9 Best WordPress Video Player Plugins of 2024

Videos are a big part of how brands talk to their customers today. Many companies spend a lot of their marketing budget on creating videos because they know videos attract the right people.

If you run an eCommerce store or offer services, showing videos of your products or services is a great way to grab attention and impress potential buyers. 

For those of you who are trainers or coaches, you know that video can be even more important. So, it’s really important to show off your videos well on your website.

Having videos on your site and making sure people can watch them isn’t just another thing to tick off your list. It’s key to making sure your message gets through to your audience the right way.

In this blog, we’re going to talk about why you need a good WordPress video player plugin to make your site’s videos work great for your visitors. 

We’ll also help you pick the right plugin for your website from a list of 9 top options. But first, let’s look at another important question.

Understanding Where to Host Your Videos

Deciding where to host your videos is crucial because it significantly impacts how your viewers experience them. Many people first consider using the server that hosts their WordPress website. 

This seems logical since you already have access and potentially lots of unused space.

The challenges of Self-Hosting

Self-hosting your videos might seem like a cost-effective option. You’re already paying for server space, so it might feel sensible to use it for your videos too.

However, while this approach might appear financially sound, it comes with a number of significant drawbacks.

Cons of Self-Hosting Videos

• High Space Requirements: Videos are large files. A single minute of HD video might use up to 100MB. Imagine the space needed for longer videos like customer testimonials or promotional content. If your business heavily relies on video, such as in courses or training, the required storage can quickly become unmanageable.

• Limited Server Resources: Using your server space for video storage means less room for other essentials like website files, images, and applications. Moreover, video playback requires considerable bandwidth, which could further strain your resources.

• Increased Maintenance Work: Self-hosting means managing everything yourself—from converting videos into various formats and uploading them to ensuring they play back correctly on your website with the right player and branding. It’s time-consuming and technical.

• Potential Impact on Website Performance: Hosting videos on the same server as your website can slow down page loading times, especially with increased traffic. This slowdown affects not only general site navigation but also degrades video playback quality, leading to a poor user experience.

While self-hosting videos may seem like a good idea initially, the potential impact on website performance and user experience makes it worth reconsidering. 

So, let’s explore some alternatives that can handle video content more efficiently and enhance your site’s overall functionality.

Using a Video Hosting Platform

Given the downsides of self-hosting videos, such as slow-loading pages and poor video quality, it’s clear that this method can be detrimental to your business. 

Instead of overwhelming your web server with high demands, there’s a more efficient strategy.

Switching to Video Hosting Services

Upload your videos to a dedicated video hosting platform. By doing so, you effectively address the various challenges associated with self-hosting. 

This approach involves using a WordPress video player plugin to easily embed videos into your website’s posts and pages.

Benefits of External Video Hosting

Choosing a dedicated video hosting provider offers several advantages:

• Reduced Server Load: Since videos are hosted externally, your own server’s resources are freed up. This alleviates the burden on your web server and eliminates related performance issues.

• Improved User Experience: Without the strain on your server, your website can operate faster and more efficiently. This ensures that videos play smoothly without interruptions, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

Now that you know the best place to host your videos, it’s important to understand why integrating a WordPress video player plugin is crucial for your site. 

Let’s see some of the benefits of these plugins and how they can transform your video content strategy.

Why Opt for a WordPress Video Player Plugin

Embedding Made Simple with Gutenberg

Embedding videos into your WordPress site is straightforward thanks to the Gutenberg editor’s video block. 

It uses the oEmbed protocol, which supports a variety of sources—just input the video URL, like one from YouTube, and the block handles the rest by fetching all necessary information.

For many site owners, this level of functionality is perfectly adequate for embedding basic videos.

When Simple Isn’t Enough

However, if video is a cornerstone of your business strategy—such as for course creators or eCommerce sites where video is used to drive traffic and convert visitors—the basic Gutenberg block might fall short. 

This is particularly true when videos need to do more than just play.

The Value of Advanced Video Player Plugins

This is where WordPress video player plugins become invaluable. 

These plugins enhance the basic capabilities provided by Gutenberg, offering features crucial for those who rely heavily on video content. 

Here’s how these plugins can benefit your site:

• Support for Multiple Video Sources: For those who distribute content across various platforms, WordPress video player plugins ensure your videos are always accessible, even if one source goes down.

• Compatibility with Page Builders: Whether you use Elementor, Beaver Builder, or another page builder, these plugins are designed to integrate smoothly, ensuring flawless functionality across your site.

• Customizable Video Player Branding: Personalize and protect your video content by incorporating your logo and brand colors. This not only enhances professionalism but also safeguards your videos from unauthorized use.

Leveraging Video for Marketing

By leveraging a robust video player plugin, you can significantly enhance your video marketing efforts. These tools offer more than just playback; they provide comprehensive solutions that help embed, protect, and present your videos in ways that align with your marketing objectives.

Choosing the Right Plugin

With the hundreds of options available in the WordPress ecosystem, selecting the right video player plugin can seem daunting. 

So let’s see the 9 best video player plugins that not only meet your technical requirements but also complement your marketing strategy effectively.

Top 9 WordPress Video Player Plugins

1. Presto Player

Presto Player is a plugin that lets people who create courses and blogs put videos on their websites. It’s great for showing things like testimonial videos or course lessons. 

Presto Player is popular among WordPress users, with over 100,000 active installations and a rating close to 5 stars, showing that many users find it valuable. 

It functions seamlessly across all platforms, including Mac and Windows, ensuring that your content is accessible to everyone, regardless of their device. 

However, it’s crucial to ensure that viewers have an optimal experience by maintaining their devices in good working order. Screen issues, such as flickering found on some Macs, can detract from the viewing experience. For troubleshooting such problems, you can check out this helpful checklist on fixing screen flickering on Mac.

Key Features of Presto Player

• Analytics: It tells you how many people watched your videos and how they interacted with them.
• Overlays: You can add text on your videos to give more information while someone is watching.
• Playback Speed: Viewers can choose how fast or slow they want the video to play.
• Captions: You can add captions in different languages to your videos, which helps more people understand them.
• Custom Presets: You can embed your videos with features you like best without having to start from scratch every time.
• Integration: You can integrate with Membership plugin like SureMembers to create and manage video-driven community like course selling platforms, etc.

Pros & Cons of Presto Player

Pros	Cons
You can put a button or link in the video that viewers can click on, which is great for getting them to visit your website or buy something.	The free version does not offer detailed video analytics.
Presto Player works well with tools for managing courses, customer relationships, and email marketing.	If you want your videos to be private and only available to certain viewers, you need to pay.

Pricing

Presto Player has a free version, but it has fewer features. If you want more features, here are the prices:

• Starter: $59
• Pro: $89
• Lifetime: $299

Who Should Use Presto Player?

If you make online courses or run a blog and want to use videos, Presto Player is a great choice. It makes your videos more interesting and helps you reach more people.

2. WP Video Lightbox

WP Video Lightbox is designed especially for mobile users, ensuring videos not only play smoothly but also enhance user experience without slowing down your site. 

It’s a popular choice among WordPress users, boasting over 40,000 active installations. 

This plugin focuses on simplicity and performance, providing an elegant lightbox style player for your videos.

Key Features of WP Video Lightbox Player

• Lightbox Display: Videos pop up in a ‘lightbox’ style, which means they appear over the webpage content, making for a stylish presentation.
• Mobile-Friendly: It’s built to work great on mobile devices, ensuring everyone on every device gets the same high-quality experience.
• Performance: Despite its light design, it can handle videos, images, and animations without affecting page load speed.
• Auto-Play and Thumbnails: Set videos to auto-play when the page loads and automatically display video thumbnails for an engaging user interface.
• Security and Customization: Supports secure HTTPS connections and allows customization like hiding video titles and adjusting the lightbox opacity.

Pros & Cons of WP Video Lightbox 

Pros	Cons
You can control how fast animations occur within the lightbox.	The plugin is minimalistic, focusing mainly on the lightbox feature without extensive additional features.
Adjust the opacity of the lightbox to get the visual effect you want on your videos.	Design Integration: Integrating and customizing the lightbox with your site design using shortcodes can be time-consuming.

Pricing

WP Video Lightbox is free to use, making it an accessible option for anyone looking to enhance their site’s video capabilities without additional cost.

Who Should Use WP Video Lightbox?

If you’re looking for a straightforward, efficient way to incorporate videos into your WordPress site with an attractive lightbox effect, WP Video Lightbox is a perfect choice. 

It’s ideal for site owners who want a lightweight plugin that maintains fast load times while offering a visually appealing video presentation.

3. YouTube Embed

YouTube Embed is an effective plugin designed specifically for integrating YouTube videos into your WordPress site. 

It offers a responsive and customizable video player that makes it easy to display both individual videos and playlists. 

By fetching video metadata directly from YouTube, it also helps improve your site’s SEO.

Key Features of YouTube Embed

• Enhanced Video Options: Supports high-definition and 4K videos, ensuring your content is delivered in the best quality possible.
• Responsive Design: Automatically resizes videos to fit your page, maintaining a seamless look across all devices.
• Advanced Shortcode System: Utilize shortcodes to embed videos and add detailed descriptions, giving you flexibility in how content is presented.
• Lazy Loading: Improves page load times by loading videos only when they come into view.
• Thumbnail Generation: Create video thumbnails using a shortcode, enhancing the visual appeal and click-through rate of your videos.

Pros & Cons of YouTube Embed 

Pros	Cons
Capable of playing videos at 60FPS, providing a smooth viewing experience for action-packed or high-detail content.	Does not offer thumbnail support for playlists, which could affect user engagement with multi-video content.
Perfect for websites that predominantly use YouTube as their video source.	Dependency on multiple shortcodes can be challenging for novice users unfamiliar with shortcode usage.

Pricing

YouTube Embed is available for free, making it an accessible choice for users looking to enhance their website with YouTube videos without additional cost.

Who Should Use YouTube Embed?

YouTube Embed is ideal for content creators, bloggers, and businesses that rely heavily on YouTube videos to engage their audience. 

Whether you’re looking to showcase product reviews, educational content, or entertainment, this plugin ensures that your videos integrate smoothly and enhance the overall user experience on your site.

4. Easy Video Player

Easy Video Player offers a straightforward and efficient solution for embedding videos into your WordPress site. 

This plugin balances simplicity with functionality, providing the essential features you’d expect from a high-quality video player without overcomplicating the user experience.

Key Features of Easy Video Player

• Flexible Shortcode Options: A versatile shortcode that supports several parameters allows for customization of autoplay, player size, and looping features.
• Minimalist Design: The player boasts a clean interface that can be easily customized to fit the aesthetic of your page.
• Universal MP4 Support: Compatible with MP4 videos from all sources, ensuring broad accessibility.
• Extendability: The player can be extended through coding with included classes, offering flexibility for developers.
• Optimized Aspect Ratio: Supports the popular 16:9 video ratio right out of the box, catering to standard video formats.

Pros & Cons of Easy Video Player

Pros	Cons
Allows the use of a custom player template and easy aspect ratio adjustments with a simple shortcode parameter, enhancing the visual integration on your site.	While it excels in simplicity, the lack of extensive configuration options may not satisfy users looking for advanced functionalities.
Ideal for users who need a no-fuss solution that focuses on basic video playback without additional complexities.	Primarily provides straightforward video playback and may not include features such as advanced analytics, advertising integrations, or support for other media types beyond MP4.

Pricing

Easy Video Player is free to use, making it an accessible option for users who need a simple, effective video playback solution without the investment.

Who Should Use Easy Video Player?

Easy Video Player is perfect for WordPress site owners who value simplicity and are primarily focused on embedding MP4 videos efficiently. 

It is especially suited for bloggers, small businesses, and personal websites that require a reliable video player that integrates seamlessly without the need for extensive video management tools.

5. All-in-One Video Gallery

All-in-One Video Gallery is a dynamic plugin designed to serve as both a video player and a gallery builder, making it an essential tool for anyone looking to enhance their website with rich video content. 

This plugin simplifies video management with a custom video post type and offers robust search capabilities, allowing users to easily find videos on your site.

Key Features of All-in-One Video Gallery

• Dual Player Styles: Choose between Slider and Popup styles to best fit your site’s design and user interaction preferences.
• Customizable HTML5 Player: A responsive player that can be tailored to match your brand, including GDPR content warnings, social sharing, and subtitles.
• Broad Platform Support: Compatible with all popular video hosting platforms, such as Google Drive and local servers, plus live stream embed capabilities.

Pros & Cons of All-in-One Video Gallery

Pros	Cons
You can add your logo and brand colors to the player for a consistent visual identity across your website.	The pricing structure may be prohibitive for some users, especially those just starting out.
You can leverage the player for various uses, such as displaying popup ads or showcasing testimonial videos, enhancing viewer engagement.	The extensive options available can be overwhelming for beginners, potentially complicating the setup process.

Pricing

All-in-One Video Gallery is available in both free and paid versions to accommodate different needs and budgets:

• Pro Plan (Single Site): Monthly payment of $4.99 or a lifetime option for $149.99.
• Business Plan (Single Site): Monthly payment of $9.99 or a lifetime option for $289.99.

Who Should Use All-in-One Video Gallery?

This plugin is ideal for website owners who require a comprehensive video management system that not only plays videos but also organizes them attractively. 

Whether you are looking to monetize your video content or provide an enhanced user experience with advanced features like live streams and social sharing, All-in-One Video Gallery offers a powerful, scalable solution.

6. Video.js HTML5 Player

Video.js HTML5 Player is a straightforward and effective plugin for embedding videos into your WordPress pages and posts. 

It’s known for its responsiveness and compatibility across all browsers and devices, making it an excellent choice for ensuring that your videos perform well no matter where they’re viewed. 

The plugin supports a range of HTML5-compatible video formats such as MP4, OGV, and WebM, easily integrated via a simple shortcode.

Key Features of Video.js HTML5 Player

• Versatile Video Support: Handles both self-hosted and third-party hosted videos, giving you flexibility in how you manage your content.
• Custom Poster Images: Enhance your videos with custom poster images that display before play, adding a professional touch to your media.
• Unbranded Playback: Offers a clean viewing experience without any watermarks, keeping the focus on your content.
• Format Compatibility: Supports all popular video formats, ensuring your videos play without issues on any device.
• Robust Shortcode: Utilizes a powerful shortcode system that can be customized to embed videos precisely how you need them.

Pros & Cons of Video.js HTML5 Player

Pros	Cons
Includes an option for videos to autoplay when a page loads, keeping your site dynamic and engaging.	The plugin offers minimal support for private videos, which might be a concern for users needing more security.
Allows you to set the player dimensions to match your site’s design, ensuring a seamless fit with your overall aesthetic.	Lacks extensive customization and branding options, which might limit users looking to tailor the player extensively.

Pricing

Video.js HTML5 Player is free to use, providing a cost-effective solution for embedding videos in WordPress without additional expenses.

Who Should Use Video.js HTML5 Player?

This plugin is ideal for WordPress users who need a reliable, straightforward video embedding solution that works effortlessly across all devices and browsers. 

It’s particularly useful for bloggers, small businesses, and educators who require a functional, unobtrusive video player without the need for advanced customization.

7. ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery

ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery is a specialized WordPress plugin designed to create and embed YouTube video galleries seamlessly. 

It offers an intuitive interface that makes adding and customizing video galleries straightforward, even for those with little technical expertise. 

Ideal for showcasing YouTube videos in a professional and engaging manner, this plugin supports various layouts and extensive customization options.

Key Features of ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery

• No Code Embedding: Embed YouTube videos on your site easily without any need for coding.
• Flexible Layouts: Choose between grid or carousel formats to display your videos in a way that best fits your site’s design.
• Customizable Galleries: Adjust the number of videos, gallery layout, style, and the size and appearance of video thumbnails to match your visual preferences.
• Performance Enhancements: Features like lazy loading improve website performance by loading videos only as they come into view.
• YouTube API Integration: Automatically fetches and displays video data from YouTube, ensuring your galleries are always up-to-date.

Pros & Cons of ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery

Pros	Cons
Simplifies the process of embedding and customizing YouTube video galleries, making it accessible for non-technical users.	Primarily supports embedding from YouTube, which might be limiting if you use multiple video platforms.
Offers complete control over gallery layout, style, and thumbnail appearance, allowing you to tailor the video display to your site’s aesthetic.	While basic setups are straightforward, deeper customization options may require some CSS expertise.

Pricing

ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery is available for $39 for a single site license.

Who Should Use ELEX WordPress Embed YouTube Video Gallery?

This plugin is perfect for website owners who primarily utilize YouTube for their video content and wish to create attractive, engaging video galleries on their WordPress site. 

It’s particularly suited for bloggers, e-commerce site owners, and businesses that want to enhance their user engagement through professionally styled video displays.

8. ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder

ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder is a robust plugin designed to enhance your WordPress site by embedding videos from various sources supported by oEmbed. 

Compatible with both the Classic editor via shortcode and the Gutenberg editor through a dedicated block, ARVE simplifies the process of integrating videos into your site. 

Its focus on responsiveness ensures that videos maintain the correct aspect ratio or can be customized to fit different designs, making it a versatile choice for web developers and content creators.

Key Features of ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder

• Flexible Embedding Options: Utilize shortcodes or the Gutenberg ARVE block for embedding videos, providing versatility regardless of your preferred editing mode.
• Customizable Aspect Ratios: Automatically set or customize the aspect ratios of your videos to ensure they always look right on your site.
• Enhanced Viewer Interaction: Add hover effects to video thumbnails for a dynamic user experience and optionally hide video titles for a cleaner look.
• SEO Enhancement: Supports video schema to boost your site’s SEO performance, helping you rank better in search results.
• Lightbox Functionality: Offers a customizable lightbox that can auto-close after the video ends, creating a seamless viewing experience.

Pros & Cons of ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder

Pros	Cons
Automatically sets up video schema, significantly enhancing your videos’ SEO.	Sometimes the video dimensions may not render correctly, which could affect the visual presentation.
Lightbox feature enhances viewer engagement by focusing attention on the video and closing automatically when the video ends.	Key features like video lazy load are not available in the free version, requiring an upgrade to access.

Pricing

ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder offers several licensing options:

• Single-Site License: €40 for one year
• Three-Site License: €109 for one year
• Ten-Site License: €339 for one year
• Fifty-Site License: €995 for one year

Who Should Use ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder?

This plugin is ideal for website owners who need a flexible, powerful video embedding solution that integrates smoothly with various WordPress editors and enhances site SEO. 

Whether you are running a single site or managing multiple client websites, ARVE offers tailored solutions to fit your needs.

9. FV Player

FV Player is a comprehensive video player plugin designed for WordPress users who require robust functionality beyond basic video embedding. 

It supports all popular video sources and formats like MP4 and WebM, making it a versatile choice for various content types. 

Its responsive design ensures videos look great on all devices, while customization options allow for precise control over video presentation and functionality.

Key Features of FV Player

• Advanced Shortcode Support: Utilizes a shortcode that accepts over 40 parameters, allowing for detailed customization to meet specific needs.
• Playlist Capabilities: Embed entire playlists within a single player to provide a continuous viewing experience.
• User Control Over Playback: Viewers can adjust playback speed, enhancing usability and satisfaction.
• Sticky Videos Feature: Supports sticky videos that remain visible as users scroll down the page, ensuring continuous engagement.
• Digital Rights Management: Includes an option to add a DRM warning to protect your content.

Pros & Cons of FV Player

Pros	Cons
Can be extensively styled and extended using just HTML and CSS, offering flexibility in design.	Integrating with a content delivery network, which can enhance video delivery speeds, is only available with the paid versions.
Offers excellent integration with Google Analytics for comprehensive video analytics, helping you understand viewer behavior.	The extensive list of options might be overwhelming for some users, potentially complicating the setup process.

Pricing

FV Player offers a basic free version with limited features. For more advanced capabilities, several licensing options are available:

• Single Site: $75
• Five Sites: $195
• Twenty Sites: $395

Who Should Use FV Player?

FV Player is ideal for site owners who need a powerful, adaptable video player that can handle a variety of video formats and sources. 

It is particularly suited for those looking to enhance their site’s video engagement through advanced features like playlists, sticky videos, and integration with Google Analytics. 

Whether you’re a solo content creator or manage multiple sites, FV Player offers scalable solutions to fit your needs.

Conclusion

We know picking the right plugin for your website can be tough. Ideally, you’d try each one to see which fits best without having to install them all. 

To save you some time, we’ve narrowed our list of 9 plugins down to the top two options based on different needs.

For businesses where video is a key element of the strategy, Presto Player is the go-to choice.

If you’re looking for a straightforward video player that removes the complexity of embedding videos, consider Easy Video Player. 

While other plugins on our list also have robust features, they can be either too complex for the average user or negatively impact your site’s performance. 

Both Presto Player and Easy Video Player combine ease of use with powerful features, making them suitable for a wide range of users.

Did we miss a plugin that you love? Let us know, and we might update our list. Also, we’d love to hear about your experiences with any of the plugins we mentioned.