Chat apps and social hosts re-encode video. ShareKit does not. You get a share page with a video element pointed at the original file, a download, and a QR code. Playback still depends on the codec inside the container.
Size-to-credit calculator
This calls calculateUploadCreditCost, the same helper the uploader uses. The rule is one credit for each 10MB block past the first 10MB, rounded down. Under 20MB the result is 0, which matches the free line shown in the uploader.
11 credits
Check points from the same function: 19MB → 0, 20MB → 1, 100MB → 9, 120MB → 11. Files can be up to 2GB via chunked upload. A non-zero cost requires a signed-in account.
Example: a 120MB product demo
You export onboarding-walkthrough.mp4 at 120MB, H.264 with AAC audio, because a client asked to see the click-path. The calculator shows 11 credits. You sign in, upload, and send https://sharekit.app/s/k7nq2wpx — an example slug, not a live file. The client opens a page with a video control and a download. Slack never receives the 120MB payload, so it cannot recompress it. The account file is stored with a 30-day expiry unless you buy Keep One File on that upload. The QR code is optional; use it if the same clip also needs to sit on a printed one-pager.
What actually plays in a browser
ShareKit puts MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, and M4V in a video element because those extensions are on the inline list. MPEG-1/2 (.mpeg, .mpg) is intentionally left as a download. An element is not a promise that the browser can decode the file.
| Container | Share page | Typical browser behavior |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 | Yes, a video element | Widely, when the video is H.264 and the audio is AAC. HEVC inside an .mp4 often fails on desktop browsers. |
| WebM | Yes, a video element | Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Safari support depends on the codec and the OS version. |
| MOV | Yes, a video element | Often plays in Safari. Other browsers only play it when the codec inside the MOV is one they already support. |
| MKV | A video element is offered | Many browsers cannot decode MKV. Expect to use the download. |
| AVI | A video element is offered | Often will not play inline. The download is the reliable path. |
MP4 to URL
People looking for “MP4 to URL” usually have a screen recording or a phone export and want a link, not a conversion. An .mp4 name only identifies the container. H.264 video plus AAC audio is the combination phones and desktop browsers play. An MP4 that holds HEVC, a huge bitrate, or broken metadata can still fail inline; the download link remains. ShareKit does not rewrap MOV or MKV into MP4. If you need inline playback for an unknown audience, export H.264/AAC yourself, then upload that MP4. The older/mp4-to-url address now redirects here.
Video embed snippet
On a site you control, point a video element at the direct asset URL. The sample below uses a fake key so it is obvious this is a template, not a hosted demo.
<video controls preload="metadata" src="https://sharekit.app/api/uploads/asset?key=EXAMPLE"> <source src="https://sharekit.app/api/uploads/asset?key=EXAMPLE" type="video/mp4" /> </video>
Replace both URLs with the asset URL from your upload result, and set the type to the file’s real MIME type (video/mp4, video/webm, or video/quicktime).
Steps for a client review cut
- Export H.264/AAC MP4 if the viewer will press play in a browser they did not choose.
- Run the size through the calculator. Sign in before uploading anything over 20MB.
- Send the share page. Use the asset URL in your own video tag only when you are embedding on a site.
Clips in a client workflow
- Sales proposals and client materials — a walkthrough next to a deck, without attaching the video to the email.
- Share large files — why email and chat drop or recompress big media.
Guest uploads store a 7-day expiry. Account uploads store a 30-day expiry. Keep One File ($4.99) moves that date out by at least a year for one file, its URL, and its QR code. When that date passes, the public page, download, and QR stop serving the file. Delete the upload sooner if it should go offline earlier. Guest short links are refused after 7 days. Uploads under 20MB cost no credits.
Questions about browser playback
Will ShareKit transcode my video into a web-friendly MP4?
No. The stored file is the file you uploaded. If the client cannot decode the codec, they still have the download. There is no processing queue and no second, smaller rendition.
Why does a 120MB demo cost 11 credits?
The cost is floor((megabytes − 10) / 10). 120 − 10 is 110, and 110 / 10 is 11. Anything under 20MB is 0. A 100MB file is 9. The calculator on this page calls the same function as the uploader.
Where do I paste a video tag if I have a website?
Use the direct asset URL as the src of a video element on a page you control. Send people the /s/ share page when you want ShareKit’s player and download button instead of your own markup.
Can a guest upload a product demo over 20MB?
No. A file with a credit cost above zero requires a signed-in account. That account copy is stored with a 30-day expiry unless you buy Keep One File for that one upload, which moves the date out by at least a year. When the date passes, the public page stops serving the file.