Several sites and services allow you to watch
TV, stream movies, and upload your content online. However, two major
sites receive most of the attention on the web: YouTube and Vimeo. We
reviewed both to help you decide which one fits your needs best.
Overall Findings
YouTube
- Popular among personal and business video bloggers.
- Offers a large participatory community.
- The site's popularity drives higher search engine rankings.
- Lots of customization options.
- Limits the size of individual uploads (free version).
Vimeo
- Popular among artists, musicians, and indie filmmakers.
- Offers a large participatory community.
- Offers a paid option for higher quality, less bandwidth usage, and more features.
- Lets users embed their logos and branding.
- Advanced analytics.
- Limits uploads annually.
YouTube is the king of online video. From business channels to
personal video blogs to television, YouTube 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. Google acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion.
Vimeo
is largely characterized by the content created and uploaded by
artists, musicians, and indie filmmakers who want to share their
creative work. Although the variety of video content is slightly more
limited compared to the wide range available on YouTube, over 16,000
videos are uploaded daily to the popular video-sharing site.
Both
sites are video sharing networks where users can sign up, upload videos
for free, and participate in a community. In terms of viewing choice
and connection speeds, these two sites are some of the best among
competing services on the web.
Audience Range: YouTube Is Tops
YouTube
- 1.9 billion users monthly as of 2019.
- Nearly 80% of internet users have an account.
- Enormous audience potential.
Vimeo
- 1.7 million users monthly as of 2019.
- 90 million registered users as of 2019.
- Fewer users can mean less competition for viewership.
YouTube is the number one video-sharing site on the web. The site's
popularity drives higher ranking in search results on Google. Plus, the
opportunity for discovery through related videos and search terms gives
it a strong reputation. The chance of being discovered by an enormous
number of viewers by uploading a video on YouTube plays an important
role in content promotion.
Although the massive audience and
viewing potential can be considered a strength on YouTube, it can also
be a disadvantage. Your videos can get lost among the many other videos.
Even if your video is considered to be creative and worth watching, it
may be difficult for others to discover it.
Because Vimeo is smaller than YouTube, your video views may be more limited.
Restrictions: A Choice Between Length and Bandwidth
YouTube
- No limit to the number of videos you can upload.
- Limits each upload to 15 minutes.
Vimeo
- Video upload is limited to 500 MB per week and 10 videos per day.
- 5 GB of video storage per account.
There's no limit on the number of videos you can upload to YouTube,
which is an attractive option for people who like to upload often.
However, you can't upload videos longer than 15 minutes without
verifying your account. Depending on the views, subscribers, the number
of videos, and other statistics of your account, YouTube slowly
increases the length allowed for your video uploads.
Vimeo limits
you to a maximum of 500 GB of uploads per week, and 10 videos per day. A
free account gives you up to 5 GB of storage.
Community Engagement: Vimeo's Nicer
YouTube
- Videos can be flagged and removed.
- Can disable comments to prevent bad comments and trolling.
Vimeo
- More audience engagement.
- Friendlier, more positive audience environment.
- Format and typical content tend to encourage stronger viewer relationships.
YouTube relies on its community to report and flag videos for
copyrighted content, pornography, violence, or other inappropriate
subject matter. If your video gets flagged, YouTube may remove it from
the site without warning. As your videos grow popular and attract more
viewers, you increase the chance of receiving inappropriate comments,
profanity, and spam. Bad comments can potentially lead to a bad
reputation. For this reason, some users prefer to disable comments on
videos.
Vimeo tends to have more audience engagement due to the
focus on creative artistry, filmmaking, and music. You're more likely to
receive friendlier comments and make stronger relationships with users
on Vimeo than on YouTube.
Money Matters: Both Offer Revenue Opportunities
YouTube
- Possibility of revenue sharing for highly trafficked videos.
- The Premium version is geared toward viewers, with benefits such as an ad-free viewing experience.
- Uploading commercial content requires a Pro membership.
Vimeo
- Tip Jar feature allows viewers to contribute funds.
- Offers the ability to sell or rent your videos.
If your videos get enough views or your channel attracts enough
subscribers, YouTube will invite you into a revenue-sharing partnership.
Ads are placed at the bottom of your videos and in the sidebar. This
gives you the opportunity to earn an income from the popularity of your
videos. Although it takes time and effort to earn a significant amount,
some people make a full-time living from their channels.
Although
the Vimeo Pro features are outstanding, a Pro account has a fee. Not
everyone will find it worthwhile to pay for premium features. If you
decide against it, you'll miss out on a lot of what Vimeo offers.
If
you plan to promote a product or service through a video on Vimeo, you
must pay for a Pro account. If you upload a commercial video on a free
account, you risk having your video taken down.
Uploading videos
to Vimeo is as convenient as it is with YouTube. However, you can get
better quality when you upgrade to a paid Vimeo Pro account. With a Pro
account, videos are cleaner and require less bandwidth for viewing.
Analytics: YouTube's Are Enough for Casual Users, but Vimeo's Options Reign
YouTube
- Offers a variety of metrics and reports, including data on watch times, traffic sources, and demographics.
Vimeo
- Business account users can take advantage of integrated Google Analytics.
- More robust analytics options make it easy to spot trends.
The analytics platform on Vimeo—including the free option—is superior
to that on YouTube. Some users feel that YouTube's analytics system is
too basic.
Final Verdict
Both
YouTube and Vimeo offer video producers and bloggers many creative,
monetization, and tracking options. Your best choice depends on your
goals. If you create lots of videos for your business, friends, or
family, YouTube's the way to go. But creative types seeking
constructive, helpful feedback and more robust analytics will appreciate
Vimeo's artsier take on the video world.