Hassan Ali
YouTube is the biggest player in the online video space. (It’s not even close!)
But there are other sites, too.
In this article we’ll be taking a look at 10 other video websites, beside YouTube, that are interesting video sharing platforms or video-based social channels for your business to consider.
1. Vimeo
Let’s start with an established name - Vimeo.
While it was originally focused on user-uploaded videos like YouTube, Vimeo has evolved into more of a business solution.
Their customisable video players, streaming capabilities with interactive features like polls and Q&As, and monetisation tools make it a slick option for creative teams and businesses looking to host portfolio videos and showcase their work in a professional way.
- High-quality video
- Ad-free
- Customisable player
- Flexible privacy options
- Smaller audience compared to YouTube
- Limited discoverability
2. Instagram
With Instagram, you can directly share longer videos right to your main feed to captivate your existing followers.
They’ll play as Reels at first - but viewers have the option to keep watching the full video.
Even better, Instagram’s smart algorithm can help expose your videos to new eyes and grow your audience organically through Instagram’s ‘Explore’ functionality.
- Integrated with Instagram
- Mobile-friendly
- Strong engagement - access to potentially huge audience on Instagram
- Limited to vertical and square videos
3. Facebook/Facebook Watch
Facebook knows video, and it’s widely believed that uploading your videos natively instead of sharing links helps boost visibility on this video-hungry channel.
Their Facebook Watch hub curates trending videos matched to your interests, giving you another way to get discovered by fresh audiences.
Pretty cool when you can leverage Facebook’s massive reach, right?
- Large user base
- Strong sharing capabilities
- Integrated ads
- Video content can get lost in the newsfeed
- Less control over video quality
4. TikTok
TikTok’s massively popular short-video format lends itself to entertaining, funny content that lets your brand’s personality shine.
While it’s still evolving for businesses, it provides an engaging way to connect with TikTok’s vibrant, younger-skewed community by tapping into their love of lighthearted, trendy videos.
- Huge engagement
- Viral potential
- Young audience
- Short video format
- Less obvious fit for businesses
5. Dailymotion
Think of Dailymotion as YouTube’s cousin - it’s another one that started out very similar to YouTube in purpose and functionality.
But over time it’s evolved more into a video platform geared towards hosting news, entertainment, and topical videos.
While its audience is much smaller than YouTube’s, you can monetise your uploads and it provides another avenue to amplify your reach across the web.
- Similar to YouTube
- Large international audience
- Less popular in the U.S.
- Ads can be intrusive
6. Twitch
Originally a streaming hotspot for video gamers, Twitch has expanded into a livestreaming destination for all kinds of content like podcasts, comedy shows, and more.
It represents an advertising channel to tap into Twitch’s highly engaged community of viewers.
- Real-time interaction with viewers
- Large gaming community,
- Subscription options for monetisation
- Best suited for live content
- Primarily a gaming platform
- Channel growth requires consistent streaming
7. Wistia
Wistia is a video hosting solution built from the ground up for businesses.
Polish up your video presence with sleek, professional player designs, lead generation tools that gate videos, and their integrated Soapbox tool for quick screen and webcam recording. Slick!
- Advanced analytics
- Customisable player
- Lead generation tools
- Higher cost
- Limited audience discovery
8. Behance
For creative professionals, Behance is Adobe’s network for showcasing portfolios of design, branding, animation, video projects, and more.
It’s more about getting eyes on your work from other creatives for feedback, networking, and potential opportunities rather than hosting viewer-friendly video content.
- Great for creative portfolios
- Adobe integration
- Community feedback
- Best for creative industries
- Less suitable for general marketing
- Smaller audience base
9. Brightcove
When it comes to premium, enterprise-grade video, Brightcove is the total package.
We’re talking end-to-end solutions like video management, live streaming, interactive experiences, and their ultra high-performance HTML5 video player. No wonder top brands trust them!
- Enterprise-level features, extensive analytics
- Monetisation options
- Expensive
- Complex for beginners
- Not ideal for small businesses
10. Loom
With Loom’s simple video messaging tool, you can quickly record your webcam and screen to share ideas, feedback, updates - you name it - with your team.
No more typing out long-winded emails or scheduling meetings for simple conversations. Just record and share!
- Easy-to-use
- Great for tutorials and internal communications
- Quick sharing
- Limited social sharing capabilities
- Basic editing tools
- Best for shorter videos
- Solely for a particular type of video
Thanks for reading!
The power of video is vast, and wide-ranging. From video messaging, to hosting, to content amplification and social networking, video is the fuel that drives the engine of growth for many businesses, across niches and industries.
If you take nothing else away from this article, take away this: there’s more to video than YouTube!
Take your pick of the sites we’ve outlined above and you can start to use video in different, exciting ways, generating maximum ROI throughout your business.
But… if after all of that you’re still set on YouTube, don’t worry - we have a host of articles designed to help optimise your presence on the platform. Check out our YouTube header dimensions guide, YouTube SEO tips and How to make a YouTube video for starters.
