Alternative
A free Vimeo alternative.
5 GB and a password link, no card.
Vimeo Free holds 1 GB for the life of the account and offers two privacy settings, Public and Private. Our free Starter plan holds 5 GB, one film at a time, with password and unlisted sharing included. Here are both sets of limits side by side, and who should use YouTube instead.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated September 2026
The limits, first
What each free plan holds,
before you upload anything.
Both free plans are real and both are narrow. They are narrow in different places, and the difference decides which one fits a filmmaker sending work to a client.
1 GB
Vimeo Free storage
for the account's lifetime, unless you upgrade
5 GB
Our free storage
one film at a time; delete it to upload another
2
Vimeo Free privacy settings
Public and Private
5
Our free privacy settings
public, unlisted, password, private, embed-only
Vimeo figures from Vimeo's help centre, fetched 16 September 2026. Vimeo notes that accounts created before 17 June 2024 may have different limits. uncompressed.io figures from the current plan catalogue.
The storage lines count differently. Vimeo describes its 1 GB as a limit for the account’s lifetime. Ours is a space you can reuse: the free plan holds one film at a time, and deleting it makes room for the next. So Vimeo Free fits several short clips that add up to less than 1 GB. Ours fits one longer or heavier film, up to 5 GB, that you replace when the job is done.
Privacy is where the two part company for client work. On Vimeo Free a video is either Public, which anyone can find, or Private, which Vimeo’s embed FAQ says only team members can see, even when embedded. A link you can send to one client with a password on it needs a paid Vimeo plan; Vimeo lists password protection among Creator features. On our free plan the password setting is there from the first upload.
What the viewer sees
The file you exported,
not a new encode.
Browser playback uses your uploaded export without another platform re-encode. Codec, device and connection requirements still apply. That matters most on the free plan, because 5 GB is enough room for a short film exported at a generous bitrate. It also means the viewer’s connection has to keep up with the bitrate you chose, so test the link on a typical connection before you send it. A broadly compatible H.264 export is the safe default.
The player carries no platform logo; the only logo shown is yours, if you turn it on. You can switch on a download of the original file for that one film, open the review room so a client can leave notes at a timecode without making an account, and generate captions within the free allowance of 20 minutes a month.
What Vimeo Free does better
Moving one film
From Vimeo Free,
in four steps.
Find your original export
Vimeo's help centre says Free accounts do not keep source files by default. The best copy of your film is the export on your own drive, not the version on Vimeo.
Sign up and upload
No card. Upload the one film, up to 5 GB. If the export is gone, the Vimeo import can bring over the best file Vimeo still offers, and says which one it took.
Choose who sees it
Password for a client, unlisted for a link that search engines skip, embed-only for your own site, or public. Turn on the original-file download if the client needs the file.
Send the link
Share it or embed it. Turn on feedback if you want timecoded notes, and replace the file later without changing the link.
The import is read-only on the Vimeo side: nothing is posted, edited or deleted there, so your Vimeo video, its link and its stats stay where they are. The full checklist for a larger library is in the Vimeo migration guide.
Honest routing
When YouTube
is the better free choice.
Use YouTube for reach
If the goal is for strangers to find the film, a search and recommendation platform is built for that. Neither Vimeo Free nor our free plan brings you an audience; people arrive through the links you send.
Use Vimeo Free for several small clips
Short public pieces that together stay under 1 GB, showcased on Vimeo itself, with no need for a password.
Use us for one film you control
A client cut, a festival screener or a portfolio piece up to 5 GB, behind a password or an unlisted link, with notes and an optional original-file download.
When one film at a time stops being enough, the step up is Lite at $9 a month, or $90 a year, with 100 GB to stream from and 100 GB of archive. The free plan has no time limit while you use it. If you are weighing the paid plans against Vimeo’s, the filmmaker comparison covers them.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is there a free Vimeo alternative with password protection?
Yes. On uncompressed.io, password, unlisted, embed-only and private settings are available on every plan, the free one included. On Vimeo, the privacy settings article marks Password, Unlisted and Embed only as available with paid plans; Public and Private are the settings available on all plans. Vimeo lists password protection as a Creator plan feature.
Can I move my film from Vimeo Free with the import tool?
Yes, if Vimeo exposes a downloadable file; if it does not, the import is refused. The import takes the source file when Vimeo has one and otherwise the largest available file, and labels which one it took. Vimeo's help centre says source files are permanently deleted by default on Free accounts, so an import from Free will usually be Vimeo's converted version. For the best picture, upload your original export from your drive instead. Imports count against the free plan's 5 GB and one film at a time.
What happens to my videos if a paid Vimeo plan lapses to Free?
Per Vimeo's help centre, videos over the 1 GB Free cap become restricted, most recent uploads first, and restricted videos cannot be played, edited or downloaded; their pages and embeds stop working. Password, Unlisted and Embed only videos switch to Private. Back up your files before the plan ends.
How long can a film stay on the free plan?
The free plan holds 5 GB and one film at a time, with no time limit. Delete it to upload another. Free accounts are cleared after 90 days of inactivity, with an email warning first. Active paid accounts are exempt from free-account inactivity cleanup, subject to the Terms.
Does the free plan limit how many times my film is watched?
Unlimited video streaming is included, with no per-view or bandwidth overage charges. Storage and team-seat charges are separate.
One film, shared the way you choose
Starter is free: 5 GB, one film at a time, password or unlisted links, the review room, and no card. When you need more films online at once, Lite is $9 a month with 100 GB to stream from.
Sources
- 1.Vimeo Help Center: the Vimeo Free plan (updated 29 May 2026) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 2.Vimeo Help Center: About video privacy settings (updated 7 July 2026) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 3.Vimeo Help Center: FAQ, embedded videos (updated 9 December 2025) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 4.Vimeo Help Center: About the Vimeo Creator plan (updated 13 August 2026) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 5.Vimeo Help Center: storing source files (updated 9 July 2026) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 6.Vimeo Help Center: when a paid plan lapses to Free (updated 5 August 2026) (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 7.uncompressed.io pricing: free and paid plans (product page, verified)