Video Streaming & Hosting APIs
Hosting and streaming APIs differ in whose platform the video lives on. Mux and Hyperserve are infrastructure: upload a file and they transcode it and serve it, from a CDN in Hyperserve's case, with Mux billing per minute. YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion put video on their own sites, and the YouTube Data API is free for search and reading channel stats.
| API | Pricing | Auth | Format | Free tier | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DailymotionManage, upload, and fetch metadata for Dailymotion videos, playlists, and live streams. Media & Entertainment › Video | Freemium | OAuth | JSON | — | Live |
HyperserveUpload user video in any format, get it transcoded to MP4 and served from a CDN. Media & Entertainment › Video | Freemium | API key | JSON | — | Untested |
MuxEncodes, hosts and streams video on demand, billed per minute processed and delivered. Media & Entertainment › Video | Freemium | API key | JSON | — | Live |
VimeoUpload, manage and embed videos on Vimeo, and read video/channel metadata via OAuth. Media & Entertainment › Video | OAuth | JSON | — | Untested | |
YouTube Data APISearch YouTube videos and channels and read public video/channel metadata and stats. Media & Entertainment › Video | Free | API key | JSON | 10k+/day | Live |
DailymotionFreemiumLive
Manage, upload, and fetch metadata for Dailymotion videos, playlists, and live streams.
OAuth · JSON
—
llms.txt
HyperserveFreemiumUntested
Upload user video in any format, get it transcoded to MP4 and served from a CDN.
API key · JSON
—
llms.txt
MuxFreemiumLive
Encodes, hosts and streams video on demand, billed per minute processed and delivered.
API key · JSON
—
MCP server · llms.txt
VimeoUntested
Upload, manage and embed videos on Vimeo, and read video/channel metadata via OAuth.
OAuth · JSON
—
OpenAPI spec
YouTube Data APIFreeLive
Search YouTube videos and channels and read public video/channel metadata and stats.
API key · JSON
10k+/day
no machine-readable spec
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Choosing a Video Streaming & Hosting API
Is there a free Video Streaming & Hosting API?
Yes. YouTube Data API is free to use, and Mux, Dailymotion and Hyperserve have a free tier alongside paid plans.
Which Video Streaming & Hosting APIs work without an API key?
All of them need a key or account. Mux, YouTube Data API and Hyperserve give one out free when you sign up.
Can I use Video Streaming & Hosting APIs in a commercial project?
Mux and Hyperserve permit commercial use. YouTube Data API restricts it, for example to non-commercial or attributed use, so read the terms first.
Which Video Streaming & Hosting APIs work with AI agents?
Mux has an MCP server, so an AI agent can call it directly. Vimeo publishes an OpenAPI spec for generating clients and tools.
Broader: Video APIs · Media & Entertainment APIs
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