YouTube is the gold standard of the video-sharing world. It’s been around for a while and it’s grown to become the most popular place to upload and watch videos on the internet.
But it’s not perfect.
There are downsides to using YouTube, which is why we’ve compiled this list of alternatives.
Best YouTube Alternatives
What Are YouTube Alternatives
YouTube has been around for more than a decade, and it’s still the go-to website for watching videos online.
But with over a billion users, YouTube is no longer the only game in town.
YouTube has a lot of problems from a privacy standpoint, and many people have turned to other video sites to get their fix.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the best YouTube alternatives on the market today. We’ll review each site based on its features, usability and popularity among users.
If you’re looking to install video streaming software on your computer or smartphone, here are some of the best alternatives available:
What Are the Best YouTube Alternatives?
Here are our favorite YouTube alternatives:
1. Uscreen
Uscreen is a video and screen capture platform. It offers everything you need to manage, edit and share videos for a variety of uses.
Uscreen is the most powerful platform for hosting and sharing videos on the web. It’s perfect for businesses that want to create engaging product demos, explainer videos, training content and more.
The Uscreen platform has some unique features that other video hosting services don’t offer:
- Record videos in multiple formats (including high-quality MP4 and Vimeo-compatible H.264)
- Add text overlays and graphics to your recordings (or record directly from your webcam)
- Capture screenshots from any webpage and add graphics to them
- Organize your content with folders, tags, categories and groups
Uscreen allows creators to create their own video channels by building them from scratch or importing existing videos from their YouTube channel or other platforms like Facebook video.
It also offers several monetization options including ads through Google AdSense, subscriptions via PayPal and more advanced features such as hosting and streaming services (for those who want to scale beyond just YouTube videos).
Uscreen is the leading video monetization platform that allows video creators from all industries to launch a profitable video subscription service and sell their videos online.
2. Thinkific
Thinkific is an online training platform for people to learn from the top experts in their field. Thinkific is the best way to create your own online course, so you can share your knowledge and skills with the world.
Thinkific has been featured on Forbes, Inc., The Huffington Post, Mashable, and several other outlets.
Podia: Paid plans start at $39/month, with no transaction fees on any paid plans. LearnWorlds: Plans start at $29/month. Teachery: The annual plan comes out to about $39/month, with no transaction fees. LearnDash: Plans start at $199/year.
3. Patreon
Patreon is a membership platform that provides business tools for creators to run a subscription content service, with ways for artists to build relationships and provide exclusive experiences to their subscribers, or “patrons.
The company was founded in May 2013 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Patreon uses a subscription business model that is similar to the “freemium” model used by many web-based software as a service companies. Patreon’s core offering is a crowdsourced funding platform that allows users to pay money in exchange for content produced by other users.
In addition to funding projects via subscriptions, Patreon also offers pre-orders and tips (in the form of “patronage”), which allow users to pay money before receiving anything in return. Instead of paying the artist once they have completed work, patrons are able to support their favorite creators on an ongoing basis.
Patreon is a crowdfunding site aimed at a particular audience: artists and online personalities in the business of continuous content creation.
4. IGTV
IGTV is the place to watch long-form, vertical video from your favorite Instagram creators. We’re excited to bring you the best of Instagram TV, including shows, music videos, sports highlights, and more.
IGTV is built for how you actually use your phone — vertically. That means less scrolling and swiping, and more watching and tapping.
Now when you open IGTV, you’ll see a feed of videos from creators you already follow as well as content from popular categories like Comedy, Fashion & Beauty, Music and Sports.
IGTV is a new video experience from Instagram. It’s not just for watching, it’s for finding and following your favorite IGTV creators.
IGTV is optimized for mobile and made to help you watch the videos you love in a simple, intuitive way.
5. Twitch
Twitch is a live streaming video platform owned by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. In 2015, more than 100 million visitors per month watched content on the site, which primarily features live streams of video gaming-related content.
Content on the site can either be viewed live or via video on demand.
Users can donate money to their favorite broadcasters, who are often independent or amateur gamers themselves.
Donations are usually made via microtransactions using PayPal or similar services. Streamers earn revenue from advertisements and subscriptions, as well as donations.
Subscriptions can be used to unlock access to special emotes and other features in chat.
Twitch (sometimes stylized as twitch) was launched in June 2011 by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, both co-founders of Justin.tv.The site was divided into several categories including gaming (primarily for PC games), creative arts and talk shows.
The gaming category hosted streams related to many different video games such as League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Starcraft II.
Twitch is an American video live streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams.
6. Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website in which users can upload, share and view videos. It was founded in November 2004 by Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein. The Vimeo community has expanded to include many users who have uploaded their own videos and have created a vibrant community that interacts through the site’s comment, like, share and discuss features.
Vimeo is also known for its collection of high-quality content from independent producers, vloggers and more.
Vimeo was founded in November 2004 by Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein.
In May 2006, Vimeo became the first video sharing site to support High Definition videos of up to 720p resolution.
It now supports HD videos up to 1080p with 5.1 surround sound. In October 2006, Vimeo announced that it would give free videographers the opportunity to opt out of its Video On Demand functionality.
In February 2008, Vimeo added a feature called “create”, which allows film makers to share the story behind their movie on the site. Users can create their own personal “channel” with their own personalized URL, integrate it with Facebook, Twitter and Google.
Vimeo Pro is a video-making solution that helps businesses streamline processes related to video editing, data storage, collaboration, publishing, and more from within a unified platform. It allows staff members to create custom video players with brand logos, colors, themes, and playlists.
Why You Want an Alternative To YouTube To Monetize Your Videos
YouTube is the largest video sharing site on the web and it’s an easy place for people to find your content. However, it’s not always the best place for monetizing your videos.
As a filmmaker or video producer, you want to make money from your videos — but YouTube isn’t the best platform for this.
Here are some reasons why you should be using an alternative monetization platform like Vimeo instead:
YouTube takes 50% of your ad revenue. You have to pay to play.
YouTube takes half of all ad revenues that your videos generate, so if you’re using ads and making money from them then you’re getting only half of what you deserve! On top of that, they charge $35 per month to upload more than 100 GB of storage space and $50 per year if you want access to their tools and APIs so you can embed videos into other sites (like this one).
These are just two ways that YouTube tries to squeeze money out of creators while taking a hefty sum from those who want to use the platform successfully.
If you’re serious about making money through online video then Vimeo is a much better option: no monthly fees, no restrictions on storage size, no hidden charges — just a fair split of any ad revenue.
Beyond YouTube
The best video hosting sites are a mix of different features. They have to be easy to use, fast, and secure.
They also need to have a large community that can help you find the right audience for your videos.
Vimeo is one of the top video hosting services for professionals and creators who want more control over their content than YouTube provides. In this article, we’ll explain why Vimeo is an excellent alternative to YouTube and how it works as an online video platform.
Vimeo Beyond YouTube
YouTube is the most popular video sharing website on the Internet, but it’s not the only option. Vimeo offers a better experience for creators who want more control over their videos and the ability to reach new audiences outside of YouTube’s ecosystem.
Vimeo offers several advantages:
You can use Vimeo’s free plan to upload unlimited HD files (up to 5GB each) and make them available to watch on any device in standard definition (480p). If you need higher resolution or larger file sizes, there are paid plans starting at $9 per month that allow you to upload even larger files up to 4K resolution (3840 x 2160).
Video monetization models
Vimeo is a video sharing platform where anyone can upload, share and discover the world’s best videos. Vimeo has more than 5 million members, and the site has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Wired.
Vimeo is a great place to use if you want to add a touch of professionalism to your video marketing.
Different monetization models that are available on Vimeo:
- Subscription model: A subscription model allows users to pay for access to premium content on your channel. Subscription models can be simple flat rate subscriptions or tiered subscriptions where users pay more money for added benefits like HD quality videos.
- Pay-per-view: Pay-per-view (PPV) is a popular way of monetizing online media such as eBooks or movies. With PPV you charge users per view of your content rather than offering them a subscription model where they pay once per month or year.
- Advertising: Advertising is one of the most common ways to monetize any kind of online media including blogs and websites. On Vimeo you can insert ads into your videos before they start playing or at certain points during playback.
VOD or video-on-demand
Vimeo’s business model is different from that of YouTube, which is based on the ad-driven pay per view. Vimeo offers its subscription service for $4.99 a month, but you can also buy individual movies and shows for $9.99 each.
In addition, Vimeo has launched a new feature called On Demand, which allows creators to charge viewers for their content using a pay-what-you-want system.
Vimeo On Demand allows creators to set their own pricing on videos and charge viewers whatever they want. This feature has been available since May, but it was only recently that Vimeo announced it had generated more than $1 million in revenue since the launch of its program ($1 million in just three months).
And while that’s a small fraction of what YouTube makes every hour, it’s an encouraging sign for independent filmmakers who are looking to use Vimeo as an alternative to YouTube but don’t want to rely on advertising revenue alone.
VimeoVOD or video-on-demand, is a service that allows Vimeo users to rent or buy videos. The videos can be rented for 24 hours or purchased permanently.
The idea behind VimeoVOD was to provide a platform where independent filmmakers could sell their work directly to fans, without having to go through the hassle of signing with a distributor or other middleman.
Rentals
VimeoRentals is a video rental service that lets you rent and stream movies, TV shows, and documentaries from Vimeo’s library.
VimeoRentals is a video rental service that lets you rent and stream movies, TV shows, and documentaries from Vimeo’s library. There are plenty of titles available to rent including new releases like the upcoming Dark Phoenix release.
The service has a free trial so you can try it out before deciding whether it’s worth your money or not. There are no restrictions on how many times a movie can be watched during the rental period so there’s no need to worry about having other people in your household watch the same movie as well.
Vimeo Rentals is a video rental service that allows you to stream and download your favorite movies and TV shows for 30 days. You can rent your favorite titles with just one click through our mobile app, web browser or Roku app.
Once you place an order, the movie will be available to stream instantly on any device in high definition. And when your rental expires, it will disappear from all of your devices — no worries about late fees!
Rent your next movie from Vimeo Rentals and watch something new today.
Life-time access or Transactional Video-on-Demand (TVoD)
Vimeo has recently launched VimeoLife, a new service that provides unlimited access to over 30 million videos, including exclusive original content and feature films.
The monthly subscription is $4.99 per month and the annual subscription is $49.99 per year. The first month is free for new users.
VimeoLife offers unlimited access to the entire Vimeo catalog and gives you a library of over 30 million videos to watch. You can also watch all your favorite TV shows, movies and original series on demand with Vimeo On Demand (VOD).
If you’re not sure about which plan to choose, we recommend you go with the Vimeo Plus plan ($9.99/month) because it offers more features than the Basic plan ($4.99/month). The Plus plan allows you to download videos to your device so that you can watch them offline whenever you want (without an internet connection).
It also includes HD quality video downloads and ad-free viewing experience in all plan categories (Basic, Plus and Pro).
Sponsorships
Vimeo is the best place for creators to share videos with a global audience. Vimeo provides tools and services that help anyone from artists and filmmakers to educators, non-profits, and businesses to showcase their work and grow their audiences.
Vimeo offers multiple sponsorship opportunities for creators that are looking to monetize their content. Sponsorships can be purchased directly from your page by clicking on the “Start a Sponsorship” button in the top right corner of the video player.
When you purchase a Sponsorship, you are paying for someone else to watch your video. This allows you to gain views without having to actually upload new content or share it on social media.
This is perfect for those who want more exposure or want additional exposure after they have uploaded their video.
Vimeo sponsorships are available in three lengths: 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or 90 seconds (there are no longer options available).
The standard cost of a Vimeo sponsorship is $3 per view (though discounts may be available based on what type of business you represent).
Selling merchandise
Vimeo is a video hosting service and site that has been around for over ten years. It was created by the same people who founded Flickr, but unlike Flickr, Vimeo is exclusively for videos.
Vimeo’s primary audience is filmmakers, with the majority of its users uploading original films and videos. However, there are many other types of content on the site as well — music videos, TV shows, commercials, podcasts and more.
In addition to its original content, Vimeo also hosts thousands of user-generated videos that are submitted by independent creators. This includes a growing number of musicians who use Vimeo as a platform to distribute their music videos on their own terms.
Vimeo offers several payment options:
- Clips – $5 per month or $50 per year (with free clips too!)
- Shows – $10 per month or $100 per year (with free shows too!)
- Purchasing Shows – Purchase any show from the Vimeo store at whatever price you choose (we recommend using Paypal)
Live streaming
Vimeo has long been one of the best video platforms on the web. It’s a great place to host your own videos, and it’s also a great place to find quality videos.
The company announced today that it is going to start hosting live video broadcasts, too. The feature will be called Vimeo Live, and it’s designed to be as easy to use as possible.
You can sign up for an account and schedule a broadcast in just a few seconds. And then you just have to show up on time — there’s no complicated setup or configuration involved.
The company is adding support for live streaming so that it can better compete with YouTube, which has long offered this feature. But Vimeo has something that YouTube doesn’t: A reputation for quality content creation and curation.
Vimeo’s editorial team chooses which videos appear on its homepage and its other curated sections; they don’t simply rely on what people are watching most often or sharing with their friends online. That means that users can be confident that when they visit Vimeo, they’re seeing only high-quality material from artists who actually care about their craft.
Best YouTube Alternatives – Wrapping up
There are a lot of YouTube alternatives out there, but not all of them are worth your time or money.
That said, there are some that will work for you. The biggest factor in choosing one is how much content you want to watch, as well as what type of content you want to watch.
The best YouTube alternatives will offer you all the same things that YouTube does: a wide variety of videos and channels in many different categories, as well as the ability to save videos for later viewing.
If you’re looking for something with more of an emphasis on comedy or gaming and less on news and politics, then one of these alternatives might be right up your alley.
