6 YouTube Alternatives to Try in 2023

Although YouTube claims it uses your data only to improve user experience and make the service more customized, you are probably not happy that the platform knows so much about you. But what specific data does YouTube gather about its users? Without going into details, the platform records search and watch history, location data, and personal information like name and photos.

On the one hand, there is nothing bad in collecting this information unless YouTube sells or transfers it to third parties, and it states it doesn’t. On the other hand, no one is safe from cyber-attacks and security breaches. We don’t have to go far to find an example.

Let’s look at Facebook. In 2021, data of 533 million Facebook users was stolen by hackers and published online. Could those users imagine that having a Facebook profile endangers their personal data? We think they couldn’t. When storing your data, YouTube puts it at risk since it may be used to commit fraud or something of the kind.

However, data collection is not the only reason that makes people abandon YouTube. To put it bluntly, we don’t know anyone who’s enthusiastic about ads interrupting videos all the time. People often look for analog solutions to test and, perhaps, make a switch. Let’s discover popular video platforms that might completely replace YouTube in your browser or even become an additional tab in your bookmarks.

The best alternatives to YouTube

According to Semrush, YouTube is the second most visited website worldwide as of June 2022. So, it would be a mistake to talk about alternative websites without looking briefly at YouTube itself.

In short, YouTube is a platform to explore and share video content. A user can sign in with a Google account or use the platform without registration. Apart from watching videos, registered users can leave comments and put likes or dislikes. What’s more, users enjoy a customized experience where YouTube offers recommendations, provides personalized search results and shows relevant advertisements.

The platform is completely free, but you will have to put up with annoying ads. If you can’t bear advertisements, you can get a YouTube Premium subscription that offers various subscription plans:

• Individual Plan (€11.99/month or €119.99/year).

• Family Plan (€17.99/month for up to 5 family members).

• Student Plan (€6.99/month).

Now, it’s time to look at video streaming services like YouTube and see whether there are potential platforms that can replace it.

Vimeo

With around 260 million active users and 1.7 million paid subscribers, Vimeo can’t compete with such a giant as YouTube which in turn brags about an audience that amounts to 2.6 billion. However, it’s a reputable hosting platform designed for creative video marketing specialists. It allows to publish high-definition videos and share them with clients. The solution seamlessly integrates with popular platforms, including Figma, TikTok, and Meta, to enable uninterrupted workflow.  

The good news is that Vimeo doesn’t have ads that interrupt videos. Plus, if you have a paid subscription, you can enjoy the first-rate video and sound quality. If you plan to watch videos and don’t pretend to upload content, you can do it for free and without ads. In case you need to host video pieces ‒ pick a paid subscription plan.

Dailymotion

Dailymotion is one of the free YouTube competitors with around 350 million monthly active users. It allows you to create, upload, and also download videos for offline use. Dailymotion Player technology supports 4K/2160p and a high frame rate (HFR) up to 60 fps. Unlike YouTube, the platform has limits regarding the length of videos you can host. They shouldn’t be longer than 60 minutes.

Apart from ordinary users that can watch videos on the platform, it is an effective video-sharing tool for advertisers, publishers, and developers. Since Dailymotion is free, be ready for pop-up ads when watching video clips.

DTube

Look at the DTube homepage! Doesn’t it look familiar? It’s immediately obvious that DTube belongs to websites similar to YouTube. That’s why hard-core YouTubers will easily navigate the platform. 

You can watch and upload videos on DTube completely free of charge. For posting and curating video clips, as well as voting, you can get rewards (tokens). It is an ad-free service that doesn’t collect your data ‒ any video is ranked solely based on viewers’ upvotes and downvotes. Consequently, no algorithms are used to provide recommendations. The platform uses blockchain to run a database and doesn’t censor videos.

TED

TED is a non-profit organization that posts talks on various topics, like technology, entertainment, design, and distributes them online. So, if you are interested in video content to broaden your outlook or learn something new, Ted is the best YouTube alternative for you. It offers a library of talks and speakers, playlists, Ted series, and more to motivate and inspire users.

As for data collection, Ted obtains personal information users provide themselves and automatically gathers such data as tracking information, IP addresses, and cookies.

Odysee

In September 2020, Odysee launched a beta version of the video hosting platform, while an official release took place in December of the same year. As of the end of 2020, the platform already had 8.7 million monthly active users.

At first sight, Odysee looks very similar to YouTube. Users can create channels and add videos to them while viewers watch, put likes, and comment on them. However, Odysee positions itself as an independent video-sharing platform where everyone has a voice. It is built on blockchain technology, namely LBRY. It means all content can be controlled and changed only by creators and can’t be removed from the platform. Although Odysee has community guidelines that don’t allow content that incites hatred or violence and that sort of thing, creators can post any videos they like on Odysee.

The platform is free for its users, but you can become a premium member and get some benefits, like an ad-free experience and early access to features. 

Twitch

If you enjoy live-streamed videos, Twitch is a place where you can hang out for hours. Watch how people play online games, cook, play concerts, and much more in real-time. Content on Twitch is available in categories, including Games, Music, Esports, IRL, and Creative.   

The platform is free for viewers and streamers. If you want to comment on videos, you have to be subscribed to the channel. The price differs depending on the region, for instance, in the USA it starts from $4.99/month.

To provide its services, Twitch collects information about its users, including names, email addresses, telephone numbers, credit card numbers, IP addresses, and more. The service has around 140 million active monthly users who view around 71 million hours of content daily.

Protect your data with a reliable VPN service

If you haven’t found a good solution in the list of YouTube alternatives above, search further ‒ there are numerous video platforms targeted at various categories of users. However, you should always keep in mind that Internet platforms, not only video hosting sites, might collect your personal data, which might be used for illegal purposes in the future.

To protect yourself from cyber criminals, you should work proactively and secure your data with a reliable VPN service. A VPN routes the traffic through the encrypted channel so that it is shielded from third parties. This way you can be absolutely sure that your email address or phone number won’t fall into the wrong hands. 

Why use VeePN with any video platform

Whether you want to continue watching YouTube or switch to another app like YouTube, you should take care of your online privacy. With VeePN, you can keep your data safe and be sure that it can’t be collected and transferred to anyone.

More than 2,500 VeePN servers across the globe enable to watch any video content at top speed no matter where you are. Thanks to the Kill Switch feature, when the connection fails, VeePN automatically disconnects all your devices. Otherwise, even several seconds are enough to steal your data. By the way, you can protect up to 10 devices simultaneously at no extra cost. VeePN has apps for the most popular platforms and operating systems, routers, smart TV, as well as browser extensions.

If you don’t want to dig deep into the privacy issues and figure out which video platform collects your data and which doesn’t, download a VeePN app for your device and watch videos without security risks.