Accurate as of 14 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars unless marked otherwise. Platform fees and rules change often - check each platform's own terms before you sign up. We'll update this guide when we spot a change.
Vimeo On Demand closes on 20 November 2026. New purchases already stopped on 21 September, and Vimeo has said the storefront is shutting because of reduced activity. If you sold or rented your film there, you need a new home for it - and if you're finishing a film now, you're probably asking the same question from scratch.
This is an honest comparison of the main ways to sell or rent a film online in 2026. We run Long Play, so we're one of the options below, and we'll say plainly where we fit and where we don't. For each platform we've looked at three things:
- What you keep from each sale or view
- Who owns the audience - whether you know who your buyers are and can reach them again
- What it takes to get on - whether you can just upload, or need a distributor, aggregator or festival credentials first
The short version
| Platform | What you keep | Who owns the audience | How you get on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Prime Video Direct | 50% of net revenue on rentals and purchases | Amazon | Self-upload, but Amazon generally licenses films with a theatrical release, major broadcast or major festival selection |
| Apple TV (iTunes) | Set by your aggregator's agreement | Apple | Through an Apple-approved aggregator or encoding house for most independents |
| Filmhub | 80% of what Filmhub receives from channels | The channels | Self-upload; Filmhub places your film on ad-supported and other services |
| Gumroad | 90%, less US$0.50 a sale and card fees (direct sales) | You | Self-upload |
| Long Play | 100%, less Stripe's card fee | You | Self-upload, Creator plan or above |
Amazon Prime Video Direct
Amazon's own support pages say rental and purchase titles earn 50% of net revenue. You can upload directly with no submission fee, which makes it look like the easy option - but Amazon also says it generally licenses professionally produced, feature-length films that have had a theatrical release, been broadcast on a major network, or been selected by a major film festival. Plenty of independent films are turned away.
Good for: films with festival or broadcast credentials that want to sit where a huge audience already shops. The trade-off: Amazon owns the customer relationship. You won't know who watched, and you can't take that audience with you.
Apple TV (iTunes)
Apple says most independent films reach its store through Apple-approved aggregators, and that all content must be encoded and delivered by an approved encoding facility. Apple's own direct-provider requirements set a high bar (a catalogue of theatrically released titles), so for most filmmakers the aggregator is the way in. Your aggregator's agreement sets the fees and the split, so read it closely - upfront encoding and delivery fees are common. Apple also requires closed captions on US feature deliveries.
Good for: feature films that want a premium storefront and can absorb aggregator costs. The trade-off: costs before you've sold a single copy, and Apple owns the audience.
Filmhub
Filmhub's help centre says you receive 80% of what Filmhub receives from the channels that show your film, and the basic plan has no upfront fee. Filmhub places films across a long list of services, many of them free and ad-supported, such as Tubi.
Good for: getting a finished film in front of as many people as possible with very little effort, especially older or catalogue titles. The trade-off: ad-supported viewing usually earns very little per view, and you're two steps removed from your viewers - you won't know who they are.
Gumroad (or selling from your own website)
Gumroad charges 10% plus US$0.50 per sale on direct sales from your own link, rising to 30% on sales that come through its Discover marketplace, with card processing on top. You keep the buyer's email, which matters more than the percentage over time.
Good for: filmmakers who already have an audience and a mailing list. The trade-off: there's no player built for long-form film, and no discovery - every sale comes from traffic you drive yourself.
Long Play
On Long Play you connect your own Stripe account and set your own price to buy, to rent (from 24 hours up to whatever window you choose), or both. We take no cut. Stripe takes its normal card processing fee and pays the rest straight to you - the money never passes through us. Selling and renting is part of the Creator plan, which is US$4.99 a month (A$5.99 in Australia, €4.99 in Europe and C$4.99 in Canada - our plans page shows the price in your currency).
You can also sell a whole series or course as one purchase, and members who buy are unlocked automatically. Rental clocks start on first play, not at checkout. The film plays in a calm, ad-free player with no algorithm deciding who sees it, encoded at a high quality (up to 4K) rather than squeezed down for a feed.
Good for: filmmakers who want to keep their audience, set their own price and keep the revenue. The trade-off: we don't have Amazon's or Apple's built-in shoppers. Like Gumroad or your own website, the audience comes from you. What we do is stay out of the money: we don't take anything from each sale.
Which one should you choose?
There's no single right answer, and many filmmakers use more than one:
- If you have festival or broadcast credentials and want the widest storefront, Amazon or an Apple aggregator can sit alongside a direct option.
- If you want maximum reach for an older title and don't mind ad-supported pennies, Filmhub does the legwork.
- If you have an audience - a mailing list, a following, a community around your work - sell direct. Keeping 100% (less card fees) instead of 50% is the difference between a film that pays its way and one that doesn't, and you'll still know who your viewers are when you make the next one.
Whatever you choose, keep your master file and your buyers' details somewhere you control. Platforms close - Vimeo On Demand is proof of that.
Leaving Vimeo On Demand? See what Long Play offers Vimeo On Demand sellers, and our guide to selling and renting videos with Stripe.
Figures in this article were checked against each platform's own published terms on 14 October 2026, except Gumroad's, which come from widely reported 2026 pricing. Rates change - always confirm current terms with the platform before you sign up.