YouTube is known as the world's most popular video-sharing and social media
platform, allowing content creators to upload or share videos while giving
general users or viewers access to a wide range of publicly uploaded videos. It enables
users to watch or stream videos just like on OTT platforms. On the other
hand, creators can make a substantial amount of money through the
advertisements shown in their popular videos.
YouTube is also known as one of the largest ad-supported streaming platforms
and the availability of free content is beyond reach. It was developed by
three friends Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, former employees of PayPal. It was introduced in 2005 and soon after its
launch; it was acquired by Google in 2006 for approximately $1.65 billion.
Since anyone can post a video, YouTube guarantees unlimited entertainment.
Also, the content is available across all categories, be it news, sports,
comedy, or anything else.
Why do we need YouTube alternatives?
Having an alternative to YouTube is a must to enjoy effortless entertainment
and stay away from boredom. There can be various reasons why users may need
to try a platform similar to YouTube. However, the most commonly seen
concern that compels users to look for YouTube alternatives is the privacy
concern as everyone knows that Google collects some data to improve its
services and overall user experience.
Although YouTube is free to use with most content, users may need to opt for a paid
subscription to access premium content including originals and movies in
multiple languages. Also, there are sometimes long commercials in between
the videos. However, such advertisements are not displayed to premium users.
YouTube is available worldwide, but some countries do not allow it to run in
their regions. Such countries include
China, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, and Turkmenistan. In such
cases also, users may need alternatives to YouTube.
What are the alternatives to YouTube?
It's good to know that there are many platforms out there for users looking
for an alternative to YouTube. Most of such platforms provide free streaming
of videos to the public users and also give creators the possibility to earn
through advertisements. Furthermore, some platforms also provide additional
features, such as chatting, sharing of images, status, and more.
Listed below are some of the best and most used YouTube alternatives:
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Note: Although the listed YouTube alternatives are available for use
in most countries, some may not work in certain locations. In such a
situation, users can try out VPN services and set a location for any of the
supported countries to try their luck to stream through that specific
platform. Another option is to switch to the next platform.
Dailymotion
Established in 2005, Dailymotion is currently one of the largest independent
video streaming and sharing platforms. Initially, the website was jointly
founded by Benjamin Bejbaum and
Olivier Poitrey, now owned by the French media group Vivendi. It has become a
global platform with its office in several locations and is headquartered in
Paris.
Dailymotion is quite similar to YouTube in that it offers free access to
public users, enabling them to explore and stream videos from a wide range
of categories. For publishers and creators, the platform offers necessary
video-sharing tools, making it very easy to upload and share videos. Also,
original videos without any copyright strikes can help their uploaders earn
handsomely through monetization, a process of showing ads on videos to earn
commission from advertisers.
While Dailymotion is undoubtedly the best alternative as well as a
competitor to YouTube, it has a lesser reach as compared to YouTube. It may
also experience some technical issues at times, such as login errors, broken
links to videos, and more. One advantage of Dailymotion is that it has both
Android and iOS applications for
mobile
users.
Vimeo
Vimeo is a well-known video platform, which is also a great option for users
who want to switch from YouTube for whatever reason. It was created in 2004
as a side project by two developers named
Jake Lodwick and
Zach Klein. Interestingly, Lodwick once asserted that the name 'Vimeo' was decided
with the idea of acting or a play on the words 'Video and Me'.
Unlike YouTube, Vimeo takes a slightly different approach to letting
publishers monetize through the platform. Publishers can upload their videos
and set a price to rent or sell their videos, movies, web series, or
documentaries. However, in order to upload videos and earn through this
monetization approach, publishers must join any of Vimeo's paid subscription
plans. Vimeo also takes some commission on the amount earned by the
publishers.
One good thing for public users accessing Vimeo is that it doesn't show ads
all over the place within the video, which makes the viewing experience
somewhat better. Many videos can be viewed for free so that viewers can
enjoy similar to YouTube. Vimeo is also available through mobile apps,
specifically for Android and iOS.
Twitch
Introduced in 2011, Twitch is a popular gaming-focused video platform. It
was released as a split-off part of another online broadcasting platform
called Justin.tv. When Justin.tv saw an increase in traffic to its
gaming category of videos, it decided to launch it as a separate platform,
initially called TwitchTV. In 2014, both platforms, Twitch and Justin.tv, were merged and rebranded
under the name Twitch Interactive. It was later acquired by
Amazon for approximately $970 million.
As online gaming continues to advance over time, Twitch continues to gain
widespread popularity. The platform allows publishers to broadcast live or
record gaming screenplays and share them at their own convenient time later.
Similarly, public viewers can join live broadcasts or stream uploaded videos
on demand. It helps most users, usually gamers, to get gaming tips and
understanding in completing complex games. However, some other related
categories of videos also exist on Twitch.
Being a YouTube alternative, Twitch is equally concerned about its rules and
policies, and hence banning users for unacceptable content or languages is
quite common on this platform. Twitch earns commissions through advertisers
while streamers earn through advertisements shown on their videos. One can
access the platform through the web or mobile applications for Android and
iOS.
Dtube
Dtube is a great alternative to YouTube as it has almost the same user
interface and offers a wide range of videos from different categories. It
was created in 2017 by
Adrien Marie.
As its name suggests, which is short for Decentralized Tube, the
videos offered through this platform are not hosted on any central server.
Instead, it uses the Steem blockchain, making it even more secure and free
of interference. Unfortunately, there is currently no official mobile app
for Dtube.
One notable advantage of using the Dtube platform is that it does not show
annoying ads. Nevertheless, the platform offers its publishers to monetize
through their videos. For that, it completely depends on its users whether
the content is worth watching or not. Users, when they like a video, can
vote on videos to reward creators or publishers in the form of DTube's
cryptocurrency. Publishers or creators can sell it for cash.
TED Talks
Introduced in 1984, TED Talks was jointly created by broadcast designer
Harry Marks and architect &
designer Richard Saul Wurman. Here, the initials 'TED' stand for 'Technology, Entertainment, Design',
the three primary areas on which the videos are usually shared on this
platform. However, creators cannot upload videos directly to this platform
as easily as other similar platforms.
TED is not in favor of direct monetization through advertisements during
video playback. Instead, it allows and sometimes even invites popular
spokespersons, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and individuals to share ideas at
events and conferences, which can be done through social media, other
platforms, and public events. There are some other guidelines as well.
The primary purpose of TED Talks is to share creative ideas so that they can
benefit public users. It currently has over 3500 talks (videos), and new
talks are uploaded regularly. Most of the talks uploaded here are
educational or inspirational, while sometimes funny, entertaining, or
emotional talks can also be found. These videos can be accessed through the
web and the official mobile application.
TED usually earns through fees charged by
attendees, sponsorships, licensing fees, book sales, etc. Despite
this, it does not pay any amount directly to the speakers (or creators).
Instead, it provides a platform for publishers to share their ideas freely,
which somehow gives them some degree of popularity among the public.
Nevertheless, TED pays for travel costs and accommodation.
BitChute
BitChute is a well-known video hosting service that was created by
Ray Vahey in 2017 to allow users
to share or stream videos. It is considered a free speech alternative
platform to YouTube as it allows users to share content without censorship.
Although BitChute claims to offer freedom of voice, many argue that the
platform still moderates content to some extent.
BitChute uses several approaches to earn revenue to operate and continue its
services, including advertising, donations, and in-account purchases for
upgrades. The platform is mostly used by individuals, especially those
banned from posting extreme content on YouTube. The best thing about
BitChute is that it is free of ads and offers flexible monetization options
for creators. Since it also offers content across multiple categories, it
can be a good option for people looking for an alternative platform to
YouTube.
Metacafe
Founded by Israeli entrepreneurs named
Eyal Hertzog and
Arik Czerniak, Metacafe quickly gained popularity among streaming platforms after its
July 2003 launch. Many of the videos on this platform are short-form videos,
usually ranging from 90 to 180 seconds, which makes this platform more
interesting. The reason behind such short-form videos is the upload limit of
100
MB. Unfortunately, this video entertainment platform was shut down by the
developers, and the real reasons are still not known.
After Metacafe was retired, VideosHub archived its entire directory
with videos on its own domain so users could enjoy those videos
unconditionally. VideosHub categorizes the videos into different categories,
making it easy for the viewers to find the videos of their interest. An
interesting feature of VideosHub is that it loads new videos on its homepage
every time a user refreshes the page. However, users have to tolerate some
unwanted advertisements in order to enjoy the services on this
platform.
Rumble
Rumble was officially released in 2013 as an alternative platform to YouTube
so that independent creators could share videos without having to worry
about strict censoring rules. It was founded by
Chris Pavlovski to provide users
with flexibility in video sharing through a low-cost solution, and with
better monetization controls.
Rumble is often compared to BitChute due to its less strict guidelines for
moderating content. Viewers can stream video through the web version of
Rumble for free and without the need to sign up/log in. Additionally, the
platform also offers mobile applications for iOS and Android to provide a
seamless experience to mobile users.
Instagram Reels
Instagram is primarily a social media platform, controlled by Facebook
(specifically the Meta platform). Instagram was first introduced in
October 2010 for iOS by
Kevin Systrom and
Mike Krieger. However, Instagram Reels was introduced as an additional feature in
August 2020 after seeing the rapid success of TikTok's short videos. For
longer videos, users can switch to the Instagram video feature.
Instagram Reels mainly offers users to watch and share short 15-second video
clips. Clips can be edited using various filters, effects, and creative
tools to make them more interesting. However, to access Instagram Reels, the
user needs to have an Instagram account. After logging in to Instagram, the
user needs to locate the Reels section and stream a wide range of videos
from different categories. Instagram Reels is available on the web as well
as through the mobile application of Instagram.
Facebook Watch
Just as Reels is an add-on feature of the social media platform Instagram,
similarly Facebook Watch is an add-on feature of the giant social media
platform Facebook. Although Facebook was launched in February 2004 by a
Harvard sophomore named
Mark Zuckerberg, the feature named Facebook Watch was introduced on August 2017. Since
then, it has become a native video platform of Facebook.
Facebook Watch offers publishers to post or share videos up to 10
GB
in size or 4 hours in length, making it a competitor comparable to YouTube.
The platform also offers live-streaming and monetization tools to help
creators earn revenue through advertisements. However, for the viewers, the
ads can be a bit annoying and time-consuming. But, on the other side,
nothing has to be spent to get entertained endlessly.
Users can access Facebook Watch as a separate feature within Facebook after
logging into their respective accounts, whether through the web or mobile
apps.
TikTok
In 2016, an app called TikTok (known as Douyin in China) was introduced by
ByteDance, a Chinese company founded by
Zhang Yiming. It got noticed by people all over the world because of its unique
approach to short cringe videos. It soon became a popular streaming platform
with over 1.5 billion users worldwide.
TikTok is available through the application as well as through the web
platform. Viewers can stream videos even without creating an account.
However, in order to post/share videos, users need to create an account and
log in accordingly. The wide visibility and attraction of this video
streaming platform is its ease of use. Users just need to scroll on the
screen to keep getting new videos without any limits.
Apart from its massive popularity, TikTok has always been a matter of
privacy concern as it accesses a lot of users' information. Also, the lazy
content moderation approach has been another concern. Due to such issues and
confrontation with China, India has blocked this streaming platform.
However, it can still be accessed through
VPN
services.
Utreon
Launched in 2019 by developers
Edward Brawer and
Sean Duncombe, Utreon is considered the go-to video platform for users looking for a
more personalized experience with their viewers. It provides users with a
feature called Ultra Chat to chat directly with the creator of any video.
Another notable addition to Utreon's massive popularity is its stance on
privacy. It claims to offer high privacy standards, ensuring that user
information is not sold at any cost.
For creators, the joining process is easy and it even offers to import
videos from well-known platforms like YouTube so users don't have to put in
much effort. Moreover, viewers can access the videos on the platform without
any sign-up/log-in, and that too at no cost. The platform is accessible
through web and mobile applications.
Notable drawbacks of Utreon include slow response times from the help desk
due to the small team and lack of some basic features compared to other
similar platforms. Nonetheless, Utreon is still a great YouTube alternative.
Veoh
Veoh is an American video-sharing platform, launched in 2005 by a developer
named Dmitry Shapiro, who wanted to create a platform to allow anyone to share videos online.
Veoh was initially introduced as a virtual television network; however, it
transformed itself into a video-sharing platform a year later. Despite this,
it was later sold and is now owned by FC2, a Japanese blogging host
company. Since it is one of the oldest video platforms, it is often compared
to YouTube, making it a competitor as well as an alternative to
YouTube.
Accessing or streaming videos on Veoh is just a few-click process as it does
not require users to sign up or log in. The site user interface is
distributed into major sections such as Videos, Movies, Channels, and
Groups. Users can choose to navigate the desired section accordingly. As
with any video-sharing platform, creators or publishers need to set up an
account to post their videos on Veoh. The mobile application is only
available for iOS, so the platform is mostly accessed through its web
version.
Odysee
Odysee is a relatively new platform compared to the ones listed above as it
was launched in 2020 as a YouTube alternative that gives full control of
uploaded videos to their respective creators/ uploaders. The primary
objective of creating this platform was to allow creators a censorship-free
platform. Because it is based on a decentralized framework and the files are
stored on multiple servers, it is not easily possible for anyone to take
down uploaded videos as it would require immense power and effort to delete
files from multiple computer systems around the world.
Odysee was created by the developers of
LBRY, a protocol-based and blockchain-based service that allows anyone to build
an app interacting with digital content. With Odysee, anyone can create a
channel and start posting videos without paying any hosting costs.
Furthermore, viewers can explore content from across the globe.
For revenue purposes, the platform uses LBRY credits, which are more like
Bitcoin, and are often rewarded for performing various activities such as
likes, comments, views, etc. Odysee is accessible through web and mobile
applications on Android and iOS.
9GAG Videos
9GAG is a well-known platform that is mainly famous for offering a
collection of things across multiple categories, including funny and goofy
images, videos,
GIFs, memes, and more. It segregates the content on the basis of related
categories. The platform was founded in 2008 by a Hong Kong-based team of
four people named Ray Chan, Brian Yu, Chris Chan, and Derek Chan.
The video section of 9GAG offers unlimited content from various
sub-categories. Although login is not required to watch most videos, age
verification is required by logging in when attempting to stream sensitive
content. Like other similar platforms, 9GAG also allows users to search for
specific videos using the search bar. Most of the videos here are short and
cringing. Luckily, users do not need to watch so many annoying ads in
between videos.
One can visit 9GAG and locate the Videos section from the menu to access a
wide range of user-generated content. Still, it is considered one of the
best platforms for advertisers. Anyone can post videos on this platform
after creating the account.
Links to Access Listed YouTube Alternatives
The following table lists all the above YouTube alternatives along with
their official website links so that users can access the respective
platform and stream the content on their devices:
| YouTube Alternative | Official Website |
|---|---|
| Dailymotion | Click Here |
| Vimeo | Click Here |
| Twitch | Click Here |
| Dtube | Click Here |
| TED Talks | Click Here |
| BitChute | Click Here |
| Metacafe | Click Here |
| Rumble | Click Here |
| Instagram Reels | Click Here |
| Facebook Watch | Click Here |
| TikTok | Click Here |
| Utreon | Click Here |
| Veoh | Click Here |
| Odysee | Click Here |
| 9GAG Videos | Click Here |
Summary
With the list of alternatives listed above, we can say that there are enough
alternatives to YouTube for users. Also, they are not limited to this list
only. In this technological era, there are many more such similar platforms
and even new ones are coming up with unique features to compete with each
other. However, no one would argue if we say that YouTube is still the best
when it comes to video streaming for any reason, be it learning, research,
music, entertainment, etc.
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