VideoJS vs JWPlayer

The default HTML5 player is very basic and depends heavily on the browser.

Hence we look for better options, we’ll be looking at two of those options VideoJS and JWPlayer.

Some features that your project may require are,

Customizability & Extendability (plugins)
Ads functionality
HLS Streaming
Playlists
Video quality selector
Subtitle functionality
Social Media videos support
360 and Virtual Reality support
Image preview based on progress bar hover

For me, it’s VideoJS, mostly because it allows much more control over video flow, code, tons of plugins. All of this for free.

I’ve used JWPlayer too, but it’s not open source. It’s much more than just an HTML5 video player. It provides a lot of features for a paid subscription, but the free version enables access to the video player.

Reasons to use VideoJS

Open Source.
Hundreds of plugins available.
- HLS
- Quality controller
- Advanced playlists
- Ads Integration
- Thumbnail previews along with progress bar
- 360 & VR.
- and many more…
Variety of prebuilt skins to choose from.
Detailed documentation.
Consistent cross-browser API.

Reasons to use JWPlayer

JWPlayer doesn’t directly compare with VideoJS as it’s essentially a paid product. It does provide a free version, but it doesn’t give you the standalone HTML5 video player.

In my experience, it provides everything VideoJS can do.
It is much more than just a video player.
- Fast & Reliable CDN.
- SDKs including Android & iOS
- 360 & VR
- Live Streaming
- Analytics
- Video Delivery Optimization (encoding & compression)
- Reliable tech support
- Password protected sharing
- and much more is listed on their pricing page.
Detailed documentation.

To conclude

Use JWPlayer when you can pay, it’s perfect for enterprises. It’s cheaper to use this than hiring a developer to customize VideoJS.

I use VideoJS on personal or side projects. It’s a good option for businesses too, I’ve seen many news outlets use it.