Which Vimeo plans let you download videos via API?

If you want to migrate, back up, or automate anything involving your Vimeo videos, you need two things: a personal access token and a plan that actually lets the API return download links. This guide breaks down which plans qualify, what each unlocks, and what to do if you're on the free tier.

The short answer

You need Vimeo Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise (or a legacy Pro, Business, or Premium plan) for the API to return downloadable file URLs. Free, Starter, and the older Plus plan don't: you can still download videos one at a time on vimeo.com, but apps and bulk tools get no download links. If you're not sure, connect your token to this2that and it tells you straight away, or run an API call against /me/videos and see whether the download or files array is populated.

Plan-by-plan breakdown

Free

No API access for file downloads. You can use the Vimeo UI to download individual videos one at a time, but there's no way to automate or migrate at scale. If you have more than a handful of videos and you're on the free plan, you'll need to upgrade temporarily before migrating.

Starter and Plus

Vimeo's entry-level paid plan (Starter) and its older equivalent (Plus). You can download your own videos by hand on vimeo.com, but the API doesn't return download links, so bulk tools like this2that can't fetch the files. To migrate, upgrade to Standard for a month.

Standard

The cheapest plan where the API returns download links, so the download field on video objects is populated and tools like this2that can retrieve your files. It also adds storage, collaborators, and API call quota over Starter.

Advanced

Team-oriented plan with higher quotas. Same API download access as Standard but with more team features that may matter if you need multiple people to manage the migration.

Enterprise

Custom plan with the highest API quotas, SSO, and dedicated support. Overkill for migration alone, but if you're already on Enterprise, everything Just Works.

Try it now

On Free, Starter, or Plus? You don't have to stay there forever.

Upgrade to Vimeo Standard for one month, run your migration, then cancel. One-time cost, full export.

Start the migration→Or download to your computer

Cheapest way to migrate from Free, Starter, or Plus

If you're on one of those plans and just want to export your videos so you can leave Vimeo, the most cost-effective path is:

Upgrade to Vimeo Standard for one month. This is the cheapest plan whose API returns download links.
Generate a personal access token with the private and video_files scopes.
Run your migration (e.g., with this2that) to copy everything to your destination.
Confirm everything landed safely, then cancel Vimeo. Your videos are now in Google Drive, Dropbox, or wherever you exported them.

For most people this is a one-time cost of the monthly plan price, far less than doing the migration by hand over days or weeks.

How to tell if your current plan works

You don't need to guess. Generate a personal access token, hit GET https://api.vimeo.com/me/videos?per_page=1 with your token in the Authorization header, and check the response. If the download or files array is present on each video, you have API download access. If those fields are missing or empty, your plan doesn't allow API downloads.