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How Vimeo has screwed their paid users

Some time ago Vimeo has silently changed their prices for their paid services. If you have "an old" account (enrolled before that changed happened) you see a different prices (much lower!) and you have a different terms (much more favorable!) than you are offered when you register a new Vimeo account today.

In short and sharp words: You are paying (much!) more for getting (much!) less!

Vimeo's paid plans compare

For years the cheapest paid service in Vimeo:

  • Was priced at approx. 5.5 USD per month (when paid annually)
  • Allowed you to upload 250 GB of videos per year

Here's a proof (prices in PLN; Vimeo is stubborn in saying that I am from Poland):

Currently the cheapest paid service in Vimeo:

  • Aas priced at approx. 9 USD per month (when paid annually)
  • Allowed you to upload 60 videos per year (per seat) without size limit

Here's a proof (prices again in Polish zloties):

Gimme some numbers!

So... a simple math says that:

  • You are being charged approx. 65% more than previously
  • All your uploaded 60 videos must have at least 4 GBs in size to at least match size criteria.

Except for some rare border scenarios virtually nobody is uploading such a large video (because 4 GB with a new codec is full-length Full HD video -- that is having 1920x1080 resolution and lasting at least 2 hours).

Most of the paid uploads to Vimeo are short, couple of minutes long commercials. Browse their catalogues to see for yourself!

Assuming that you are that "border example" and you upload all 60 videos having at least 4 GB is size, you'll reach the "old" yearly quota limit of 250 GB, right? Right. But, you'll be still paying for that 165% of the previous price!e

So... assuming that we want to include price change in our calculations then:

  • Previously you were paying 5.5 USD per month and getting 250 GB per year
  • Now you are paying 9 USD per months so a comparable quota is... 410 GB per year

Now get it through that damn 60 videos limit and you end up with... one video having 6.8 GB in order to match the "old school" Vimeo prices. That's kind of a lot...

A Really Huge Fuckup!

Some time ago I have made some stats calculations on my off-line video library (yes, I am that old that I still watch videos while being disconnected from the Internet!). I have analyzed 919 Full HD video files in total.

My magical Excel tells me that... an average Full HD file has 1.60 GB per hour.

Meaning that you would have to upload all sixty videos to Vimeo having at least... four and a half hour length to match the old prices. And to not feel that Vimeo is screwing you on day-to-day basis.

Four and a half hour per each of sixty videos per seat while most Vimeo users uploads 15-20 minutes long videos?

Now, that is something that I'd call a Really Huge Fuckup!

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