Vidyard vs Wistia Comparison 2026
Vidyard tracks named viewers, who watched and how far they got, built for a sales page or a pitch to one sponsor, free for a limited number of videos or $24 a seat a month billed annually. Wistia does per-viewer analytics too, with heatmaps of the exact second people stop watching and an email capture form built into the player itself, free for 25GB on one user, then $79 a month for Business, over three times Vidyard's entry price. Both report on individual viewers rather than aggregate views; Wistia adds the lead-capture form and charges considerably more for it.
Video hosting that reports who watched what
Video hosting for video your own site depends on
At a glance
- Vidyard starts cheaper, at $24.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Vidyard | Wistia | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $24 | From $79 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Yes |
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.
Our note
Only worth the per-seat price if somebody acts on the viewer data, because that reporting is the entire difference from a cheaper host. For publishing to an audience rather than to named people, look at the general video hosts on this site first.
Wistia
Video hosting for video your own site depends on
Wistia puts video on your pages with a player you control and analytics counted per viewer rather than per view, which is the difference between hosting and uploading to YouTube. Heatmaps show the second people stop watching. It is priced for a company rather than for one person, and the step from free to $79 is where most creators make their decision.
Why people weigh these two
- Wistia instead of Vidyard
- Wistia hosts video your own site depends on, from $79 with a free tier, with the same viewer reporting at a higher price.
- Vidyard instead of Wistia
- Vidyard also reports who watched what, with a free tier and plans from $24, cheaper than Wistia's $79 for the same kind of per-viewer data.
Which one should you pick
Pick Vidyard for the cheaper per-viewer tracking: who watched and how far, useful the moment somebody needs to follow up with one named person. It is $24 a seat a month billed annually, and it only pays for itself if that viewer data actually gets used.
Pick Wistia if a video needs to capture the lead itself, with an email form built into the player, not just report who watched afterward. Free covers 25GB for one user; Business at $79 a month is where most of the analytics and lead capture live, over three times Vidyard's price, and it is priced for a company doing real sales work through video.
Common questions
- Which one is cheaper?
- Vidyard. Its entry tier is $24 a seat a month billed annually, against Wistia's Business plan at $79 a month, over three times more.
- Which one can capture an email address inside the video itself?
- Wistia can, with a lead capture form built into the player, the reason marketing teams buy it. Vidyard's feature list covers per-viewer tracking but not an in-video capture form.
- Do both track individual viewers rather than just a view count?
- Yes, that is the shared strength of both. Vidyard reports who watched and how far. Wistia goes further with heatmaps of the exact second somebody stopped watching.
- How much free storage does each one give?
- Wistia states 25GB for one user on its free plan. Vidyard caps its free plan on a number of videos per month rather than stating a storage amount.
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.