Plans and pricing FAQs

What plan is right for me?

Our Zype X plan provides you with a complete infrastructure for streaming on the web - including paywalls and live streaming support. Learn more about Zype X.

Our premium plans include support for advanced features, like a full stack for OTT / Connected TV, vMVPD, and Mobile app-based distribution, and much more. Our pricing guide details the main feature differences, and a detailed feature matrix is available.

Can I use Zype X to stream to an OTT app?

No. Only our premium plans support this.

Can I integrate my ad server with your premium plans?

Yes, our Premium plan level includes support for ad servers, including client-side and server-side ads.

Can I integrate my own authentication systems (eg. a member database or employee directory) with your premium plans?

Yes, our Enterprise plan level includes support for customer authentication and SSO.

Can I use Zype to generate and distribute MRSS feeds?

Yes, MRSS feed distribution is included in our premium plan levels.

How does Zype charge?

Zype charges customers for three primary services each with their own billing cycle (i) Software Subscription Fees (ii) Infrastructure Usage Fees and (ii) Professional Services Fees.

Software Subscription Fees are billed on a monthly recurring basis for a fixed amount. Invoices are due upon receipt.

Infrastructure Usage Fees are assessed at the end of the calendar month and billed within 3 days of the following month for any variable usage incurred during the period. Invoices are due on Net-30 Day Basis.

Professional Services Fees are billed on a milestone basis generally between two installments - 50% upon Project Commencement and 50% upon Project Completion. Project Commencement invoices are due upon receipt and Project Completion Invoices are due on a Net-30 Day Basis.

Will I incur any overage or usage fees in excess of my monthly subscription?

Yes. Zype bills for Infrastructure Usage Fees for any usage incurred during a given month in excess of a customer’s Monthly Allotment. Read the section below to learn more:

Monetization

Entitlements: any one-time, recurring or non-cancelled subscription managed by Zype on a customer’s behalf
Ad Insertions: a request made to an ad server to insert an ad into a video stream

Standard Plan Rate
Entitlements: $0.60/entitlement

Content Delivery

Stream Hours: any hour of content streamed by viewers
GB: any data of content streamed by viewers
Video Requests: any successful response to a player request made to Zype's Player API endpoint

Standard Plan Rate
Stream Hour: $0.08/hour

Encoding

Encode Hours: any hour of video content encoded to 4 unique streaming formats.

Standard Plan Rate
Encode Hour: $3.00/hour

Zype X rates are explained in detail on the Zype X page.

Are there storage limits? If so, what are the overage fees?

Nope! Zype offers unlimited storage across all of our plans. There is no cost for storage.

Do you offer volume discounts?

Yes, our premium level plans all include volume discount arrangements.

What are Zype’s cancellation terms?

All premium plan contracts require a 12-month commitment prior to cancellation.

Zype X can be canceled at any time. It is a month-to-month plan with no commitment.

Is full annual payment required upfront?

No. Customers can choose to pay on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. There may be discounts available for upfront payment terms.

Can I create my own OTT and Connected TV apps using Zype?

Yes, Zype Apps Creator provides a full infrastructure for creating and publishing OTT apps. We offer a range of options spanning web, mobile, connected TV, and universal packages so that you can build and deploy beautiful apps across every streaming platform.

What is the lead time for creating OTT apps?

Apps Creator makes it easy to get in market quickly with beautiful, compliant apps. Save an average of 9 months in development time with our robust solution that gets you up and running in weeks, not months. Turnaround times depend on many factors depending on your team's experience with the various OTT platforms and marketplaces. We recommend planning for turnaround time of at least 6 weeks. During the onboarding process, we will collaborate with your team to make sure milestones are being met to meet launch deadlines.

What Connected TV and Mobile endpoints does Zype support?

You can find a full list of our Mobile and Connected TV endpoints on the Zype Apps Creator webpage.

Do I have to use Zype's CMS with Apps Creator?

No, you can continue to use your CMS of choice. The Zype Apps Creator will allow you to bring your own hosted solution. We will continue to remain agnostic as to where your content comes from as long as it matches our specifications.

While you don't need to leverage Zype's CMS, the close integration between Zype and Apps Creator makes using Zype's CMS more efficient and has beneficial advantages for uses.

To read more FAQ about Apps Creator, please visit our help center page.

If I'm currently using a different video service, or our own house-built solution, can I migrate to Zype?

We've built connectors to make migration easy via APIs, MRSS feeds, and direct uploads. Our APIs support migrating your content, metadata, user data, and more.

We also provide unlimited storage, so there's no need to worry about the size of your content library.

Many customers require professional services to help them scope out, execute, and validate their migration plan. Backlight Professional Services team can provide these services to your team to help ease the migration.

What is Zype Professional Services and what does it cost?

Zype Professional Services is a team of Zype developers, software and solutions architects, product and project managers, and broadcast engineers that customers can leverage for engagements outside the scope of our plans. Some examples include subscriber migration services, application and endpoint publishing, and API integrations.

ZPS engagement costs depend on specific customer requirements and needs. Pricing is a separate process with a unique SOW.

Do I have to use Zype end-to-end, or can I choose specific product offerings to use?

You can choose whatever product offerings you’d like to use. Zype can be used as both a turnkey or a modular solution. You can use our full product family or use what you need and leverage specific workflows to accomplish your goals. We support thousands of connectors in the video ecosystem to provide you with an integrated experience so you can use your existing software and infrastructure with Zype Streaming Platform.

Can I use my own CDN with Zype?

Yes, Zype offers a direct import flow for you to bring your content from your own CDN. If your content resides on a third-party CDN and/or existing hosting provider, you can import it as a Self-Hosted video source to Zype. You can also use your own CDN for live streaming.

What broadcast resolution does Zype Streaming Platform offer?

Live streams are delivered by the best-in-class CDN with multiple quality settings available up to 1080p/60fps. HD formats are available upon request.