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.

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 set number of included media; this is the number of media files included in your subscription cost. 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 limit for a monthly per-media fee. 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.

Additional media charges are billed monthly, even if your plan renews annually. Each monthly invoice covers your media count for the previous monthly period (for example, the 24th to the 24th). If you've recently moved to a storage-based plan, your first new invoice may also include a final additional media charge from the period before the switch.

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 you must upgrade to a paid plan to increase the media allotment.

A media limit is 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 analytics 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 analytics or download the original file if needed.

Each legacy plan has a limit on how many media can be archived, and you can see your used and available archive space on the Account Usage page. Only Account Owners and Managers can archive media.

Deleted something by accident? You can restore it from the Recently Deleted page for up to 30 days after deletion.

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!

Charges are based on your total media count, not new uploads. If you've been over your included media for a while, the charge repeats each month. Export a media report from Account Usage to see every media counted, then archive or delete the ones you don't need before your next billing date.

If your account has moved to a storage-based plan, archived media still count toward storage, so you'll need to delete files to reduce usage. Account usage totals can take up to a day to update.

Trials let you test a higher plan's features but keep your current plan's media limit. Remove media or upgrade to keep uploading.