Interactive Video
The 24 Best Platforms for 2024
Our annual review of the best 24 interactive video software and platforms - updated for 2024
How to Compare the Top 24 Interactive Video Platforms
One of the platforms listed below will be right for your creative needs. Each has a slightly different offering. We are proud to make Stornaway.io, much loved by tens of thousands of users for its amazing ease and flexibility. We built Stornaway as an interactive video platform, and it’s grown to be a creative-friendly platform for a huge variety of interactive video stories and journeys in lots of different industries around the world. We’re proud to be a part of such a rich ecosystem of tools – and we want to help you make a balanced informed decision.
So for 2024, we’ve included and updated what we see as the 24 top options – along with information on their key features, who they’re best for and (where possible) pricing – and compiled our findings here for you.
What is Interactive Video?
Making a video interactive is a whole new way of thinking about video, by adding buttons and links, and joining up multiple clips into a personalised viewer journey.
We’ve posted a more in-depth article about this here, where we get into this in more detail:
https://www.stornaway.io/what-is-interactive-video/
At Stornaway, we see every day that you’re inventing new and innovative ways to join up video content into exciting interactive video journeys and conversations.
From learning and training to marketing and communications – from live events and exhibitions to interactive films and interactive TV and immersive VR – interactive video is continuing to explode in 2024.
The question now for you is…
Table of Contents
This table of contents links to the 24 (and a few cheeky bonuses) interactive video software platforms, apps and tools that we describe in more detail below. Click to jump to our description of each, or keep scrolling down.
See Our Comparison Criteria
How have we evaluated all these different tools?
They have such different offerings and focuses that a simple score won’t suffice – and so we won’t provide a simple conclusion or a top 3. Instead, we’ve tried to describe them in more helpful terms:
- Summary of their focus and how they describe themselves, with a bit about the people who created them and why.
- Who it’s best for: What kind of content we think each tool is designed for – many are aimed at a specific market.
- Key features: as a sentence rather than a bullet point list.
- Pricing: Details of plans and limits where advertised, or whether they are Price on Request.
What areas should you be thinking about when you consider these tools?
- Your Focus: Are you looking to connect up multiple clips into stories, experiences, journeys or lessons? Or are you looking to add simple buttons to single videos to let people buy things?
- User Interface (UI): Does the interface make you feel happy when you think about using it? Trust your gut!
- Usability: Is it easy to learn and use? Is it too technical for you and your team, or not technical enough?
- Features & Price: What key features do you need? Do you really need all the bells and whistles? Nothing does everything, so it’s more important that you can work well with what you really need, at a price you can afford. Try before you buy!
- Where do you want to publish (and how are you going to monetise it)? Most of these platforms publish interactive videos to the web and social media, while Stornaway.io allows you to publish to other platforms too (like apps and gaming). Decide how you want to deliver your videos, and work back from there.
1. Stornaway.io
Summary: Stornaway lets you turn your static passive content into guided personalised journeys and interactive conversations.
With an easy-to-use visual editor, think of it as a cross between YouTube and Powerpoint, but as an immersive 2 way conversation.
It was inspired by co-founders Ru Howe and Kate Dimbleby’s unique set of backgrounds in film and tv, jazz improvisation, theatre and technology.
Who uses us: Stornaway is the world’s most popular interactive video platform, taking off with people around the world who need to communicate anything – in communications, storytelling and education. Learning and Development, Agencies, Universities and Schools, Governments and Filmmakers.
Key Features: Lovely, easy interface for planning interactive video journeys, experiences, lessons and stories. Instant playback, even before you have your own video. Collaboration. Publishing to web, social and other platforms including gaming platforms and apps including VR.
Pricing: Free to create, edit and playtest projects.
See our Pricing page for up-to-date pricing for more features, or contact us for custom plans. Academic and Enterprise and Not for Profit plans also available with customised solutions for different needs – and self-hosting is available for enterprise plans.
Check out our Stornaway interactive video home page to see our demo video and to sign up for free, and find out why users call us “miraculously simple and intuitive”
2. Vimeo (fka Wirewax)
Summary: Vimeo interactive video offer enterprise-only interactive video solutions.
Who’s it best for: E-commerce / marketing / sales
Key Feature: Add buttons to a video and click to move around inside it or open overlays.
Pricing: Interactive is available on request for Vimeo Enterprise users only – starting at $10,000 and going up to $24,000, $60,000 and $120,000 according to your needs.
Visit Vimeo
3. Brightcove (fka HapYak)
Summary: One of the world’s most successful OTT platforms designed for medium-sized and large brands to monetize live and on-demand video through advertising. They bought their Boston-based neighbours Hapyak in 2021 to add Hapyak’s learning-focused interactivity to their platform.
Who’s it best for: E-Learning / training / marketing
Key Feature: Add interactivity to your Brightcove corporate videos.
Pricing: on request – Brightcove enterprise accounts are typically $100,000+ per year
Visit Brightcove
4. Eko
Update November 2024: we have heard from customers who are transitioning to Stornaway that Eko is closing down its interactive video service. If that affects you, please get in touch via support@stornaway.io and migrate to Stornaway.
5. Spott.ai
Summary: Shoppable video with interactive clickable ‘spotts’. Interactive content with images, catalogues, videos and ads. Founded by Michel De Wachter (ex-BNP Paribas) and Jonas De Cooman (ex-Coca Cola) in 2014 in Belgium.
Who’s it best for: Ecommerce and product sales
Key Features: Spotts – clickable dots to highlight products for more info.
Pricing: based on interactions, with 30 interactions on the starter plan, $420/yr for 500 interactions, $2100 for 2000, $7000 for 7000 and then on request.
Visit Spott
6. Kaltura (fka Rapt)
Summary: Kaltura provides live and on-demand video solutions to thousands of organizations around the world. In 2018, Kaltura acquired Rapt, adding their interactive tools for all Kaltura users.
Who’s it best for: Learning / Training
Key Features: Create engaging Interactive Video Paths, trim videos, create clips that highlight the most interesting parts or to add fun hotspots, add video quizzes
Pricing: On request, but reported as starting at around the same level as Brightcove
Visit Kaltura
7. Playposit
Summary: Make personalized content accessible to engage any learner while empowering them to take control of their learning journey through flexible and equitable delivery options. Founded as eduCanon in 2012 by Benjamin Levy, a former teacher.
Who’s it best for: Schools / Training
Key Features: allows instructors to enrich video content with a variety of powerful interactions ranging from multiple choice questions to graded fill-in-the blanks – with branding, notes and sidebars.
Pricing: From $144 / Year for an individual teacher with a free option for a limited number of learners, to institutional and enterprise contracts.
Visit Playposit
8. Smartzer
Summary: Live shopping and on demand interactive video platform, with integrations for Shopify, Magento and other major ecommerce platforms. Founded in 2012 in London by Karoline Gross.
Who’s it best for: e-commerce / agencies / brands
Key Features: Make live streams instantly shoppable and integrate with Shopify and others.
Pricing: On request – charged as a subscription
Visit Smartzer
9. Hihaho
Summary: Add interactions to your own videos to jump to different chapter points. Hihaho stands for high interactivity, high attention value and high outcome – founded in 2014 in Holland.
Who’s it best for: Training / Healthcare / Demos
Key Features: Simple interface for creating chapter jump points
Pricing: €97 per video with 500MB limit, on request for more
Visit Hihaho
10. Dot.vu
Summary: All kinds of interactive marketing content, including flipbooks, calculators and games. Launched in 2013 in Denmark by Casper Kandelsdorff.
Who’s it best for: Brand comms projects
Key Features: Simple / Advance options that allow users to utilise premade templates.
Pricing: Starting from €5,995 per year, with higher plans for €9,995 and €15,995
Visit Dot.vu
11. Wootag
Summary: Create simple interactions, directly within your video. Founded in 2015 by Raj Sunder in Singapore, because he wanted to buy sunglasses he’d seen in a video.
Who’s it best for: E-Commerce / Brands / Marketing
Key Features: Add touchpoints in the editor; allow viewers to select the chapters they’re interested in and jump straight to that section of the video
Pricing: Free for 50 interactions; $1200 for 1000 interactions, enterprise pricing available
Visit Wootag
12. Verse
Summary: “Your content connected. Connects your videos through interactive elements and transforms static content into dynamic digital experiences that invite exploration and increase engagement” Founded in 2016 by journalist, photographer and ex-senior-animator at game studio Harmonix, Antonio Bolfo.
Who’s it best for: Brands / Enterprise Marketing & Comms
Key Features: Hotspots, explainers, slideshows, mobile first design, 360 interactive video
Pricing: starting at $1200/yr for 10k mins/m, or $12,000/yr for 100k mins/m
Visit Verse
13. Wyzowl
Summary: Leading producer of explainer videos. “Whether you want to increase sales, build brand awareness or educate your audience – We create video content to help you do it!” Founded in 2011 in Southport UK by Matt Byrom, who ran 4040 Media doing graphic design for print & web, and saw the opportunity for explainer videos.
Who’s it best for: Those who want interactive explainer video content production
Key Features: Full service production of high quality videos
Pricing: on request
Visit Wyzowl
14. Mindstamp
Summary: Present interactive videos based on what you already know about your customer. Founded in 2017 in Florida by Brett Lindenberg (ex-Amazon & Grooveshark)
Who’s it best for: Marketing/Sales
Key Feature: Ask different types of questions, add nice CTAs, and deploying as part of marketing automation (with tools such as Hubspot, Salesforce, Slack).
Pricing: Starting at $59/month for 10k minutes viewing/5k views, $79/month for 50k mins/100k views, $299/month for unstated mins/600k views.
Visit Mindstamp
15. Cinema8
Summary: Add interactivity to videos, with on screen calls to action. Founded by Alisan Erdemli of Gobito in 2018 in Manchester and Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul.
Who’s it best for: Learning / Filmmaking / E-commerce
Key Features: 360 video, drag and drop tools, API
Pricing: on request
Visit Cinema8
16. Adventr
Summary: Interactive video creation and publishing, with pre-roll ad network compatibility, SmartListen voice control. Founded by music producer Devo Harris in 2019, inspired by his experience making interactive music videos.
Who’s it best for: Marketing / Quizzes / Demos
Key Features: SmartListen voice control, pre-roll ad compatibility, drag and drop editor.
Pricing: Pricing plans from $228/yr for 2 projects, $1188/yr for 4, and $4000 for teams, and enterprise pricing on request
Visit Adventr
17. Idomoo
Summary: “Personalized Video merges data and video to deliver exceptional experiences that wow customers and produce higher and more measurable ROI.” – founded by Yaron Kalish, Danny Kalish and Assaf Fogel in 2008.
Who’s it best for: Marketing / Brands / Enterprise
Key Features: Create thousands of individual personalised videos automatically with their Living Video tool.
Pricing: on request
Visit Idomoo
18. Near-life
Summary: “Produce high-quality training materials that increase knowledge retention and provide key data insights. Our LMS allows you to seamlessly track and authenticate learners in an easy to use platform.” Founded by Mike Todd in Bolton UK in 2020, inspired by an idea in 2015 to make Hostile Environment Training interactive.
Who’s it best for: Learning / Training
Key Features: Interactive 360 VR video creator and LMS
Pricing: Starting at $1200/yr fo 200GB streaming, with plans at $1450/yr for 300GB and $2250/yr for 400GB
Visit Near-life
19. Luma1
Summary: Securely hosted interactive content for training and communications, available to employees on any device. Founded by John Hudson in Ottawa, Canada in 2017.
Who’s it best for: Learning and communications
Key Features: Secure hosting and ability to analyse data at a wide or user-based level.
Pricing: Starting at $4,188/yr for 2500 views/m, with plans at $9,540/yr for 10k views/m and $17,940/yr for 25k views/m
Visit Luma1
20. YouTube Interactive Video
Summary: Most people don’t realise that YouTube has interactive video features in it. Starting as ‘annotations’ in 2008, replaced by basic but mobile-friendly ‘end screens’ in 2016. Stornaway founder Ru Howe made the first interactive story on YouTube back in 2008.
Who’s it best for: YouTubers and anyone wanting to beat the YT algorithm
Key Features: Simple boxes with thumbnails on screen within the last 20 seconds of a video, which link to other videos. Not very satisfying, and missing a lot of features you’d get with Stornaway.
Pricing: free, ad supported
21. H5P
Summary: Open-source tool for users to create, share and reuse interactive html5 content in their browser
Who’s it best for: E-learning / Marketing
Key Features: Ability to create adaptive questions. If answered incorrectly, people will be sent to rewatch certain information but not people who answered correctly.
Pricing: Free open source code
Visit H5P.org
22. Adobe Captivate
Summary: Adobe’s only interactive video offering at the moment but not part of Creative Cloud, Captivate is their e-learning authoring tool – originally eHelp from Macromedia 20 years ago. Captivate now works with Captivate Prime, Adobe’s LMS, as a Desktop app for authoring interactive learning experiences of all kinds.
Who it’s best for: E-learning, Training
Key Features: build standalone interactive experiences with responsive design and 360 video via Adobe’s desktop app
Pricing: from $408/yr as a desktop subscription app, unfortunately as a separate subscription from Creative Cloud
Visit Adobe Captivate
23. Articulate
Summary: Dominant E-learning Authoring tool and challenger to Captivate
Who it’s best for: E-learning, Training
Key Features: build standalone interactive experiences with responsive design and some interactive video capabilities – putting links on videos
Pricing: $1199 personal, $1499 per user for teams
Visit Articulate
24. Twine, Korsakow, and more...
Now we’re going beyond interactive video a little, we thought we’d combine a few bonuses into #24. Even though it’s not strictly an interactive video tool – we wanted to include Twine, because we’ve loved it for a long time and a lot of people use it. It’s a bit like Stornaway, but without video, playback and professional features. Built by Chris Klimas in 2009 as a tool to plan out branching narratives for interactive fiction on the web. If you search “Interactive story” on Google, it’s the first thing you’ll find. It has a powerful community around it. Charlie Brooker used it to write Bandersnatch, although he said it was “like doing a Rubik’s cube in your brain” – if he’d had Stornaway back in 2018, it would have been a LOT easier. But Twine can be be a handy thing to have in your toolkit from time to time.
If you’re interested in experimental non-commercial interactive films, check out Korsakow, made by our friend Florian Thalhofer. It’s a tool for creating serendipitous experiences which can feel very meaningful to the creator, if sometimes a bit baffling to a casual observer!
And finally, as a reward for reading this far, we also wanted to link to the BBC’s Makerbox. Even though it’s for BBC use, our friends at BBC R&D have done a great job creating the no-code open source tool Storyformer, and it’s very closely aligned with what our aims are at Stornaway.io
Also in the UK making back-ends for branching narrative video (FMV games) are Wales Interactive, who make games for game platforms. Check out their page on Steam – particularly Paul Raschid’s interactive movies. You can read about how to make interactive films in Stornaway like Paul Raschid in our blog post here.
RIP: Klynt and Flash
So many interactive video tools have come and gone over the years before the web was ready for interactive streaming as it is now. Klynt was a favourite because it was the great workhorse of interactive documentary makers and interactive filmmaking classrooms. It required some geekery, but it was flexible. It finally shuffled off to the digital graveyard last year together with Flash. Lots of old projects have faded away with them. That’s why Stornaway projects are built with an open standard data model and integrations – so in future, projects can keep running.
In conclusion: try the platforms that best suit your needs
We hope this has been helpful, and shows the diversity of choices there are out there. For shoppable video with tools like Wirewax and Eko, or educational LMS with Captivate and Articulate, or data integrations with Brightcove and Smartzer – to mention just 6 of the 24 without detracting from the others. Horses for courses!
We hope that whatever you’re trying to do, you give Stornaway.io a test drive – do let us know how you get on. Have a look at some of our examples and case studies via the links below to see what’s possible.
And please share this article via the button below to your professional network on LinkedIn – or to anyone who’d find it useful.
Do reach out to us at Stornaway to help you with your interactive video choices- just email hello@stornaway.io – we read and reply to everything.
Enjoy the journey!