Yes, Vimeo is free. Vimeo's help centre says the Free plan gives you unlimited public videos with no ads, while embeddable and non-public videos are limited to 3 GB, and the plan stays free forever for active accounts.
Vimeo is a video hosting platform, and its Free plan doesn't put ads on your videos. Its free plan has grown recently, with transcripts, captions and editing tools now included. The limit you need to understand is how Vimeo splits public videos from embeddable and private ones, because that decides whether the free plan works for your website. Here's how it works.
What Vimeo's Free plan includes
- No ads before, after or on your videos.
- 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision support.
- Video-making and editing tools, including templates, text and sticker animations and trimming.
- The option to turn off the Created with Vimeo watermark on videos you export from the editor.
- Screen and webcam recordings of up to 30 minutes each.
- AI transcription, subtitle translation and AI-generated video details.
- Transcripts, automatic closed captions and chapters.
- SEO settings for your video pages.
- One review link per video, with an expiry you can set up to one month.
- Up to five showcases, plus one channel and one group.
- Downloads of converted files, viewer analytics and native publishing to social channels.
Vimeo also notes the Free plan has one seat, assigned to you as the account owner.
The catch: public vs embeddable and private
This is the detail that decides everything. Vimeo says you can upload or create an unlimited amount of public and non-embeddable video on the Free plan. Embeddable and non-public videos are limited to 3 GB.
Here's the trap. Vimeo's embedding article says that on the Free plan, embeddable videos count toward the 3 GB limit even if they're public. So the moment you switch on embedding to put a video on your website, it comes out of your 3 GB, just like a private video would.
| Video type | Free plan storage | Free plan bandwidth |
|---|---|---|
| Public and not embeddable | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Embeddable, even if public | Counts toward 3 GB | Counts toward 1 TB of monthly bandwidth |
| Non-public, such as private or unlisted | Counts toward 3 GB | Counts toward 1 TB of monthly bandwidth |
Vimeo says Free accounts include 1 TB of bandwidth a month, which resets at the start of each month on your account, and bandwidth for public, non-embeddable videos is unlimited.
Older accounts and recordings
Two notes from Vimeo are worth checking. If you created your account before June 17, 2024, you may have different storage limits on the Free plan, and Vimeo suggests checking your sign-up date in your account settings. And new recordings you make with Vimeo Record now count toward your storage limit, while recordings made before that change stay exempt.
Will a free Vimeo account expire?
Not if you use it. Vimeo says a free plan stays free forever if you follow its guidelines and log in periodically. It considers accounts not used for a full year inactive and reserves the right to remove them, but says it'll notify you in advance and give you a chance to reactivate. Log in at least once a year if your videos matter.
What's not on the Free plan
Vimeo's AI credits article says free credits for testing AI translation aren't provided on Free accounts, Basic accounts or trial memberships. And the old Vimeo Basic plan is no longer offered to new customers, so the Free plan is the free option for anyone signing up now.
How to use Vimeo's free plan well
- Upload your public videos, such as tutorials and showreels, as public and not embeddable, so they don't touch your 3 GB.
- Save your 3 GB for the few videos you need to embed on your website or keep private.
- Turn off the Created with Vimeo watermark when you export from the editor.
- Switch on automatic captions and add chapters, so viewers can jump to what they need.
- Log in at least once a year to keep the account active.
If you need to embed lots of videos on your own site, compare your options first. My guide to free video hosting platforms covers other hosts with different free limits, and my list of Vimeo alternatives goes further.
Who Vimeo's Free plan suits
It suits creators and small businesses who want an ad-free home for public videos, with captions and transcripts thrown in. It's a tighter fit if your main goal is embedding many videos on your website, because every embeddable video counts toward the 3 GB.
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Sharing drafts with clients for free
The Free plan includes one review link per video. Vimeo says you can customise when it expires, up to one month, and that it supports downloads and version history. For a freelancer sending a draft edit to a client, that's enough to collect feedback without sending large files by email.
My verdict: Vimeo is free, and for public, ad-free hosting the Free plan is generous. Keep your public library non-embeddable so it stays unlimited, save the 3 GB for the handful of videos you embed or keep private, and log in once a year so the account stays active.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vimeo free to use?
Yes. Vimeo's Free plan gives you unlimited public videos with no ads, and Vimeo says the plan stays free forever for active accounts.
How much storage does Vimeo Free give you?
Vimeo says embeddable and non-public videos are limited to 3 GB on the Free plan, while public, non-embeddable videos are unlimited.
Do embedded videos count toward Vimeo's free limit?
Yes. Vimeo says embeddable videos count toward the 3 GB limit on the Free plan, even if they're public.
Does Vimeo delete free accounts?
Vimeo says it considers accounts not used for a full year inactive and reserves the right to remove them, and that it'll notify you in advance.
Does Vimeo put ads on free videos?
No. Vimeo lists no ads before, after or on your video as part of the Free plan.
Can I remove the Vimeo watermark for free?
Yes, on editor exports. Vimeo says the Free plan includes the option to turn off the Created with Vimeo watermark on videos you export from the editor.
How long can screen recordings be on Vimeo Free?
Vimeo says the Free plan includes screen and webcam recordings of up to 30 minutes each.
