Even if you love YouTube and find yourself visiting the site on a daily basis, it’s always a good idea to know about the top YouTube alternatives in case you need a change of scenery. You may never use any of the alternatives, but you should at least have the information about it. This is the reason why this article is prepared, for your information and for mine as well!
YouTube is the undisputed contender when it comes to video content as it has over 2 billion logged-in visitors every month, and people watch over a billion of hours of videos every single day on the platform. So, it’s safe to say that we all are obsessed with YouTube, and that’s pretty much the only truth. It is like a rabbit hole that you would end up falling when you start watching those cute cat videos or a meme compilation and so on.
Even though you can find all sorts of videos on the platform, there are certainly a few shortcomings that would make you look at other video sharing sites. For example, there are a few channels who show a ton of ads, and this aggressive approach is often off-putting to most viewers. But, whatever may be your reason for looking for the best YouTube alternatives, we have you covered with this article because you will find some sites that you can give a try right now and figure out for yourself how they stack against the behemoth that is YouTube!
The Best YouTube Alternatives of 2022
1. Vimeo
Vimeo is like a more sophisticated brother to YouTube. It has a refined interface that is easy to navigate. The key idea behind Vimeo is that it is designed by filmmakers that allow creative minds to upload videos at a high-quality resolution at 4K UHD. It would blow your mind given the fact that most of the users are capped at 1080p resolution on YouTube.
The app has a built-in community of content creators and more who interact with each other. You can follow channels, upload 4K UHD videos, live an ad-free life with Vimeo without much hassle. It lets you earn extra when uploading videos where you can showcase your bright and creative side to the world. The app lets you watch live events, record and upload videos, add videos with password protection, and more. You can browse various artists, categories, and more and get recommendations and Staff Picks on the go.
Key Features:
- 4K Ultra HD videos
- Download & watch videos offline
- Ad-free playback
- Share videos privately
- Built-in community
Price: Free | Offers In-App Purchases from $11.99/mo or $83.99/yearly
2. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is one of the biggest video-streaming platform that is second to only YouTube. It has almost the same layout, interface, features but with high-quality videos and few restrictions on-board. Enjoy quality videos for whatever query you search, and Dailymotion will show you relevant results right away. It has a home page, categories, playlists, recommended videos, and more, just like YouTube without much fuss.
Search for videos on any particular topics, news, and more. You can save videos to watch later. Don’t want to burn the crucial mobile data when traveling or don’t expect internet access, try its offline mode which works fuss-free as well. Dailymotion simply works like magic, but it caps your uploads at 4GB. You can only extend it forward with its premium monthly or yearly subscription.
Key Features:
- Offline Mode
- High-quality videos
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Daily recommendations & updates
Price: Free | Contains Ads
3. YouTube Vanced
If you are looking for a YouTube alternative because you don’t want to see its aggressive ads, try YouTube Vanced for a change. You can sideload the YouTube Vanced app, and once you do, it works just as the stock YouTube app but without the ads. Yes, it blocks all kinds of ads, no matter if it’s before, during, and after watching a movie. It also supports Picture in Picture mode, or you can simply use it as a music player. It also offers a truly AMOLED black theme, unlike the stock app.
Other features include overriding video playback as you can yank it up to 4K outbursting the resolution supported on your phone. Just to name a few, YouTube Vanced avoids home ads, UI ads, community posts, Merchandise ads, movie upselling, no comments, and many more that the stock YouTube app is plagued with.
Key Features:
- Picture in Picture Mode
- Truly AMOLED black theme
- Blocks all ads
- Auto-repeat
- No comments & community posts
Price: Free
Download: Website
4. Metacafe
If all you have is 8 minutes and want to watch something interesting, check out Metacafe. The app available on Android is a free video streaming platform that lets you watch videos from across the globe. This includes tabs like latest, trending, popular, editorial picks, among others. It is like a twin brother to YouTube with high-quality videos that you can watch on it, both exclusives and originals and other videos.
You can also watch TV shows and sitcoms, among others, as Metacafe is partnered with many TV networks. So, if you are into short-form videos, Metacafe is easily one of the YouTube alternatives worth checking out. It is your one-stop destination for entertainment!
Key Features:
- High-quality videos
- Intuitive user interface
- Short videos
- Supports various TV networks
Price: Free | Contains Ads
Download: Android
5. Twitch
If your heart and soul say “games,” Twitch is a den for you. The platform especially focuses on everything related to games, from recorded videos to live streams from gamers all across the globe. It has a perfect blend of hardcore and lighthearted gaming sessions with a huge community where you can interact with others. Catch on some of the TV series and music, and arts Twitch has to offer.
Got some crazy gaming skills? Twitch is a platform for you as it lets you go live and share your gaming-oriented videos with the world. Go into a full-fledged chat with other gamers and more with Twitch as well. The Dark Mode takes away most of the discomfort you would feel at night, while the discovery section keeps you entertained and glued to your smartphone all day long.
Watch gameplays, live streams, and more from casual and hardcore gamers, learn to master skills, showcase your skills, and more on Twitch. It is not an exact alternative to YouTube, but it surely has the upper hand when it comes to the gaming section on the YouTube app.
Key Features:
- Dark Mode
- Support live streams & broadcasts
- Heavily gaming-oriented
- Built-in community with live chat support
Price: Free | Offers In-App Purchases from $1.99 to $149.99
6. Vevo
You have already seen it. Vevo is one of the largest labels on YouTube and has Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, and pretty much all the big artists you would listen to are on Vevo. But Vevo has a standalone app targeting all the music lovers out there. Browse through 100 channels, genres, moods, among others. Vevo keeps on updating the music videos from trending artists like Justin Bieber, Eminem, and others.
Listen to endless music, chime to your favorite hits from the 80s, 90s, to the latest. Vevo is all about music, so if you are looking for anything else like a catfighting or a flash mob on the streets of New York, this platform ain’t for you.
Key Features:
- Abundant content
- High-quality videos
- Music-oriented standalone app
Price: Free | Offers In-App Purchases | Pro $0.49/weekly or $4.99/monthly
Download: iOS
7. TED
If knowledge is something you admire, then you need to check out TED. It is one of the largest non-profit organizations that host conferences from elite and emerging members of society. Although you can attend a TED conference to watch speakers live, it records videos that are uploaded on its platforms, including YouTube. But since we are talking about YouTube alternatives, TED’s standalone app lets you watch those lectures and events instantly whenever and wherever you want.
TED usually covers almost everything from global issues to motivation and more across dozens of categories in over 100 languages and counting. You can also download those videos and watch them offline. Tap on “Surprise Me!” and the app will give you instant inspirational video on the go. The app recommends videos matching your interests and tastes. Overall, the library contains videos that are informative, inspiring, motivational, transformational, and that’s all for free. As TED puts it, “stay curious, informed and inspired.”
Key Features:
- 3,000+ speakers
- Download & watch offline
- Light and Dark Mode
- Videos in 100+ languages
Price: Free | Contains In-App Purchases
8. Crackle
Crackle offers a full library of tonnes of content from Hollywood movies to originals to TV series on the go. The app users on-demand subscription model, and thus, you wouldn’t have to pay any monthly or yearly fee altogether. Crackle offers content from thriller, drama, action, comedy to all-time classics and more.
Crackle has movies from well-renowned production houses such as Tristar Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Funimation Films, among others. Get your hands on classics like Rudy, Animal House, Drive, 227, Looper, and more. You can also search for your favorite movies or search by genre if you just want to be entertained.
Key Features:
- Fewer ads
- Search by genre or titles
- Staff Picks
Price: Free | Contains Ads
Download: Android
9. Amazon Prime Video
If you are looking for YouTube alternatives to watch movies and TV shows, then give Amazon Prime Video a try. It gives you access to Prime Video Originals, stand-up specials, movies, popular TV shows, and more. You can rent it or buy new ones although that depends on the market. Create multi-user profiles on the app so that several users can use it and allow the app to recommend content based on the user’s interests, taste, and search history individually.
The app offers you a home feed; you can switch to movies or TV or Kids section or toggle the “Free to me” to get content that is free for you. The best thing about Amazon Prime Video is that if you love the Amazon ecosystem, you can subscribe to its bundle subscription with Amazon Prime Music, Amazon Prime (delivery), among others. It is a great avenue to binge if you are searching for an alternative to YouTube.
Key Features:
- Personal recommendations
- Play with Chromecast
- Rent or buy movies and TV shows
- Watch offline
Price: Free | Offers In-App Purchases | Pro at $8.99/monthly
10. Netflix
Netflix is the ultimate competitor of YouTube, although it doesn’t have short videos and stuff. The service has full-length movies and TV sitcoms, Netflix Originals, and more that you won’t find on YouTube ever. It has garnered millions of users over a short period becoming the replacement for a TV set since you can binge-watch any show and movie from anywhere on the globe. You can download content to watch offline.
Above all, Netflix has a robust player that tweaks the playback to ditch buffering, and in fact, you wouldn’t find many buffering sessions whilst watching a movie or TV show or anything else in most cases of poor signal.
Netflix has AI working under the hood that recommends stuff based on your interests, watch history, and taste. You can share it with others as well. You get movies and series spanning over different types of filmmaking, genres, and even stand-up specials.
Key Features:
- High-resolution videos
- Share with friends and family.
- Monthly subscription
- Tons of content available
Price: Free | Offers In-App Purchases
Why Should You Try YouTube Alternatives?
As mentioned earlier, YouTube is a go-to place when it comes to casually watching random video-related content. Since the product is from Google itself, any Google search engine result will take you to YouTube one way or another. There are videos that you wouldn’t find on any other app/website except YouTube, which makes it hard to switch to other platforms. With that said, here are few key points that we would like to talk about that might give you more perspective towards whether you should make a switch or not.
- The first is simply because Google likes to collect more data than you can think, which means it has information on what you do, what you watch, likes, dislikes, and so on.
- Then, there’s the issue with the filter bubble as Google recommends videos that it thinks are best for you for your searches and not the ones that would be extremely helpful at times.
- YouTube is too saturated, and thus, a YouTube alternative would let you escape the sight for some time before you decide to switch back.
- For all the content creators out there, YouTube might be a difficult place as it is getting more and more saturated. You would need an exceptional tug to rank higher when someone searches for any query. On the contrary, other platforms are comparatively easy to creators.
- Lastly, YouTube offers variable video resolution, while most of the alternatives mentioned above have high-quality videos for those who love their videos to be exceptionally clear.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it, the list of the best YouTube alternatives that you can try in case of YouTube bugs you in some way or others. Note that you might find these alternatives a bit off-putting given the fact that YouTube is the go-to video platform on both smartphones and computers, among other multimedia devices. With that said, if you end up giving these alternatives a go, then do share your opinions down below as it will help our fellow readers to make an informed decision.
