11 Video-Sharing Websites You Can Use Besides YouTube

Lately, the popularity of online video has reached unprecedented heights, particularly among the younger generations! According to a recent study, young viewers consume 2.5 times more online video content than traditional TV. Most of these views come from various video-sharing websites like YouTube. And considering how YouTube alone has over two billion monthly users, the prominence that these platforms have in the online world is irrefutable! 

With such immense traction video has had over the last decade, it shouldn’t be surprising that it drew the attention of aspiring content creators and marketing professionals alike. Whether you’re a video marketer looking to generate quality leads with videos or a content creator interested in building an audience, video-sharing websites should be your go-to destination!

Although building a presence on YouTube is undoubtedly the best option in both cases, you’d be wise to take advantage of other video-sharing platforms too! After all, syndicating your videos to other platforms can give you the edge in the long run. 

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the best video-sharing websites similar to YouTube you can consider trying out.

11 Best Video-Sharing Websites Similar to YouTube

All entries on this list of video-sharing websites have audiences of different sizes and interests, so picking the ones that best suit your goals is essential. We’re sure you’ll find at least a few viable options regardless of your creative aspirations! 

1. Dailymotion

Dailymotion is likely one of the oldest YouTube alternatives on the market. The platform boasts an astonishing 112 million monthly visitors and offers similar features to YouTube. Users can use this video-sharing and hosting site to watch, share, and upload high-quality videos through a sleek and beginner-friendly UI reminiscent of YouTube’s. Users can create their own channels, put tags on videos, and sort them using categories just like on YouTube.

This French video giant is particularly popular in Europe and allows users to enjoy a wide variety of content. From funny and educational to political videos, Dailymotion has it all! A single glance at their home page should provide sufficient proof of that!

Perhaps one of Dailymotion’s most attractive aspects is that it offers a flexible monetization feature through the Dailymotion Publishing Partner program. It allows creators to enjoy various monetization features and receive a cut of the revenue, similar to YouTube.

Regardless of your video goals, Dailymotion is a video platform everyone should consider joining.

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2. Storyfire

Saying that Storyfire has had an interesting history would be an understatement! What started as a passion project of a well-known YouTuber McJuggerNuggets, quickly became one of YouTube’s biggest competitors. 

Storyfire is a free video-sharing website that prides itself in taking everything good about YouTube and improving upon it! Aside from its intuitive and user-friendly UI, higher ad revenue cuts for creators, and a handy social feature, this platform has an incredibly diverse community.

The biggest downside to this platform is that getting started with no existing audience can be challenging. That is primarily because of Storyfire’s various upload limitations for new and smaller creators. However, if you don’t mind the imposed limits or already have a dedicated audience, this video platform will prove an excellent choice!

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3. TikTok

TikTok is one of the most popular video-sharing platforms on the market currently, with over 2.6 billion app downloads by the end of 2020. This social video platform exploded in popularity over the last few years because it provided a place for young, creative people to express themselves. With more than 50% of TikTok’s user base being under the age of 34, this platform also proved perfect for video marketers targeting younger audiences, which only helped cement its dominance in the online video world.

The biggest advantage of TikTok is also its greatest downside — the platform revolves around short-form video. TikTok videos can only be up to 15 seconds long, which makes coming up with engaging and creative video ideas much more challenging. But if you find yourself preferring these types of videos or deem yourself incredibly creative, trying your luck on TikTok should be a given!

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4. Odysee

Odysee is a newcomer to the world of video-sharing websites but began gaining traction quickly as one of the best decentralized video platforms on the web! Although most of its audience consisted of users who got demonetized on YouTube at first, it has since diversified. The platform now features a wide range of content and is a second home to many of YouTube’s prominent creators. 

One of the most notable benefits of Odysee is that it was built on blockchain technology, making it fully decentralized. That means the platform offers better user privacy than YouTube and exerts no control over users’ content.

Another big selling point for Odysee is its superior monetization. Unlike at YouTube, creators earn revenue per-view and via referrals and don’t depend on ads. All revenue creators earn on Odysee is paid out in Bitcoin, making this platform one of the first to embrace cryptocurrency as a means of monetization!

Although Odysee still has a somewhat small audience, it is growing rapidly! That leads us to believe that this platform has a bright future ahead of it, so it’s well worth checking out.

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5. Instagram IGTV

IGTV is a video-sharing platform integrated into one of the world’s biggest social media giants, Instagram. This platform works similarly to TikTok and focuses mostly on catering to mobile users through short-form video. The quick and easy-to-consume short-form content makes this platform perfect for reaching younger audiences.

The upside to IGTV over TikTok is that this video platform supports longer videos too (up to 10 minutes). That gives users more leeway regarding the type of content they wish to create.

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t offer any monetization options yet, so creators might be hard-pressed to earn sustainable income on this platform.

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6. Metacafe

Metacafe is a highly underrated but rich video hosting and video-sharing website. Although it mostly focuses on short videos, it does give more creative freedom than platforms like TikTok due to the generous 90-second length limit.

One of this platform’s most significant upsides is that it focuses on trending and viral topics while still offering content from various categories like music, sports, TV, games, and much more. Although the video quality on Metacafe is overall lower than on other similar sites, it does have one significant advantage.

Metacafe pays its creators $5 for every 1,000 video views if your content hits at least 20,000 views. This monetization model might not be perfect, but it’s unique! Its upside is that it motivates users to create quality, engaging content. The downside, though, is that it doesn’t offer a reliable source of income.

Although this website is not the best choice for businesses or users looking for YouTube monetization alternatives, it is an excellent choice for those who pursue video content creation as a hobby or a side gig.

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7. BitChute

BitChute is a free video-sharing website that markets itself as a free-speech alternative to YouTube and prides itself on its lenient content moderation policies. So if you’re looking to escape from all of YouTube’s worst trends, this platform is an excellent option. Unfortunately, one of BitChute’s biggest strengths is also its greatest weakness — lack of content variety.

Although BitChute has a like-minded community, that greatly reflects on the platform’s content. Most of it caters to one specific audience type, meaning that anything that deviates from the mold rarely finds much success. Also, many will find BitChute’s limited advertising options a deal-breaker.

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8. LBRY

LBRY is a video-sharing website built on blockchain technology created by the masterminds behind Odysee. In fact, this platform is likely the first decentralized online video platform ever made!

Aside from top-notch security, this platform’s most notable feature is that the creators have full control over their content, including monetization. Users can select whether they want to lock their videos behind a paywall or make them free at will! But even if they choose to make their videos readily available, they can still receive tips from generous viewers.

One of the biggest downsides to LBRY, though, is that its audience is relatively small and that users can only pay (and get paid) in Bitcoin. These factors may prove detrimental for many.

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9. Facebook Watch

Facebook Watch is another social video platform that’s perfect as a YouTube alternative. This extension of the already huge Facebook’s platform offers users access to a highly personalized video feed.

This video-sharing site is perfect for professionals and creators alike because of Facebook’s massive reach and its many useful features. One of the most notable ones is access to advanced monetization through pre-roll and mid-roll ads, similar to YouTube. The platform even has the option of locking on-demand content behind a paywall for its most prominent creators!

A significant downside to Facebook Watch, though, is that it’s highly restrictive for aspiring creators. Unless you have already accrued a substantial audience, you won’t have access to video monetization from the get-go. Creators must have at least 10,000 followers and 30,000 total views to begin monetizing. When you couple that with the steep revenue cut that Facebook takes (45%), it becomes clear why many creators might get discouraged from ever giving the platform a shot.

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10. DTube

Saying that DTube’s UI is reminiscent of YouTube’s would be an understatement! There is no platform out there that better fits the description of a YouTube clone on the UI end.

However, the biggest selling point of DTube is that it is yet another video-sharing website built on blockchain technology. The enhanced security that comes with it far outweighs YouTube’s. 

Another remarkable aspect of DTube’s business model is that its videos come ad-free. Instead, creators gain revenue from user interactions and get paid in cryptocurrency.

Unfortunately, DTube’s audience is pretty small, so if you’re looking to make videos for a living, you’re unlikely to earn enough by relying on this platform alone.

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11. HideoutTV

HideoutTV is a relatively new GPT video-sharing website that became quite popular over the last two years. It is a website where users can create an account and get paid to post and watch videos!

You’ve heard that right — HideoutTV offers rewards for viewers through a comprehensive point system. Users can earn points by watching videos and later redeem them for prepaid VISA cards, Google Play credits, or Steam Wallet codes. Aside from this neat, unique feature, the platform has a sleek, user-friendly UI and houses various content types. From cooking tutorials to product reviews — you’ll find it all!

Unfortunately, because this site is still in its infancy, it doesn’t have a substantial audience yet. Also, creators looking to make video creation their full-time job will have a hard time earning enough money on the site since the advertising demand is much higher than the supply.

But if you’re looking for an exciting and light-hearted platform to share your videos on while earning some money on the side, HideoutTV is the perfect video-sharing site for you!

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Expand Your Horizons By Building an Audience on These Platforms

Although many creators and professionals can sustain themselves from making money on YouTube alone, that is not an ideal option. Diversifying your income and increasing your reach can do wonders for your brand. That is why building a presence on as many video-sharing websites as possible is optimal.

All video-sharing sites on our list are a viable alternative, so you’d be wise to pick the most suitable ones for your goals and start syndicating. The best part about it is that most of these platforms offer automated syndication features, so you won’t have to do much when publishing new videos. Once you set everything up, you can launch content on multiple platforms with one click of a button!

But despite all the benefits you can get from posting on video-sharing platforms, these are not the best solution for everyone. Major publishers and large online businesses will benefit more from secure enterprise video solutions and content management systems. Such platforms offer superior security, state-of-the-art monetization features, white-label solutions, and much more.

If the above sounds like something your business would benefit from more, check our comparative research on the best premium online video platforms below to find the best fit for your brand. Good luck!