10 Video Sites That Are Better Than YouTube
There’s little doubt that YouTube is one of the best video sites in the world. And it’s by far the most popular. But there are some fantastic YouTube alternatives available online.
Online video is such an important part of the internet that there are countless video sites worth visiting. Here are the best YouTube alternatives to watch videos online.
Even if you visit YouTube on a regular basis, it’s worth adding Vimeo to your rotation of video sites. The site was the first on the web to support high-definition videos, and while it does include a selection of user-generated fare, its emphasis is more on high-quality content.
Vimeo also offers some TV series and supports 360-degree videos.
The site has an easy-to-browse search feature that organizes videos by category and channel. Not sure what to watch? A regularly updated selection of Vimeo staff picks can help point you in the right direction.
Metacafe is a video site that specializes in short-form video content. It is one of many video sites like YouTube.
Content includes everything from highlights of the world’s best surfers, quick and to-the-point product reviews, and tips on how to complete a difficult level on your favourite video game.
One of Metacafe’s strengths is its simplicity. Its browsing interface is fairly straightforward, with a menu bar that links to Latest, Popular, and Trending videos. Those who want to take a deeper dive can click the drop-down menu on the left, which features a more extensive list of video categories.
Dailymotion is another video website like YouTube. It went live in March 2005, just one month later than its more famous rival.
Today, Dailymotion is probably YouTube’s most like-for-like competitor. There are millions of videos uploaded by both professional publishers and amateurs. Videos on the homepage are organized by category, and hot topics and trending videos are given prominence.
Dailymotion lets you create an account. The more videos you watch, the more personalized the site’s recommendations become.
Originating from Israeli startup Qlipso, Veoh is a YouTube alternative that describes itself as an internet TV company. The site boasts millions of videos, most of them professionally produced.
Veoh features a wide range of TV content, including full episodes and clips from shows including NCIS, Two and a Half Men, The Price Is Right, and The Young and the Restless. It also has videos from classic series, such as Family Ties, Melrose Place, and the original Beverly Hills 90210.
In addition to TV clips, Veoh has music content across a wide range of genres. It also has a movie section that includes some full-length features, as well as memorable clips from a large number of films.
The Internet Archive is a web-based library of all sorts of free content, including books, music, software, and, of course, movies.
Just as you might associate a physical library with doing research, one of the strengths of the Internet Archive’s video content is its vast collection of historical content. While it does also have some newer content, some of its best videos are older and obscure news reports, TV series, and movies that are typically hard to find on other sites.
Like many other sites, users can also upload videos to the Internet Archive. When uploading videos, H.264 is the common video coding format used.
Owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Crackle is an online streaming site that features original shows for the web, as well as Hollywood movies and TV series from various networks.
Some of Crackle’s original content has earned critical acclaim, including the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee starring Jerry Seinfeld. It also has a good selection of TV shows from the past, such as All in the Family, 227, Firefly, Mad About You, and News Radio.
Finally, Crackle offers some older movies you may have missed, such as Night of the Living Dead, Animal House, Paranormal Activity, and Rudy.
Twitch is the web’s best live streaming platform. The site is owned by Amazon.
The main focus of Twitch is live video game streaming, esports, and gaming-related talk shows. There are also some non-gaming videos. Most notably, Twitch has broadcast several live music videos from festivals and concerts. International DJ, Steve Aoki, famously broadcast an entire set from Ibiza back in 2014. Today, Twitch is the official streaming partner for the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.
There’s also an IRL (In Real Life) category and a Creative category.
The Open Video Project was developed at the Interaction Design Laboratory at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. It’s targeted toward the research community, including those who work with multimedia retrieval and digital libraries.
With that in mind, most of the videos found on The Open Video Project are educational in nature. There are many videos from the archives of NASA, as well as a collection of classic TV commercials and educational films dating back to the 1950s. If you’re looking to research historical video content, give The Open Video Project a shot.
9GAG is a collection of all things fun and goofy: funny photos, GIFs, gaming videos, memes, anime, and more.
Most of the content is fun and frivolous. Video titles include “A Compilation of the best Commercials Starred by the Star Wars Crew,” or “This High School Love Story Will Warm Your Heart and Then Break It Before You Know What Happened”.
It’s the type of stuff that’s hard not to click on and then spend hours browsing. Before visiting, be warned: the site contains a number of videos that are somewhat risqué and may not be safe for work.
TED Talks is a leading video website. It features more than 2,300 talks covering a vast swathe of topics, such as technology, business, design, science, and global issues.
Some of the talks are funny, while others are emotional. Some talks are meant to explain how your brain works, while others are there mainly for entertainment. The one constant with all the TED Talks videos, however, is that you’re likely to take something memorable out of each one.
The TED Talks website is particularly handy if you’re squeezed for time. Videos that appear on the menu are tagged with an easy-to-see red circle if they’re shorter than six minutes.
YouTube is the top video website for a number of reasons, including its huge selection of videos and association with Google. However, the video sites listed above are all worthy of YouTube alternatives.
1. Vimeo
Even if you visit YouTube on a regular basis, it’s worth adding Vimeo to your rotation of video sites. The site was the first on the web to support high-definition videos, and while it does include a selection of user-generated fare, its emphasis is more on high-quality content.
Vimeo also offers some TV series and supports 360-degree videos.
The site has an easy-to-browse search feature that organizes videos by category and channel. Not sure what to watch? A regularly updated selection of Vimeo staff picks can help point you in the right direction.
2. Metacafe
Metacafe is a video site that specializes in short-form video content. It is one of many video sites like YouTube.
Content includes everything from highlights of the world’s best surfers, quick and to-the-point product reviews, and tips on how to complete a difficult level on your favourite video game.
3. Dailymotion
Dailymotion is another video website like YouTube. It went live in March 2005, just one month later than its more famous rival.
Today, Dailymotion is probably YouTube’s most like-for-like competitor. There are millions of videos uploaded by both professional publishers and amateurs. Videos on the homepage are organized by category, and hot topics and trending videos are given prominence.
Dailymotion lets you create an account. The more videos you watch, the more personalized the site’s recommendations become.
4. Veoh
Originating from Israeli startup Qlipso, Veoh is a YouTube alternative that describes itself as an internet TV company. The site boasts millions of videos, most of them professionally produced.
In addition to TV clips, Veoh has music content across a wide range of genres. It also has a movie section that includes some full-length features, as well as memorable clips from a large number of films.
5. The Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a web-based library of all sorts of free content, including books, music, software, and, of course, movies.
Just as you might associate a physical library with doing research, one of the strengths of the Internet Archive’s video content is its vast collection of historical content. While it does also have some newer content, some of its best videos are older and obscure news reports, TV series, and movies that are typically hard to find on other sites.
Like many other sites, users can also upload videos to the Internet Archive. When uploading videos, H.264 is the common video coding format used.
6. Crackle
Owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Crackle is an online streaming site that features original shows for the web, as well as Hollywood movies and TV series from various networks.
Finally, Crackle offers some older movies you may have missed, such as Night of the Living Dead, Animal House, Paranormal Activity, and Rudy.
7. Twitch
Twitch is the web’s best live streaming platform. The site is owned by Amazon.
The main focus of Twitch is live video game streaming, esports, and gaming-related talk shows. There are also some non-gaming videos. Most notably, Twitch has broadcast several live music videos from festivals and concerts. International DJ, Steve Aoki, famously broadcast an entire set from Ibiza back in 2014. Today, Twitch is the official streaming partner for the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.
There’s also an IRL (In Real Life) category and a Creative category.
8. The Open Video Project
The Open Video Project was developed at the Interaction Design Laboratory at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. It’s targeted toward the research community, including those who work with multimedia retrieval and digital libraries.
With that in mind, most of the videos found on The Open Video Project are educational in nature. There are many videos from the archives of NASA, as well as a collection of classic TV commercials and educational films dating back to the 1950s. If you’re looking to research historical video content, give The Open Video Project a shot.
9. 9GAG
9GAG is a collection of all things fun and goofy: funny photos, GIFs, gaming videos, memes, anime, and more.
Most of the content is fun and frivolous. Video titles include “A Compilation of the best Commercials Starred by the Star Wars Crew,” or “This High School Love Story Will Warm Your Heart and Then Break It Before You Know What Happened”.
10. TED Talks
TED Talks is a leading video website. It features more than 2,300 talks covering a vast swathe of topics, such as technology, business, design, science, and global issues.
Some of the talks are funny, while others are emotional. Some talks are meant to explain how your brain works, while others are there mainly for entertainment. The one constant with all the TED Talks videos, however, is that you’re likely to take something memorable out of each one.
The TED Talks website is particularly handy if you’re squeezed for time. Videos that appear on the menu are tagged with an easy-to-see red circle if they’re shorter than six minutes.
What’s Your Favorite YouTube Alternative?
YouTube is the top video website for a number of reasons, including its huge selection of videos and association with Google. However, the video sites listed above are all worthy of YouTube alternatives.
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