Below, we’ll address common questions such as the definition of media and the distinction between included media and media limits. We’ll also provide best practices for tidying up your account. To begin, we’ll start with how we define media here at Wistia.

Any file uploaded to your Wistia account is considered a media. This includes video, audio, document, and image files. For details on the file formats Wistia supports, please visit our Export Settings article.

Each plan comes with a certain number of included media; this is the number of media files included in the cost of your subscription. For example, 20 included media means you can upload 20 files to your account at no additional cost.

Paid plans allow you to upload additional media beyond the included number for a monthly, per-media cost. This cost is based on the total number of media in the account at the end of the billing cycle. For example, if you have 20 included media and the billing cycle ends with 24 total media on the account, there will be an additional cost for the 4 extra media.

This end-of-month calculation means you won’t be charged right away if you temporarily go beyond the included media number, and gives you some time to archive or delete media you don’t need right now. See more below on managing your media costs.

Free plans are limited only to the included media number, and must upgrade to a paid plan to increase the media allotment.

The media limit refers to the maximum number of media files that your account can hold. It is not possible to surpass the media limit. Once you hit this limit, you won’t be able to continue uploading until you clear up some space or upgrade.

Total media calculations and associated charges are calculated at the end of each billing cycle. Here are some tips for effectively managing your media library and having more control over monthly costs.

If you’re looking to reduce the number of media in your account, you may want to start by exporting a media report from the Account Usage page in Settings.

This report provides a list of all the media on your account, along with useful metadata (ex., Most Recent Play Date, Total Plays, etc). You can filter this data to determine which files you'd prefer to keep, archive, or delete.

Archived media do not count towards the included media limit, so this is a great way to keep media numbers down without having to totally delete things from the account. When a media is archived, the video files and any associated stats remain in your account, but the video can no longer be played/streamed unless it’s restored.

Of course, you could also delete those older media from the account entirely - just make sure you export the stats or download the original file if needed. Deleted media are not recoverable after 30 days.

If you consistently find yourself nearing your media limit, it may be time to consider other plan options. Our team can help assess your needs and recommend a plan that better suits your growing content library. Just give us a shout!