HTML video player comparison: Fluid Player vs. Flowplayer

Flowplayer is one of the oldest names among HTML5 video players. For years it was also open source, which made it a popular choice for websites of all sizes. That has changed: Flowplayer was bought by the streaming company Wowza in 2022, and today it is a paid, proprietary player called Wowza Flowplayer. The old open source version, Flowplayer 7, was archived in October 2026 and is no longer maintained.

So how does it compare with Fluid Player, the free and open source HTML5 video player built for publishers? We have compared the latest versions of both players: Fluid Player 3.61 and Wowza Flowplayer 3.43.

Feature comparison

The amber marks for Flowplayer’s ad features mean they come as a plugin that is only available on paid plans. Flowplayer’s player files can be self-hosted, but each start of the player still checks its license token online. Its official WordPress plugin hasn’t been updated since 2020, and its free help is a community forum.

The biggest difference is cost and freedom. Fluid Player gives you everything, video ads included, for free and without any account or token. Flowplayer needs a paid plan and a license token, and its usage is billed separately. Fluid Player also plays VR and 360° videos, which Flowplayer doesn’t, and comes as one script with every feature built in.

Fluid Player: free, open source and ready for video ads

Fluid Player is a lightweight HTML5 video player built for publishers who want to show and monetize video. It is completely free to use, for your videos and for your video ads, and its code is open source on GitHub (opens in a new tab). Load it from our own CDN, install it with npm or host the files yourself: no account, token or contract needed.

Ready to use, easy to make your own

Fluid Player looks good with its default settings, and everything it can do is in a single script, so you can start publishing videos with a few lines of code:

<script src="https://cdn.fluidplayer.com/v3/current/fluidplayer.min.js"></script>

<video id="my-video">
  <source src="my-video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

<script>
  fluidPlayer('my-video');
</script>

To match your brand, simple settings let you change the color of the controls, add your logo and a poster image, choose which buttons to show, add timeline thumbnail previews, enable theater mode or the mini player, customize the keyboard shortcuts and much more. You don’t need to be a developer: the Player Builder on our homepage lets you try every setting on a live player, then copy the code.

Video ads with any ad network, at no cost

Fluid Player supports VAST, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) (opens in a new tab) standard that ad servers use to deliver video ads, out of the box. It works with any ad network, ad exchange or video ad server, and you keep all of your ad revenue:

• several ads per video: pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll;
• linear (video) ads, with a skip button and a call to action;
• non-linear ads: image banners (GIF, JPEG or PNG) shown over the video;
• your own HTML banner when the viewer pauses the video;
• VAST wrappers, ad pods and fallback ad tags;
• VPAID 2.0 ads, switched on with one option.

Adding an ad takes one setting:

fluidPlayer('my-video', {
  vastOptions: {
    adList: [
      { roll: 'preRoll', vastTag: 'https://example.com/your-vast-tag.xml' }
    ]
  }
});

Open source: you stay in control

Fluid Player’s code is public on GitHub (opens in a new tab) under the MIT license, one of the most permissive open source licenses. In practice, this means:

• No lock-in: there is no license key, token, account or contract. The player is yours to use on as many sites as you like, for as long as you like.
• Full transparency: anyone can read the code and check exactly what the player does on your pages.
• Freedom to adapt: if you need something special, you can change the player or build on top of it.
• Peace of mind: your player keeps working whatever happens to a vendor’s prices, plans or ownership. Flowplayer’s story shows why this matters: users of its open source version are now left with an unmaintained player or a paid product.

Streaming, subtitles and VR

Fluid Player plays MP4 and WebM files and HLS and DASH streams, including live streams. Subtitles use WebVTT, the most widely used caption format on the web. Fluid Player also plays 360° videos, with a Cardboard view for VR headsets. At the end of a video, you can show suggested videos to keep viewers watching, and the player remembers each viewer’s volume, speed and quality for their next visit.

Documentation and support

Every option is explained in the Fluid Player documentation (opens in a new tab), with guides for React, Vue, Angular and WordPress. Have a question or found a problem? Open an issue on GitHub (opens in a new tab): the Fluid Player team reads and answers them, for free, and fixes land in regular releases.

Flowplayer: a paid player from Wowza

Flowplayer (opens in a new tab) started in Sweden in 2004 and became known as an open source player. Since Wowza bought it in 2022, it has been part of Wowza’s streaming platform: it is the default player of Wowza Video, and it is also sold on its own.

What Flowplayer does well

• Built for streaming: HLS, DASH, live streams with DVR, sub-second real-time playback with Wowza’s streaming servers, and DRM for protected content.
• Advanced advertising: on the right plan, its ads plugin supports VAST, VPAID, VMAP, header bidding and server-side ad insertion.
• More playback features: playlists, casting to AirPlay and Chromecast, a float-on-scroll player and an interface translated into about 20 languages.
• Analytics: viewing data in Wowza Video, plus plugins for Google Analytics and other tools.

What to keep in mind

• It’s a paid product: there is no free plan. Plans range from an entry plan with usage limits to custom pricing, and with the player-only plan all usage is billed separately. The 30-day Wowza Video trial shows a watermark.
• A token is required: the player needs a license token, which is checked online every time the player starts.
• Ads cost extra: advertising is a plugin that is only available on paid plans.
• Plugins for most features: streaming, subtitles, ads, casting and many other features each need their own plugin, loaded next to the player.
• No VR: there is no 360° or VR video support.
• WordPress: the official plugin hasn’t been updated since 2020.

Conclusion: which player should you choose?

Choose Fluid Player if you want to publish and monetize video without paying for a player. Video ads, banners, streaming and VR are all built in and free, and because the player is open source, you stay in control: no license token, no contract, no lock-in. Our team answers your questions on GitHub.

Choose Flowplayer if you already stream with Wowza and need a player tied to its platform, with real-time streaming, DRM and advanced ad technology, and you have the budget for it.

If you used the open source Flowplayer and are looking for a free replacement, or if you simply want a professional, open source player that earns revenue from day one, Fluid Player is the smart choice. Try it in the Player Builder and see your player take shape in a few clicks.