Need to stream or upload some video? You know about YouTube and all the options there. You also know that you can find a lot of great stuff there, but it’s not so user-friendly with all the pop-ups and ads constantly distracting from the content you’re trying to find.
Maybe you’ve been looking for alternatives to YouTube, but don’t know where to start. Well, we’ve got a great list of options for you.
What Is Youtube?
Image Via Youtube.com
YouTube is a video-sharing site out of America. YouTube’s headquarters are in San Bruno, California, and was created by people who used to work for PayPal.
YouTube went live in February 2005, and was sold to Google one year later for a whopping $1.65 billion dollars. You read that right: billion, with a “b.” That’s pretty darn impressive for a site that was only one and a half years old.
YouTube lets anyone upload videos, slideshows, and other similar media to share with the world. Users can rate the materials they watch, leave comments for the posters and each other, and can report any issues about inappropriate or malfunctioning content on YouTube.
For anyone who wants to share videos, like their student films from college or an indie film project, video review of a product, or even family videos, YouTube is pretty convenient.
But what if you don’t want to use YouTube for your video content? Are there any alternatives that are as good, even if not as big as YouTube with its one billion plus users?
The Best Alternatives To
YouTube
There are several great alternatives to YouTube out there. Some are gaining in popularity, and may eventually overtake the massive site that many now think of as synonymous with “online video streaming.”
We’ve rounded up the best options, and found out why they’re so great.
Option 1: Vimeo
One of the best things about the Vimeo video sharing site is the set-up which doesn’t have as much in the background. That means viewers can more easily focus on the video, rather than all the crap on the screen around the video.
Vimeo also tends to draw a classier crowd of filmmakers than YouTube. Instead of every person under the sun hoping to get a big break without any talent, Vimeo’s filmmakers tend to be more skilled folks who offer better quality content.
The main drawback of Vimeo, though, is the limited size for content. Each user can only upload 500 MB weekly. You can pay for an account that allows up to 5GB per week, but that does make it a bit harder for Vimeo to compete with YouTube that offers nearly unlimited uploads.
Option 2: Daily Motion
Based in France, the world’s second largest video sharing site is an awesome alternative to YouTube. In most ways, this site, which came out the same year that YouTube did, is almost the same as YouTube. So, as a direct alternative, Daily Motion is a fantastic option.
However, if you’re looking for a site with a different feel, you should probably look elsewhere.
Option 3: Metacafe
Metacafe has been around since before YouTube, by two years. The site originated in Israel, though is now located in California.
One of the major things that distinguishes Metacafe from YouTube is the video length: a limit of 90 seconds.
Obviously, this site won’t host television episodes or movies. Instead, the content on Metacafe is limited to very short pieces, and therefore draws in an entirely different kind of content creators and viewers.
Option 4: Flickr
What, flickr? Yes, the photo sharing site does allow users to share video content.
A feature we were pleased to discover, flickr actually offers 1 terabyte of storage, but the offerings for viewing are fairly simple. Maybe as more people transition their video streaming to flickr, the offerings will increase. Either way, a terabyte is a lot of storage, and it’s easy for people to find videos and watch them on this easy to use site.
Option 5: Veoh
For longer videos than Metacafe would offer, Veoh is one of the great alternatives to YouTube. Veoh gives you the opportunity to upload videos with no size limit. If you’re making a full-length movie, or other long-form project, Veoh is the way to go.
Uploading to Veoh is quick and easy, too, which makes it all the more perfect for filmmakers wanting to get their material out there.
Option 6: Blip.tv
Blip.tv is a great site for high quality video. They’re more limited on people who can upload new content, which is both awesome, for quality control, and kind of rotten for anyone new who’s looking to upload new content.
So Many Alternatives, So Little Time
If you want to upload or view new videos, you don’t have to stick with YouTube. In fact, if you’re more interested in high quality content, you might want to check out some of the great alternatives to YouTube that we’ve mentioned.
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