YouTube has been the largest video-sharing platform on the internet for years.
It is currently owned by Google and is the second most visited website after Google Search. According to Wikipedia, Youtube has more than 2.5 billion monthly users who collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos each day.
That’s how popular Youtube is among the masses. Whether learning a new skill or promoting business, Youtube is the go-to platform for everyone who uses the internet.
Is Youtube the best online video-sharing platform ever? Maybe, it is.
Is it flawless, though? The answer would be no. Youtube has its limitations too. Some of the reasons are
All these issues make YouTube less appealing to content creators despite having a massive audience of over 2.3 billion people.
Fortunately, some YouTube alternatives emphasize different content, have better geographic reach for different target audiences, better support for other content types, and monetization methods.
We have put together a list of the Best Youtube alternatives to help you out:
No, we cannot replace Youtube. While other Youtube alternatives offer some competition, Youtube is still the best video-sharing platform out there.
It is safe to say that Youtube has a monopoly over the video creating and sharing community and will continue to do so for a long time.
And it will take a lot of time for the possible competitors to threaten Youtube from losing its relevance in the video-sharing community.
But You cannot deny that there are already many alternative video hosting platforms other than Youtube.
Youtube is not flawless. It has its advantages as well as disadvantages too. But you can use other alternatives instead of Youtube.
Read on to find out more about some good alternative video-sharing platforms you can use instead of Youtube.
Vimeo is a provider of all-in-one video software solutions. Vimeo's platform enables any professional team or organization to create, collaborate and communicate.
Vimeo currently serves its growing community of over 260 million users. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices.
Vimeo provides its subscribers with tools for video creation, editing, and broadcasting, enterprise software solutions, and the means for video professionals to connect with clients and other professionals.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Vimeo can host and embed flawless high-quality videos.
Those looking to share professional work can be assured the platform won’t compress their videos, unlike most of the content on YouTube, which is compressed for space and data purposes.
Vimeo allows users to customize its appearance with color options, branding, and selected recommended videos.
With a far better privacy system, Vimeo allows users to post videos that followers can only see, specifically selected accounts, or watch with a required password.
Who is it suitable for?
DTube is a YouTube alternative that uses blockchain technology to share videos from person to person.
The decentralized approach means that there’s a reduced risk of server outages interrupting your video.
The platform supports free speech and opposes the AI-based censorship by YouTube, and all video creators can earn DTube’s cryptocurrency for successful videos.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
DTube is better than YouTube due to its non-censorship policies. On the other hand, YouTube has stringent community guidelines and does not hesitate to remove a video if it does not meet those guidelines. DTube is also better than YouTube due to the earning opportunities it provides. On DTube, only views and likes count, and there are no algorithms or guidelines.
Who is it suitable for?
Dailymotion is a video hosting and sharing platform to upload and share your videos with an existing audience.
You can use it to create a video channel, gather a following, and make money from shared ad revenue. It’s the closest you can get to YouTube without actually being the same thing.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Dailymotion could be a worthwhile option to test as a new distribution channel for your videos if you have a small audience.
You’ll have a higher chance of them being seen and shared by others among Dailymotion’s user base. One thing Dailymotion does better is embedded videos.
The final result looks sleeker, with no branding or extended playback options.
Who is it suitable for?
Vevo is famous for its music videos, with hundreds of thousands of quality videos from Universal Music Group and Sony Entertainment.
Unlike YouTube, Vevo was created for music enthusiasts and musicians. You can’t upload your content, but you can consume the content on the platform.
It’s a great platform to watch music video clips in multiple formats, such as concert clips, studio performances, and behind-the-scenes interviews and features.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Vevo is exclusive to music videos, while Youtube is not. YouTube videos come from users, while Vevo videos are uploaded only by the admins. YouTube is available worldwide, while Vevo is only available in some countries. Vevo has a YouTube channel for accessibility to its content.
Who is it suitable for?
Twitch is a popular YouTube alternative, especially for gamers. It offers a live streaming portal that focuses on e-sports and video games.
Since Amazon acquired it in 2016, the company has gone on to create Twitch Prime, which provides free subscriptions and games, game loots, and ad-free streaming.
The concept is like YouTube’s, with free content for everyone. You can register for free via Facebook or email and use features like chat, adding friends, or following channels.
The social sharing service allows registered users to stream all content and share moments from their own lives while discussing with others.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Twitch is great for gamers who want to build a community around their content, while YouTube for Gaming is perfect for those who want to create videos. While YouTube is the more lucrative option for content creators, Twitch offers several features that make streaming games easier.
Who is it suitable for?
Odysee also runs on a blockchain protocol called LBRY, which lets anyone build apps that interact with digital content on its network.
You can upload content and use it for your digital marketing and other business activities. You can also build an app through the protocol and accomplish some great things.
In Odysee, you get to set prices per download or stream, give free content to viewers, and publish audio and video files, documents, and other types of files.
Unlike YouTube, Odysee lets you earn cryptocurrency through LBRY Credit when you use the platform.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
It has most of the features that Youtube has, including live streaming. Users can earn money through LBRY credits by getting donations on uploads or by completing challenges. It is built on LBRY protocol, thus making it censorship resistant.
Who is it suitable for?
Wistia is a professional video hosting platform that will help you integrate video with your other marketing efforts.
It offers detailed video analytics, in-video lead capture forms, marketing automation tool integrations, and more.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
YouTube is designed to serve content creators looking to monetize their videos and organizations investing in big advertising campaigns.
Wistia is designed exclusively to support the needs of the business to business companies using video for marketing, support, and sales.
Essentially, Wistia gives you complete control over the experience, and YouTube is a social video platform that requires a unique strategy.
Who is it suitable for?
The video portal is reminiscent of the early days of YouTube, both in terms of functionality and appearance.
Visiting VidLii, it becomes clear why the site was created: to feature amateur clips and recordings.
One won’t find professionally edited videos here. VidLii evokes the playful and experimental spirit that made YouTube famous.
Almost every conceivable category is represented – from cars to technology, from news to entertainment. There is also a category for music, but it doesn’t feature any current music clips.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
It is a great website. It allows tons of customization, has Great features, is worked on constantly, and has a decent community for the most part.
It even has a partnership feature where you can make money. It is mainly like the older version of Youtube.
Who is it suitable for?
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of universal access to all knowledge.
It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and millions of books.
In addition to its archiving function, the Archive is an activist organization advocating a free and open Internet.
The Internet Archive allows the public to upload and download digital material to its data cluster. Still, the bulk of its data is collected automatically by its web crawlers, which preserve as much of the public web as possible.
Its Wayback Machine web archive contains hundreds of billions of web captures. The Archive also oversees one of the world's most significant book digitization projects.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
This is an archive of documentaries, movies, and videos that you might not be able to find anywhere else. You can search videos by year, language, topic, and subject.
You can also upload your videos as well. It is a good YouTube alternative for studying the history of the internet.
Who is it suitable for?
It provides users and publishers with an easy-to-use, simple platform for uploading and browsing content.
Metacafe has a solid online following, registering as a top 3 video site within the US.
As of now, Metacafe has 12 million monthly unique views. Their platform is an excellent way to get your message out while keeping video clips short and to the point.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
It’s a great YouTube alternative for people looking for funny videos, product reviews, or quick do-it-yourself videos. Like YouTube, it categorizes videos into entertainment, sports, games, movies, news, and TV. Viewers can subscribe to channels or view different playlists, too.
Who is it suitable for?
9GAG is a go-to platform for social media fans and anyone looking for short and funny videos.
Facebook and Twitter users love this platform as it’s full of GIFs, memes, and other fun photos they can share with friends. The content is categorized, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
9Gag is another video website other than YouTube that has gained popularity among millennials and the generation Z target market.
Although some of the content may be NSFW, it doesn’t stop users from viewing trending pop-cultural topics.
The satirical quality of the content posted on 9Gag makes it even more hilariously entertaining. And some may even consider 9Gag as a pioneer that revolutionized the use of memes in the form of gifs.
Who is it suitable for?
Facebook Watch is the IGTV equivalent of Facebook, and it has grown over the past few years after the company decides to focus on the video format of content.
The Facebook Watch feature lets users browse and watch trending videos based on their viewing history and interests.
However, the interface isn’t like that of YouTube, but the audience and content overlap, making Facebook a fully-fledged YouTube alternative in the video-sharing and hosting space.
The potential audience and reach are more extensive. You get native video sharing, the option to earn with ads, live streaming, support for four-hour-long files of up to 10GB, and custom audiences for your retargeting efforts.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Facebook has more power over YouTube when it comes to targeting. With its wealth of demographic data and personal information like interests,
Facebook can reach precisely the audience you’d like your video to reach and would be interested in your content. YouTube also targets, but it mainly relies on cookies, which is not as accurate as interest targeting.
Who is it suitable for?
Twitter Video lets you upload and share your videos, images, and content using the icons in the tweet editor.
Live streaming is also an option using the improved camera icon available with Twitter’s mobile app.
Twitter has been at par with other social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, realizing to up its video-sharing game and has been able to do so.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Videos spread like no other content type out there because it’s content that people like to engage with.
On Twitter, we see that video is the most shared media type. Tweets with videos are more likely to be retweeted six times more than Tweets with photos and three times more than Tweets with GIFs.
Who is it suitable for?
Spotlightr, formerly vooPlayer, is a similar video marketing platform offering advanced analytics tools, lead capture, business tool integration, and security features.
You can even run a contest or giveaway exclusive to people who watch a specific video. Spotlightr and its features go way beyond the realm of simple video hosting.
It’s a complete toolbox that will help you integrate video into every step of your marketing and sales processes.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Its built-in audience builder helps create audiences for Facebook and Google ad campaigns. Host live streams and run contests for your audience.
Advanced analytics give you the low-down on how your audience interacts with your video content. Spotlightr is a great tool to help you with all your video marketing campaigns.
Who is it suitable for?
US-based software company Brightcove helps organizations publish and optimize broadcast-quality video content.
Brightcove’s video communications platform is called Video Cloud. Here, users can upload their videos and access API and SDK tools and real-time video analytics.
Other offerings, such as the Video Marketing Suite, are designed specifically for customers who wish to use their video content for marketing purposes.
Their services range from search engine optimization to interactive video content.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Beyond video hosting and live streaming, Brightcove takes things to another level. You can use OTT technology to deliver live video on smartphones and smart TV apps.
For publishers, it offers server-side ad insertion into the hosted videos. You can integrate it with a DSP and sell ad spaces directly to your clients.
Real-time video analytics help you understand how your customers and prospects interact with the videos on your website.
Who is it suitable for?
SproutVideo is an excellent YouTube alternative for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs with serious digital marketing gigs.
It gives you complete control to customize and create unique video players for every page on your website.
This way, you can ensure that the embedded video won’t clash with your design but complement it.
Capture leads from within your video player with customizable lead forms.
Send the leads straight to your favorite autoresponder or CRM through API integrations. It integrates with MailChimp, Hubspot, Zapier, and many more third-party tools.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Unlike Youtube, it does not drive traffic from your videos back to the website with “related videos” or links in the player.
It helps to keep people engaged on your site. You can use video marketing tools to capture leads and send them straight to an integrated marketing platform of your choice.
It offers the ability to host commercial content that is not allowed on YouTube or Vimeo. The video security features are designed to put you in control of your content, ensuring it will not go viral if you don’t want it to.
It is a professional solution for businesses, not an entertainment platform like YouTube or Vimeo, and is also ad-free.
Who is it suitable for?
Brid.TV is best for enterprises. The video monetization platform helps you grow and monetize your audience.
The setup process is easy, and its player integrates with Android and iOS apps. You also get enterprise-level video management affordably.
So, if you want to monetize content effectively and quickly or boost revenues and views, Brid, TV is worth considering.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
The platform includes enterprise video hosting and encoding services and comes with extensive video and ad analytics with more filters and data than YouTube’s.
Although Brid.TV doesn’t offer multiple monetization models like YouTube; it excels at ad-based monetization.
Publishers will access many advanced monetization features and functionalities they can’t find on YouTube.
Some cool features you’ll find are video carousel units, outstream ads, and pre-bidding on the player level. That makes Brid.TV is the perfect choice for publishers focused on ad-based monetization.
Who is it suitable for?
Utreon provides more advanced tools for content creators, focuses on innovative features, and offers better community engagement.
While all of those aspects are attractive, perhaps the most significant reason content creators are drawn toward the Utreon platform is their value for privacy.
The platform does not sell user information under any circumstances. The privacy policy they have is packed with user benefits.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Utreon offers a broader range of engagement through video. By leveraging a system of memes, clip sharing, approval ratings, and question asking, the platform is trying to bridge the gap between content creators and fans. Not to forget, it has high privacy standards, thus making it a great choice to consider.
Who is it suitable for?
Floatplane is the creation of Linus Sebastian – a Youtuber and owner of Linus Media Group.
The platform is built to handle YouTube creators’ challenges and concerns, including monetization and audience quality.
You need to sign in to use and watch videos on Floatplane, but you’re not allowed to post anonymous comments.
This way, you can filter out low-quality engagement and the amount of feedback you get overall. The content is paid, so viewers don’t have to pay to get an account. However, they pay producers a monthly fee to watch videos.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Content creators get 100 percent of their subscription revenues, unlike on YouTube, which deducts the earnings and sometimes could even demonetize them.
Who is it suitable for?
Crackle is another alternative to YouTube built for viewers, not content creators.
The platform hosts full-length shows and movies, so viewers who love this on YouTube will enjoy it on Crackle. Most shows are free, compared to YouTube, which charges similar content fees.
Crackle has older and classic shows, which you may not find on YouTube. Crackle is a free streaming service that offers on-demand movies and TV series.
It also has a library of original content created for the service. Crackle is free in the United States and Australia but is offered as a subscription service in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
Crackle has a no-nonsense approach to the user interface. If you click on a piece of content, it takes you straight to an advertisement and then rolls you into the beginning of the movie or TV show.
Crackle has a pretty easy-to-use platform and the number of ads lined up with what you may expect from a free streaming TV service.
Who is it suitable for?
If you have a WordPress site and want a plug-in to host your videos, you can go for Jetpack for WordPress.
In its premium plans, you can get the video hosting feature and add video blocks into posts or pages without copying and pasting them.
You can also view in-depth analytics for your videos in real time in your WordPress dashboard. Jetpack supports up to 4K resolution on HD videos, offers unlimited bandwidth and storage, and real-time analytics.
You can also choose to mute, autoplay, or loop embedded videos. And you don’t need custom codes to make your videos look professional when they’re live. The process is handled automatically by WordPress.
Pros
Cons
How is it better than Youtube?
You don’t need to custom code anything to make the video look great when live. WordPress will automatically handle that process for you. You can add video blocks directly into WordPress posts and pages using the Gutenberg Editor.
Who is it suitable for?
There’s a one-word answer to it, “Privacy.” But more or less, every site we visit leaves our online privacy vulnerable and susceptible.
So here are some of the reasons why we need to start looking for Youtube alternatives.
With YouTube now hosting movies and shows, its biggest competitors are Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, and many other online streaming platforms.
And now, social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have video sharing options, and they seem to be good competitors for Youtube.
Some of the free alternatives to Youtube are
As said earlier in the article, Youtube cannot altogether be replaced and is the best go-to video sharing platform on the internet, but there are already some good alternatives. So, there may be one soon.
Though Youtube is an excellent choice as the ultimate video sharing platform, there are equally other good platforms that help you share better quality videos.
It is 2022, and there are many options to choose from. So, let us know if you try to use the ones stated in the above article and share your experience or let us know if we missed anything.