14 Best YouTube Alternatives for Content Creators and Businesses (2023)

In 2023, YouTube is the most used platform among American adults. But just because it's the leading video and search engine platform on the market doesn't mean there aren't better alternatives for some use cases.

Many YouTube video creators have begun to explore other options due to an increasing number of ads being served per video and algorithms interfering with uploaded videos.

And there is no shortage of options out there.

In this article, we review the best free and paid YouTube alternatives and discuss when a business owner should choose a YouTube alternative.

take a look at ourvideo guidefor the best YouTube alternatives

Can YouTube be replaced?

YouTubeis the most established online video platform on the market. More than 2 billion connected users visit the platform monthly, and its global audience watches billions of hours of video every month.

So from a market and audience perspective, the options on our list are unlikely to completely replace YouTube any time soon.

but if youdoes not have an established YouTube channel yet, it might still be worth considering a different option for your video strategy.

And youmake videosand use them to reach a new audience or embed them on your website to convert visitors into leads, there are some great options you can use to replace YouTube.

Who are YouTube's competitors?

YouTube has competitors in different categories. As a social video-sharing platform, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have become competitors to native video.

These platforms have increased their focus on video in recent years, with Facebook even launchingFacebook Note- a personalized video-focused feed for each user - in 2018. Twitter also allows users to upload native videos and Instagram launchedon tvlast year.

Strictly speaking of video hosting platforms, there are free options like Dailymotion and premium solutions like Wistia, Vimeo, and Spotlightr.

Best Free YouTube Alternatives

Below we have covered an extensive list of free YouTube alternatives for content creators and businesses.

1. Daily movement

Dailymotionis a video sharing and hosting platform for uploading and sharing your videos with an existing audience. You can use it to create a video channel, gain followers and earn money from shared ad revenue.

Sounds familiar? It's as close as you can get to YouTube without actually being the same.

advantages

• Unlimited free video uploads
• Upload support for HD videos up to 2 GB and 60 minutes in length
• Support for uploading and playing 4K videos
• Elegant built-in video player
• Creators can earn money from ads

Contras

• smaller audience
• Ads on all videos, even on unaffiliated channels

Public

As a content creator or marketer, it is essential to consider the size of your audience when choosing a YouTube alternative.

Dailymotion claims to have 300 million active users on its platform. They're probably referring to an average of 300 million unique visitors per month, because if you look at their top channels and videos, the numbers don't add up.

For example, T-Series, the giant with more than190 million subscriberson YouTube there are less than 10milFollowers on Dailymotion. Of course, they only uploaded a few videos, but considering thebut popularDailymotion account, that number is not inspiring.

Finally, if we take a look at the trends in Dailymotion's video charts, we'll see drastically different numbers than YouTube:

The first result does not even reach one hundred thousand views, and the second barely five thousand.

Many of the trending videos only have a few hundred views each.

These factors should set the record straight: Dailymotion has a much, much smaller audience than YouTube.

Is Dailymotion better than YouTube?

Since Dailymotion is a direct competitor, it's fair to wonder if it's better than YouTube.

YouTube supports exact video resolution, longer videos, and larger file uploads. YouTube also has a much larger audience, and the traffic potential for recommending a video or listing it in search results is much higher.

But on the other hand, the competition is not that tough on Dailymotion. As we covered, you can access trending charts and promote your video by reaching just 1,000 views in 24 hours. That number wouldn't move the needle on the larger YouTube platform.

Dailymotion can be a valid option to try as a new distribution channel for your videos if you have a small audience. You will have a better chance of being seen and shared by others in the Dailymotion user base.

One thing that Dailymotion does best is embedded videos. The end result looks sleeker, with no markup or extended playback options:

Its built-in player makes it a better option for website owners to implement short videos in articles and pages.

Great alternative to:

• Content creators who don't yet have an established presence on YouTube (potential to become a big fish in a smaller pond)
• Small businesses that want avideo hostingYouTube alternative to host your embedded HD videos

2. Vimeo

vimeois a video platform that offers tools for hosting, collaboration, sharing, compression, lead generation, and much more.

It has an active user base focused on specific niches, which makes it a qualified audience building platform for some creators or businesses.

advantages

• Support for uploading and 4K video playback
• Support live streaming
• fully customizableincorporates
• Engaged User Base

Contras

• The free plan is limited to 500MB of uploads per week
• The maximum video size for free users is 500 MB
• No ad revenue potential for creators

Public

Vimeo has over 200 million users, which is only 9% of YouTube's total audience size.

But unlike Dailymotion, Vimeo has a core set of active users who maintain a thriving community.

While YouTube is home to all kinds of creators covering a variety of genres and topics, from travel to sports to gaming to DIY, the most popular videos on Vimeo fall into a small group of categories:

• short films
• nature videos
• extreme sports
• video clips
• animations

The community celebrates creativity and is happy to share your work if it meets cinematic standards.

Vimeo also has a resource page for human-curated selections and short film premieres:

This process offers a shortcut for new filmmakers and creators to reach an audience.

Is Vimeo better than YouTube?

For some creators and businesses, Vimeo might be a better platform than YouTube.

Whether you run a video production company or are a hobbyist videographer, Vimeo's close-knit community of creative professionals is the perfect match. Since it's a smaller, more focused audience, it can be easier to gain traction and views without followers.

Professional users can even list their job availability and a "Hire" button on all of their videos on the platform:

Many industry professionals also prefer the Vimeo player, so uploading your video to the platform costs nothing.

If you are an entrepreneur who needs avideo hosting serviceFor your website, Vimeo offers a much better embedded video player than Youtube.

You can customize the embed code directly and create full-screen videos that launch automatically, without the need for third-party tools or services:

You can even change the color rendering scheme to match your brand colors.

If you need a place to upload videos and embed them on your website, Vimeo is a great choice: elegant, customizable embeds for HD video, at a total cost of $0.

Great alternative to:

• Visual artists, animators, videographers, and other creative professionals
• Business owners looking for a free video hosting site with attractive embeds

3.Facebook observation

Facebookduplicated on video in recent years. They even launched Facebook Watch, a feature that allows you to browse and watch popular videos based on your interests and viewing history.

The interface is quite different from YouTube, but the content and audience often overlap.

In many ways, Facebook is now a fully-fledged competitor in the video hosting/sharing space.

advantages

• Higher potential audience and reach than YouTube
• Native video sharing on Facebook
• Option to earn money with ads.
• Supports files up to 10 GB and 4 hours long
• Custom audiences for retargeting campaigns
• Live broadcast

Contras

• Maximum resolution limited to 1080p
• clumsy inlays

Public

With nearly 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the only alternative with a larger user base than YouTube.

Now, video sharing is not the main goal of Facebook, but it has become an important part of the user experience on the platform. Just check out their timeline and see for yourself, or keep reading.latest facebook stats.

In the past, Facebook video editors have outperformed3 billion viewsin a single month. Something likeLAD biblia, started and built his audience entirely on Facebook, whileIn the diary, a popular travel vlogger, routinely racks up tens of millions of views on his videos.

And because Facebook has an ad-based model, successful creators get a cut of the revenue and support themselves.

Facebook can also be a great sandbox for businesses to reach new audiences with their video marketing efforts.

Great alternative to:

• Travel vloggers, YouTube chefs and other content creators
• Small businesses that want to reach new audiences with their videos
• Marketers looking to build audiences for the futuremarketing on facebookbells

4. Video from Twitter

Goreis another social media platform that bets on video. They launched Twitter Live over three years ago and have regularly covered sporting events ever since.

But that's not all: any Twitter user can upload and share videos or start a live broadcast on the platform.

advantages

• Native video sharing on Twitter
• Low fidelity videos work fine
• Live broadcast

Contras

• The maximum length of the video is 140 seconds.
• The maximum resolution is 1200p

Long Form vs Short Form Video Content

Industry experts who know the ins and outs ofYouTube SEOnoticed a trend where YouTube favors longer videos, preferably longer than 10 minutes, for recommendations and search results.

If you're having a hard time creating well-produced 10-minute videos, Twitter might be a better place to experiment with video content.

Twitter is a pay-as-you-go platform, so if you're not naturally detailed, it could be a perfect fit.

Great alternative to:

• Comedians and other creators who thrive on short videos
• Accountants and other professionals who can answer quick, specific questions.
• Anyone who has problems with long videos

5. IGTV

on tvis Instagram's video sharing platform, designed as a 100% mobile environment.

Launched in 2018, it's more of a spiritual successor to Vine than a direct attack on YouTube — Facebook is tackling that with Facebook Watch.

But that doesn't mean it can't be a viable alternative for creators and businesses who don't see traction on YouTube.

advantages

• Native Video Sharing on Instagram
• Full support for native mobile video formats
• Low fidelity videos work fine

Contras

• Maximum 10 minutes for regular accounts
• restricted application

First mobile video experience

Instagram's goal with IG TV is to create the first platform with a mobile-optimized video experience.

With full mobile portrait video as the norm, you get an up close and personal experience with video creators.

It can be a great tool for building deeper relationships with your audience through unstructured mobile video.

Great alternative to:

• Companies that can't afford a camera or production crew
• Content creators with a younger audience

6. tube D

tube Dis a YouTube alternative that uses blockchain technology for peer-to-peer video sharing.

The decentralized approach means there is a reduced risk ofserver outagesinterrupting your video.

The platform supports free speech and opposes YouTube's AI-based censorship, and all video creators can earn DTube cryptocurrency for successful videos.

You can also share videos hosted elsewhere instead of uploading them to IPFS.

advantages

• uncensored
• earn cryptocurrency

Contras

• small audience
• clunky interface

Great alternative to:

• Blockchain enthusiasts
• Free speech enthusiasts

Best Paid YouTube Alternatives

Below we have covered the best premium YouTube alternatives for hosting your videos online. If you are a business owner or marketer and need more than just video hosting, they will meet your needs.

7. Wistia

wistiais a professional video hosting platform that will help you integrate video with your other marketing efforts.

It offers in-depth video analytics, video lead capture forms, marketing automation tool integrations, and much more.

Suppose you are already usingAnalysis tools, CRM or other business tools and take a data-driven approach to developing and optimizing your marketing campaigns. In that case, it will be your destiny.

advantages

• 4K video support, files up to 8 GB
• Impressive and customizable embeds
• Create custom audiences for Facebook ads based on user activity
• Capture leads from the video player
• Synchronize email and other data with autoresponders and CRM

Contras

• Price: Wistia starts at $99/month, + $0.25 for each video after the 10th
• no audience

beautiful additions

One of the best features of Wistia is that you get full control to customize each embedded video player.

The standard inline embed code produces a responsive and elegant video player on your content. Automatically matches the size of the container, making it easy to embed videos on multiple pages.

Taking things to the next level, you can add CTAs or even a lead capture form to the beginning or end of your video.

Great alternative to:

• Marketers who want to use on-site video more effectively in their funnel
• Lead-focused businesses with lengthy sales processes; safe etc

8. Spotlightr (formerly vooPlayer)

Emphasis, rebranded from vooPlayer, is a similar video marketing platform that offers advanced analytics tools, lead capture, business tool integration, and advanced security features.

You can even run a contest or giveaway exclusively for people who watch a specific video. Professional users can also set up PPV VOD on their website without having to create a member portal.

If you want the Swiss army knife of YouTube alternatives, Spotlightr is your best bet.

advantages

• 4K video support
• advanced analysis
• Marketing Automation Integration
• Audience Building Tools
• Reasonable price: $17/month for the starter plan

Contras

• Only 25 GB of storage
• Complex

Much more than video hosting

Spotlightr and its features go far beyond the realm of simple video hosting. It's a complete toolbox to help you integrate video into every step of your marketing and sales processes.

Create audiences for Facebook andGoogle ad campaignswith its built-in audience builder. Host live streams and run contests for your audience.

Heatmaps and advanced analytics give you detailed insights into how your audience is engaging with your video content.

Spotlightr is a great tool that will help you with all your video marketing campaigns.

Great alternative to:

• Marketers who want to use on-site video more effectively in their funnel
• Lead-focused businesses with lengthy sales processes; safe etc

9. Brightcove

Brightcoveis the leading online video platform for enterprise and distributed businesses. According to its website, more than half of Fortune 500 companies are alreadycustomers.

In addition to video hosting and live streaming, Brightcove takes things to the next level. You can use OTT technology to deliver live video on smartphones and smart TV applications.

For publishers, it offers server-side ad insertion into hosted videos. You can integrate it with a DSP and sell ad space directly to your clients.

Real-time video analytics helps you understand how your current and potential customers are interacting with the videos on your website.

advantages

• UltraHD supports video resolution up to 8K
• Distribute and sell ad space on your videos
• Embed videos in apps and websites with advanced content management
• Collaboration tools improve the final quality of the video.
• Real-time analytics offer new insights
• Build rich audiences based on video interactions

Contras

• Corporate prices. There are also no pricing models on their website.
• clunky interface

Great alternative to:

• Businesses looking to centralize their videos and use audience data to personalize experiences

10. Shoot Video

SproutVideois a great YouTube alternative for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs who have strong digital marketing skills.

You get full control to customize and create unique video players for each page of your website. That way, you can ensure that the embedded video doesn't conflict with your design, but instead complements it.

Capture leads from your video player with customizable lead forms. Send leads directly to your favorite autoresponder or CRM via API integrations.

If it integrates with MailChimp, Hubspot,Zapierand many other third-party tools.

advantages

• 4K Ultra HD playback
• Customize and create unique video players for each page
• Video Lead Capture Forms
• Geo-tracking and advanced analytics
• Drive more action with personalized calls-to-action after videos
• Geo-restriction is available on business plans
• Fair: Starter plan starts at $25/month

Contras

• Complex
• Pay more for bandwidth over 500 GB each month

Great alternative to:

• Small businessand solopreneurs with a knack for data-driven marketing and a desire to get more out of their video efforts

11. Alternativa WordPress: Jetpack

For our WordPress lovers who just want oneplugin for wordpressto get the job done, look no further than Jetpackfor WordPress includesvideo hostingon their premium plans for just $11.97/mo.

With the new editor, you can add video blocks directly into posts or pages without copying and pasting.

You can also view detailed, real-time video analytics from your WordPress dashboard.

advantages

• Supports HD videos up to 4K resolution
• Unlimited storage and bandwidth
• Choose to autoplay, mute, or repeat embedded videos
• real time analysis
• Cheap: Jetpack's premium plan costs $10/month

Contras

• You need a WordPress site to use it effectively
• Lacks advanced features of competing premium options

Add video blocks directly to WordPress posts

You can add video blocks directly to WordPress posts and pages if you use theEdited by Gutenberg.

You can drag and drop video files directly from your computer into a comp.

You don't need to code anything to make the video look great live. WordPress will automatically take care of this process for you.

Great alternative to:

• Existing Jetpack Premium Subscribers
• Small businesses that don't have the budget for more expensive solutions

12. Odyssey

Odysseyit's interesting because it runs entirely on a blockchain protocol called LBRY. This relatively new protocol allows anyone to create applications that interact with digital content on the LBRY network.

Yes, you can upload videos to your Odysee account and use them fordigital marketingand other business needs. However, if you are experienced enough to build an application using the protocol, you can achieve some interesting things.

advantages

• App creators can set prices per stream or download (like iTunes)
• Distribute content for free (like YouTube)
• Post videos, audio files, documents, or any other type of file
• Earn cryptocurrencies using the platform

Contras

• The platform may have flaws
• Users often auto-post to Odysee from YouTube, making it harder to build an audience.

Built on blockchain

LBRY is the parent company of the Odysee, which is why we often see the two names together. It is also the name of the blockchain protocol that Odysee uses.

LBRY Credit is a cryptocurrency (also known as digital money) that Odysee uses to pay its users.

Great alternative to:

• New and established businesses looking to accept cryptocurrency payments and expand their audience outside of traditional video platforms
• Content creators interested in a unique reward system

Bonus: Notable YouTube Alternatives to Consider

Although we've covered what we consider to be solid YouTube alternatives, there are a few more worth mentioning for you to consider:

13. Novia.TV

novia.tvis a video monetization solution that works oninside the company. The main idea behind this platform is to help publishers grow and monetize their audience.

The company has been growing at a rapid pace. As of now, your streaming and ad request data is at your limit. That means now is a great time to join them and see what you can achieve.

advantages

• Easy setup process
• Enterprise-grade video management at an affordable price
• Brid TV player integrates easily into iOS and Android apps

Contras

• Your WordPress plugin is still very buggy and unstable.

Great alternative to:

• Businesses looking to monetize content immediately and effectively
• Publishers looking to increase content views and revenue

14. Utreon

Utreonhas been a big part of the "YouTube alternative" movement and has become more popular as it has progressed. Because? It provides more advanced tools for content creators, focuses on innovative features, and offers better community engagement.

While all of these aspects are attractive, perhaps the biggest reason content creators are drawn to the Utrean platform is its stance on privacy.

For example, they do not sell user information under any circumstances. EITHERPrivacy Policythey have is full of benefits for the user.

advantages

• Higher privacy standards than some other platforms
• Genuine engagement between fans and creators
• Easy registration process that allows creators to import existing content with just a few clicks

Contras

• Missing some features due to early stage
• Slower response time because the team is still quite small.
• The platform still has some bugs to train

A different commitment

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Utreon, aside from its privacy standards, is that the platform seeks to offer a broader range of engagement through video.

By leveraging a system of memes, clip sharing, approval ratings, and questions, the platform is trying to bridge the gap between content creators and fans.

Great alternative to:

• Companies and creators looking for a broader and more personal experience with their fans and followers.

15. Metacafé

Rounding out our list of the best YouTube alternatives is a platform calledMetacafé. The concept is as simple as it sounds, but it is very effective.

It provides users and publishers with a simple and easy-to-use platform for uploading and browsing content.

Metacafe has a huge following online, with their site listed as one of the top 3 video sites in the US. As of this writing, Metacafe boasts 12 million unique monthly views.

His platform is a great way to get your message out there, keeping your music videos short and to the point.

advantages

• Useful for reviews, music videos, and news clips.
• Content for the whole family

Contras

• Metacafe limits video uploads to 100 MB, so it's not a good solution for long videos

The King of Short Form Video

That is the whole premise of the Metacafe platform. All the videos on the platform are short. Most of the users of the platform keep their videos within 90 to 180 seconds.

An extra step is also taken to ensure that the short video style is respected. Users will not be able to upload video files larger than 100MB.

The idea is to share content across all channels in a short, fun and fast format.

Perhaps the coolest thing about Metacafe is that videos can't be added automatically. Once sent, a built-incommunityMore than 80,000 volunteers watch and decide whether or not to join the platform.

Great alternative to:

• Content creators who want to create fun, energetic, and short videos that resonate with customers and followers.

Summary

In 2023, YouTube is not the be all and end all of online video. Just because it's the leading video hosting and sharing platform doesn't mean it's the only choice for you or your business.

There are many options to choose from.

It has major players like IGTV and Facebook Watch for video sharing and increasing social media presence. Professional video hosting for businesses includes options like Vimeo, Wistia, and Spotlightr. And if you need a true enterprise-grade solution with a plan tailored to your business, Brightcove is the way to go.

Do you want to get into short videos that resonate with a large audience? Take a look at Metacafe.

Now it's up to you: what is your favorite alternative to YouTube? What have you tried? Tell us in the comments!