api.video vs Cloudflare Stream

api.video9.4Visit Cloudflare Stream8.4Visit

Higher score api.video #1 in Video APIs 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit api.video

vs

Cloudflare Stream #9 in Video APIs 8.4/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit site

• api.video fits best

  Video hosting and delivery APIs

• Cloudflare Stream fits best

  Managed video hosting with delivery controls

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Side by side

Feature	api.video 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Cloudflare Stream 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.4
Ranking	#1 in Video APIs	#9 in Video APIs
Best for	Video hosting and delivery APIs	Managed video hosting with delivery controls
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$0.0017/unit usage-based	$5/unit/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Live chat, Docs	Community, Docs
Compliance	GDPR	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS
Integrations	5 integrations	9 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features api.video 3/3 · Cloudflare Stream 0/3
Real-time video	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Recorded video	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Mobile SDKs	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Maximum participants	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Recording storage	Vendor	Not checked yet
Client platforms	All	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Covers upload, hosting, transcoding, delivery, and live streaming Includes web, iOS, Android, REST, server-side, and mobile SDKs Adds analytics, captions, AI transcription, and customizable players	Adaptive playback from 360p to 1080p with automatic encoding Signed URLs, allowed origins, captions, and customizable player Live ingest, analytics, and HLS, DASH, WebRTC, RTMP, and SRT delivery
Cons	Sandbox videos and live streams are limited to 30 seconds Sandbox content is watermarked and deleted after 24 hours New US legal-entity subscriptions are unavailable from February 1, 2026	No free plan for evaluating the service without paid usage Usage-based billing requires tracking stored and delivered minutes 30 GB maximum file-size limit may constrain larger uploads
Our verdict	api.video is a cloud video infrastructure platform for developers and businesses building online learning platforms, marketplaces, social video services, e-commerce applications, and user-generated-content tools. It covers video upload,… Read the review →	Cloudflare Stream is a managed video platform for developers and businesses adding live or on-demand video to websites, native applications, and digital products. It supports dashboard, API, URL, and direct creator uploads, then handles… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• api.video — where it wins

  • Covers upload, hosting, transcoding, delivery, and live streaming
  • Includes web, iOS, Android, REST, server-side, and mobile SDKs
  • Adds analytics, captions, AI transcription, and customizable players

  Where it doesn't

  • Sandbox videos and live streams are limited to 30 seconds
  • Sandbox content is watermarked and deleted after 24 hours
  • New US legal-entity subscriptions are unavailable from February 1, 2026

• Cloudflare Stream — where it wins

  • Adaptive playback from 360p to 1080p with automatic encoding
  • Signed URLs, allowed origins, captions, and customizable player
  • Live ingest, analytics, and HLS, DASH, WebRTC, RTMP, and SRT delivery

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan for evaluating the service without paid usage
  • Usage-based billing requires tracking stored and delivered minutes
  • 30 GB maximum file-size limit may constrain larger uploads

• api.video9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad video infrastructure API with a free sandbox and usage-based pricing.

  Visit api.videoFull verdict →
• Cloudflare Stream8.4/10 · Paid

  A developer-focused video platform with broad delivery, access, and analytics controls.

  Visit siteFull verdict →