What systeme.io actually documents
The systeme.io help article on hosting videos gives three numbers that matter. Media storage, including video, is unlimited. A single video file cannot exceed 2GB. For the fastest loading, systeme.io recommends uploading videos no larger than 100MB. [1]
Uploaded videos work on blog pages, funnel pages and inside courses and memberships. You can also add a video by URL or by embed code instead of uploading. After uploading you can switch autoplay and controls on or off and set a custom thumbnail. The article suggests compressing videos with a tool such as Handbrake to improve loading speed. [1]
The marketing page for courses says the same thing in broader terms: host videos directly with no storage limits or extra fees, or embed from YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia. [2] What neither page states is the accepted file formats, whether systeme.io re-encodes uploads into multiple qualities, or any download protection. If those matter to you, test with a short clip before uploading a whole course.
| Item | What systeme.io says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total storage | Unlimited for media, including videos | [1] |
| Per-file limit | 2GB maximum | [1] |
| Recommended size | No larger than 100MB for fastest loading | [1] |
| Other ways to add video | By URL or embed code | [1] |
| Player options | Autoplay, controls, custom thumbnail | [1] |
| Formats, adaptive quality, download protection | Not stated | [1][2] |
Plan limits that affect a course, not the videos
The binding limit on systeme.io is usually the number of courses and students, not storage. The courses page lists: Free, 1 course with up to 500 students and 2,000 contacts; Startup at $17 a month, 5 courses with unlimited students and 5,000 contacts; Webinar at $47 a month, 20 courses and 10,000 contacts; Unlimited at $97 a month, unlimited courses, students and contacts. [2] The pricing page lists unlimited file storage space among the features all plans include, and advertises 2 months free on annual billing. [3]
So a single 6-hour flagship course can live on the free plan from a storage point of view. The question is whether 500 students and 2,000 contacts is enough.
Worked storage estimate for a 6-hour course
The arithmetic below is ours, not systeme.io's. File size depends on bitrate: size in megabytes is roughly bitrate in megabits per second, times seconds, divided by 8. Screen recordings and talking-head videos compress well; fast motion does not. Treat the bitrates as assumptions to replace with your own export settings.
Assume 6 hours of finished video cut into 36 lessons of 10 minutes (600 seconds each).
At 5 Mbps, an assumed 1080p export setting, each lesson is about 5 x 600 / 8 = 375MB, and the course totals about 13.5GB. Every file is well under the 2GB cap, but each one is nearly four times the 100MB recommendation. [1]
At 1.5 Mbps, a compressed 720p export suitable for slides or screen work, each lesson is about 112MB and the course totals about 4GB. That sits close to systeme.io's recommendation.
Splitting matters more than total size. A single 60-minute 1080p file at 5 Mbps would be about 2.25GB and would exceed the 2GB per-file limit. [1]
| Export setting (assumed) | Per 10-minute lesson | 36 lessons (6 hours) | Under 2GB cap? | Near 100MB guidance? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p at 5 Mbps | about 375MB | about 13.5GB | Yes | No |
| 1080p at 3 Mbps | about 225MB | about 8.1GB | Yes | No |
| 720p at 1.5 Mbps | about 112MB | about 4GB | Yes | Roughly |
| One 60-minute file at 5 Mbps | about 2.25GB | n/a | No | No |
When Vimeo is worth adding
Vimeo's reason to exist in a course stack is privacy control over embeds. Vimeo's plan comparison shows embed domain-level privacy and video privacy settings on Starter, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise, but not on the Free plan. [4] Domain-level privacy means the video only plays when embedded on domains you list, which keeps a paid lesson from being dropped onto someone else's site.
Storage on Vimeo is capped differently from systeme.io. The Free plan allows 3GB for embeddable and non-public videos, so the 13.5GB course in the example above would not fit. Starter lists 2TB of storage, Standard 4TB and Advanced 7TB, each with 2TB of monthly bandwidth. [4] A newer Core plan, still rolling out, lists 500GB of managed storage for embeddable and non-public videos, unlisted links, embed domain-level privacy and an embed-only option that hides videos from vimeo.com. [5]
Vimeo's plan help pages do not list prices, so confirm the current cost on Vimeo's pricing page before you add it to a course budget.
When YouTube is enough, and when it is not
YouTube costs nothing to host, but its privacy model does not match a paid course. Unlisted videos can be seen and reshared by anyone with the link and do not appear in search unless someone adds them to a public playlist. Private videos can only be seen by you and the people whose email addresses you add in YouTube Studio, and are not shareable by URL. [6]
Embedded YouTube players can show ads; if ads are served in privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), they are non-personalized. You can also turn off embedding for a video in YouTube Studio. [7] For a free lead-magnet lesson inside a systeme.io funnel, an unlisted YouTube embed is reasonable. For paid lessons, assume an unlisted link can leak.
Which option fits which course
Use this as a starting point, then test one real lesson on each option before committing.
- Export one 10-minute lesson and check its file size against the 100MB guidance.
- Upload it to a test course and play it on a phone over mobile data.
- Decide whether an unlisted link leaking would matter for this course.
- Name lesson files in order so a 36-file upload stays manageable.
| Situation | Reasonable choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First course, under 500 students, compressed lessons | Upload to systeme.io | Unlimited storage on every plan, 2GB per file, no extra tool to pay for [1][3] |
| Paid course where leaks would hurt | Paid Vimeo plan embedded in systeme.io | Embed domain-level privacy is not on Vimeo Free [4] |
| Free preview or lead-magnet lesson | Unlisted YouTube embed | No hosting cost; anyone with the link can watch and share [6] |
| Long recordings you will not edit | Split before upload, any host | A 60-minute 1080p file can exceed systeme.io's 2GB cap [1] |
Questions before you decide
What is the maximum video file size on systeme.io?
systeme.io's help center says a video file cannot exceed 2GB, and recommends uploading videos no larger than 100MB for the fastest loading time.
Does systeme.io charge for video storage?
No. systeme.io says it offers unlimited storage for media including videos, and its courses page says it does not charge extra for storage, files or downloads.
Can I keep course videos private with YouTube?
Partly. Unlisted YouTube videos can be watched and reshared by anyone with the link. Private videos are limited to people you invite by email and are not shareable by URL.
Does Vimeo's free plan offer domain-level embed privacy?
No. Vimeo's plan comparison lists embed domain-level privacy on Starter, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise, not on the Free plan, which also caps embeddable and non-public storage at 3GB.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- systeme.io Help: how to host your videos Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io online courses Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Vimeo Help: about Vimeo plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Vimeo Help: about the Vimeo Core plan Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- YouTube Help: change video privacy settings Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- YouTube Help: embed videos and playlists Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.