uncompressed.io vs Vimeo · the quality comparison · August 2026
You export at 200 Mbps.
Vimeo delivers 22.
That is the whole argument, and the rest of this page is just the receipts. Vimeo re-encodes every upload to fit its own bitrate ladder — in 4K it maxes out at a measured 22 Mbps. uncompressed.io streams the exact bytes you exported, with no ceiling below your file: a master at 200 Mbps streams at 200 Mbps.
Drag the line to see the difference. 4K vs 4K, same clip, same frame.
VimeoAnd that's Vimeo's best-case scenario — the same frame, their best codec, ideal conditions, a kind hand on the settings. We didn't want to get sued for showing their typical results.
The test methodology
We uploaded the exact same master, let each platform process it completely, grabbed identical playback frames, and exported both sides at the same maximum-quality settings — nothing on this page favours our side.
The bitrate story, measured.
Bitrate is where a grade lives or dies — fine gradients, film grain, shadow detail all ride on it. Here is what each platform actually delivers, in the browser and in the review suite.
FOR STREAMING / SHARING
Browser delivery bitrate
uncompressed.io — your 4K master, streamed as exported
Vimeo — 4K re-encode, maxes out at
YouTube — 4K re-encode, maxes out at
4K delivery at 30 fps. Competitor caps are their measured delivery maximums, August 2026. Ours has no ceiling below your export — a master at 200 Mbps streams at 200 Mbps.
FOR MASTERING, CLIENT FEEDBACK & COLOR GRADING
macOS app delivery bitrate
uncompressed.io — R3D, BRAW, N-RAW, ProRes up to 8K 4:2:2 HQ at 60 fps
Frame.io — 4K H.264 proxy playback, maxes out at
Vimeo Enterprise — 4K re-encode, maxes out at
The uncompressed.io macOS app plays RAW camera masters at their full data rate — Vimeo's Enterprise tier still delivers the same ≈22 Mbps 4K re-encode, August 2026.
Head-to-head
Competitor figures are their published or commonly measured delivery bitrates, August 2026.
True quality.
No bandwidth surprises.
The other dirty secret of video hosting isn't compression — it's caps. Vimeo meters delivery at 2 TB a month across its paid plans, and past it you start hearing from sales about a $4,800+/year enterprise contract. Their standard plans (pre-July 2024) meter the uploads themselves too: 60–120 videos a year, then the wall.
Is 2 TB of view data a lot?
It sounds generous until you do the math. A single 2 GB film streams past the ceiling at a thousand plays a month — one clip, one modestly good week. Or spread it out: a fifty-film portfolio, each piece averaging twenty plays, lands on exactly the same 2 TB. Either way you hit the wall the month your work actually gets watched.
Here, storage is the only meter. Unlimited streaming, unlimited uploads, unlimited viewers — every play, every client, every launch week, at full bitrate, on every plan. You're in control, you own the data — not us.
We don't cap. No cap.
What happens when you leave.
How a host behaves on your way out tells you everything about how it planned to treat you. Read both exits before you pick a home for your catalogue.
Leaving Vimeo
- Deletion is permanent. There’s no undo and no grace period to recover a video you forgot. Once the account is gone, so is Vimeo’s copy of your files.
- Originals aren’t a given. Vimeo only lets you download originals if you enabled downloads or you’re on a plan that permits it. Get the source files out before you touch the cancel button.
- Downgrade before you delete. Dropping to the free tier keeps your videos and URLs alive while you migrate, so embeds and links never go dark mid-move.
The full step-by-step exit plan is in our guide: Leaving Vimeo — where filmmakers host video now.
Leaving uncompressed.io
- Your videos are yours — always. We never hold them hostage. Every member gets an API key: pull your entire catalogue down whenever you want, in the original files you uploaded, and take it anywhere.
- No export fee, no support ticket, no waiting on us. A host that makes leaving hard is telling you something about how it plans to treat you.
Leaving Vimeo
Bring your whole Vimeo catalogue over.
1-click import all.
The reason people stay on a host they've outgrown is never the price — it's the weekend nobody has for re-uploading two hundred films. So connect your Vimeo account and we pull them across for you: every film, in place, with its own new link here. Keep Vimeo running while you swap links over at your own pace, then cancel when nothing points there any more.
Connect
Sign in to Vimeo once. Your whole library appears, sorted.
Select and import
Click all, or tick only the ones you want. We move the files straight to your uncompressed.io account.
You’re live
Same day, your entire collection of videos ported for you. Then you’re free to cancel Vimeo whenever you like.
Upgrade the quality at your own pace
If you are on a paid plan, we pull the exact files you originally uploaded — not Vimeo’s crappy re-encodes — so you may not need to re-upload much at all.
1 GB free to try it, no credit card required. Any file size — and an interrupted import resumes right where it stopped, even after closing your laptop.
The honest edges.
A comparison page you can trust has to say where the trade-offs sit. Here are ours.
We buffer instead of degrading
Because we never re-encode, viewers on slow connections buffer instead of dropping to a mushy 480p. Your audience is discerning and demands the very best — exactly the trade you want.
And in the macOS app, client reviews go further: the first time your client opens their project, we download every asset — so there is no further buffering at all. Depending on the project's size — a feature film or a Facebook ad — that first download takes hours or seconds. But the experience of leaving comments and checking the masters is unmatched: your clients are left with a pristine viewing experience signed by you, not us.
The browser has physical limits — the app doesn't
In the browser the practical limit isn't us — hardware decoders top out around 300–400 Mbps and connections vary wildly, so 100 to 150 Mbps is the safe band that runs without dropping a frame. In the macOS app there is no such wall: it plays camera masters at up to 15,000 Mbps, which is where R3D, BRAW, N-RAW and 8K ProRes actually live.
ProRes still can't stream in a browser — anywhere
No web browser decodes ProRes, here or on any platform. For a link someone opens on the web, stream an HEVC export beside the master and keep the master for the app and for download — the macOS app plays it natively, up to 8K 4:2:2 HQ at 60 fps.
Questions worth asking.
Why is Vimeo playback softer than my export?+
Because Vimeo re-encodes every upload to fit its own bitrate ladder — gradients band, grain softens, motion smears, and the version viewers see isn't your master. uncompressed.io streams your file byte-for-byte with no re-encoding, so what you graded is what plays.
Is there a bandwidth or viewer cap on uncompressed.io?+
No — storage is the only thing we meter. On Vimeo, delivery is capped at 2 TB a month, and past it you're pushed toward enterprise pricing that starts at $400/month.
Does the Vimeo import pull my original files or Vimeo's re-encodes?+
The original files you uploaded — not Vimeo's re-encodes — so you may not need to re-upload much at all. Connect your Vimeo account once, tick everything you want, and we move the files straight to your account. An interrupted import resumes right where it stopped, even after closing your laptop.
Do I lose my videos when I cancel my Vimeo plan?+
Cancelling isn't the danger — deleting the account is: deletion is permanent, with no recovery window. Get your originals downloaded and backed up in two places first, and rather than deleting, downgrade to the free tier until every embed and link has been moved.
Can I get my videos back out of uncompressed.io?+
Always — your videos are yours, never hostages. An API key comes with every membership, so your whole catalogue can be pulled down whenever you like, in the original files you uploaded, and taken anywhere: no export fee, no support ticket, no waiting on us. When a host makes leaving hard, it's telling you how it plans to treat you.
Your master, delivered as exported.
Storage is the only meter — streaming is free, on every plan. And when the work moves into client review, the review room runs on the master itself: see the client review room for timecoded comments, versions and formal approvals.