Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

JW Player VS Plyr

Compare JW Player VS Plyr and see what are their differences

JW Player logo JW Player

JW Player is an embeddable media player.

Plyr logo Plyr

A simple, accessible and customisable HTML5 media player
  • JW Player Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-25
  • Plyr Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23

JW Player

$ Details
-
Release Date
2004 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
New York
City
New York
Founder(s)
Adam Fawer
Employees
100 - 249

JW Player features and specs

  • Customization
    JW Player offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to tailor the video player to fit their branding and functionality requirements.
  • Streaming Quality
    The platform supports adaptive bitrate streaming which provides a smooth viewing experience by adjusting video quality based on user's internet connection.
  • Analytics
    JW Player includes comprehensive analytics tools to track viewer engagement, viewership trends, and performance metrics.
  • Monetization
    It has built-in support for monetization through ads, offering integration with various ad networks and ad technologies.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    JW Player is compatible with multiple devices and platforms, including desktop browsers, mobile devices, and smart TVs.
  • Ease of Integration
    The player can be easily integrated with CMSs, frameworks, and various web technologies through its comprehensive API and developer tools.

Possible disadvantages of JW Player

  • Cost
    JW Player can be expensive, especially for small businesses and individual creators, as it charges based on usage and additional features.
  • Learning Curve
    There can be a steep learning curve for new users who are not familiar with advanced video player settings and customizations.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of JW Player has limited capabilities and branding, which might not be sufficient for professional use.
  • Ads Restrictions
    There are some limitations and restrictions when it comes to integrating third-party ad services, which can be a drawback for certain users.
  • Customer Support
    While JW Player offers customer support, some users have reported waiting times and variable quality of service.

Plyr features and specs

  • Customizable
    Plyr offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to adjust the player's appearance and functionality to match the design and needs of their website or application.
  • Responsive Design
    Plyr is built to be responsive, ensuring that media content plays well on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
  • Lightweight
    The library is lightweight, which means it can load quickly and improve the overall performance of a website or application.
  • Accessibility
    Plyr is designed with accessibility in mind, providing support for keyboard navigation, screen readers, and other assistive technologies.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Plyr allows developers to contribute to its improvement and adapt it to suit specific needs. It also means there is no cost to use it.
  • Browser Compatibility
    Plyr supports a wide range of modern browsers, ensuring that media playback is consistent across different environments.
  • Plugin Support
    Plyr supports various plugins and integrations, making it easier to extend its functionality and integrate with third-party services or platforms.

Possible disadvantages of Plyr

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While Plyr offers many basic and essential features, it may lack some advanced features found in other premium or specialized media players.
  • Dependency on CSS and JavaScript
    Plyr relies on additional CSS and JavaScript files, which means developers need to ensure those assets are loaded correctly to maintain the player's functionality.
  • Customization Complexity
    Although Plyr is customizable, making significant changes to its default settings may require a deeper understanding of its API and underlying code.
  • Community and Support
    As an open-source project, Plyr may not have the same level of dedicated support or comprehensive documentation as some commercial alternatives.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    While Plyr aims to be compatible with many modern browsers, there may still be occasional issues or inconsistencies, particularly with less commonly used browsers or older versions.
  • Performance Overhead
    Even though Plyr is lightweight, integrating it into a highly optimized web application may add some performance overhead, particularly if not managed properly.

JW Player videos

JW Player Employee Reviews - Q3 2018

More videos:

  • Tutorial - របៀប Download video ពី JW Player | How to download video from JW Player
  • Tutorial - How to use JW Player 7 with Wowza Streaming Engine
  • Review - JW Player Review: Daily user of JWPlayer
  • Review - Find Out About the Application Process at JW Player

Plyr videos

ReevoH's Skullcandy PLYR 2 Wireless Headset Review/Unboxing

More videos:

  • Review - Skullcandy PLYR 1 Gaming Headset Review/ First Impression

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to JW Player and Plyr)
Video Platform
65 65%
35% 35
YouTube Tools
55 55%
45% 45
Marketing Platform
62 62%
38% 38
Video Streaming
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare JW Player and Plyr

JW Player Reviews

Top 26 Alternatives to Vimeo in 2024: Pricing, Features & More
JW Player is one of the alternatives to Vimeo that offers live streaming at a competitive price. So if you’re just starting live streaming and don’t want to pay the hefty costs to live stream on Vimeo, JW Player is Meta description: Explore the best Vimeo alternatives with our comprehensive 2024 guide. Choose from 26 platforms with detailed insights on features, pricing,...
Source: www.dacast.com
Best Online Video Platforms In 2023
Regarding online video platforms, JW Player can also be a fine option. Whether you’re a content creator or a business, JW Player’s versatile features cater to your videos. Its powerful API and analytics capabilities make it a standout choice for those looking to deliver an exemplary video experience.
Source: medium.com

Plyr Reviews

We have no reviews of Plyr yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Plyr seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

JW Player mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of JW Player yet. Tracking of JW Player recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Plyr mentions (13)

  • Embed video player
    Has anyone tried integrating something like Plyr into a framer site? Source: over 1 year ago
  • Best way to showcase videos without the site becoming slow?
    Just going to post my free no-code tool again for u/Thenmatwaslike. It's a great way to visualize the changes you're making to your Vimeo video with plyr.io, and then it spits out the code you need for your Webflow site. Https://vimeoconfig.com/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Best way to showcase videos without the site becoming slow?
    Here is a free no-code tool I made that lets you use plyr.io with your Vimeo videos. The benefit also being that you can customize your Vimeo videos appearance without a Vimeo pro account: vimeoconfig.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Anyone Knows of A Good Responsive Video Player For SvelteKit?
    You shouldn’t need a svelte-specific video player—you can just use a vanilla js library, Plyr for example. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Replacing web media players with CSS/Userscript
    Is it possible to force the media player style to be replaced with the plyr.io style? Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing JW Player and Plyr, you can also consider the following products

VideoJS - VideoJS is an HTML5 Video Player, built with Javascript and CSS, with a fallback to a Flash video...

Flowplayer - Flowplayer is a video player for web sites.

Wistia - Host, manage, and track your videos with the best video marketing tools in the (known) universe.

MediaElement.js - MediaElement.js provides HTML5 audio and video players in pure HTML and CSS.

SublimeVideo - The HTML5 Video Player Everyone Deserves.

Vimeo - Vimeo is a social media app that lets you share and capture videos. You can watch new videos in a variety of different categories, and you can share your own content right from your device. Read more about Vimeo.