SproutVideo vs Vidyard Comparison 2026
SproutVideo hosts video with storage and bandwidth included in the plan, tracking which seconds got watched without naming who watched them, from $12 a month billed annually. Vidyard hosts video for when a play needs a name attached: who watched, how far they got, useful on a sales page or a pitch to one sponsor, free for a limited number of videos or $24 a seat a month billed annually. Vidyard costs exactly double SproutVideo's entry price for reporting a general audience host does not need at all.
Video hosting with the bandwidth included
Video hosting that reports who watched what
At a glance
- SproutVideo starts cheaper, at $12.
- Only Vidyard has a free tier.
Side by side
SproutVideo | Vidyard | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $12 | From $24 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not stated |
| API |
SproutVideo
Video hosting with the bandwidth included
SproutVideo hosts video for businesses that want a player without YouTube's branding, its recommendations or its comment section. Plans include storage and bandwidth rather than metering them, so the bill is predictable until it is not. Analytics go down to heatmaps of who watched what, which is the reason most people move off a free host in the first place.
Our note
Against Wistia the difference is what happens past the allowance: this publishes its overage rates and includes generous bandwidth, where Wistia charges per video. For a large library watched by a small audience, this is usually the cheaper shape.
Only on this side
- Covers media storage & review
Vidyard
Video hosting that reports who watched what
Vidyard hosts video for people who need to know what happened after the embed loaded: which viewer watched, how far they got, and what to do about it. That is a sales and marketing shape rather than an audience one, and it is the reason to choose it over a general host. For a creator it earns its place on a course page, a pitch to a sponsor, or anywhere a play is a lead rather than a view. There is a free tier with a video cap.
Why people weigh these two
- Vidyard instead of SproutVideo
- Vidyard also reports who watched what down to the viewer, with a free tier and a $24 plan, aimed more at sales teams tracking a prospect's view than a course site.
- SproutVideo instead of Vidyard
- SproutVideo includes the bandwidth at $12, cheaper for steady traffic.
Which one should you pick
Pick SproutVideo for video published to an audience: storage and bandwidth are included rather than metered, so the bill is known before the month starts, from $12 a month billed annually. Its heatmaps show which seconds held attention, not which named person watched.
Pick Vidyard when a view is a lead, not an audience member: a course sales page, a sponsor pitch, a follow-up sent to one person. The free tier caps videos per month; paid starts at $24 a seat a month billed annually, exactly double SproutVideo's entry price, and it only earns that price if somebody actually acts on who watched what.
Common questions
- Which one is cheaper?
- SproutVideo. Its entry plan is $12 a month billed annually, exactly half of Vidyard's $24 a seat a month billed annually.
- Can Vidyard tell me which named person watched my video?
- Yes, that is its core feature: per-viewer analytics showing who watched and how far they got. SproutVideo's heatmaps show which seconds were watched in aggregate, not by whom.
- Is SproutVideo billed per seat like Vidyard?
- No. SproutVideo's plans are priced by storage and bandwidth, not by seat. Vidyard prices per seat, $24 a month at entry, both billed annually.
- Does either have a free way to try it first?
- SproutVideo gives 30 days of every feature with no card required. Vidyard has an ongoing free tier instead, capped on the number of videos per month rather than on time.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.