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Should I self-host Vimeo?
KINDAworth it if…
PeerTube is excellent software, but video is the one medium where bandwidth math bites back: transcodes eat CPU, storage grows forever, and egress on a popular video can exceed the subscription. Worth it for a modest catalog behind your own domain; not for scale.
The math (nothing hidden, including your time)
| Vimeo (Starter) | $20.00/mo |
| VPS share + storage | −$6.50/mo |
| Your maintenance: 45 min/mo at $20/h | −$15.00/mo |
| Net saving | $-1.50/mo |
| Setup: 15 min measured (one-time) | $5.00 |
| Break-even | never |
| Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost) | 0.9× |
Price: source, checked 2026-08-06. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.
What you lose
- Vimeo's player CDN — global delivery you don't think about
- Privacy/review workflows for client video
What you're paying Vimeo for
- ad-free video hosting
- embeddable player
- privacy controls
- review workflows
Ranked alternatives
A video site of your own, with the player, the embed codes and the transcoding, on a server whose bandwidth bill is yours.
Hardware
Runs comfortably on a real VPS (2 GB+).
Verification
Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 15 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)
Full timed log
# Vimeo — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** KINDA — worth it if… - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Why no compose file - This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script). ## The call PeerTube is excellent software, but video is the one medium where bandwidth math bites back: transcodes eat CPU, storage grows forever, and egress on a popular video can exceed the subscription. Worth it for a modest catalog behind your own domain; not for scale.
Verdict history
- 2026-08-10: unscored → KINDA — Initial verdict: PeerTube is excellent software, but video is the one medium where bandwidth math bites back: transcodes eat CP.