Since social media first dropped in 1997, most people have changed to more virtually socialized. It was then continuing to be a behavior that can be reflected through their activities on social media.
Today is not any different when we ask what things people do in their leisure time. Going online it is. This answer, though, translates to finding joy by surfing on something, reading on whatever hot gossip on the day, and watching some funny animal videos, or even streaming illegal movies on their mobile devices.
There are plenty of choices we can choose to watch these videos albeit many options are out there.
But, when it comes to choosing the best video portal on the world wide web, most people are going to point out YouTube as their number one video streaming option.
This statement can be justified considering that YouTube has been leading in this industry for 15 years. YouTube, for the record, has a massive 2+ billion logged-in users that visit each month and it is available in over 100 countries and 80 languages.
YouTube is still undeniably great for you to host your videos or use it just for the sake of entertainment sources. However, there are the top 10 YouTube alternative sites for you to consider using. It is especially when YouTube has a lot of restrictions and some disadvantages that you may experience.
Disadvantages of YouTube
Although we can consider YouTube as the top dog of the video portal industry, there are unavoidable flaws on this site that feel a bit annoying. Video hosters need to understand these elements before starting their YouTube channel.
Too Many Rules
First off, rules are meant to keep everything on the line. However, the famous YouTube rules might or might not restrict creators to be more creative.
Negative Comment Everywhere
This is an avoidable thing every YouTube creator must experience. You need to monitor these bad comments yourself if you wish to remove it since YouTube doesn’t provide a service for this. The bad news is that ‘trolls’ can both effortlessly flood your comment section and report your video at the same time.
Bad Customer Support
YouTube is infamous for its bad support system. So, when you have a problem dealing with uploading videos, for example, you are a man of himself.
Lost Traffic
It is one necessary point when you run a business with an established website. Using YouTube as one of your SEO strategies can be a great way as it is the second-largest visited website after Google. However, instead of giving traffic to your website by the end of the video, YouTube has this related video feature that keeps viewers stay in the abyss.
The Top 10 YouTube Alternative Sites
As promised, these are the alternative video sharing platforms to host your videos. These video portals have their distinct features that are worth trying. Some also include their market segmentation, so you can consider which one is apt for you.
1. Daily Motion
If you are a YouTube veteran, you might as well know this site. Daily Motion has been running since 2005, at the same time YouTube was founded.
It is the second-largest video sharing site after YouTube that has over 300 million unique users a month. There are also tons of videos available in Daily Motion that YouTube doesn’t have or does restrict.
Compared to its nemesis, Daily Motion has lower restrictions that enable users to upload almost everything. Thus, making it a site with a wide range of videos.
The advantages include a familiar web layout, fewer restrictions, a lower chance of content removal, various videos available.
2. Vimeo
This is probably the most business-like video sharing site of all. Vimeo allows you to upload high-quality content in 4K ultra-HD resolution using its ‘pro’ plan. It is the site where you can showcase your artistic talent without dealing with toxic comments like on YouTube.
The good news is you can choose to apply for a free or paid membership. Although the paid ‘pro’ account has a benefit for better video quality, the free plan still enables you to connect with professionals on this site.
Some of the cons will be the limitation to weekly updates for max 500MB and its lack of copyright policy.
3. Veoh
Veoh is your go-to place for long-format videos. You can find movies, anime, and TV shows that are available in full episodes.
Unlike the previous video sharing sites, Veoh allows you to create groups of friends, add contacts, and direct messages to strangers. It also has a distinct video interface that you can easily personalize on your own.
Veoh has its measurement to track your video campaign across multiple platforms as it can syndicate videos to Google Video and YouTube.
4. Twitch
Twitch is widely popular among gamers. It is the best web’s live streaming platform for esports and game streaming video.
If you are into gaming, this is probably the best video sharing of all. You can find hidden gems of game-related tricks that you can never find on YouTube.
With its chat feature, Twitch allows you to interact with another user and add friends. Just like YouTube, you only need to register yourself with an email address — it is free.
This Amazon acquired company has over 140 million monthly users making it one of the successful video sharing portals.
5. TikTok
You might be wondering why TikTok is even here, but this app (formerly musical.ly) has become the most popular video-sharing portal for rookies.
It isn’t just an app for random teenagers dancing to 2000s songs, TikTok gives you control over your contents such as adding filters, editing videos, and as far as adding lip-sync with full access to professional audios.
In terms of user numbers, TikTok is only behind YouTube as it has 800 million active users worldwide. It is also the highest social media engagement rate per post in 2019 leaving Instagram and Twitter behind.
6. DTube
DTube is the first blockchain-based video sharing platform where uploading videos will give you a Steem cryptocurrency reward for 7 days. In addition, leaving comments on a video as users allows them to earn money.
DTube has the most similar user interface with YouTube compared to other platforms. It has the hot and trending section as well as the watch later feature.
The best thing about DTube is that it is ads-free.
7. Metacafe
Probably the oldest video sharing site in the world wide web, Metacafe went live in 2003. It specializes in short-form videos with a very simple user interface.
This platform is basically for boomers who need simplicity over professionally made videos. Metacafe has random videos from tips and tricks to a series of cosplays that somehow don’t reflect what the thumbnail shows.
8. PeerTube
PeerTube is a peer-to-peer video sharing portal where users have their freedom to upload a wide range of videos without getting blocked or censored. Also, there is no sign up required to join PeerTube.
Unlike the former competitors, PeerTube is an open-source and decentralized platform that enables users to host their own servers called an instance.
Using this feature, people can create their own YouTube server, for example, Kittens-Tube where people all around the world can visit this site solely for watching cats.
9. IGTV
This Instagram feature has become popular due to its simplicity. It is attached to Instagram making it easier for you to share videos with viewers who are your followers.
Instagram itself is already the biggest photo-sharing site, added with the number of followers it isn’t difficult to create engagement from this YouTube alternative.
InstagramTV allows creators to upload videos up to 1-hour with its own search engine to check on other channels. Overall, this is one of the best video sharing sites to watch on smartphones.
10. The Internet Archive
If you are looking for old TV shows or movies, this place is definitely for you. Just like its name, the internet archive archived tons of classic videos that can’t be found anywhere.
Perhaps, this video sharing site is apt for people who want to have some nostalgia. You can also participate by uploading your video collections here.
The Internet Archive has been around since 1996, it isn’t surprising when older videos are well-reserved in this site. But, if you are looking for a place where you can upload new content then this isn’t definitely for you.
Wrap It Up!
We have carefully selected the top 10 video sharing platforms other than YouTube to host your videos. These portals have their distinct features that enable creators to produce high-quality videos without having too many restrictions.
The platforms above, however, are designed for a segmented audience. For instance, Twitch is well-known among gamers for its size-quality to hold live game streaming. It won’t be apt if you upload lifestyle videos on it.
The same goes for the other portals, you won’t post an hour-long self-made short film on IGTV just because it has a feature on it.
Instead, do research carefully about what kind of video you want to post, which platform will be suitable for it, and what kind of engagement you want to pursue. By deeply considering these thoughts, having the first thousand followers is doable.
