YouTube’s ads and privacy policy make a lot of people scramble for alternatives. So we scoured the internet and spent a good amount of time testing the best YouTube alternatives. Here are our top contenders:
- Twitch: The best YouTube alternative overall
- Vimeo: Best choice for professionals
- Internet Archive: Alternative for older content
- DTube: Decentralized content hosting and moderation
- PeerTube: Open-source technology to create YouTube alternatives
- 9GAG TV: Best option for funny content
- Nebula: YouTube alternative for long-form content
- Dailymotion: Best alternative for news enthusiasts
- LBRY: Open-source software for video sharing
- TED: Best option for inspirational content
- Veoh: Great content categorization and filters
- Crackle: On-demand streaming for documentaries and other media
But remember, most websites aren’t completely rid of ads, malware, or regional restrictions. If you want to make the most out of the YouTube alternatives, you’ll need a reliable VPN, like NordVPN, that can offer you great speeds while streaming, bypass geo-blocks, and safeguard your data.
Keep reading to find out more about the best alternatives to YouTube.
YouTube is an entertainment behemoth. The video hosting giant has uncountable hours of all kinds of media, from comedy sketches and stand-up specials to trending videos and live streaming. But YouTube also has its fair share of problems, making YouTube alternatives an option worth looking into.
You may want to look for alternatives to YouTube because of the platform’s privacy and ad practices, lack of movies or shows, and regional locks that prevent you from streaming the content you want. So, to save you some precious time, we’ve researched the best YouTube alternatives you can use.
However, if you want to stream videos online without lag or interruptions while keeping your personal data safe, it is best to use a VPN (virtual private network). NordVPN will give you super-fast speeds on alternative YouTube sites, overcome geo-restrictions, and encrypt your data.
The 12 Best YouTube Alternatives (Tried and Tested!)
There isn’t really one best alternative to YouTube. No other site has the same content variety and quantity. However, if you can’t watch or unblock YouTube videos from where you are, you need to find the best alternative YouTube websites. To simplify this process, we’ve researched and tested the most popular picks, which you can read all about below.
1. Twitch: The best overall YouTube alternative
What We Like
- Biggest live-streaming platform online
- Lots of gaming content
- Decent variety of videos
What We Don't Like
- Not as much content outside of gaming
- Subscriptions are channel-based, not app-based like YouTube
Visit: Twitch
Twitch is the biggest live-streaming platform on the internet right now, with 1.1 billion monthly visits. The site made its debut with video game live streaming, especially eSports competitions, and this is still its biggest focus. But Twitch has expanded a lot from its early days of gaming content. You can find everything on the site, from political commentary to arts and crafts tutorials.
While it may be the best alternative to YouTube videos with a gaming theme, Twitch has a little bit of everything. And if you like that most content is live streaming, it can be even better than YouTube. Just don’t forget to use Twitch with a good VPN (virtual private network).
Our No.1 VPN service, NordVPN, will encrypt your data so you can be completely anonymous on Twitch.
2. Vimeo: Best professional YouTube alternative for hosting video content
What We Like
- Simple process for uploading and hosting video content
- Great video quality
- Built-in video editor to streamline content marketing
What We Don't Like
- Not an organic platform to find content, more suited to businesses looking to host videos
- Limited functionality on the free plan
Visit: Vimeo
Vimeo is not an organic platform where creators come together to share their ideas as they would on YouTube and Twitch. Rather, Vimeo is a video hosting solution for companies that want to augment their marketing efforts. It receives about 70 million visits each month, and while it used to have many music videos in its early days, that’s not what it’s known for now.
If you’ve ever used YouTube to host promotional materials, post tutorials, or share an embedded video, Vimeo is probably a good alternative for you. It’s even better than YouTube at uploading videos smoothly.
Its free plan lets you upload two videos per month, and when you reach 25 in total, your account needs to be upgraded. This might be limiting for most companies, but it’s a great way to try the software and see if it’s right for you. From our research, the free plan lets you use all the promotional quirks a similar video marketing platform would feature, like embedded videos.
3. Internet Archive: Best alternative to YouTube for older content
What We Like
- Tons of free video content, especially older series or movies available for free
- Built-in media player
- Can watch or download content on the site
What We Don't Like
- Navigation is clunky
- Files take a while to load, especially larger ones
Visit: Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is the biggest science and education site, with 127 million monthly visits. It has all types of files, including videos. When we tested the site for this article, we found collections of old anime episodes that you can’t even find even in the best free anime streaming platforms, along with TikTok trends, educational videos, and kids’ TV shows from the 90s taken straight from VHS.
If you like YouTube’s variety, the Internet Archive is similar to YouTube. But keep in mind that this site is completely free and doesn’t run any ads. This creates a great user experience. However, this also means the Internet Archive isn’t profitable. That’s why the interface isn’t up to date with the latest web development trends.
Plus, due to copyright laws, you’ll rarely find HD videos or new shows and movies on the site. But if you’re looking for older content, you’ll probably even find stuff that’s not on YouTube.
4. DTube: Decentralized content hosting and filtering
What We Like
- Innovative blockchain infrastructure
- Decent content library size
- No ads or data mining, unlike YouTube
- Community-run content filtering
What We Don't Like
- Unclear if earnings model for creators is better here
- Content is not as high quality
Visit: DTube
DTube is one of the most popular alternative websites to YouTube that lets you watch videos in a similar application. When we analyzed the site, we found it’s a straightforward video-sharing platform with 360,000 monthly visits. It has a familiar structure, with the same content categories as YouTube, and a clear financial incentive for creators to upload great videos.
But it has a few things that set it apart from YouTube and most of the other alternatives on this list. Most notably, creators can only get paid in the first seven days of uploading something, and they only get paid in DTube’s cryptocurrency.
Moreover, there is no top-down content filtering. We also noticed that the community votes on what is or isn’t allowed on the site. Depending on your opinions on free speech and cryptocurrency, these can be advantages or disadvantages to the video hosting platform. But for users worried about Google’s data practices, DTube is probably better than YouTube.
5. PeerTube: Great tech for multiple YouTube alternatives
What We Like
- Easy access to several types of content
- Solid infrastructure that lets you create your own YouTube alternative
- Peer-to-peer file sharing
What We Don't Like
- Content variety is slim outside of educational and political videos
- Not one platform, but rather a cluster of smaller video sites
Visit: PeerTube
PeerTube is not an individual alternative to YouTube in itself. Rather, it’s a decentralized video platform with 255,000 monthly visits. It is powered by WebTorrent and can be used to create YouTube-like sites to share videos. The most popular platforms created with PeerTube include XR Tube, Blender, and the Privacy International Media Server.
We discovered that some of these platforms feature their fair share of extremist content or conspiracy theories. But PeerTube platforms also feature news coverage, educational videos, and art free of license. However, considering its decentralized approach, we recommend you use a top VPN provider to hide your identity before visiting any PeerTube site.
NordVPN offers enhanced encryption features to safeguard your personal information on PeerTube and keep it away from prying eyes while giving you complete online anonymity.
6. 9GAG TV: Best pick for short and funny videos
What We Like
- Tons of funny videos, images, and gifs
- Comprehensive content categorization
- Ads are not as intrusive as they are on YouTube
What We Don't Like
- Not too much long-form content
- Small video library compared to other alternatives on this list
Visit: 9GAG
9GAG might not be everyone’s first YouTube alternative, as it differs from your normal video hosting platform. Users sometimes upload videos on the site, but we mostly noticed memes, gifs, and images when testing the site. Still, if you use YouTube for some comedic relief on channels like FailArmy, 9GAG is the best alternative to YouTube for you.
If you’re in for a laugh, 9GAG won’t disappoint, even if it’s not better than YouTube. It is surely a popular online platform thus far, as it currently has about 115 million monthly visits from users. Plus, you get unlimited video uploads if you want to join content creators, making people laugh on a great YouTube alternative.
7. Nebula: Best YouTube alternative for video essays and documentaries
What We Like
- Long-form content like you'd see on YouTube
- Creator-owned and run
- Some of the best videos anywhere on the net
What We Don't Like
- No free version available
- Small library of short-form content
Visit: Nebula
If you’re on YouTube for three-hour-long video essays and documentaries, Nebula is one of the best video content platforms you can try. It’s a creator-owned video website focused on educational content, long-form videos, podcasts, and everything else you’d get from YouTube. When testing the site, we also saw formal classes for skills improvement, so Nebula is great for people looking to self-actualize.
The website receives around 5.2 million visits each month. But, if you want to drink from its well of knowledge, you’ll need to pay at least $5 per month for a subscription, as Nebula does not have a free plan. If you like its content, though, it’s well worth the asking price.
8. Dailymotion: A suitable YouTube alternative for news enthusiasts
What We Like
- Great news coverage from across the world
- Decent video quality, usually at least 720p
- In-depth content categorization filters and options
- Popular media organizations are on the site, including Delish, Rolling Stone, Bloomberg, and more
What We Don't Like
- Content isn't as varied beyond news coverage
Visit: Dailymotion
For YouTube users who love news and curious facts from around the world, Dailymotion is probably the best alternative. It’s a French media site that’s available in 180 languages and receives 142 million monthly visits. We were glad to see HD videos of the latest news, trending videos, and some funny videos. It has all sorts of content, from the latest geopolitical developments to tabloids or sports updates.
Due to its political content, Dailymotion has been banned in some parts of the world, most notably Russia. If you live in a location where Dailymotion is blocked, you can bypass your country’s online censorship with a VPN like NordVPN.
NordVPN will change your IP address to one from a different region and let you watch trending videos on Dailymotion.
9. LBRY: Decentralized video-sharing platform for open-source projects
What We Like
- Open-source project that anyone can use to create their YouTube alternative
- Blockchain-based distribution of content
- Available for free
What We Don't Like
- Need to download an app before accessing any content
Visit: LBRY
If you want to watch videos from one of the best free YouTube alternatives, LBRY is a good choice. This platform gets 148,000 visits per month and is a blockchain project that aims to decentralize content production and hosting. However, when testing the platform, we found its interface more complex than sites like DTube.
It’s an open-source protocol that allows users to build their own video-sharing apps without fear of censorship or intrusive data collection practices. Like PeerTube, it’s been used to create several video hosting platforms that you can access by downloading LBRY’s app.
That’s also LBRY’s disadvantage when compared to other alternatives to YouTube. We couldn’t access it right away from a browser. We had to download an app based on the device we were using. But after that, LBRY allowed us to follow video creators, post videos ourselves, and enjoy content on a platform that supports free speech.
10. TED: The best YouTube alternative for motivational content
What We Like
- Biggest online collection of TED talks
- Exclusive access to live events online
- High definition videos
- No ads, and a lot of content accessible for free
- Transcripts for the videos you're watching
What We Don't Like
- Nothing beyond the TED talk format
- Live events and other exclusives are locked behind a paywall
Visit: TED
With 8.1 million visits monthly, TED will help bring you motivation and perspective through its inspirational TED talks. And if you’ve been using YouTube for insight, you’ll be happy to know TED has its own video-sharing platform where you can watch all of their archived talks. From climate change to building the right habits, there’s a little bit for everyone on the site.
When going through the site, we were glad to see that most of their content was available for free. But if you get a TED membership, you can also access exclusive live events, TED podcasts, and more. Plus, these contributions help keep TED free. The only problem is that you won’t find music videos or similar content on the site.
11. Veoh: Useful content filters and categories
What We Like
- Surprising content variety for its market share
- High-quality uploads (decent video quality in newer uploads)
- Comprehensive content categorization and filtering
What We Don't Like
- Only available in the US
Visit: Veoh
Veoh was one of the quickly rising video platforms of the early 2000s, along with YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo. If you wanted to share videos back then, it was a serious contender to YouTube. It was since beaten by the competition, but it remains a trafficked platform to this day.
When we researched the site, it was getting more than a million monthly visits. This is nothing compared to YouTube’s numbers, but it’s still enough to incentivize some video creators to join the platform.
The content variety on the site is pretty good, too. Veoh features Korean reality shows, music videos, educational videos, tabloid roundups of celebrities, and plenty more. However, Veoh might not be available worldwide. Hence, you may need to find and download a VPN service to watch content on Veoh.
This is where NordVPN comes in handy. This provider is an unblocking powerhouse. It can bypass geo-blocks imposed by websites and will give you access to Veoh within minutes, no matter where you are located.
12. Crackle: Best YouTube alternative for streaming
What We Like
- Free library of hundreds of movies, TV shows, and documentaries
- Video streaming platform for Sony
What We Don't Like
- Only accessible from the US
Visit: Crackle
Crackle is Sony’s video streaming platform, and it is relatively popular among users, receiving 1.9 million visits each month. It doesn’t scratch most of the same itches as YouTube since it’s focused on movies and TV shows. We were disappointed to see that you can’t upload videos on the site or use it as a professional video hosting platform.
But, we were impressed by the wide range of documentaries, which can be great for fans of YouTube video essays. Plus, it’s free, and the movies and series on the site are not half bad. If you want to entertain yourself without being prey to YouTube’s algorithm, Crackle can be a good alternative.
Just know that it’s only available in the US. If you live elsewhere, you’ll need a VPN to unblock Crackle and enjoy the free content. NordVPN has 1,970 servers in the US alone, so you can easily access the site through its wide server network.
Why Should You Use YouTube Alternatives?
YouTube is really handy if you want to be entertained, but the platform’s algorithm is so effective at keeping you hooked that some people want to ditch it altogether. Moreover, some users may object to YouTube’s data collection practices, which are questionable, especially regarding its underage users. Sure, you can always tweak your YouTube privacy settings, but that may not be enough.
Also, some people want an alternative to YouTube because of censorship and not being able to access the platform from their location. We hope our list of the best YouTube alternatives can help in all of these cases. Do note that there are other options like Facebook Watch or FreeTube (which lets you use YouTube native video sharing in its own app).
However, Facebook Watch is no better than YouTube with your data. And no alternative like FreeTube is a fully-fleshed video-sharing platform, so we stuck to the sites that have their own video clips.
Best VPN for YouTube Alternatives: NordVPN
Most of the alternatives to YouTube mentioned above can be accessed from anywhere worldwide. However, with some of them, like Crackle, you may encounter difficulties watching the content of their site from your location. That is why you need a top VPN provider, like NordVPN, that will help you bypass geo-blocks and allow you to watch the videos you want easily.
Moreover, some YouTube alternatives contain ads on their sites. NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature will safeguard your device from malware like spyware if you click on an ad containing malicious software.
Finally, it is always best to protect your sensitive data when doing any online activity. NordVPN will hide your personal information with its top-notch 256-bit encryption protocol and offer fast connections to stream all the content you want without interruptions or lag.
- Fast and large worldwide network of VPN servers
- Perfect for privacy and streaming
- Trusted by many, with over 14 million users
What Is the Best YouTube Alternative?
There’s no single best YouTube alternative. If you’re looking for gaming content, Twitch is your best bet. For something structurally similar, DTube, PeerTube, and LBRY are decent options.
If you want to upload videos on a professional video-sharing platform, Vimeo is your top pick. And if you like your long-form content, Nebula is probably the best choice. It all depends on what you got out of YouTube and what you’re on the lookout for.
Regardless of what you pick, though, you’ll need a VPN. It will help you access regionally restricted videos and video hosting platforms. Plus, it will hide your IP address, making you anonymous online, and help you protect your data. From our research, NordVPN was the best at unblocking video streaming platforms and keeping our anonymity.
Still have some questions about the best YouTube alternatives? Check out our FAQ section below.
There is no video streaming platform that can do everything YouTube does. However, there are some YouTube alternatives for specific audiences. For example, if you like gaming content, Twitch is a great YouTube alternative. If you like video essays and documentaries, Nebula’s your best bet.
Vimeo is generally considered to be YouTube’s biggest competitor. It was founded at the same time, and was a direct YouTube competitor for a long time. But now, Vimeo is more focused on serving corporate clients, not the general public.
LBRY, Vimeo, and PeerTube are the best YouTube alternatives if you’re tired of ads. They don’t have as rich of a library as YouTube, but they’re decent enough. If you want a platform with fewer ads, but still plenty of content, Twitch and Crackle are better alternatives. And if you’re bothered by ads, don’t forget to check out our roundup of the best ad blockers.
It depends on your definiton of “better.” If you’re looking for something with fewer ads, and better news coverage, Dailymotion is probably better. But on all other fronts, YouTube comes on top.
