YouTube Alternatives to Find Out What’s Not on YouTube
How many hours have you spent on YouTube today?
Like many others, I tend to head straight to YouTube whenever I want to watch videos.
As the world’s second-largest search engine, the watch time on YouTube is up to 60% every year.
If you’re anything like me, someone who always takes a bit of time to watch videos every single day — whether it’s for entertainment or education — you might find yourself asking:
Why bother looking for alternatives when YouTube already exists?
Why Bother Looking for YouTube Alternatives?
As we all know, we complained about YouTube guidelines and how often they got revised without any prior indication.
And for many of us, including myself, that’s a real downer.
I personally use YouTube as a portfolio. When I want to showcase my work or share my expertise, it’s my go-to platform.
However, there are times when I’ve felt limited by its restrictions. That’s why I, like many others, have started exploring alternatives.
So, after some digging, I stumbled upon these hidden gems that could serve as an option when you can’t find the videos you’re looking for on YouTube, or perhaps when you just feel like exploring something new.
Here are the 12 best YouTube alternatives you might want to try.
1. Utreon
Utreon is a new and exciting YouTube alternative with a wide range of functionality and a superb UI.
Creators can sync their videos from YouTube, removing the need for creators to double upload. They even support video files up to 4K.
2. Vimeo
I’d say Vimeo is a high-quality video content platform.
It hosts high-quality content that you can enjoy in Ultra HD (4K). It’s a perk for artists, creative content creators, or filmmakers.
It provides a simple layout with ads-free so you can watch the videos without any interruptions for a better viewing experience.
The sad news is that you only have a 500MB weekly limit to upload your videos. But you can upgrade it up to 5GB with a monthly fee.
3. VideosHub
Metacafe was one of the oldest video-sharing platforms and YouTube alternative sites until it disappeared in August 2021.
Now, the platform is back under the name VideosHub.
VideosHub is still known for its specialization in short-form videos.
It hosts a similar mix of popular, funny, and seemingly random videos from various categories — from Art Animation to Travel and Outdoor.
4. Veoh
Another YouTube alternative is Veoh. It provides a simple interface with no time or size limit for videos you can upload.
Veoh also provides music content on the site that allows you to freely enjoy and share music across a wide range of genres.
There are several social networking features, such as groups, contacts, and direct messages, to make it easier for you to connect with other users.
5. DTube
DTube has a similar interface with YouTube. It allows you to watch and upload videos with no limit — just like YouTube.
I love how it offers an ad-free platform, so you we can get an uninterrupted viewing experience.
You also have the option to save videos for later viewing. However, one aspect that doesn’t quite sit well with me is its limited content library.
6. Twitch
Twitch is an excellent YouTube alternative if you like gaming ot streaming videos. At this stage, I’d liken the platform to a community of streamers in its own right.
You can live broadcast your game play and let others watch it. Twitch also allows you to interact with other users, mostly for game tips. In addition to games, Twitch is famous for its festival or concert live streaming.
7. 9Gag
Remember 9Gag? And yes it still exists.
If you’re a fan of short videos for entertainment, then there’s no better place than 9Gag.
Most Twitter or Facebook users are already familiar with this site, which provides short videos, GIFs, memes, and images—mostly for pure entertainment purposes.
The content is also categorized, so you can sort out what content you want to watch.
Another good thing is that it allows you to share the content on your social media to spread the fun to your friends.
8. The Internet Archive: Video Section
The next YouTube alternative you should try is The Internet Archive.
It stores a vast library of movies, such as documentaries and TV shows. To make your search easier, you can sort the content by year, subject, and topic.
You can even find videos that you can’t find on YouTube or any other platforms because of copyright or other policies. The Internet Archive also allows you to contribute to the archive by uploading your video content for free.
9. Flickr
Flicker is mostly known as a photo platform. You can also watch and upload no-more-than-90-second videos on Flickr.
It provides artistic and inspirational images and short videos. If you love photography or videography, you’re going to love this site.
Flickr also allows you to download royalty-free videos and images freely. With Flickr, you can also join your community and broaden your knowledge about videography and photography.
10. Hulu
This one is most likely for a YouTube TV alternative. If you can’t find your favorite series, shows, or TV channel on YouTube, Hulu will gladly take you in.
Hulu used to be free, but now it only provides a subscription service for the viewers.
But you can start the free trial for seven days to enjoy your favorite TV shows, movies, or originals without any ads.
You can also watch your favorite TV channels live. The sad news here is that Hulu currently offers the platform in the U.S. only.
11. TED Talks
TED Talks might be the best YouTube alternatives if you like inspirational video content.
You can find more than 32,000 inspirational talk videos covering everything about technology, health, psychology, history, business, and global issues.
You can sort the content based on the topics, language, and duration. TED Talks could be your new favorite video platform to get more fresh ideas, inspirations, and learn something new every day.
12. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is the second most popular video streaming platform, next to YouTube.
If you’re bored with YouTube, Dailymotion welcomes you. It features the same layout as YouTube so you can get used to it quickly.
The policy isn’t as scary as YouTube, so you can upload your content more flexibly with less risk to get removed or blocked.
Sadly, you can only upload a video with a size no larger than 4GB.
Creators can currently monetize their content through subscription revenue with more monetization features being planned by the end of 2021.
Utreon has many new features underway including live-streaming, an iOS app, and community blogging.
What are Your Favorite YouTube Alternatives?
These YouTube alternatives can give you more experience to explore more videos on the internet.
I’ve created a summary of this article in the form of a video:
So, have you tried those alternatives above? What is your impression? Let us know in the comment section below!
