Build VOD into your app with control over storage and delivery costs. Choose your own providers with Chunkify, or use Mux's managed hosting and delivery.
Updated October 14, 2026 · VOD comparison
Your storage. Your delivery.
You want video files and delivery in your own accounts, control over delivery costs, and the freedom to change processing services. Connect any S3-compatible storage, including Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2. Use managed VOD, or add transcoding to your existing pipeline.
Compare standalone file outputsYou want hosting, delivery, and a video analytics dashboard together. Mux also provides live streaming, native mobile players, and DRM options beyond this VOD comparison.
Mux featuresBoth services handle video processing. Storage ownership and delivery are separate choices.
Any S3-compatible storage, including S3 and R2
Choose delivery rates and your domain
Chunkify Player or your HLS player. Analytics to your destination.
Storage billed by video duration
Delivery billed by minutes and resolution
Mux Player or your HLS player. Hosted Mux Data analytics.
Customer-owned storage and a delivery domain in your account reduce vendor lock-in. Your generated files stay in your bucket, so changing the processing service does not require exporting your library from Chunkify. You can keep your storage and CDN accounts as you move.
A migration still needs API, events, and playback integration work, including any deferred renditions. Mux also offers master export, but managed streaming remains on Mux's hosting and delivery.
Bringing your storage includes configuring access and browser compatibility. A custom playback domain changes the hostname; it does not change who hosts the video. Explore storage & CDN · Mux Video
Try three illustrative workloads, then adjust the assumptions. This model uses 1080p input, R2 Standard with Cloudflare delivery for Chunkify, and Mux Basic or Plus.
Your storage & Cloudflare delivery
Modeled monthly cost · USDFree encoding · lower quality target
Modeled monthly cost · USDPaid encoding · higher quality target
Modeled monthly cost · USDCompare input processing and delivery separately. These curves use your selected plans, playback resolution, and delivery allowance. The full monthly estimate above also includes storage, transfer, plan fees, and credits.
Hover or use the arrow keys to inspect values. Select a series in the legend to isolate it.
New input minutes / month
Input processing charges before plan credits. 1080p originals; automatic streaming renditions included.
Delivered minutes / month
Delivery allowance included; plan credits excluded. R2 request counts stay fixed. Mux Basic and Plus have the same delivery curve here.
First-band public prices: up to 5,000 new input minutes, 50,000 stored minutes, and 500,000 delivered minutes per month. Mux defaults to pay as you go; edit its billing plan above. Negotiated rates are excluded. Chunkify processing prices are provisional. R2 has no egress bandwidth fee; storage and operations still cost money. Publication transfer is modeled at the editable assumed rate. Welcome credit is excluded from Chunkify's recurring estimate.
Chunkify makes a fallback playable during preparation. Production renditions are generated when requested, so a planned 1080p rendition can stay unencoded until someone needs it.
Your app creates an upload session. The uploader sends the video to storage.
Preparation publishes a playable fallback while the video is still being prepared.
The player requests a rendition. Chunkify generates it if it is not ready yet.
Completed media stays in your bucket and is served through your configured CDN.
Per-title analysis chooses the useful ladder. Just-in-time encoding determines which planned qualities actually get generated. These are two different ways to avoid unnecessary output.
No request, no production encode. Initial preparation and the fallback still exist.
Mux also offers just-in-time encoding and early playback. A first Chunkify viewer may receive fallback media with different bandwidth or quality from the final rendition. Startup time and visual quality depend on the source and playback conditions. Mux playback features
Shared capabilities matter too. A player, an upload component, or per-title encoding alone does not settle the choice.
Swipe the table to compare both platforms.
| Capability | Chunkify | Mux |
|---|---|---|
| VOD processing bill | Input minutes once. Automatic streaming renditions are included. | Input minutes. Basic encoding is free; Plus and Premium have encoding charges. |
| Source ingestion | Uploads, source URLs, or objects in connected storage. Input and output storage can differ. | Uploads or accessible source URLs, imported into Mux-managed storage. |
| Output storage | Any S3-compatible storage, including Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2. Your bucket and retention policy. | Managed video storage, billed by duration and resolution. |
| Portability | Generated files in your account. Keep your storage and CDN accounts when changing processors; migrate API and playback integration. | Master export is available. Moving streaming delivery requires a new hosting and playback setup. |
| Delivery | Your configured CDN and provider prices. | Managed delivery, billed by delivered minutes and resolution. |
| Content-aware encoding | Per-title analysis selects useful resolutions and bitrates. | Content-aware encoding. Basic has a reduced predetermined ladder; Plus and Premium use higher quality targets. |
| Just-in-time encoding | Production qualities start when a player requests them. | Supported at all VOD quality levels. |
| Application components | Uploader and player web components, plus React integrations. | Uploader and player web components, React integrations, and native mobile players. |
| Player choice | Use Chunkify Player or a compatible HLS player. Add the analytics SDK to export playback events. | Use Mux Player or a compatible HLS player. Instrument a custom player to use Mux Data. |
| Playback analytics | Chunkify-hosted analytics with 30-day retention on both plans, or self-host the open-source server. SDK exports to other providers are also supported. | Hosted Mux Data dashboard and player instrumentation. |
| Captions and workflows | Generate and translate captions, and automate actions with video events. | Generated captions and video workflows, with feature-specific pricing. |
| Custom transcoding | Standalone output encoding for your existing pipeline. Per-title, bitrate, and CRF controls with supported H.264, H.265, AV1, or VP9 outputs. | Managed video quality levels and static MP4 options within Mux Video. |
An existing pipeline may need encoded files rather than a complete streaming platform. Compare the output controls and file handoff separately.
Choose H.264, H.265, AV1, or VP9. Control encoding with per-title optimization, a target bitrate, or CRF, plus dimensions, frame rate, and trimming. Save the encoded output to connected storage and use events to continue your workflow. Processing is billed per output minute, separately from VOD preparation.
Encoding controls & pricingChoose a managed video quality level and supported static MP4 or audio-only M4A renditions. Static files and master exports can feed another processing stage. Their generation, storage, and delivery rules differ from adaptive playback.
Mux static outputsBilling units, optional features, and customer responsibilities can change the right answer.
You connect storage, configure browser access, and choose a CDN. Storage, requests, delivery, and any publication transfer have their own costs.
Storage & CDNPlayable does not mean every production quality is ready. A requested rendition may initially serve fallback media while its production output is generated.
Playback integrationUse Chunkify-hosted analytics with 30-day retention on both plans, self-host the open-source server, or send events to your existing tools. Its read-only MCP server lets AI agents query view totals, inspect playback sessions, and export CSV reports.
Playback analyticsStandalone codec and encoding controls do not imply the same choices for a managed streaming ladder. Optional MP4 outputs have separate processing charges.
Video transcodingChunkify's temporary outputs expire after 24 hours. Connect lasting storage and CDN delivery before relying on playback links in production.
Storage retentionBasic assets carry a one-month minimum storage charge, even if deleted sooner. Plus has no minimum storage period.
Storage conditionsBuffered and preloaded video can be billable even when it is not watched. Enter delivered minutes, rather than analytics watch time, in a cost estimate.
Delivery accountingCustom playback domains are available with an annual contract or a $100/month add-on without one. Your domain still serves Mux-hosted video.
Custom domainsMaster access uses the API and creates a download link valid for 24 hours. Access can be enabled again. Link expiry does not delete the video.
Master accessA move involves more than replacing a player URL. Plan source access, processing events, playback links, and analytics together.
Use retained original files or export accessible Mux masters. Configure the destination bucket, CDN, and browser access before moving viewers.
Create Upload sessions on your server. Use signed webhook events to save the Asset ID, playback URL, poster, and timeline thumbnails in your app.
Check playback, quality, captions, access controls, and analytics on your devices. Keep existing Mux playback available until the replacement is verified.
Chunkify suits VOD applications that want managed video preparation while keeping storage, delivery, and generated files in their own accounts. You can choose provider prices, use the supplied uploader and player components, or add standalone transcoding to an existing pipeline.
Choosing storage and delivery providers gives you control over a large part of the bill. For example, R2 has no egress charge. Per-title selection and encoding on demand can also avoid storing unnecessary outputs. Include processing, storage, requests, and publication transfer in the total. Mux Basic includes encoding, and its allowances can suit smaller workloads.
Per-title analysis chooses useful resolutions and bitrates. Encoding on demand leaves unrequested production renditions unencoded, which can reduce generated storage. Chunkify bills VOD preparation once by input duration and resolution, with automatic streaming generation included. Initial preparation and fallback media still exist. Mux also uses content-aware and just-in-time encoding.
With Chunkify, generated files stay in your bucket and playback uses your configured CDN. Keeping those accounts and the delivery domain gives you more control when changing processors. Both Chunkify and Mux support compatible HLS players and supply player components. Migrating still requires updating the API, events, and any deferred-encoding integration; Mux also offers master export.
Yes. Use standalone transcoding for H.264, H.265, AV1, or VP9 outputs in your own video pipeline, with supported per-title, bitrate, and CRF targets. Save outputs to connected storage and continue your workflow through events. Standalone processing is billed by output minutes, separately from VOD preparation.
Include those requirements alongside the VOD comparison. Mux offers live streaming, DRM, and native player SDKs that may fit that broader scope. Choose Chunkify for the VOD and custom-transcoding capabilities described here; evaluate additional services for requirements outside that scope.