Vimeo Wants Filmmakers Back: Unlimited Free Public Uploads, No Ads, No AI Training
Vimeo’s free plan now includes unlimited public videos, free auto-captions, no ads, and no AI training. Private and embedded videos get 3GB of storage.
Vimeo is removing the limits on public videos for free accounts. Anyone can now upload and share unlimited public videos on Vimeo for free, with no ads and no AI training on their work.
The company is pitching the change directly at filmmakers. In its LinkedIn announcement, Vimeo said, “Filmmakers need a place for work to shine, and we’re making Vimeo that place again.”
What Changed on the Free Plan
Free accounts can now upload an unlimited number of public videos, with unlimited bandwidth. Public videos with embedding turned off don’t count toward storage.
Storage for private videos and embeddable videos goes from 1GB to 3GB. If you want to embed your work on your own portfolio site, those videos still count toward the cap.
Vimeo is also making several paid features free. These include auto-captions, caption translation into 99 languages, publishing to YouTube, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and analytics that track views and engagement across those platforms in one place.
Videos, screen recordings, and GIFs exported from Vimeo’s editor no longer carry the “Created with Vimeo” watermark.
No Ads and No AI Training
Vimeo says it doesn’t show ads before, during, after, or alongside videos. It also says it won’t allow AI models to be trained on users’ videos.
For filmmakers sharing original work, that policy is a clear point of difference from ad-supported platforms.
The new free plan applies to all new and existing free accounts automatically, with no trial period or expiration date. It isn’t available in Italy or Austria.
Discounted Filmmaker Plans Coming
Vimeo says the free plan is only the start. The company plans to introduce discounted plans for independent filmmakers over the coming months, though it hasn’t shared details or pricing.
Matteo Danieli, co-founder of Vimeo owner Bending Spoons, said in the announcement, “Removing the limit on public videos is the first step.” Bending Spoons acquired Vimeo in 2025.
Competitive Context
For most of its history, Vimeo’s free plan was too limited for filmmakers to rely on, which pushed many toward paid plans or YouTube. YouTube remains free and offers unlimited uploads, but it’s ad-supported, and its reach comes with algorithm and monetization tradeoffs.
Vimeo’s new free tier puts it closer to YouTube on volume, while keeping the ad-free, portfolio-friendly presentation many filmmakers have long preferred for festival submissions, client links, and reels.
The Signal in the Noise
For filmmakers who mainly share finished work through Vimeo links, this is a meaningful upgrade at no cost. Unlimited public uploads, free captions, and a clear no-AI-training policy cover a lot of what a working filmmaker needs.
The 3GB cap on embedded and private videos is the limit to watch. If your portfolio site embeds Vimeo videos or you share private review links with clients, a paid plan, or the upcoming filmmaker discount, may still make sense.
Would the new free plan bring you back to Vimeo for sharing your work? Share how you host your films and reels now in the comments.
The Details
- Public videos: Unlimited uploads and bandwidth (embedding off)
- Private and embeddable videos: 3GB storage (up from 1GB)
- Now free: Auto-captions, translation into 99 languages, multi-platform publishing, social analytics
- Editor exports: No “Created with Vimeo” watermark
- Ads: None
- AI training: Not allowed on users’ videos
- Availability: All new and existing free accounts, except in Italy and Austria
- Coming: Discounted plans for independent filmmakers
