Let’s be real, a site looks much better when it contains some kind of visual aid. In today’s modern world we have all at least once searched the internet to find a tutorial on how to do a certain task, get close information about something, or even learn a skill.
We have already talked about photo gallery plugins, what they do, what they are used for, and listed some of the best and most used ones. But today, our topic is video plugins.
Videos have made a huge rise, since the creation of Youtube. They can add a different spin to your site and make it look live. And today, it is much easier to use a video on your site, since you only have to copy the URL and one of these video plugins will retrieve the video itself.
#Videos can help attract more people to your site and present your message more clearly using the help of visuals and sounds.
The most common way of incorporating videos into your site is embedding. Embedding means posting your pictures, videos, gifs, or other content within another site, social media platform, or other web media. This means, a lot of people copy a link of an already existing YouTube video and post it to their site.
A lot of today’s plugins are designed to do just that, embed videos, but some will also give you the option of uploading your own videos in different formats.
So besides YouTube videos, you can also embed videos you created yourself. And if you need help with creating them, InVideo is the perfect solution!
InVideo, in a nutshell, is a video creating platform that enables just about anyone to produce professional-level videos in minutes. Using its pre-made templates and media library filled with millions of beautiful images, videos, and music, you will have everything you need to create engaging videos in one place.
And of course, with InVideo, you can trim clips, crop frames, loop videos, and do loads of other customizations to your content, with ease.
But enough about that, let’s get back to the main topic.
Now we will talk about the 5 best WordPress video plugins, and some of their cool features.
TubePress
The first video plugin we will be talking about today is TubePress. This plugin allows you to embed videos from YouTube and Vimeo and also enables you to create video galleries or sidebar widgets. It has over 500,000 installations and it is safe to say that is highly popular for a reason.
Displaying your YouTube channel, your playlists, or other random videos is possible with this plugin. One of the reasons for its popularity is also its simple and quick setup and configuration. You can even create your own videos with this plugin, and it should work with all the WordPress themes.
But it is not fair to say that everything about this plugin is good. A thing that might change your mind about installing it is the fact that it does not support responsive design, in other words, you would have to know a bit about coding and resolving this “issue” using CSS.
This WordPress plugin is available both free and premium and the difference between the two versions is of course that the premium one has more features.
WP Video Lightbox
The second plugin on our list is called WP Video Lightbox which has over 70,000 active installations and a 4.5 star rating from its users.
The unique thing about this plugin is that when a user clicks to see a video, it will pop up in a lightbox and the lightbox itself is customizable, just like the opacity, width, height, and so on.
There is not a lot more to say about this plugin except that it is designed to make everything easier for its users. But one thing which recent users have been complaining about is the fact that it does not come with a Gutenberg block, instead it uses shortcodes.
Oh and also, this plugin is free!
Embed Plus
The third on our list is Embed Plus. With over 200,000 active installations, it is one of the most popular plugins within the WordPress repository.
This plugin allows you to embed videos, playlists, live streams, or even entire channels. And unlike the plugin mentioned above, this one is compatible with the Gutenberg editor, and also the Classic editor, which comes in handy for both experienced and new users.
This plugin’s free version has many features, but if you require something more you can always upgrade to the Pro one, which costs $29.99. The Pro version will grant you faster page loading, a full visual customization wizard, and much more.
FV Flowplayer Video Player
Number four is FV Flowplayer, which has around 40,000 active installations. This plugin is unique because it allows you to upload your videos in FLV or MP4 format.
Some of its cool features include remembering video positioning, creating playlists, and so on. This plugin is also compatible with Gutenberg, and the only “negative” thing about it is that the free version is branded, which might be a problem for some of its users.
The premium license starts at $75, and it unlocks all of the plugin’s features, like cuepoints, keyboard shortcuts, Google Analytics, and many more.
YourChannel
Like its name suggests, this plugin allows you to move your YouTube channel to your site. Its setup is quite easy, it only requires your YouTube username or channel ID, and the plugin itself will embed all of your videos and playlists. And just like on YouTube, you will see your profile information, numbers of videos, profile picture, and of course the number of views.
This plugin is really useful for people who have an existing YouTube account because it allows people to find you, and your content in two different ways (Youtube and your site).
Customization of your videos and of the way your videos are displayed is also possible with this plugin. And like with the plugins mentioned above, a Pro version is also available and can be purchased for $19.
Conclusion
And with this, we conclude our list of top 5 WordPress video plugins. Just like I said in my previous articles, each plugin has its use and you know best which one will satisfy your needs.
Remember, creative videos will for sure attract more people but choosing the right plugin also plays a big role in representing yourself.
And in today’s world, which is dominated by social media, social media platforms present a great source of traffic for sites like YouTube. So, why not make the most out of it?
All in all, hope this article helps you in your search for the right video plugin for your WordPress site.