What is a video hosting app?
A video hosting application is a web, mobile or desktop application that enables users to upload videos and share them with other users. Video hosting apps usually offer features like search and tagging capabilities for finding specific videos, the ability to comment on videos, and the ability to add videos to playlists. Users can also create profiles within the app in order to follow other users’ activity or leave comments.
Video hosting apps are related to other social networking apps like video sharing apps, in addition to sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Popular video hosting applications include YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope, and Dropbox.
Examples of video hosting apps built with Crowdbotics:
- A simple video app with subscriptions. Subscriptions will be required to view videos on the app. Videos will be stored on a video storage platform like AmazonPayment processor. Users watch videos through app no 3rd party.
What is the typical cost to build a video hosting app?
A video hosting app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A video hosting app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.
For example, here are some previous video hosting app price quotes from Crowdbotics:
How long does it take to build a video hosting app?
A video hosting app usually takes 167 hours to build. However, a video hosting app can be built in as few as 133 hours, or in as many as 200 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms.
For example, some previous video hosting apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:
Not seeing what you’re looking for?
Crowdbotics has quoted and built hundreds of applications for teams of all sizes. Browse our historical estimates by industry and app type to understand possible costs and considerations.
How to successfully grow your video hosting application
A video hosting app can grow its user base in two ways. First, it can make the in-app experience more convenient for users by making it easy to upload and share videos. Second, it can provide a better compensation model for video creators by distributing ad revenue more equitably than existing platforms like YouTube. In order to compete with other video hosting apps on the market, new apps should have a differentiated value proposition from established apps (for example, by giving users more control over their content).
Risks and challenges of building a video hosting application
Video hosting apps can face copyright infringement and intellectual property risks related to the storage and distribution of user-generated content. You may want to consider building in mechanisms for copyright protection, such as automatic hash-based checksums on files or content that are stored on your server. If you allow users to post video directly to your platform, you should also consider automating takedown notices for any infringing content.
