PlayVideo vs Mux: Video API Comparison

Thinking about Mux? Here’s how PlayVideo compares for developers who want simple, affordable video hosting.

Quick Comparison

Pricing Deep Dive

Scenario: 100 videos, 500GB storage, 2TB delivery/month

Scenario: 1000 videos, 2TB storage, 10TB delivery/month

Why Developers Choose PlayVideo Over Mux

1. Simpler API

Mux has 50+ API endpoints with complex concepts like Assets, Playback IDs, Signing Keys, etc.

PlayVideo has ~10 endpoints. Upload a video, get a URL. That’s it.

// PlayVideo - 3 lines
const bb = new PlayVideo(apiKey);
const video = await bb.videos.upload({ file: './video.mp4', collection: 'app' });
console.log(video.playlistUrl);

// Mux - more setup required
const mux = Mux({ tokenId, tokenSecret });
const asset = await mux.Video.Assets.create({ input: url, playback_policy: ['public'] });
// Wait for asset.status === 'ready'
// Construct playback URL from asset.playback_ids[0].id

2. Predictable Pricing

Mux charges per-minute with resolution multipliers. You need a calculator.

PlayVideo has flat monthly plans. You know exactly what you’ll pay.

3. Self-Hosting Option

Mux is cloud-only. Your videos are on their infrastructure.

PlayVideo can run on your own servers. Same API, your infrastructure.

4. No Vendor Lock-in

With PlayVideo’s self-hosting option, you can:

• Start with our cloud
• Migrate to self-hosted anytime
• Use your own storage (S3, R2, MinIO)

When Mux Might Be Better

• Advanced analytics - Mux has more detailed viewer analytics
• Live streaming - Mux has mature live streaming features
• Enterprise scale - Mux has proven scale with major customers
• Just-in-time encoding - Mux’s JIT encoding can save storage costs for rarely-watched content

Migration from Mux

Already on Mux? Here’s how to migrate:

1. Export your videos

Download your source videos from Mux (you’ll need to have stored the originals).

2. Update your code

// Before (Mux)
import Mux from '@mux/mux-node';
const mux = Mux({ tokenId, tokenSecret });
const asset = await mux.Video.Assets.create({ input: url });

// After (PlayVideo)
import PlayVideo from '@playvideo/playvideo-sdk';
const bb = new PlayVideo(apiKey);
const video = await bb.videos.upload({ file, collection: 'app' });

3. Update playback URLs

Replace Mux playback URLs with PlayVideo URLs in your frontend.

Code Comparison

Upload a Video

Mux:

const Mux = require('@mux/mux-node');
const { Video } = new Mux(tokenId, tokenSecret);

const asset = await Video.Assets.create({
  input: 'https://example.com/video.mp4',
  playback_policy: ['public'],
});

// Poll for ready status
let ready = false;
while (!ready) {
  const updated = await Video.Assets.get(asset.id);
  ready = updated.status === 'ready';
  await sleep(5000);
}

const playbackId = asset.playback_ids[0].id;
const url = `https://stream.mux.com/${playbackId}.m3u8`;

PlayVideo:

import PlayVideo from '@playvideo/playvideo-sdk';

const bb = new PlayVideo(process.env.BLOCKBUSTER_API_KEY);
const result = await bb.videos.upload({ file: './video.mp4', collection: 'app' });
const video = await bb.videos.waitForReady(result.video.id);

console.log(video.playlistUrl); // Ready to use

List Videos

Mux:

const assets = await Video.Assets.list({ limit: 100 });

PlayVideo:

const { videos } = await bb.videos.list({ limit: 100 });

Bottom Line

Choose PlayVideo if:

• You want simple, predictable pricing
• You prefer a minimal API surface
• Self-hosting is important to you
• You’re building a startup or side project

Choose Mux if:

• You need advanced analytics
• You need live streaming today
• You’re an enterprise with complex requirements
• You prefer a more established vendor

Ready to try PlayVideo? Start free - no credit card required.