# Vimeo Free review: the 3 GB embed cap · VSL Host Report > Source: https://vslhostreport.com/reviews/vimeo-free Video hosting review ## Vimeo Free for business embeds Vimeo Free is the pick if the video stays public on Vimeo and you do not need a library embedded on your own site. [See the ranked roundup](/best) [How we research](/methodology) By [Mara Vance](/authors/mara-vance), reviewed by the VSL Host Report desk. Updated October 2026\. Prices verified with the vendor. **Disclosure:**We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our rankings. At a glance Starts at $0 Billing model Free plan Free plan or trial 3 GB embeddable, 1 TB bandwidth Sale attribution None Best for Public video that is not embedded Website [Vimeo Free official site](https://vimeo.com) Quick answer Keep Vimeo Free for public clips that are not embedded. Move the library once those files have to play on a site you control, or once the player needs to produce sales. You hosted a business or portfolio video on Vimeo Free because you already knew the uploader, and because the player does not run ads. The question is whether that plan can carry a file that has to play on your own site. I would keep Vimeo Free for clips that stay public on Vimeo. I would move the file once it has to play on a page I control, or once it needs to turn paid traffic into a sale. That judgment comes from Vimeo's Help Center. We did not use Vimeo Free on a live campaign. [The Free plan](https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/12425432518801-About-the-Vimeo-Free-plan) caps embeddable and non-public storage at 3 GB. Public videos that are not embeddable have no storage limit. [The embedding article](https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/12426275096337-Embedding-features-by-plan-type) says every embeddable video counts toward that cap, even a public one. A reel that never leaves vimeo.com can grow. A reel on your website draws from the 3 GB allowance. Bandwidth is a second meter. The Free plan page includes 1 TB a month for embeddable and non-public video, and it resets at the start of each billing month. Public videos that are not embedded do not use that bandwidth. On most business sites, you hit the storage cap before the bandwidth allowance. That same policy is why a portfolio feels safe here. There are no ads before, after, or on the video. ### What breaks when the library outgrows the Free plan Once your library exceeds the cap, Vimeo restricts the newest files first, until the library is back under the limit or you upgrade. The [lapse FAQ](https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/12425417275665-FAQ-Lapsing-from-a-paid-account-to-a-Free-account) explains that order. It also says Password, Unlisted and embed-only videos are changed to Private. A password-protected client link, or a sales page using a hidden embed, stops working for visitors. Background embeds and chromeless layouts are available only on paid plans. They hide the player interface. The embedding article also lists hiding the Vimeo logo, the play bar, the volume control and the fullscreen button as paid features. The Free plan keeps the logo and the standard controls. [The analytics FAQ](https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/12426192735633-FAQ-Analytics) describes another limit that matters when the video is meant to produce a sale. Vimeo cannot count finishes or engagement when the file plays outside the Vimeo player. The Free plan also has no way to tie a play to a purchase. People comparing hosts are already working from small libraries. On [one r/vimeo thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1sxvcex/looking%5Ffor%5Fa%5Ffree%5Fvideo%5Fhosting%5Falternative%5Fto/), a creator with about 2 to 3 GB of video was told to see whether another free cap would cover it. On [a portfolio thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1v9dzhf/free%5Falternative%5Fto%5Fvimeo%5Ffor%5Fportfolio%5Fvideos/), people recommend Wistia's free tier for embeds. If that is your situation, the guide to [free Vimeo alternatives](/alternatives/vimeo-free) recommends Wistia when you need more embed storage at no charge, and a player built for sales when the video needs to produce a sale. [Work out what this video costs after you leave the free allowance](/best/vsl-hosting-cost-calculator-what-one-sales-video-costs-on-each-host). If you would rather pay Vimeo, start with the [Vimeo review](/reviews/vimeo). On the left, a small embed library on the Free plan. On the right, a host with more storage. The cart appears only when the player can record a sale. ##### What works * The player runs with no ads before, after, or on the video. * Public video that is not embeddable is unlimited. * Embeddable and non-public video comes with 1 TB of bandwidth a month. * The plan itself has no monthly charge. ##### What to watch * Embeddable and non-public videos share a 3 GB cap, and a public video still counts once you embed it. * Password-protected, unlisted and embed-only videos become Private if the account drops to the Free plan. * Hiding the logo requires a paid plan, and so do background and chromeless embeds. * Finishes are not counted when the file plays outside the Vimeo player, and the Free plan does not tie a play to a sale. #### What users actually say about Vimeo Free Research: unverified ##### Portfolio embeds on a free tier are ↑ frequently praised People leaving Vimeo for portfolio embeds point to Wistia's free tier and the look of its embeds. > “Wistia has a free tier and nice looking embeds” Anonymous [Reddit: Free alternative to Vimeo for portfolio videos ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1v9dzhf/free%5Falternative%5Fto%5Fvimeo%5Ffor%5Fportfolio%5Fvideos/) ##### A small library and a free storage cap A creator looking for a free Vimeo replacement had a video library of about 2 to 3 GB and was advised to see whether another host's free plan would cover it. > “Might be worth checking if the free storage limit covers your 2-3 GB.” Anonymous [Reddit: Looking for a free video hosting alternative ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1sxvcex/looking%5Ffor%5Fa%5Ffree%5Fvideo%5Fhosting%5Falternative%5Fto/) > “Wistia has a free tier and nice looking embeds” Anonymous [Reddit: Free alternative to Vimeo for portfolio videos ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1v9dzhf/free%5Falternative%5Fto%5Fvimeo%5Ffor%5Fportfolio%5Fvideos/) > “Might be worth checking if the free storage limit covers your 2-3 GB.” Anonymous [Reddit: Looking for a free video hosting alternative ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1sxvcex/looking%5Ffor%5Fa%5Ffree%5Fvideo%5Fhosting%5Falternative%5Fto/) ### What the unpaid plan includes There is no monthly fee. The limits are a 3 GB pool for embeddable video, 1 TB of bandwidth a month for that video, and player settings that only paid plans include. Public videos you do not embed sit outside both meters. Paid Vimeo prices are on the [Vimeo pricing](/reviews/vimeo/pricing) page, taken from Vimeo's plan cards. Open that page when you want to know whether hiding the logo, or bringing password embeds back, is worth a paid Vimeo plan. ### Changes to this review * **17 October 2026:** First published from Vimeo's Help Center articles on the Free plan, embedding controls, what happens when a paid account lapses, and analytics. * **22 October 2026:** Free-tier alternatives added from the same Help Center sources, with Wistia for embed storage and a sales player when the video needs to produce sales. ### Frequently asked questions Can I run a business website on Vimeo Free? Only while the files you embed stay inside the small managed library. Clips that stay public on Vimeo, and are never embedded, are a separate unlimited bucket. What happens to a password link if I drop to Free? The hidden modes go away. A video that relied on a password, an unlisted link or an embed-only setting is set to Private, so visitors lose the embed. Can the Free player be chromeless? No. Background and chromeless layouts, which hide the player interface, are listed with the paid embedding controls. Where should I move an embed that no longer fits? Wistia, if you need more storage at no charge. A conversion player, if the video has to sell on paid traffic. The alternatives page ranks both. ### Sources #### From Vimeo Free * #### Other sources We read 2 discussions and reviews for this page. Quotes are excerpts. Open a link to read the original. 1. \[r-wistia\] [Free alternative to Vimeo for portfolio videos ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1v9dzhf/free%5Falternative%5Fto%5Fvimeo%5Ffor%5Fportfolio%5Fvideos/) Reddit 2. \[r-library\] [Looking for a free video hosting alternative ](https://www.reddit.com/r/vimeo/comments/1sxvcex/looking%5Ffor%5Fa%5Ffree%5Fvideo%5Fhosting%5Falternative%5Fto/) Reddit Related reading * [Free Vimeo alternatives](/alternatives/vimeo-free) * [Vimeo Free pricing](/reviews/vimeo-free/pricing) * [Vimeo review](/reviews/vimeo) * [Vimeo pricing](/reviews/vimeo/pricing) * [Vimeo alternatives for paid plans](/alternatives/vimeo) * [Cheap video hosting](/best/cheap-video-hosting) * [VSL hosting cost calculator](/best/vsl-hosting-cost-calculator-what-one-sales-video-costs-on-each-host) * [How we research hosts](/methodology) Written by Mara Vance Editor Mara edits the reviews and roundups on VSL Host Report. She checks autoplay, watch time, timed buttons, lead gates and page speed when the visitor is new and the traffic is paid. She also maps what each host really costs, whether it bills per play, per gigabyte or per seat, and rebuilds the monthly bill for a typical VSL funnel. For each piece she reads long-term user reports across forums and review sites, works through the vendor's own docs and pricing, and confirms the numbers before a verdict goes live. [marav@vslhostreport.com](mailto:marav@vslhostreport.com) Last checked 2026-10-22 --- [ VSL Host Report ](/) Independent reviews of video hosting for VSLs and sales videos, judged on how well each player and its analytics turn paid traffic into sales. © 2026 VSL Host Report. Independent and reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our rankings.