The Best YouTube Alternatives for Content Creators in 2023

The best YouTube alternatives are becoming increasingly important to content creators looking to increase their digital presence and reach a wider audience online. After all, YouTube might be the biggest video creation platform out there, but it’s far from your only option.

Currently, YouTube ranks as the second most-visited website in the world, and boasts around 2 billion monthly active users. However, the popularity of the channel also means it’s increasingly difficult for content creators to stand out. There are already 38 million active channels on YouTube.

What’s more, YouTube’s ever-changing algorithms and rules can make it difficult to ensure you’re getting the best possible return on investment when sharing your videos. It’s easy for a sudden change to damage your monetization options, or make it harder for you to maintain ownership over your content. Exploring some YouTube alternatives could be the answer. Solutions like Twitch, Dtube, and Vevo have grown particularly popular over the years.

Today, we’re going to look at some of the best YouTube alternatives for all kinds of content creators, whether you’re creating how-to videos, webinars, or video demonstrations.

What are the Best Alternatives to YouTube?

Uscreen

A trending all-in-one solution for video-on-demand content creation and live streaming, Uscreen gives creators a host of ways to share and monetize their videos. The easy-to-use and powerful platform makes it simple to start uploading videos, creating your own library, and customizing the look and feel of your content within a matter of minutes.

Uscreen is excellent for earning money when you upload videos online too. You can sell your videos in a variety of great ways, from one-off purchases, to subscriptions, and tip jars. There’s also the option to build your own fully-branded apps and websites for showcasing and sharing your content across the web. Uscreen allows you to stream content immediately to virtually any device, including OTT apps.

What’s more, the live-streaming options come with various ways to engage your followers, through countdowns, live chat, and profile creation. There are also plenty of analytical insights so you can track things like subscriber growth, churn, and which videos gain the most attention.

Pricing

Uscreen offers a free trial, so you can test some of the basic features before you get started. However, the paid packages will give you the most freedom. Your options include:

• Basic: $79 per month for 1 admin user, 50 hours of video storage, onboarding support, encoding for your videos, and access to all of the top features, like marketing tools, automations, analytics, and website building.
• Growth: $159 per month for up to 10 admin users, 150 hours of video storage, all the features of Basic, and chat/email support. You also get affiliate tools, integrations, and new ecommerce capabilities.
• UscreenPlus: Custom pricing for all the admin users and video storage you need, as well as live streaming analytics, white-labelled branding, API guidance and more.

Muvi

Muvi is an all-in-one OTT platform provider designed to help users launch all kinds of white label video streaming services. The platform gives content creators a range of options for how to share their videos online. You can live stream videos to a range of different environments, including common OTT apps. There’s also a video on-demand delivery system available too for showcasing documentaries, TV shows and more.

Muvi also offers a range of options for audio streaming, which is ideal in the age of podcasts and online radio shows. You can launch a live broadcast radio channel for audio, or build your own streaming system. Plus, everything you need to build your applications and channels is included out-of-the-box, with no coding required.

Muvi comes with access to a host of over 500 features, including ad-supported subscription plans, reporting and analytics, Built-in DRM for your live streaming, and encoding/transcoding services. You also get a comprehensive CMS environment where you can keep track of all your content.

Pricing

Muvi has a handy free trial for beginners, as well as various premium plan options to choose from. You’ll be able to save 10% by paying every 6 months, or 15% when you pay annually. Package options include:

• Standard: $399 per month for unlimited content and users, shared hosting with 1TB of storage, and 20,000 free API calls, plus 2 admin accounts.
• Professional: $1,499 per month with all the Standard features, plus 5 admin accounts, CDN access, 2TB of bandwidth per month, and 10,000 concurrent users.
• Enterprise: $3,900 per month for all the features of Professional, plus security and stress testing, advanced customer support, and 5TB of bandwidth.
• Ultimate: $8,900 per month for a dedicated server with 10TB of bandwidth and auto-scaling capabilities, unlimited admin accounts and advanced stress testing.
• Black: Custom pricing for discounted data and storage fees, advanced customer service, and a range of other bonus features.

Vimeo

Vimeo is one of the better-known video platforms and alternatives to YouTube on the market today. The solution advertises itself as a B2B marketing platform where you can create a company video hub, stream webinars, and sell your videos online. You can also create online events, share videos in minutes, and integrate your service with a range of popular tools like Shopify and WordPress.

Vimeo already has a massive user base of dedicated customers thanks to its wide range of features and solutions. You can sell video on-demand, access dedicated hosting and management tools, and unlock a range of features for distributing your videos. There’s also a video “OTT” service for streaming your content directly to OTT applications.

Vimeo is one of the most comprehensive video platforms out there. Even on the basic packages, users can access video chaptering, SEO tools, screen recording, and password protection. You’ll also have access to templates to make your video creation process easier, whether you want to create ad-free videos for gamers, music videos, or high-quality monetized online video.

Pricing

Vimeo offers a 30-day free trial, as well as a completely free plan, though this package does have some limitations. The plan has no privacy features, limited customization options, and no access to live streaming or advanced analytics. Paid plans include:

• Starter: £9 per month per seat for up to 5 videos per seat per month, player embedding, password protection, screen recording, basic video templates, chaptering, SEO, and engagement analytics.
• Standard: £27 per month, per seat for up to 10 videos per seat per month, all the features of Starter, branding in your player and videos, custom CTAs, lead capture forms, premium templates, stock photos, music, and videos, and on-demand selling.
• Advanced: £51 per month, per seat, for up to 20 videos per seat per month with all the features of Standard, plus virtual webinars and events, live polls and chats, attendee registration, real-time stream insights, marketing tools and branded invites.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for everything in Advanced plus custom permissions, SCIM (OKTA), SSO (SAML), advanced integrations, 99.9% uptime and moderation for Q&A, plus backup streams.

Dailymotion

Dailymotion is an interesting alternative to YouTube for content creators. The site is already home to a huge community of active users, so you should be able to grab attention for your content relatively quickly. In fact, Dailymotion boasts around 2 billion monthly views. As a publisher, you’ll have access to a range of monetization solutions too.

There’s a revenue share program for collecting content through ads and partnerships. Plus, you can create live streams of your content and charge your customers for access. Analytical tools provide a behind-the-scenes view of which videos generate the best results.

You can reach your audience anywhere by embedding the Dailymotion player into your existing websites and social media pages. Plus, you can customize this player to reflect your unique brand identity, which is great if you’re getting started online. There are various content recommendation features to keep your customers watching for longer, and dynamic previews too.

Pricing

The “Starter Offer” from Dailymotion allows you to sign up as a content creator for free. This will give you access to various free management and distribution solutions. There’s also an “Advanced” option which you can access if you need help from Dailymotion experts to assist you with monetizing your channel.

You’ll need to contact the Dailymotion team to learn more about the Advanced package, but it does come with a range of extra capabilities like picture-in-picture, livestreaming, social media sharing, automated content via API and MRSS, and uploading from mobile.

Instagram TV

Instagram TV, otherwise known simply as “Instagram Video”, is the dedicated video sharing platform created by Instagram. Released in 2018, the solution was designed to be the successor to the popular video sharing platform: Vine. It gives businesses and content creators an opportunity to upload all kinds of content, including long-form video.

Instagram video takes a mobile-first approach to sharing video content, so you can reach your audience wherever they are. There’s a simple and intuitive app for uploading your vertical videos, and there are plenty of ways to customize your content with filters and added extras.

The great thing about IGTV is it also makes it easier to reach your existing audience through social media. You’ll have access to your own “IGTV” section on your Instagram profile, and you can even take snippets from your videos to share on your standard channel. You can also monetize your videos with ads. Countless creators have already used the platform to share video on gameplay, tv shows, and short-form video content.

If you want to move beyond using Gifs and Memes on Instagram and leverage the video benefits of streaming platform options like TikTok, without the time restrictions, IGTV could be one of the top video sites for you.

Pricing

IGTV is one of the few free alternatives to YouTube for companies who can’t afford an expensive platform and camera crew. Although you’ll need to pay for the costs of creating your videos yourself, and advertising them, when necessary, the fees are usually quite low.

Most IGTV videos are designed to be authentic and mid-quality, so you don’t have to worry too much about spending a fortune on editing.

Wistia

Wistia is another example of a comprehensive video hosting and monetization platform for content creators. Here, you can design, host, share, and analyze your videos with a range of different tools. The easy-to-use and flexible ecosystem allows content creators to start recording videos directly from their browser with screen-capturing tools.

You can make edits quickly with an in-built video trimmer, and customize your video player to suit your brand. There’s also a cloud-based CMS solution where you can organize and track all of your video creations. The system allows you to embed 4K videos into your existing website, and there are even tools for podcast creation too.

Wistia has a fantastic selection of features for capturing and converting viewers. The service automatically optimizes videos for search engines, and comes with native Google and Facebook integrations. Plus, you can implement video SEO, and marketing automation features to improve your chances of growth.

Pricing

There are a few pricing options available from Wistia, starting with a free plan which supports up to 10 videos, 1 user, and a customizable player with standard analytics. The paid packages include:

• Plus: $19 per month (annually) for all the features of free plus 20 videos, 3 users, and lead capture forms.
• Pro: $79 per month (annually) for everything in Plus, as well as 5 users, support for 50 videos, and video heatmaps.
• Advanced: $319 per month (annually) for all the features of Pro, plus 250 videos, 20 users, and marketing integrations.

Thinkific

If your aim with video content creation is to produce a number of educational videos for your followers, then Thinkific could be the tool for you. This service is actually an all-in-one course creation platform, which you can use to build various lessons through videos and quizzes. You can easily customize your courses with hundreds of features, and maintain full control over your pricing, data, and information.

Thinkific is easy to use, with an excellent back-end environment where you can build all of the different elements of your courses from scratch. You can also integrate the service with various other tools, like Shopify. There’s an excellent support team to assist you if you have any issues, and plenty of guidance available for beginners too.

Thinkific even allows you to build websites to market your business, and engage with your community in a variety of ways, through chats and forums. You can create drip or scheduled content, or design live lessons, depending on the plan you choose.

Pricing:

Thinkific has a handy free package for beginners, where you can access limited courses and unlimited students with a single admin account. The free plan comes with a drag-and-drop course builder, ecommerce access, website templates, and email/phone support. Paid plans include:

• Basic: $49 per month for all the features of Free plus live chat support, unlimited courses, custom domain access, coupons and promotions, scheduled content, one-to-one student email, and basic Academy courses.
• Pro: $79 per month for all the features of Basic, plus 2 admin accounts, priority support, hidden and private courses, flexible pricing and subscriptions, completion certificates, live lessons, single communities, advanced course building, and more Academy courses.
• Premier: $399 per month for all the features of Pro, plus 5 admin accounts, groups, onboarding support, unlimited communities, 15 group analysts, exam integrations, white labelling, and API access.

Teachery

Live video streams, trending videos and TED talks are just some of the options available to today’s video content creators. If you’re looking to create high-quality videos for the educational landscape, Teachery may be one of the best video solutions for you. The platform promises an easy-to-use environment specifically for course creators.

You can use a simple backend environment to build state-of-the-art course materials, landing pages, payment pages, and more. There’s support for unlimited courses and students on every account, and there are no additional transaction fees to worry about when you’re selling your courses.

Teachery has two flexible course templates to choose from. One is a minimal template which allows you to draw focus to your content and images. The other gives you tons of custom branding and color options, an easy-to-navigate sidebar, and a range of other feature options. Either way, you’ll be able to create an excellent homepage for your videos, an internet archive of your content, and a landscape where you can collect information about your students.

Pricing

As a great alternative to YouTube for course creators, Teachery makes it simple to get started, with a two-week free trial. Once your trial is over, you can choose between a monthly plan, or a yearly plan for your features. Each plan comes with access to every feature, from custom HTML support to customer analytics, email provider integrations, and custom domains.

The monthly packages start at $49 per month, while the yearly plan starts at $470 per year, giving you about 20% off your plan.

Teachable

Another alternative to YouTube for those with educational insights to share, Teachable is a comprehensive learning management system. More than just a great platform for video playlists, this tool provides creators with access to a huge range of features for education. You can create quizzes and forums where students can interact, and stream ultra-HD videos straight to smartphones.

Although Teachable isn’t intended for video marketing functionality, you can monetize your content in a range of different ways. For instance, you can drip-feed content to customers, or provide one-off purchasing prices for your lessons and webinars.

Teachable comes with dedicated apps for students and course creators, as well as various ways to inspire and motivate your students. You can provide your clients with completion certificates when they finish their course, and interact through one-on-one messaging.

Teachable is one of the best alternatives to YouTube for educators who need a secure, flexible, and brandable video hosting platform, with lots of extra capabilities.

Pricing

There’s a free plan available from Teachable for beginners, where you can preview all of the features and start experimenting with content creation. However, you will need to pay a fee every time someone purchases content from you on the platform. Paid packages include:

• Basic: $29 per month for product support, instant pay-outs, community building tools, integrated email marketing and coupons.
• Pro: $99 per month with no transaction fees for all the features you get in “Basic” plus advanced reporting, graded quizzes and course completion certificates.
• Business: $249 per month for all the features you get in Pro, plus advanced customizations, up to 20 admin users, and custom user roles.

Exploring YouTube Alternatives

There are plenty of YouTube alternatives out there for content creators to choose from these days. Whether you’re looking to stream short films over OTT apps to create an experience like Netflix or Hulu, or you just want new ways to monetize your YouTube videos, there’s something for everyone.

The right tool for you will depend on the kind of content you want to create, and how you want to reach your audience (such as through iOS apps, smart streaming tools, or social media channels like Facebook Watch). It’s worth taking the time to think about the nature of your video creation strategy, as well as if you have any specific requirements for things like cryptocurrency payments, blockchain access, or specialist privacy settings.

Good luck finding the right YouTube alternative for your needs.