About ViTransfer
Why I built a self hosted video review platform
About Me
Hey there! I'm Maikel Mansi, also known as Mansi Visuals. By day, I work in IT, where I've gained a deep understanding of systems, infrastructure, and security. By night (and weekends), I'm behind the camera and in the editing suite, working on video projects for clients.
Working in IT inspired me to explore self hosting. The more I learned, the more I appreciated the flexibility and privacy advantages it offers. That mindset heavily influenced how I built ViTransfer.
This unique combination gave me both the technical skills to build ViTransfer and the first hand experience of the pain points it solves. I know what it's like to deal with client feedback, approval workflows, and the frustration of platforms that don't quite fit the bill.
ViTransfer is my way of bridging that gap by creating a tool that works for people like me who value both professional quality and the self hosting lifestyle.
Full transparency: ViTransfer was code assisted with AI. I used AI tools to help speed up development and solve technical challenges, allowing me to focus on building the features that matter most for video review workflows.
Why I Created ViTransfer
I created ViTransfer out of a frustration that kept hitting me over and over again.
The problem? When it came to sharing videos with clients for review and feedback, there was no good option that matched my philosophy. Every platform I looked at had the same issues:
- Subscription fees every single month, whether I used it heavily or not
- Storage limits that forced me to pay more for larger projects
- No option to self-host and keep complete control of client data
- Privacy concerns about uploading client work to third-party servers
I wanted a subscription free alternative that I could host myself, with storage limited only by my own hardware. A combination like this simply didn't exist yet, so I decided to build it.
ViTransfer is my answer to the problem: a free, open-source, self-hosted platform for professional video review workflows. No subscriptions, no storage limits, and complete control over your data.
The Self-Hosting Advantage
As someone who believes strongly in self-hosting, I built ViTransfer to embody that philosophy:
- You own your infrastructure and all your client data
- No monthly fees or surprise price increases to worry about
- Storage is only limited by your own hardware, not arbitrary cloud tiers
- Full freedom to customize and extend the platform however you need
- Privacy and security on your own terms
- No vendor lock in or forced platform changes
For me, this isn't just about saving money (though that's a nice bonus). It's about control, privacy, and the freedom to run my business the way I want to.
My Vision for ViTransfer
I want ViTransfer to prove that professional tools don't have to come with recurring costs or compromises on privacy and control. I built this for:
- Freelance videographers and editors managing client projects (like myself)
- Production companies that want to own their review infrastructure
- Creative agencies needing smooth client feedback workflows
- Anyone who values self-hosting and data ownership
By releasing ViTransfer as open-source software under the AGPL-3.0 license, I hope to empower others to take control of their video review workflows. If you're like me and believe in the power of self-hosting, I think you'll find ViTransfer to be exactly what you've been looking for.
Join Me
ViTransfer is open source and community driven. Whether you're a developer, designer, videographer, or just someone who loves self hosting, I'd love to have you involved:
- Contribute code, features, or bug fixes on GitHub
- Share your deployment experiences and configurations
- Report issues and suggest improvements
- Help other users in discussions and support channels
- Spread the word about self hosted alternatives
Thanks for taking the time to learn about ViTransfer and why I created it. I hope it serves you as well as it serves me.
If ViTransfer has been helpful and you'd like to support its development, I'd really appreciate a coffee through Ko-fi. It's completely optional, but it helps me dedicate more time to improving the platform and adding new features.
View on GitHub Buy Me a Coffee