YouTube Alternatives: 10 Best Video Sharing Sites in 2019

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YouTube is the biggest video streaming service in the world, with the video sharing platform boasting more than 1 billion monthly active users. The website sees millions of hours of new content getting published every day and has videos on almost any topic you can think of. That said, the platform’s huge success has also become a pain point for the company. To counter its growing problems, YouTube has released a number of policy updates which have irked creators and viewers alike. The company’s new policy has made it very hard for new content creators to earn money while it still hasn’t solved its problems of harmful ads. If for these reasons or a reason of your own, you are looking for an alternative to the biggest video platform in the world, we don’t blame you. In fact, to help you with this cause we are bringing you the list of the 10 best YouTube Alternatives that you can use to stream your favorite videos.

Best YouTube Alternatives

1. Vimeo

After YouTube, Vimeo is probably the most famous video sharing website out there. Vimeo was launched back in 2004 and has slowly but strongly become a major player in the video streaming services. The company has more than 240 million monthly active users with over 70 million registered creators. While these numbers might seem inferior when compared to YouTube, the basic concept of quality vs quantity applies here. On the whole, Vimeo is a more matured video sharing platform which attracts artistic creators in films, animation, music, and more. While YouTube has become a place where anyone with a camera can publish a video, Vimeo has still remained a place where most of the content has been created by people who know what they are doing.

Vimeo has been able to do this by cultivating a community which is not as harsh and immature as the one on YouTube. The community is much more appreciative of the content that is being published and the comments are far more constructive. Also, Vimeo has paid plans which allows creators to pay to gain extra features which makes them a little bit more serious on the type of content that they are producing. Plus, Vimeo is available on almost all the platforms out there, just like YouTube.

If you are someone who wants to leave all the noise that is present on YouTube and want to enjoy hand-picked content inside a positive community, you should definitely check out Vimeo.

Pros:

• Flourishing and constructive community


• Over 240 million monthly active users


• Quality of content is better


• Revenue through donations


• Customizable video player


• Great analytics tool

Cons:

• No ad-based revenue sharing


• Not totally free for creators

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Nvidia Shield, Xbox One, PS4, Chromecast, Fire TV

Visit: Website

2. Twitch

Twitch is a platform which is made entirely for gamers. If you are someone who wants to earn money by using his or her gaming talents or just want to enjoy someone’s gameplay, Twitch is the place to do it. While since its launch, the service has evolved and now include dedicated streams focusing on artwork, music, talk shows, and more, it still is mostly dominated by the gaming community. Unlike YouTube, where you can find content on any and all the topics, Twitch still remains fairly niche and that is its one of the biggest strengths. One thing that differentiates Twitch from any other video website is that it hosts a ton of live streaming content something which is not normal for other video platforms. In fact, live streams of gaming sessions are the crucial ingredient which has made Twitch such a successful company.

Twitch also has a very different monetization method. Instead of using ads to monetize content the for its creators, Twitch allows creators to accept donations from viewers. This not only ensures that the platform is totally free of ads, it also means that viewers who donate to their favorite creators feel like a part of a tight-knit family. Hence, the community at Twitch is more friendly and genuinely cares about its creators. If you are into games and want to see some breathtaking gameplays while supporting the creators who play the games, there is no better place to do that than Twitch.

Pros:

• Tight-knit community


• Heaven for gamers


• Revenue through donations


• Great alternative to YouTube Gaming

Cons:

• Not great for non-gaming content

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows

Visit: Website

3. IGTV

IGTV or Instagram TV is a new product from Instagram through which the company wants to take on YouTube’s domination of video streaming market and end it for good. The service which was released in June 2018 works both within the official Instagram app and a standalone IGTV app. Instagram has also crossed over a billion monthly active users and is in the right position to tackle YouTube’s monopoly over video content. One of the good things about IGTV is that it’s not just copying YouTube but doing something different which makes it stand out from the service it is competing against.

For starters, IGTV is mainly focusing on vertical content which has always been the weakest point of YouTube. Since most of us consume content on our smartphones, having a platform for vertical video content makes good sense. Also, Instagram already has a number of influencers using the service for promoting IGTV with the kind of videos which are not found on YouTube. Behind the scenes videos and small list-based informative videos are a prime example of that. While Instagram has not revealed any magnetization plans for creators yet, it is assumed that the company will roll out the feature in the coming year. Whether you are a creator or a consumer, you should definitely try IGTV as it is growing very fast and you will feel sorry if you miss this train.

Pros:

• Over a billion active users waiting for your content


• Portrait mode videos look great


• Nice and easy to navigate UI

Cons:

• No revenue for creators as of now


• Video length restricted to one hour


• Only limited to vertical videos


• Analytics tool can be better

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS

Visit: Website

4. Facebook Watch

Before Instagram launched its IGTV channel, its parent company, Facebook, launched its own video focused service called Facebook Watch. While your Facebook feeds have been harboring videos since forever, the company started focusing on videos, just last year. Launched in August 2017, the new Facebook Watch enables creators to create and publish videos on its platforms while giving them access to all the necessary data and analytics which can help them grow their viewer base, just like on YouTube. Facebook partnered with many creators to launch original series so that the service has its own exclusive content. That said, just like on YouTube, anyone can create their own channel and start publishing videos on the platform.

Another good thing about Facebook Watch is that it has a similar revenue sharing program to YouTube which means that the company pays a part of its ad-revenues to creators. While the service is still too young for us to comment on its monitory success, if you are a new creator who cannot digest YouTube’s new monetization policies, you can surely check out Facebook Watch as an alternative. Viewers also stand to see exclusive content which they will not find anywhere. Also, since most of the online world is on Facebook, having the same website to watch videos where you already spend most of your time means that you have one less website and app to worry about.

Pros:

• One of the largest potential viewer bases


• Ad-revenue sharing program similar like YouTube


• Lots of videos to watch

Cons:

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS

Visit: Website

5. Dailymotion

Just like YouTube, Dailymotion is a video sharing platform where you can create an account and publish your videos. Similarly, viewers can visit the website and watch the published content for free. Dailymotion differs itself from YouTube by bringing far relaxed policies both for creators and viewers. That is both a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that you don’t necessarily need to create an account to watch videos (no-age restriction) on Dailymotion. However, the relaxed policies of Dailymotion also mean that it is very easy for someone to republish your videos and there’s nothing much you will be able to do about it. If you are a creator, I would suggest that you stay away from Dailymotion, however, the relaxed policies should appeal to viewers who don’t want to create an account just to watch videos.

Pros:

• No age restriction


• Not required to create an account


• Ad-based revenue sharing like YouTube


• Nice interface

Cons:

• Video length limited to 60 minutes


• Prone to piracy


• The analytics does not match up to YouTube

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS, Windows

Visit: Dailymotion

6. Dtube

Dtube is a very interesting new video streaming platform which is built on the blockchain technology. While the service is fairly new and doesn’t have anywhere near as much traction as YouTube, it is showing some promise. For starters, since it’s based on block-chain technology, no single entity is holding all the cards and can kick you out. Secondly, the service also pays creators based on the likes and comments a video receives. It is very hard for me to describe exactly how you can earn money on Dtube in this article, however, if you do want an in-depth view on the subject, do let us now.

Just like Dtube has advantages over YouTube (no ads is one), it has its disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that once you post a video on Dtube, you cannot take it down, that is, it will be there forever. So, be very sure, before you post a video here. Secondly, since the platform is decentralized, there is no one watching over the type of content that is published on the website. For now, the community has been keeping the service clean, however, that might not be the case in the future. At last, it’s up to the entire community to keep Dtube a respectable video streaming platform and not let it resemble like a poster wall in the alleyway of a shoddy building.

Pros:

• Based on blockchain so doesn’t have a single authority


• Earn money in cryptocurrency


• Not a big viewer base

Cons:

• Once uploaded, videos can’t be deleted


• Tough to understand monetization policy


• Prone to piracy


• UI needs work

Platforms: Web, Android

Visit: Dtube

7. 9Gag Video

9Gag Video is not necessarily a video hosting platform in itself but an aggregator of videos from different platforms (mostly YouTube) which promotes the types of content which are funny and has the most potential to go viral. If you don’t want to trawl through the sea of videos on YouTube to find interesting content to view, you can simply go to 9Gag Video to see what is trending and watch videos from there. Basically, 9GagTV helps you find interesting content and watch them and if that is something that suits you, definitely check this out.

Pros:

• Easy to find interesting videos


• Best for quick fix of viral videos


• Decent UI

Cons:

• Features videos from YouTube and other platforms

Platforms: Web, Android, iOS

Visit: 9GagTV

8. Metacafe

Metacafe is yet another YouTube alternative which you can use to get your fix of videos. While the service was launched even before YouTube, it failed to capitalize on its advantage and now lags far behind YouTube. Just like Dailymotion, Metacafe has very lenient privacy policies so it’s not great for creators. For viewers who don’t want to deal with the problems of creating an account or facing restrictions, Metacafe is a natural home. That said, do note that the website does seem to have a lot of weird content which is much more visible here than on any other video platform, so visit it at your own risk.

Pros:

• No age restriction


• Account creation is not needed


• Monetization policy is in place

Cons:

• Home for weird content


• Prone to piracy


• The content does not match up to YouTube

Platforms: Web, Android

Visit: Metacafe

9. Veoh

Veoh is another great YouTube alternative if you want to watch movies and shows. It was launched in 2010 and as a result, it has garnered a lot of dedicated users around the world. The video-streaming company is based in San Diego and is a part of an Israeli startup called Qlipso. It has a wide range of videos ranging from TV series clips to user-generated content. To name a few, you can watch Two and a Half Men, Restless, NCIS and a lot more. Other than that, what I love about Veoh is that you get a standalone application for desktops which lets you watch videos in HD quality. You can also download the content for later viewing which even YouTube does not have. All in all, if you want something off-beat with a better desktop experience then Veoh can be your next entertainment website.

Pros:

• Millions of videos


• Has movies, TV shows, and self-generated content


• UI is quite clean with categorized menus


• Easy to find videos

Cons:

• Diversity of content could be limiting

Visit: Veoh

10. TED

While we know TED as a media organization which holds conferences on many seminal topics, it also maintains a video platform which hosts all its talks and conferences from all around the world. You can find videos on many topics including technology, science, nature, global warming, education, social change and more. The best part about TED is that you get to hear experts from particular fields which adds to your understanding of the world. As of now, it has more than 3000 videos and talks which are quite inspiring and riveting. I would say, if you want to spend time learning something new in an enjoyable way then TED fits the bill quite well. Also, if you are short on time and want to understand social phenomena around the globe, TED videos makes for a compelling watch.

Pros:

• Hosts more than 3000 videos


• A vast library of inspiring videos on technology, social change, health, etc


• Talks from experts hence reliable information


• User interface and video playback is right up there with YouTube

Cons:

• The content catalog is nowhere near as vast as YouTube

Visit: TED

SEE ALSO: Facebook Acquires tbh: 7 Alternatives You Can Use

Best Video Platforms and Video Streaming Services

That ends our list of the best YouTube alternatives that you can use to watch your favorite videos. As far as I am concerned, Vimeo and Twitch are the two best alternatives for me. I am also keeping an eye on IGTV to see how the platform develops. But enough about me, do check these video streaming services out and let us know your favorite among them all by writing in the comments section below.

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