs

All of these plans (other than One Time) are billed annually and have full brand control, multi-bitrate streaming, and UHD and HD streaming. Month-to-month plans are available at a higher rate.

We urge you to check out the bandwidth calculator from Wowza to see which plan suits your streaming needs so you can pick the right Wowza Streaming Cloud option.

Wowza Streaming Engine 

Wowza Streaming Engine is a software solution and it comes in the following plans: 

• Basic – $175/month 
  • $195/month for each additional instance
  • 10 concurrent channels per instance per month
  • 48 hour support response time
• Business – $295/month 
  • $295/month for each additional instance
  • 10 concurrent channels per instance per month
  • 48 hour support response time

• Enterprise: Please contact Wowza directly for access to their custom-tailored high volume enterprise solutions
  • Features offerings are custom on this plan
  • Includes 24/7 support

Wowza Streaming Engine hosting uses straightforward pricing and supports multiple channels for one account. For the best customer support, one must invest in an Enterprise plan. 

Who Needs Wowza?

Incorporating online video in your professional operations, whether that be marketing your enterprise or reaching your students with virtual lectures, requires the support of a streaming solution like Wowza.

Some of the top use cases for this type of streaming solution include education, sports, religion, virtual event hosting, and enterprise streaming.

If your organization does not already use online video, now is the time to consider it. Online video is booming because it has proven to be an engaging medium that helps businesses reach their goals in ways that were not previously imaginable. 

Here are a few stats and facts that demonstrate how important online video hosting is in the professional space:

• 87% of brands that use video report that video content has increased their site traffic
• 83% of brands that use video in their marketing strategies find it effective
• Over three-fourths of internet users watch online video content each week
• Over half of internet users watch online video content every day
• Videos retain a brands message better than photos and text
• Video is used for marketing in 71% of B2B businesses and 61% of B2C businesses
• Over two-thirds of brands that are not currently using video plan to incorporate it this year

For more data supporting the value of online video for professionals, check out our live streaming statistics post.

Why Shop Around?

When it comes to professional broadcasting, there are so many use cases across so many different industries. That’s why different broadcasters need access to unique sets of features. If your needs exceed what’s available on Wowza, you’ll have to find something more advanced.

On the flip side, if Wowza includes more than you need, you may want to find a solution with a more basic plan that has a budget that makes more sense for your needs.

Is a paid solution a bit more advanced than your streaming needs altogether? At the simplest end, you have platforms like YouTube Live and Facebook Live. These free Wowza alternatives provide some basic, consumer-grade features for personal use.

Top 15 Wowza Alternatives

Now that we’ve taken a close look at Wowza and discussed the potential need for other streaming platform options, let’s compare the top professional-grade Wowza alternatives in 2022.

1. Dacast

Dacast is a unified streaming solution that supports both live and on-demand video streaming. Broadcasters can use the Dacast platform to stream on their websites and other platforms. Dacast supports white-label streaming with an HTML5 video player.

Broadcasters can also use Dacast to monetize content and track interactions via analytics. Video and player API access allows users to integrate the apps, platforms, or services of their choice.

Key Features:

• White-label video streaming
• Uses top tier live streaming CDNs
• Built-in paywall for monetization via pay-per-view streaming or subscription
• Full HD streaming
• 24/7 customer support
• Unlimited channels (simultaneous numbers of streams)
• 24/7 tech support with all plans, including email and live chat
• Video security features including password-protected hosting
• VOD platform to monetize on-demand content, and to scale your VOD business
• Expo video gallery to display your live streams in an immersive video showcase
• RTMP Encoder ingest for HLS streaming
• Low latency HTML5 channels for video streaming
• Player API and Video API
• Multi-bitrate streaming
• Cloud video transcoding with true adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR)
• Real-time video streaming analytics
• Ad-free streaming

Pros:

• Live streaming and VOD streaming is included in all plans
• Unlimited viewers and live channels
• White label and branding control
• Embeddable HTML5 video player
• SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD pay-per-view monetization options
• M3U8 media links to stream to mobile and smart TV apps such as Roku, Apple TV, etc.
• Mobile device support
• SDK for player integration on iOS and Android platforms
• Live stream recording
• China Video Hosting
• Pricing plans for every budget

Cons:

• Requires a bit of a learning curve

Technical 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:

Streaming pricing plans with Dacast start at $39 per month and are available at four tiers:

• Starter plan: $39/month; ideal for newcomers with 1.2 TB of bandwidth and 50 GB of storage per year
• Scale plan: $188/month includes 24 TB of bandwidth per year, with 1 TB of storage; adds phone support, monetization paywall, an M3U8 online player for live channels, ad insertion, white-label streaming, and video API access. Additional bandwidth is available upon request for monthly plans. 
• Event plan: $63/month (or $750/year); suitable for organizations that would rather not sign a contract, and want to purchase bandwidth separately to live stream an event; 6 TB of bandwidth and 50 GB of storage upfront; additional data and storage can be purchased as needed
• Custom plan: if your enterprise business has high-volume streaming needs, you can contact Dacast for a custom plan tailored to your needs.

Dacast is a strong Wowza alternative. Dacast offers all the professional broadcasting tools you need to create a custom experience for your viewers with both VOD and live-streaming content. 

2. JW Player

JW Player is another Wowza alternative that supports live and on-demand video streaming. This company is great for brands with a wide variety of budgets since it offers plans starting at $10/month. This company only offered a video player at first, but today, JW Player is an end-to-end streaming solution. 

In its early stages of development, YouTube videos were streamed with a video player that used part of the JW Player code.

Key Features:

• Easy setup
• Adaptive streaming up to 1080p full-HD
• Native integration with the capable JW Player video player
• Simulcast live streams to Facebook as well as JW Player
• Real-time analytics
• Multi-bitrate and adaptive bitrate streaming
• Reliable, global content delivery
• Tech support (limited to custom plans)
• Video API access on all plans
• Secure streaming
• Monetization (only via advertising)

Pros:

• Powerful video player
• Wide range of professional features
• Easy-to-use platform
• Reliable advertising tools

Cons:

• 6-hour limits on live streams
• Security tools are very basic
• Only ad-based monetization
• No China video delivery

Technical 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 offers three different pricing plans. These include:

• Trial: 30-day free trial subscription which includes full API and SDK access, and a non-commercial license, with 25 GB hosting bandwidth and 75 GB streaming.
• Starter: $10/month; includes an HTML5 Video Player and video gallery, with 150 GB hosting bandwidth and 500 GB streaming (50,000 plays) per month billed annually.
• Enterprise: custom pricing for high-volume storage and streaming. Enterprise plans add support for live streaming (lower-tier plans only support VOD)

JWPlayer is an easy-to-use and affordable Wowza alternative for broadcasters looking for a straightforward video hosting solution. 

3. IBM Cloud Video

The next Wowza alternative on the agenda is IBM Cloud Video. The original technology of IBM Cloud video was designed to help deployed military personnel connect with their families at home. 

Today, IBM Cloud Video is a full-service live streaming company. This solution offers a wide spread of features for OTT streaming. IBM Cloud Video supports both live and on-demand video streaming.

Key Features:

• Ad-free broadcasting
• eCDN and multi-CDNs for reliable delivery
• Phone support
• Basic security functionality
• Automatic stream recording
• All-device video player
• Enterprise video streaming
• Video distribution and workflow
• OTT streaming
• Video monetization

Pros:

• Reliable platform
• Suitable for larger clients
• Responsive customer support
• Wide range of features for broadcasters
• Hong Kong video hosting

Cons:

• Streaming above 720p resolution is only available with a paid upgrade
• Poor closed captioning support

Technical 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 three pre-created streaming plans and the option for custom-built plans. Here’s how the prices are broken down:

• Silver: $99/month; offers 100 ad-free viewer hours, 50 GB of storage, one channel, and no white-label service 
• Gold: $499/month; includes 2,000 viewer hours, 250 GB storage, two channels, and advanced live analytic
• Platinum: $999/month; bumps users to 5,000 viewer hours, 3 channels, and 500 GB; white-label streaming

Custom-priced enterprise plans add additional features and are best suited for organizations with advanced broadcasting needs.

IBM Cloud Video is a great professional Wowza alternative whose strong CDN support helps it stand out as a top video streaming and hosting provider. 

4. Brightcove

Brightcove is another great Wowza alternative that mostly is geared towards an enterprise audience. This solution supports both live streaming and VOD hosting. After acquiring the Ooyala streaming platform in 2019, Brightcove now offers cloud video hosting.

Brightcove offers a wide range of professional features. Its detailed analytics and video marketing tools are quite valuable for businesses that aim to capture leads and understand their audience.

Key Features:

• Live streaming and VOD hosting
• Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming
• Global content delivery
• Basi tech support
• Video API access
• Basic to high-end security features available
• Video monetization options

Pros:

• Support of professional features
• Good analytics
• Custom video galleries
• CRM integration

Cons:

• High price point
• Many features are limited to high-ticket plans
• No live streaming with packages under $499/month
• No China video delivery

Technical Specs:

• Minimum dimension: Determined by user
• Maximum dimension: Determined by user
• Aspect ratio: No restrictions (since Brightcove uses a responsive player)
• Max file size: No limits on files size
• Max video length: No published limits
• Total file storage: Varies by plan
• Compatible video formats: MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MKV, 3GPP

Pricing:

Mainly targeting huge clients, Brightcove offers several pricing plan levels but does not provide pricing. These include the following:

• Starter: includes 50 to 200 videos, up to 100,000 plays, and 2-5 users
• Professional: unlimited videos, 100,000+ plays, and no overages plays, with +10 users
• Enterprise: unlimited videos, 100,000+ plays, and no overages plays, with 10+ users, unlimited upload, and analytics-only users

Brightcove also includes custom-priced plans for their Enterprise Video Suite packages. Interested broadcasters can contact their sales department to receive a quote or sign up for a 30-day free trial.

Brightcove is a strong Wowza alternative for larger enterprises with robust video hosting and live streaming needs. 

5. Kaltura

Looking for a Wowza alternative that is totally customizable? Kaltura might be the right option for you. This open-source streaming service offers a unique product on the live streaming market.

Kaltura is very popular among educational institutions, but it is suitable for any broadcasters with advanced streaming needs. This platform is particularly useful for streaming setups that require customized software.

The downside of Kaltura’s extensibility, however, is that the platform gets a bit overwhelming and confusing. With so many different plugins and integrations, it can be a lot for users with no technical experience.

Key Features:

• Multi-bitrate and adaptive bitrate streaming 
• Open-source software
• Multi-CDN approach
• Global content delivery
• Some tech support
• Video API for total customizations
• Secure streaming (authentication and encryption options)
• Video monetization (subscription, advertising, PPV streaming)

Pros:

• Many available features
• Very customizable
• Great for advanced streaming setups 
• Multiple monetization options
• Robust security

Cons:

• No phone or chat support
• Ticket-based tech support is slow
• The platform can be complicated
• Does not support China video delivery

Technical 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 its website. However, some users have said that plans start at about $1000 per month. For more details, you can read about this platform’s pay-for-what-you-use pricing model.

If you are looking for lots of customization choices, Kaltura is a good Wowza alternative to explore. 

6. Uscreen

Uscreen is a Wowza alternative that supports both live and on-demand streaming. This platform is equipped with all of the tools that broadcasters need to host high-quality OTT streams.

Uscreen has streaming solutions for businesses that want to host an online training platform. Community-related tools are useful for internal use.

Key Features:

• OTT video streaming
• Dedicated marketing tools
• Support for creating branded streaming apps
• Insightful video analytics
• Community-building features
• Video monetization
• Reliable privacy and security

Pros:

• Basic but comprehensive platform 
• Creates high-quality streams
• Time-saving tools
• Powerful video management

Cons:

• Some complaints about the UI/UX
• Reports of hidden fees
• Slow customer support

Technical Specs:

• Recommended dimensions: 1080p/2k or smaller
• Supported aspect ratios: 
• Maximum file size: 13 GB
• Maximum video length: 
• Total file storage: 3000, 7500, 7500+ minutes
• Accepted video formats: MP4 (Recommended)

Pricing:

Uscreen offers three different streaming pricing plans, including:

• Basic:  $79/month + $0.50/subscriber
• Growth: $159/month + $0.50/subscriber
• Uscreen Plus: $399/month + $0.50/subscriber

Uscreen is a great marketing-focused Wowza video hosting alternative. 

7. Panopto

Panopto is a Wowza alternative that is geared towards education streaming. This applies to both training videos for enterprises and lecture streaming for educational institutions.

Pantopto enables streaming, sharing, recording, and managing video content. This platform is known for hosting internal video libraries for reaching a body of students or another internal audience.

In addition to video hosting and management, Panopto supports some education-specific tools, including video search, quizzing, and analytics. 

Key Features:

• Stream recording
• Education-specific tools
• Video analytics
• Secure streaming
• White-label video players
• Integration with learning management systems (LMS)
• API access for customization
• Document indexing and full-text search
• Asset categorization

Pros:

• Audio and video content hosting
• Internal video streaming
• Organization skills 
• Customizable video player
• China video hosting

Cons:

• No customizable templates
• No version control

Technical 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 offers three pricing packages, including:

• Basic: Free; 5 hours of video storage and 100 streaming hours per month
• Pro: $14.99/month; 50 hours of storage and unlimited streaming hours
• Enterprise: Custom pricing; unlimited storage and unlimited streaming hours

Looking for an educational video hosting Wowza alternative? Be sure to check out Panopto. 

8. Wistia

Wistia is a Wowza alternative that offers on-demand video streaming. It is capable of delivering “TV-quality” video content that makes it a great choice for broadcasters that are streaming at an advanced level.

This platform offers a wide range of professional features, including a customizable video player, powerful analytics, video SEO, and more.

It is important to note that Wistia does not support live streaming, so it is only suitable for broadcasters that are looking for VOD hosting.

Key Features:

• On-demand video hosting
• Ad-free streaming
• Customizable video player
• Interactive video streaming tools
• Video analytics
• Video organization tools
• CRM integrations

Pros:

• Ad-free streaming
• Reliable customer service
• Branding customization
• Powerful video analytics

Cons:

• Does not support live streaming
• Some complaint about the “clunkiness” of customization features
• Does not support China delivery

Technical Specs:

• Recommended dimensions: Maximum of 4K (3840×2160)
• 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 are broken into three tiers; including:

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

Wistia is a great Wowza alternative if you are looking for a solid VOD hosting platform. 

9. StreamShark

StreamShark is a Wowza alternative that was created by MetaCDN. Since StreamShark comes from a major content distribution company, it is capable of reliable, global content delivery.

This Wowza alternative offers some innovative features that are valuable in the enterprise space. These include 360 live streaming and peer-to-peer video streaming.

Key Features:

• Global content delivery
• 360 video streaming
• Peer-to-peer streaming
• Mobile-compatibility
• Detailed viewer reports
• SSO security
• White-label video player
• Video monetization (advertising)
• Customer support

Pros:

• Innovative streaming features
• Localized media ingestion
• Video encoding support
• Redistribution
• Increased storage space

Cons:

• Pricing is a bit high
• No video analytics
• Does not support China video streaming

Technical Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 240p (426 x 240)
• Maximum dimension: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size: not available
• Max video length: not available
• Total file storage: 500GB, 1TB, 3TB
• Compatible video formats: HLS, WebM VP9, WebM VP8, WebM VP9 DASH, MP4

Pricing:

StreamShark offers four different live streaming plans, including:

• Standard: $199/month; includes 1,000 GB of bandwidth; overage charges of $0.10/GB
• Team: $499/month; includes 4,000 GB of bandwidth; overage charges of $0.09/GB
• Business: $999/month; includes 9,000 GB of bandwidth; overage charges of $0.08/GB
• Business: Please contact StreamShark for their custom enterprise solutions and plans

StreamShark stands out as a Wowza alternative due to its strong content delivery network, which helps ensure your videos reach your end-user. 

10. Livestream

Livestream was once one of the largest live streaming companies in the world, and in 2017, it was acquired by Vimeo. All services are now sold by Vimeo, but the high-end offerings are sold under the Livestream brand name.

This Wowza alternative supports both live streaming and VOD hosting. It is equipped with a suite of professional streaming tools, such as video monetization, ad-free streaming, secure streaming, and more.

Key Features:

• Powerful video hosting tools
• High-quality streaming
• Large storage capacity
• Secure streaming options
• Tied to the well-known Vimeo brand
• Upload from anywhere
• Video monetization

Pros:

• Ad-free streaming
• Powerful user interface 
• Insightful analytics
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Some misleading promises related to “unlimited streaming”
• No China video delivery

Technical 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 streaming and VOD support. This plan is the best option for professional broadcasting on this platform.

Vimeo Enterprise:

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

Vimeo OTT:

• Starter Pricing: $1/subscriber per month
• Growth Pricing: starting at $500/month
• This OTT-specific pricing package comes 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 Livestream pricing.

Vimeo Livestream combines the power of Vimeo and Livestream together, making it a strong Wowza alternative. 

11. Hippo Video

Hippo Video is a great Wowza alternative for broadcasters that need specialized support for marketing, sales, education, and more. Hippo Video offers a wide variety of pricing plans for broadcasters with different budgets and use cases.

Hippo Video is a unified streaming solution, so it provides support for hosting both live and on-demand video content. 

Key Features:

• Live streaming
• VOD hosting
• Brand customization
• Marketing tools
• Screen recording
• Transcoding
• Closed captioning
• Video organization
• Team collaboration
• Video monetization
• Secure streaming
• White-label video player

Pros:

• Live Streaming and VOD Hosting
• Wide variety of features
• Pricing plans for every budget
• Professional streaming support

Cons:

• Unreliable tech support
• Some complaints of “bugginess” on the user interface
• Editing tools don’t always work
• Reports that the trial doesn’t represent the platform well

Technical Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 480p
• Maximum dimension: 1080p
• Aspect ratio: not available
• Max file size: 3 GB
• Max video length: 5 minutes on Free plans, 2 hours on Premium plans
• Total file storage: n/a
• Compatible video formats: not available

Pricing:

Hippo Video has a complex pricing structure since it offers a variety of solutions for different use cases. Here’s a breakdown of pricing for the most popular categories.

Sales:

• Pro: $30/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth 
• Growth: $48/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Enterprise: $79/month; contact Hippo Video to learn more

Marketing:

• Starter: $23/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Pro: $49/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth 
• Growth: $99/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth

Support:

• Starter: $10/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Pro: $29/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Growth: $49/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth

Team Communications:

• Starter: $7/month; 1 GB file size limit; 30 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Pro: $15/month; 2 GB file size limit; 60 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth
• Growth: $23/month; 3 GB file size limit; 120 minute video length limit; white-label streaming; 200GB of bandwidth

Other Solutions:

• Education: Free to $9/month OR $1/user
• Personalization: Starting at $109/month + fees
• Recorder API: Contact Hippo Video for a custom quote

Hippo Video also has special pricing plans for Personalization and Education. Users can contact Hippo Video directly for recorder API pricing.

Hippo Video supports team communications, marketing, and sales, and is a great Wowza alternative if your video content is focused on those categories. 

12. StreamYard

If you are looking for an in-browser Wowza alternative, StreamYard could be an option for you. StreamYard presents a streaming experience that is less technologically demanding since it doesn’t require any downloads to use.

Unlike most of the other Wowza alternatives we’ve covered, StreamYard only supports live streaming, not VOD hosting.

This platform is budget-friendly but it is also relatively basic. Although the solution is pretty simple, it is effective for broadcasters with basic live streaming needs. 

Key Features:

• In-browser streaming
• Live streaming 
• Brand customization
• Graphic overlays
• Simulcasting tools
• Multi-source streams
• Screen sharing 

Pros:

• Easy to use platform 
• No downloads required
• Great for hosting engaging streams
• Collaboration tools

Cons:

• Very basic platform 
• Does not support video monetization
• No VOD support
• Limited browser compatibility 

Technical Specs:

StreamYard does not publish upload guidelines and specs.

Pricing:

StreamYard offers three monthly pricing plans. These include:

• Free: Access StreamYard on a limited basis for free.
• Basic: $20/month; access some advanced streaming features, including unlimited streaming, brand customization, graphic overlays, simulcasting, and stream recording.
• Professional: $39/month; adds additional usage capabilities and full HD streaming

StreamYard also offers enterprise plans that are priced on a case-by-case basis.

If your focus is browser-based streaming, try StreamYard as a Wowza alternative. 

13. Resi

If you are looking for a streaming company that provides a bit more support through a variety of products than Wowza, Resi could be an option for you.

This Wowza Streaming Cloud alternative offers live stream hosting, multisite streaming, streaming hardware (encoders, decoders, and streaming kits), and streaming plugins.

Although Resi is branded as an “affordable” solution, prices are not listed on the Resi website.

Key Features:

• Live streaming
• Multisite streaming
• Plugins for added support
• Some encoding support
• Tools for automation 
• Stream monitoring 

Pros:

• High-quality video streaming
• Large collections of tools
• Powerful streaming software
• Reliable tech support

Cons:

• Some limitations on video analytics
• Reported issues with chat
• Users describe the interface as “dated” 

Technical Specs:

• Minimum dimension: None
• Maximum dimension: 1920×1080
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Max file size: 15 GB
• Max video length: 6 hours
• Total file storage: Unavailable
• Compatible video formats: MP4

Pricing:

Interested broadcasters must fill out an inquiry form to get information on Resi’s pricing.

Resi is a simple and straightforward Wowza alternative. 

14. Vidyard

If you are looking for a Wowza alternative that can support you as your streaming operation grows, Vidyard is a great option. This streaming solution is geared towards marketing, sales, and corporate communications teams.

The streaming plans from Vidyard start at a free plan with limited streaming capabilities for beginners and range up to advanced plans that cost $1250/month. This streaming software truly has a solution for broadcasters at every point in their journey and comes in handy if you are looking for a free Wowza alternative.

Key Features:

• Live streaming
• On-demand video hosting
• Tools for audience interaction
• Video SEO
• Video player customization
• Playlists for video organization 
• Analytics and reporting
• Secure streaming

Pros:

• Unified streaming solution 
• Reliable customer service
• Online community for added support
• Large collection of powerful features
• Powerful analytics

Cons:

• Inconsistent user reviews
• Requires a bit of a learning curve
• No China video delivery

Technical Specs:

• Minimum dimension: 360p (480 x 360)
• Maximum dimension: 4k (3840 x 2160)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3
• Max file size:5GB to 16GB (depends on the plan)
• Max video length: 1 hour (live stream)
• Total file storage: Not available
• Compatible video formats: WEBM, MP4, MKV, MOV

Pricing:

Vidyard pricing plans come in four tiers, split amongst two categories: Individual and Teams. All plans are billed annually and include:

• Individual 
  • Free – $0/month
  • Pro – $15/month
• Teams
  • Teams – $300/month
  • Business – $1250/month

For enterprises whose video content is focused on marketing and sales efforts, Vidyard is a strong Wowza alternative. 

15. Cincopa

Businesses that multimedia hosting should consider Cincopa as a Wowza alternative. This multimedia hosting platform is designed to store and manage photos, videos, audio, and other files. It also provides live streaming support.

Another notable aspect of Cincopa is that it offers pricing plans for a variety of budgets, making it a great tool for many different professional users.

Key Features:

• Multimedia hosting
• Live streaming 
• VOD hosting
• Reliable video player
• Video monetization
• Integrations for customization
• OTT streaming
• Powerful content delivery 
• Secure streaming

Pros:

• Professional grade streaming
• Wide variety of functionality
• Customizable streaming experience 
• Reliable tech support 

Cons:

• Live streaming is a secondary offering
• Some complaints of media storage limits

Technical 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 three different pricing plans with fees billed annually, including:

• 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.

Cincopa offers a range of hosting needs beyond videos, including audio and picture content. If you need a full-service hosting company, Cincopa is a strong Wowza alternative. 

Final Thoughts

Online video streaming continues to become more and more popular. Given that trend, a professional video platform is essential for anyone who wishes to stream.

While Wowza is a great option for some broadcasters, it’s not the only option on the market. We hope that the information outlined here can help you make the right decision.

If you are looking for a well-equipped alternative to Wowza, we invite you to give Dacast a try. Sign up for our 14-day free trial to try out all of our powerful streaming features for yourself. No credit card is required.

Get Started for Free

For regular tips on live streaming and exclusive offers, we invite you to join our LinkedIn group.

Thanks for reading, and as always—good luck with your live streams.