Cloudflare Stream
Cloudflare Stream provides a managed pipeline for uploading, encoding, storing, and delivering live and on-demand video through one API.
What Cloudflare Stream is
Cloudflare Stream provides a managed pipeline for uploading, encoding, storing, and delivering live and on-demand video through one API. Live broadcasts can enter over RTMPS or SRT and play through its customizable web player or HLS- and DASH-compatible players. React and Angular components are available, and Cloudflare documents native playback with AVPlayer on iOS, tvOS, and macOS and ExoPlayer on Android. Editing options include clipping, captions, extra audio tracks, and watermarks. Captions can be generated with AI speech-to-text or uploaded as WebVTT files up to 10 MB. Signed URLs and allowed-origin settings provide viewing controls. By default, uploads can be up to 30 GB, with up to 120 videos queued or encoding at a time. Analytics are available in the dashboard and through the Cloudflare GraphQL Analytics API. Storage costs $5 a month per 1,000 minutes of capacity, purchased in 1,000-minute increments; delivery is $1 a month per 1,000 minutes delivered, billed post-paid by usage. There is no free plan.
Good
- One API covers video upload, encoding, storage, and delivery.
- Supports RTMPS and SRT live inputs.
- Includes editing tools and caption options.
- Provides analytics through a dashboard and GraphQL API.
- Signed URLs and allowed origins control playback access.
Watch out
- No free plan is listed.
- Storage and delivery have separate usage-based charges.
- Default maximum upload size is 30 GB.
- Uploaded captions must be WebVTT and no larger than 10 MB.
Who it suits
Cloudflare Stream suits video publishers who need to manage live or on-demand delivery across web and native apps. Its listed use cases include e-learning, user-generated content, live events, AI-generated media workflows, and multi-platform distribution.
Verdict
Cloudflare Stream combines live and on-demand video handling with player, editing, access-control, and analytics features. Storage and delivery are charged separately, so both usage measures matter when estimating costs.
Plans and prices
From Cloudflare Stream's own pricing page, checked 20 Sep 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes stored | $5 a month | 1,000 minutes storage capacity · Purchased in increments of $5 per month for each 1,000 minutes of video storage capacity |
| Minutes delivered | $1 a month | 1,000 minutes delivered · Post-paid, usage-based pricing |
| Cloudflare Stream | $5 a month | Storage purchased in 1,000-minute increments · $1 per 1,000 minutes of video delivered · Ingress and encoding are free · No additional bandwidth or egress fees · $5 per 1,000 minutes of video storage capacity per month |
The facts
Each one read from Cloudflare Stream's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access controls
- Signed URLs can restrict viewing to token holders, and allowed origins can limit which domains request playback manifests and segments.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Analytics
- Stream provides analytics for live and uploaded videos through the dashboard and Cloudflare GraphQL Analytics API.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Built-in player
- Stream includes a customizable web player for live and on-demand video, and offers React and Angular components.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Captions
- Captions can be generated using AI speech-to-text or uploaded as files; uploaded caption files must be WebVTT and no larger than 10 MB.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Compliance
- Cloudflare lists certifications and reports including ISO 27001, ISO 27701, FedRAMP High, and SOC 2 Type II.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Editing
- Stream supports video clipping, captions, additional audio tracks, and watermarks.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Intended uses
- Cloudflare highlights e-learning, user-generated content, live events, AI-generated media workflows, and multi-platform video distribution as use cases.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Limits
- By default, uploads can be at most 30 GB, and up to 120 videos may be queued or encoding simultaneously.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Live video
- Live inputs accept RTMPS or SRT broadcasts and Stream encodes them for playback through its player or HLS and DASH compatible players.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Player compatibility
- Stream supports HLS and DASH players, with platform guides for web, iOS, and Android.checked 10 Oct 2001
- Support for higher limits
- Cloudflare says customers can contact support or their account team to request higher upload limits.checked 10 Oct 2001
- What it does
- Stream provides a managed pipeline to upload, encode, store, and deliver live and on-demand video through one API.checked 10 Oct 2001
The company
- Founded
- 2009checked 23 Sep 2001
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CAchecked 23 Sep 2001
Money
- Free plan
- Nochecked 20 Sep 2001
Where it runs
- Native apps
- Cloudflare documents playback in native iOS, tvOS, and macOS apps with AVPlayer, and Android apps with ExoPlayer.checked 10 Oct 2001
Alternatives to Cloudflare Stream
- 1
DNSExit Email Forwarding
Free planWebAPI7.3From $0.58 a month - 2
Forward Email
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.3From $3 a month - 3
ImprovMX
Free planWebAPI6.8From $4.17 a month - 4
SMTP Zen Email Forwarding
AndroidiOSWeb6.8From $1.20 a month - 5
Gomailify
AndroidiOSWeb6.7From $1 a month - 6
KaiMail
Free planWebAPI6.7From ¥550 a month