compare
tapeshelf or Vimeo for private videos
Vimeo is a video platform for creators and companies. If what you need is to show a video to a few people, here's how the two compare.
| What you need | tapeshelf | Vimeo |
|---|---|---|
| Private until you share it | Yes, every upload | You choose: public or private |
| Links that expire | Video links: from 1 hour to 1 week | Review links, up to a month |
| A link for one person only | Yes, with a code sent by email | Not on the free plan |
| A password on a link | On Pro | Paid plans |
| A link to a whole collection | Yes, to your shelf; on Pro also anonymous, without your nickname | Showcases |
| Viewers need no account | Yes | Yes, for public videos |
| Watch in the browser | Yes, an encrypted stream | Yes |
| Trade videos | Yes, one for one | No |
| Organize a collection | Categories, stacks, your own order, covers, hidden videos | Folders and showcases |
| Friends and messages | Friends, messages with videos, “What's new” | Follows and comments |
| No ads | Yes, on every plan | Yes, none on your videos |
| Open source, your own server | Yes, AGPL; your own server soon | No |
| Free plan | 1 GB per video, 20 GB in all, no ads | 3 GB of private and embeddable video |
Private videos on Vimeo
On Vimeo's free plan a video is either public or private, and private means only you and your team can see it. Unlisted links and passwords come with the paid plans. The free plan holds 3 GB of private and embeddable video, and each video can have a review link that expires within a month. Vimeo's player is made for embedding on websites, and the free plan shows no ads on your videos.
How tapeshelf is different
- Links that expire, from an hour to a week, are on every plan, and so are links for one person that open with a code sent to their email.
- On Pro a link can also ask for a password.
- Every upload starts private, and visitors to your shelf can see its preview and ask for it.
- You can trade videos one for one.
- The place, date and camera details are stripped from every upload.
- Categories with their own rows and tile sizes, stacks, your own order, covers and names, and hidden videos only you see.
- Friends and messages, with videos right in the chat, and “What's new” on the shelves you follow.
- On Pro, a video editor right on your shelf: crop, cut, blur, timers, captions and sound.
- A free browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other browsers downloads videos from other sites and can save them straight to your shelf.
- The code is open under the AGPL, and soon you'll be able to run tapeshelf on your own server.
When Vimeo is the better choice
If you need a player to embed on your own website, viewing statistics or tools for a company's video library, Vimeo is built for that. tapeshelf videos don't embed on other sites: they play on tapeshelf's own pages.
Facts about other services come from their own help pages and plan descriptions, checked in October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites for the latest. Names of other services belong to their owners.
Questions
- Do the people I share with need an account?
No. A temporary link or a public video opens in any browser, on a computer or a phone.
- What does tapeshelf's free plan include?
1 GB per video and 20 GB in all, temporary links and links for one person, requests and trades, and 10 downloads a month, with no ads. Pro, from €5 a month, adds room, passwords on links and more. Compare the plans