When it comes to uploading videos online, YouTube and Vimeo are the two most popular channels in the market.
That’s why always a question is asked about YouTube vs. Vimeo- which one is better?
They are both great platforms with their respective pros and cons.
In this article, we will compare YouTube vs. Vimeo to help you decide on your favorite video platform.
YouTube
YouTube is the king of online videos. From business channels to personal video blogs to television, it has it all.
Founded in February of 2004, more than 48 hours of user-generated video content is uploaded every minute to YouTube, and the site receives over 3 billion views per day.
YouTube was acquired by Google in 2006 for USD $1.65 billion.
Vimeo
Vimeo is largely characterized by its content that is created and uploaded by artists, musicians and indie filmmakers who would like to share their creative work.
Although the variety of video content is slightly more limited compared to the wide range available on YouTube, the popular video-sharing site has over 16,000 videos uploaded daily.
 |  |
|---|---|
| Large mix of users, don’t always get constructive comments, feedback | Mostly mature community of users that offer constructive feedback |
| Offer free version to join and a $10/month ad-free version | Free or Paid Tiers: Plus, PRO, Business – Each has varied storage limits |
| Cannot replace a video with a new version and maintain analytics, but you can trim | You can replace a video without losing stats |
| Ads everywhere | No ads |
| Can schedule release times, unlisted & private options | Password protected option, plus many more |
Pricing
YouTube
YouTube is completely free with unlimited storage when it comes to hosting. It centers on making money with their advertising, not monthly or yearly payment.
Vimeo
Vimeo’s business model is quite different than YouTube. It offers four membership options: Basic (free), Plus ($7/month), Pro ($20/month), Business ($50/month) and Premium ($75/month); and they each have different levels of storage and support.
Number of Users
YouTube
- YouTube has 1.3 billion users about one-third of the entire internet-using population.
- 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!
- Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day.
- YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day.
Vimeo
- Vimeo has 100 million users & 400K paying subscribers.
- The number of the monthly viewer on Vimeo has 240 million.
- 35 million members are registered with Vimeo.
- It gets 715 million monthly views on videos.
Search Optimization
YouTube
YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet. If you’re planning to create a video personalized to a specific search query, (e.g., how to do blog post on WordPress), your video goes on YouTube. Plus, Google seems to favor videos from YouTube.
Vimeo
Vimeo is fantastic for engaged traffic. Because of their video-on-demand structure and better player, you might be better off going with Vimeo.
Advertising
YouTube
YouTube has ads all over the place both on the website and within the video player. As a marketer, you have lots of options to reach your specific audiences with highly targeted ads on YouTube.
Vimeo
Vimeo keeps their site free from ads and you won’t see one playing before, during or after your content. They make their money on memberships.
Privacy Options
YouTube
YouTube allows three options; public, private and unlisted. Private means only those you invite with an active YouTube account can view it, while unlisted means only those with the link can view it.
Vimeo
Vimeo offers password protected content. It also offers a change of other privacy options as well.
Copyrighted Material
YouTube
YouTube will detect copyrighted music and images almost carefully upon upload, automatically immobilizing these features if you don’t have permission to use them. This can help ensure you’re not entering on a copyright accidentally.
Vimeo
Vimeo isn’t as strict and won’t restrict your content. It is authoritative to use good judgment when sharing your work.
Monetization Options
YouTube
YouTube let content creators join the YouTube partner program by signing up for Google AdSense to monetize their videos. Video creators get a cut for the ads displayed on their videos.
It also allows you to use other monetization options. Publishers can sell products in their videos, join affiliate programs, add paid reviews, get sponsors for their videos, ask for donations, and more.
Vimeo
Vimeo offers an ad-free video platform. They do not have an advertising program that you can join.
Yet, they do offer “Vimeo on Demand”. A platform where you can sell videos directly to viewers. You’ll need at least a Vimeo Pro account to join the program.
It also lets you mention sponsors in your videos, and add links in the video description.
Analytics
YouTube
YouTube offer all their analytics ranging from basic statistics like views to more advanced options are completely free.
Vimeo
Vimeo offers powerful analytics tools to evaluate performance, but you’ll have to pay to access everything but basic stats.
Pros
YouTube
- It has a huge and growing audience
- The second most popular search engine in the world
- Google favors YouTube videos in search
- It’s big on mobile
- It is free to use, even for business
- You can use it to drive revenue
- You can add an interactive call-to-action (CTA) on your video
Vimeo
- No pre-roll ads
- High-quality content
- Supportive community
- Customizable player and embed options
Cons
YouTube
- Your viewers may have to sit through an ad before your video plays
- Your video has to compete with hundreds of millions of others
- You may knock down traffic to your website
- Some companies restrict access to sites like YouTube
Vimeo
- Smaller, niche audience
- Commercial Restrictions
- Limited uploads
- Paid access
- Lower traffic
Conclusion
YouTube and Vimeo are both outstanding platforms for your videos.
It depends mainly on what accurately you want to achieve with your videos.
If you have business plans based on SEO and ads, then YouTube is best. And if you are looking for a resourceful community where you can connect and gain some experience in a definite niche, Vimeo is a place to start sharing your content.
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