Why teams are switching and what to look for
JW Player charges for original files plus all transcoded variants, even when originals are not retained. One customer was billed for 22 TB when only ~6.6 TB was needed. That is a 70% cost inflation with no transparency.
JW Player merged with Connatix (ad-tech) in October 2024 and rebranded as JWX in December 2025. The company is now a media monetization platform. General-purpose video hosting is no longer the priority.
Customers report losing all videos with no explanation. The open-source player has been abandoned and marked "No Longer Maintained" on GitHub. Support is described as completely unresponsive.
No prices are published on the website. All tiers require contacting sales. AWS Marketplace lists the Express Edition at $4,200/year. Transcription is charged at $1/min versus the industry average of $0.10/min.
Straightforward video hosting with flat pricing, AI search, and auto transcription included. No sales calls required to get started.
Pricing: Starter $20/mo, Business $100/mo, Custom from $5,000/yr
Developer-first video API with fast encoding, multi-CDN delivery, and built-in quality analytics.
Pricing: Free tier, then usage-based from $20/mo
Serverless video streaming with simple per-minute pricing. Part of the Cloudflare developer platform.
Pricing: Starter $5/mo, Creator $50/mo, Enterprise custom
Enterprise video platform with DRM, advanced analytics, and monetization. The traditional enterprise alternative.
Pricing: Starts ~$199/mo, Enterprise custom
Live + VOD streaming platform with built-in monetization and white-label player.
Pricing: Starter $39/mo, Scale $165/mo (annual)
Low-cost video CDN with global delivery, API access, and optional DRM.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go, $1/mo minimum
| Platform | Pricing | Features | Ease of Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| host.video | From $20/mo flat | AI search, transcription, HLS, custom domains, white-label | Dashboard + API; self-serve |
| Mux | Usage-based from $20/mo | Video API, analytics, multi-CDN, AI | API-only; engineering required |
| Cloudflare Stream | From $5/mo per-minute | Transcoding, CDN, signed URLs | Developer-focused |
| Brightcove | From ~$199/mo | DRM, monetization, enterprise analytics | Complex enterprise setup |
| Dacast | From $39/mo + overages | Live + VOD, monetization, white-label | Dashboard; dated UI |
| Bunny Stream | Pay-as-you-go | CDN, HLS, API, DRM add-on | Developer-oriented |
JW Player's shift to ad monetization under the JWX rebrand means the product is no longer built for teams that need reliable, straightforward video hosting. host.video offers transparent flat pricing, AI transcription included at no per-minute cost, and a self-serve signup that does not require a sales conversation. If you are tired of inflated billing and a platform that has moved away from your use case, this is a clean reset.