HTML video player comparison: Fluid Player vs. JW Player

If you publish videos on your website and want to earn revenue from them, you need a reliable HTML5 video player: lightweight, easy to customize, responsive and ready for video ads. Two well-known options are JW Player (opens in a new tab) and Fluid Player, and they take very different approaches. Fluid Player is free and open source. JW Player (now called the JWX Web Player) is a paid, proprietary product, part of the JWX video platform. We have compared the latest versions of both players: Fluid Player 3.61 and JW Player 8.51.

Feature comparison

The amber marks for JW Player’s ad features mean they are only available with its paid Enterprise edition. The same goes for self-hosting the player. For WordPress, JW Player relies on a plugin made by a third party.

The biggest differences are cost and access. Fluid Player gives you everything, video ads included, for free and without signing up. JW Player needs a JWX account, a paid plan and, for ads, the Enterprise edition. Fluid Player also plays VR and 360° videos, which JW Player no longer does.

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

Fluid Player is a lightweight HTML5 video player that is completely free to use, for your videos and for your video ads. Its code is open source on GitHub (opens in a new tab), so you can see how it works and adapt it if you need to. Load it from our own CDN, install it with npm or host the files yourself: no account, license key or contract needed.

Ready to use, easy to make your own

Fluid Player looks good with its default settings, 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, 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 or plans. JW Player, by comparison, has changed its name three times since 2023, merged with another company and reshaped its plans.

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, a feature JW Player removed in 2021. 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.

JW Player: a paid video platform

JW Player (opens in a new tab) is one of the oldest names in online video. The company became JWP, merged with the video ad company Connatix in 2024 and has been called JWX since December 2025. Its player, now the JWX Web Player, is part of a larger platform for hosting, streaming and monetizing video.

What JW Player does well

• A complete platform: video hosting, a player, analytics and advertising tools in one dashboard.
• Advanced advertising: besides VAST, it supports Google IMA, VMAP, header bidding and server-side ad insertion, on the right plan.
• More playback features: playlists, casting to AirPlay and Chromecast, a translated interface and DRM for protected content.
• Social publishing: videos can be published to YouTube and Facebook from the dashboard.

What to keep in mind

• No published prices: JWX doesn’t list its prices. Plans are billed by usage (hours of video, data delivered) and, on some plans, a share of your ad revenue. You need to contact sales to get started.
• Ads cost extra: VAST, VPAID and Google IMA ads are only supported in the Enterprise edition.
• Tied to an account: the player runs with a JWX license key. Self-hosting the player files is also an Enterprise feature.
• No more VR: JW Player removed 360° and VR video support in 2021.
• Support for customers only: support comes with a paid subscription; there is no free help channel.

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 key, no contract, no lock-in. You set them up in minutes, keep all your ad revenue, and our team answers your questions on GitHub.

Choose JW Player if you are a large media company that needs a complete paid platform, with video hosting, analytics and advanced ad technology, and you have the budget for an Enterprise contract.

For most publishers who 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.