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Last checked November 9, 2026

Free alternatives to Vimeo

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Vimeo hosts video and sells embeds. Its plan post, published 28 October 2026 and updated 6 November 2026, replaces the old individual plans. Annual prices on that post are Free at $0, Creator at $9 a month, Core at $24.50 a month, and Professional at $71 a month. Public video that is not embeddable is unlimited. Managed storage, for non-public or embeddable video, is limited. A company account moves to Studio. The post does not list a Studio dollar price. A self-hosted player means you pay for bandwidth.

Small teamsMarketersPrice checked

What you pay for Vimeo

On the 28 October 2026 plan post, annual prices are Free $0, Creator $9, Core $24.50, and Professional $71 a month. The post was updated 6 November 2026. It does not list a Studio price.

Checked 9 November 2026. The plan post says Starter and Plus move to Core, and Standard, Advanced, Pro, and Business move to Professional. An existing account that moves to Core keeps 2 TB of managed storage instead of the 500 GB a new Core plan gets. Professional managed storage on the post is 7 TB. Free is 3 GB and Creator is 50 GB. Most accounts change at the next renewal, with an email one month before. The old plan cannot be kept (https://vimeo.com/blog/post/update-on-vimeo-plans). The plan usage policy, still dated 30 June 2026 on 9 November 2026, says an account used by a company must use a business plan, with exceptions Vimeo decides, and that a price change applies at the next renewal (https://vimeo.com/legal/policies/plan-usage). The October post does not list a Studio dollar price.

Vimeo website·Price page

For small teams and marketers. Its price on file: On the 28 October 2026 plan post, annual prices are Free $0, Creator $9, Core $24.50, and Professional $71 a month. The post was updated 6 November 2026. It does not list a Studio price. It is in the Video hosting group.

How to switch

The closest free app on the checklist is PeerTube. Cost and details. Move from Vimeo to PeerTube.

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A public video site, or a private library

These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.

PeerTube is #1 (90). MediaCMS is #2 (83). Jellyfin is #3 (50).

PeerTube

#1 · Closest

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: live events and a private library at home.

MediaCMS

#2

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: privacy controls on who can watch, live events, and a private library at home.

Jellyfin

#3

6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: a public page for each video and an embeddable player. You only get part of: live events.

Where they differ

  • A public page for each video

    Worth 10 points. PeerTube does all of it. Each video has a page on your site. MediaCMS does all of it. Uploads get a watch page. Jellyfin does none of it. Jellyfin is a private library, not a public video site.

  • An embeddable player

    Worth 8 points. PeerTube does all of it. You can embed a player on another site. MediaCMS does all of it. The player can be embedded. Jellyfin does none of it. It is not a public embed host.

  • Privacy controls on who can watch

    Worth 6 points. PeerTube does all of it. You choose public, unlisted, or private, on your server. MediaCMS does part of it. You control the site. Fine-grained viewer rules depend on the features you turn on. Jellyfin does all of it. You decide who has an account.

  • A private library at home

    Worth 4 points. PeerTube does part of it. People with accounts can watch. It is a public site first, not a family movie server. MediaCMS does part of it. Accounts can watch on your site. It is not a living-room server. Jellyfin does all of it. A private movie library at home.

PeerTube, MediaCMS, and Jellyfin do all of these: runs on a server you control.

How close is it?

How this works

A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.

  1. #1 · ClosestOpen sourceNotes on the review

    PeerTube

    A video site you host, with embeds and a network of other sites.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: live events and a private library at home.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: AGPL-3.0

    WebLinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsHow to switchWebsite
  2. #2Open sourceNotes on the review

    MediaCMS

    A YouTube-style site you run for your own videos.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: privacy controls on who can watch, live events, and a private library at home.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: AGPL-3.0

    WebLinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. #3Open sourceNotes on the review

    Jellyfin

    A free media server with Live TV. The code is GPL-2.0.

    6 of 6 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: a public page for each video and an embeddable player. You only get part of: live events.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0

    Run it yourselfWebAndroid
    Cost and detailsWebsite

Feature by feature

Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.

Scroll sideways to see every app.

Feature comparison. Full, partial, missing, or not checked.
FeaturePeerTube#1 · 906 of 6 checked featuresMediaCMS#2 · 836 of 6 checked featuresJellyfin#3 · 506 of 6 checked features
A public page for each videoCounts for 10FullEach video has a page on your site.FullUploads get a watch page.MissingJellyfin is a private library, not a public video site.
An embeddable playerCounts for 8FullYou can embed a player on another site.FullThe player can be embedded.MissingIt is not a public embed host.
Privacy controls on who can watchCounts for 6FullYou choose public, unlisted, or private, on your server.PartialYou control the site. Fine-grained viewer rules depend on the features you turn on.FullYou decide who has an account.
Runs on a server you controlCounts for 8FullYou run the site.FullYou run it.Full
Live eventsCounts for 4PartialLive streaming exists. It is not a managed events product.PartialDo not treat it as a live-events product until you test the build you install.PartialLive TV from a source you are allowed to use.
A private library at homeCounts for 4PartialPeople with accounts can watch. It is a public site first, not a family movie server.PartialAccounts can watch on your site. It is not a living-room server.FullA private movie library at home.

What it costs

PeerTube

Free plan
The software is free. Bandwidth and disk are the bill.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. A Linux server, storage, and enough bandwidth for the people who press play. A quiet site is cheap. A popular embed is not.

MediaCMS

Free plan
The software is free. Disk and bandwidth are the bill.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. Docker Compose on a Linux server, plus storage for the video files. Plan the bandwidth before you embed the player on a busy page.

Jellyfin

Free plan
The server and the official clients are free to download. There is no paid tier on the Jellyfin site.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. You install the server, add an M3U tuner, and add XMLTV guide data if you want the guide and recordings.

Did you switch?

If you left Vimeo, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.

How did it go?

Closest pair

Move from Vimeo to PeerTube

Download the video masters, upload them to a PeerTube server you run, and replace each embed. Bandwidth becomes your bill.

Read how to switch

Related alternatives

Video hosting alternatives

Switch guides

Free apps in this group

Questions

Can Vimeo change my plan?
Yes. The 28 October 2026 plan post says every self-serve account moves to a new plan and the old plan cannot be kept. For most people that happens at the next renewal. The plan usage policy, still dated 30 June 2026 when checked on 9 November 2026, says Vimeo may require a business plan. The October post does not list a Studio dollar price.
What does self-hosting video cost?
The software is free. You pay for the server, the disk, and the bandwidth each time someone presses play. A private team is a small bill. A public embed on a busy page is not. PeerTube and MediaCMS both need that math. Jellyfin is for a private library at home, not for a public embed.
What do I lose if I leave Vimeo?
Vimeo OTT, managed live events, and the depth of Vimeo's analytics do not move. Your video files do. Download the masters, then upload them to the server you run. Embeds on other sites have to be swapped one by one.