Why teams are switching and what to look for
Bending Spoons acquired Brightcove for $233M in February 2025. By March, 85% of staff (450 of ~530) had been laid off. Only ~80 employees remain as a skeleton crew through April 2026. Named customers like Revry and AFI have already left.
No pricing is published on the website. Starts around $199/mo with annual contracts required. Post-acquisition, customers report unclear billing and pressure to migrate to more expensive products. Setup costs can reach $10,000 or more.
Product support underwent a complete overhaul post-acquisition and has deteriorated further. No single point of contact. Transition to automated support systems has left enterprise customers without the dedicated service they previously relied on.
With engineering and product teams gutted, Brightcove appears to be a finished product in maintenance mode. No meaningful feature development is expected. Bending Spoons now owns both Brightcove and Vimeo, hollowing out two major incumbents simultaneously.
Modern video hosting with flat pricing, AI search, and custom domains. A clean alternative to enterprise platforms that have stopped innovating.
Pricing: Starter $20/mo, Business $100/mo, Custom from $5,000/yr
API-first video infrastructure with built-in analytics. Used by engineering teams at Patreon, Substack, and Shopify.
Pricing: Usage-based, from $20/mo credit
Marketing video platform with analytics, lead capture, and CRM integrations.
Pricing: Pro $79/mo, Advanced $319/mo, Premium custom
Enterprise video platform with LMS integrations, webinars, and virtual classrooms. Publicly traded on Nasdaq.
Pricing: Contact sales; starts ~$500/mo for mid-size
All-in-one streaming platform with live and VOD hosting, monetization, and white-label player.
Pricing: Starter $39/mo, Scale $165/mo (annual), Custom sales
Enterprise streaming and ad monetization platform. Merged with Connatix in 2024, rebranded as JWX in 2025.
Pricing: Contact sales; ~$4,200/yr via AWS Marketplace
| Platform | Pricing | Features | Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| host.video | From $20/mo flat | AI search, transcription, HLS, custom domains, white-label | Dashboard + API; quick setup |
| Mux | Usage-based from $20/mo | Video API, analytics, multi-CDN, AI tools | API-only; requires engineering |
| Wistia | From $79/mo, per-video | Marketing analytics, CTAs, lead capture | Dashboard; marketing-focused |
| Kaltura | Contact sales, ~$500+/mo | LMS integrations, webinars, enterprise security | Complex; steep learning curve |
| Dacast | From $39/mo + overages | Live + VOD, monetization, white-label | Dashboard; dated interface |
| JW Player (JWX) | Contact sales, ~$4,200/yr | DRM, multi-format, ad monetization | Enterprise onboarding required |
Brightcove customers are facing a platform in maintenance mode with no clear product roadmap. The move to a replacement should prioritize stability, transparent pricing, and a team that is actively building. host.video offers flat monthly pricing, AI-powered search and transcription, custom domains, and a modern dashboard that does not require enterprise onboarding. For teams that need to move quickly and confidently, it removes the uncertainty Brightcove now represents.