Cloudflare Stream
What Cloudflare Stream is
Cloudflare Stream is a paid video service from Cloudflare Stream that manages uploading, encoding, storing, and delivering live or on-demand video through one API. Live broadcasts can arrive through RTMPS or SRT, then play in Stream’s customizable web player or in HLS- and DASH-compatible players. React and Angular components are available, with platform guidance for web, iOS, and Android. Native playback is documented for iOS, tvOS, and macOS through AVPlayer and for Android through ExoPlayer. Video tools include clipping, captions, extra audio tracks, and watermarks. Captions can come from AI speech-to-text or WebVTT uploads up to 10 MB. Signed URLs and allowed-origin rules control access. The service supplies live and uploaded-video analytics through its dashboard and Cloudflare GraphQL Analytics API, plus advanced privacy controls and paywall monetization. Uploads are limited by default to 30 GB, with up to 120 videos queued or encoding simultaneously. Cloudflare lists ISO 27001, ISO 27701, FedRAMP High, and SOC 2 Type II certifications and reports. Pricing separates storage and delivery: storage is $5 a month per 1,000 minutes, while delivery is $1 a month per 1,000 minutes delivered. There is no free plan.
Who it suits
Cloudflare Stream suits teams building e-learning, user-generated content, live-event, AI-generated media, or multi-platform video services. It fits publishers needing API delivery, controlled playback, analytics, editing tools, or paywall access across web and mobile platforms.
What it does well
- Managed upload, encoding, storage, and delivery pipeline
- RTMPS and SRT live-input support
- Customizable player with React and Angular components
- Captions, clipping, audio tracks, and watermarks
- Signed URLs and allowed-origin playback controls
- Dashboard and GraphQL video analytics
What to know first
- No free plan
- Uploads are limited to 30 GB by default
- Delivery uses post-paid, usage-based billing
- Storage and delivery are charged separately
Limits
Uploads can be up to 30 GB by default, and up to 120 videos can be queued or encoding simultaneously. Storage is purchased in 1,000-minute increments, while delivered minutes are billed post-paid by usage.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes stored | Purchased in increments of $5 per month for each 1,000 minutes of video storage capacity · 1,000 minutes storage capacity | $5 a month |
| Minutes delivered | Post-paid, usage-based pricing · 1,000 minutes delivered | $1 a month |
| Cloudflare Stream | $5 per 1,000 minutes of video storage capacity per month · Storage purchased in 1,000-minute increments · $1 per 1,000 minutes of video delivered · Ingress and encoding are free · No additional bandwidth or egress fees | $5 a month |
As cloudflare.com lists them, read 20 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Cloudflare Stream website
- Choose storage capacity in 1,000-minute increments
- Configure delivery usage billing for delivered minutes
- Upload or send live video through RTMPS or SRT
- Use the web player, HLS, DASH, or native platform playback
Verdict
Pick Cloudflare Stream when one API must handle live and on-demand video across web, mobile, and compatible players. Its access controls, analytics, editing, and paywall support add production options. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan or simpler single-metric billing.
Questions
How much does Cloudflare Stream cost?
Storage costs $5 a month for each 1,000 minutes of capacity. Delivery costs $1 a month for each 1,000 minutes delivered, billed post-paid by usage; the listed starting price is From $1.
Is there a free plan?
No. Cloudflare Stream is listed as paid.
Which platforms are supported?
Platforms listed are Android, API, iOS, macOS, and web. Native playback documentation covers AVPlayer on iOS, tvOS, and macOS and ExoPlayer on Android.
Can viewing be restricted?
Yes. Signed URLs can limit viewing to token holders, and allowed origins can restrict domains requesting playback manifests and segments.
What caption formats are accepted?
Captions can be generated with AI speech-to-text or uploaded as WebVTT files no larger than 10 MB.
Facts from Cloudflare Stream's own pages
- Access controls
- Signed URLs can restrict viewing to token holders, and allowed origins can limit which domains request playback manifests and segments. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Analytics
- Stream provides analytics for live and uploaded videos through the dashboard and Cloudflare GraphQL Analytics API. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Built-in player
- Stream includes a customizable web player for live and on-demand video, and offers React and Angular components. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Captions
- Captions can be generated using AI speech-to-text or uploaded as files; uploaded caption files must be WebVTT and no larger than 10 MB. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- Cloudflare lists certifications and reports including ISO 27001, ISO 27701, FedRAMP High, and SOC 2 Type II. · cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Editing
- Stream supports video clipping, captions, additional audio tracks, and watermarks. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2009 · cloudflare.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- No · developers.cloudflare.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA · cloudflare.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Intended uses
- Cloudflare highlights e-learning, user-generated content, live events, AI-generated media workflows, and multi-platform video distribution as use cases. · cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Limits
- By default, uploads can be at most 30 GB, and up to 120 videos may be queued or encoding simultaneously. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Live video
- Live inputs accept RTMPS or SRT broadcasts and Stream encodes them for playback through its player or HLS and DASH compatible players. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Native apps
- Cloudflare documents playback in native iOS, tvOS, and macOS apps with AVPlayer, and Android apps with ExoPlayer. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Player compatibility
- Stream supports HLS and DASH players, with platform guides for web, iOS, and Android. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Support for higher limits
- Cloudflare says customers can contact support or their account team to request higher upload limits. · developers.cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Stream provides a managed pipeline to upload, encode, store, and deliver live and on-demand video through one API. · cloudflare.com, 10 Oct 2026
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