Text still makes up the majority of content on the Internet. However, interest in it is gradually fading. are you searching for a free plugin you can use to add a video to your article? Search no more. In this article, I will see the 8 best video WordPress plugins you can start using for free.
According to recent research, a page that contains only text is much less interesting for visitors than a similar one with images and videos. It’s not easy to find a high-quality plugin for embedding videos on your site.
Best Free WordPress Video Plugins 2022
1. Advanced Responsive Video Embedder (ARVE)
It is considered to be one of the best plugins in this field. The authors confidently state that this is the only extension that includes almost all the functions that you will ever need. Tens of thousands of users confirm this. After installing ARVE on the site, a link of the same name appears in the top row of buttons in the post/page creation panel.
If you need to insert media from a third-party resource, you don’t need to use it: add a direct link, and the video will appear in the visual editor. You will need a dedicated panel for detailed configuration or creating a shortcode. A distinctive feature of the add-on is the presence of a translation into Russian. ARVE has an impressive set of advantages:
- the function of setting the title, description, and upload date to improve indexing. Data is provided to search engines in schema.org;
- WYSIWYG support. Saves you from messing around with shortcodes and previews;
- a panel with a simple and intuitive interface;
- ability to quickly insert by URL;
- no blocking of links from WordPress-supported providers;
- support for any video with embedded iframe code;
- adaptive embedding with CSS;
- clean syntax of ready-made code;
- allows you to create video sequences in records, on pages;
- autoplay media;
- smart aspect ratio parameter;
- adaptive structure of the inserted video.
In ARVE, if not everything is available, then a lot is available. This plugin can be downloaded for free on the WP portal. There is a Pro addon that allows you to work with thumbnails. If video is not the main content of your resource, the free version is enough for your eyes.
2. FV Flowplayer
High-quality video player for embedding FLV or MP4 videos on the WordPress resource. The extension is completely free and based on HTML5. According to official statistics, 98% of media added through this plugin are displayed perfectly. The Flowplayer panel does not bother with an abundance of sections and sub-items.
Everything is as simple and convenient as possible. Flowplayer is a great option for beginners. There is a unique Flash backup feature. Unlike its counterparts, this player plays the inserted video without any problems, even in outdated versions of browsers.
Integrated the ability to add video streaming via a link. This feature is not active by default, but it is quickly enabled in the plugin settings. Recordings from YouTube and Vimeo are played without any problems. The authors note the following features of Flowplayer::
- Continue Browsing option for registered users and guests;
- availability of an API for custom video recording fields;
- Easy AB Looped playback feature, which is great for training videos;
- ability to create playlists;
- automatic media encoding checking for admins;
- the adaptability of inserted videos;
- availability of functionality for customizing the player for individual videos or a group of them;
- support for Retina Ready technology;
- hotkeys;
- slow motion feature;
- embedded Google Analytics, Cuepoints;
- custom full-screen mode.
3. JW Player
A product from the well-known developer LongTail Video. Unlike the previous players, this one was created not by a team, but by a professional company from New York. The goal was to implement a utility that automates the process of adding media to websites.
Of course, the authors paid attention to the popular content management system. In recent years, it has been particularly popular with novice bloggers. Based on this, the developers created a separate unique JW Player add-on for WordPress. It is suitable for embedding videos in posts, on pages via a standard CMS editor. A few words about the features:
- full Flash and HTML5 support;
- ability to manage multiple players;
- maximally simplified user interface;
- availability of quick insert media content libraries;
- instant addition via a link from YouTube and RTMP;
- ability to create playlists and Drag&Drop movement function;
- large database of demo shortcodes.
4. Easy Video Player
The simplest tool for adding videos to posts on a WordPress site. The extension’s functionality is as concise as possible, but this is its advantage. Easy Video Player doesn’t make you think, it just gets the job done. The player is suitable for uploading your own videos and inserting them from third-party resources via the link.
This WP add-on supports the HTML5 structure. Easy Video Player is not suitable for uploading a streaming video, it works with only one format-MP4. Inserted videos have an adaptive structure and can have playback settings.
The principle of operation of Easy Video Player is based on adding a special shortcode. A full list of them with a description can be found on the player’s page on the CMS portal. What are the features and benefits of this extension?
- Stable operation in all browsers (even the outdated version).
- Support for video previews in the form of an image.
- Autoplay option.
- Loop and mute effects.
- Flexible configuration using modifiers.
- Add media with different skins (maximum 3).
- You can connect the MediaElement player or the original one from WordPress.
5. Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator
They perfectly reflect the essence of this plugin. Indeed, the main goal of the developers was to make the process of uploading videos to a site as easy as possible. The result is an expanded settings panel, which has options for all occasions. A beginner will need some time to master it.
The security of using the plugin is guaranteed by proven encoding algorithms. The advantages of Video Embed:
- option to insert a number of fields for any video clip;
- preview the inserted video;
- Multi-format support – FLV, MP4, F4V, MOV, M4V;
- Flash backup version for unsupported browsers;
- author’s library of shortcodes;
- functionality for customizing thumbnails;
- stylish, responsive player design.
An important aspect of Video Embed is that it can only be used in the classic WordPress editor. Gutenberg doesn’t support the extension. A good, well-developed tool for working with videos.
6. YouTube for WordPress
Author’s product from the creators of a mega-popular video hosting service. The add-on was downloaded and used by more than 200,000 people, according to the WP catalog. This demand is primarily due to the popularity of the site itself.
The plugin is specialized, but not useless. It significantly expands the ability to add videos from a video hosting site to a WordPress resource. The extension works with regular videos, live streams, and galleries. I am glad that this development is not from the category of “released and forgotten”.
Updates take place every 1-2 months. A counter for current edits has been added to the page in the catalog. Specialists from YouTube are also adapting their brainchild to changes in the content management system itself. The extension has many advantages. Here are just a few of them:
- ready to work in conjunction with Gutenberg 5.0. The new built-in editor has an important feature-selector and classic blocks. The YouTube team prepared for this: they held the necessary events and added the appropriate button to them. Don’t forget to pre-select the YouTube Wizard author block in the”Embed”section. To go to the block editing panel, click”+”;
- compliance with current GDPR privacy requirements;
- ability to download individual videos and entire playlists from the channel;
- the function of creating a video sequence using the gallery layout or your own thumbnails;
- panel for creating and editing thumbnails;
- automatic switching, playback of videos from the playlist;
- adding a stream via a link;
- looks great on mobile devices (especially iOS);
- automatic localization/internationalization with a large selection of language versions (there is Russian).
YouTube for WordPress supports shortcodes. There is an internal search for working with large playlists. All this is completely free, from the official portal. High-quality specialized software from a well-known developer – there is nothing to add.
7. CP Media Player
A player for those who value individuality. This plugin supports various video formats: MP4, OGG, WebM, MP3, WAV, and WebSRT. It also allows you to work with audio recordings.
CP Media Player is based on the original WordPress script MediaElement.js Thanks to the HTML5 base, the inserted video is guaranteed to run in popular browsers IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome, and others that support this standard. But the main difference between this WP extension and others is the ability to create a unique player design, which is perfect for your web resource.
The functionality is available immediately after installation. To do this, you will need to download the archive, unzip it on your computer, and add it via FTP to the appropriate hosting directory (/wp-content/plugins/). Next, go to “Settings”, look for the plugin section. Edit the standard form and save it. That’s all, now the player for each inserted video will have this design and structure. The surprises from CP Media Player don’t end there.
- Allows you to publish media anywhere (record, page, directly template, etc.).
- It has parameters for linking audio and video players to playlists.
- Offers a library of ready-made skins.
- Ready for use on iOS and Android mobile devices.
CP Media Player outperforms its competitors by a number of criteria. These points can be turned into a great plus for your site. The media player is inferior in terms of performance and speed, but as you know, there are no ideal solutions.
Embedding a video on a WordPress site: Conclusion
In this article, we tried to list out the plugins as much as possible. The overview contains descriptions of both specialized extensions and universal ones. It is not possible to choose the best of the best. Each site has its own goals, features, and scale. The question is purely individual, and you will have to look for the best option yourself. We’ve made your task as easy as possible by providing you with up-to-date information about video plugins.
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