Video API simplicity with a dashboard your team can use.
| Feature | host.video | api.video |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard for non-developers | Full management UI | Developer console only |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plans | Per-minute usage-based |
| Custom domains | Included on Business plan | €60/month per domain |
| AI search inside videos | Included on all plans | Not available |
| Auto transcription | Included, no per-minute fee | $0.10/min |
| Free tier limitations | 14-day trial, full features | 30-second max, watermarked, auto-deleted in 24h |
| Company size | Active development | 34 employees, $18.3M raised |
| White-label player | Included, zero branding | Limited player theming |
api.video charges €60/month per custom domain. host.video includes custom domains with auto-SSL on the Business plan at no extra cost. For an organization with a single custom domain, api.video adds €720/year to the bill. host.video includes it.
api.video is developer-only — no CMS, no dashboard for non-technical users. host.video provides a full management UI where any team member can upload, organize, and share videos without writing code.
api.video charges per minute for storage and delivery, plus $0.10/min for AI transcription. Usage-based pricing makes monthly costs hard to predict, and rate limits introduced in April 2024 force upgrades for developers hitting 429 errors. host.video charges a flat monthly rate with transcription included.
api.video offers free encoding at all qualities up to 4K with no encoding fees, and claims transcoding is 2x faster than AWS. For developers building video into a product who value a simple, all-in-one API that replaces 6+ AWS services, api.video offers a clean developer experience.
api.video is pure pay-as-you-go with no annual contracts, no setup fees, and no minimum commitment. For prototype or early-stage projects with unpredictable usage, the zero-commitment model offers flexibility.
api.video charges from $0.00285/min stored and from $0.0017/min delivered, with $0.10/min for AI transcription and €60/month per custom domain. The free tier limits videos to 30 seconds, adds watermarks, and auto-deletes after 24 hours. host.video Starter is $20/mo ($200/yr) for 200 GB storage and 2 TB bandwidth. host.video Business is $100/mo ($1,000/yr) for 500 GB storage, 5 TB bandwidth, custom domains, AI search, transcription, and chapters — all included. For a library of 100 hours with moderate traffic, api.video costs vary month to month while host.video is a flat, predictable amount.
api.video is the right choice for developers building video into a product who need a clean, simple API with free encoding, no annual commitments, and are comfortable managing everything via code. If you are at an early stage with unpredictable usage and want pure pay-as-you-go flexibility, api.video offers that. If you want a developer-first media platform from the same team behind host.video, check out ittybit.com — it offers fully customizable processing tasks via API, SDK, CLI, and AI agents, with support for video, image, and audio workflows.
Choose host.video if you want a complete platform with a management dashboard, included custom domains, AI search, and automatic transcription — without per-minute billing uncertainty. If your team includes non-developers who need to manage video, or you want custom domains without paying €60/month each, host.video delivers more value at a predictable price.