What it is
Insights.gg is an FPS replay analysis platform with strong Valorant and CS focus. Free with optional premium tier. Active since 2020. Upload the gameplay VOD (captured via OBS or similar) and get a player with timestamps, on-video drawing tools, collaborative comments, and bookmarks.
Originally designed for competitive teams and coaches, but the free tier is enough for individual analysis.
What problem it solves
Reviewing your own gameplay with coach or team requires tools. Discord screen-share watch parties work but are awkward — coach can't draw, nothing saves, you can't easily return to a specific timestamp.
Insights.gg solves this. Coach pauses the video, draws "you should have peeked this angle instead of pushing", adds a timestamped comment, you see everything later with context. For effective coaching, infinitely better than screen share.
It also serves for self-review: upload your VOD, mark moments of errors, review alone. A habit Aim Lab doesn't replace.
How it differs
No direct competition in Valorant for this category. Other options are makeshift:
- Discord screen share: doesn't save, no annotations
- YouTube unlisted: no annotations, awkward for coach
- OBS local viewing: solo, no collaboration
Insights.gg is the only platform designed specifically for this.
Versus coaches using other tools (Coachaware, etc.), Insights has better onboarding and accessible free tier. Pro coaches pay for enterprise tools; amateurs and semi-pros use Insights.
What people use it for
Individual coaching: upload VOD, share link with coach, coach reviews with annotations, you see them later.
Team VOD review: post-scrim, team meets on Insights, coach leads the review, everyone sees the same timestamp and annotations.
Structured self-review: upload own VOD, mark clutches you lost, analyze error patterns. More structured than "I watched my VOD".
Pre-match scouting: if you have rival VODs (public or exchanged), Insights allows analyzing them with notes specific to your team.
Learning moments library: bookmarks of good/bad plays for recurring review.
Who it's not for
If you play casually without interest in structured improvement, Insights is overkill. Just wanting to win more without working = don't need this.
If you don't know how to capture VOD from the client (OBS setup), the adoption curve is higher. Worth learning but not trivial.
If your coach prefers another tool, don't force. Workflow alignment matters.
How to use it in practice
- Capture VOD of your match with OBS or similar (Valorant has a replay system but OBS remains the option).
- Sign up on
insights.gg(free). - Upload VOD via web. Processing takes minutes (free tier has size/length limit).
- Player appears with tools: pause/scrub, drawing layer over video, comment threads with timestamp.
- Share link with coach or team. They add annotations.
- Review everything later and apply learnings.
Honest limitations
Limited free tier. Storage limited, video length capped. For long VODs or recurring use, premium ($X/mo) is realistic.
Requires capturing VOD separately. Valorant doesn't expose replay file you can upload directly (unlike CS2 demos). You have to record with OBS, which consumes disk.
Workflow learning curve. Configuring OBS, upload, review — several non-trivial steps for casuals.
No auto-analysis. Insights is a collaboration platform, not AI that tells you "you did badly here". You need a coach or personal effort for insights.
English only. No localization.
Processing can lag. Upload + processing takes significant time. Not real-time.
How to get started
If you don't have a coach: try self-review first. Configure OBS to record Valorant (1080p or higher resolution), upload 1 VOD to Insights free, mark 3-5 moments where you feel you lost the round badly, review. If it seems useful, keep going. If not, don't force. If you have a coach: Insights is where the work happens, align from day 1.