Although YouTube is almost everyone’s go-to video platform, having alternatives to such services is essential and we’ve got five websites which will cater to your needs in case YouTube is inaccessible or you just want to explore more options. But here we aren’t going to talk about them or the likes, rather we’ll be listing out alternatives that are closer to YouTube — more like a community — and are free to watch, of course.
Vimeo
One of the first video sites to start supporting HD video playback, you can add Vimeo to your list of daily websites as — though it allows user-generated video uploads — the main emphasis is laid on high-quality videos across different categories on the website. What makes the website stand out apart from the content it offers including shows like Orange is the New Black, The Royals and more? All the videos are ad-free. Users don’t see ads before or after the video — making for a better overall user experience.
DailyMotion
One of the most visited video-based websites after YouTube, Dailymotion is another great alternative. The website showcases multitudes of videos and its popularity is a huge plus for any creator looking for exposure to their videos in case uploading on YouTube isn’t working out. Launched in the same year as YouTube, the interface isn’t as great as its biggest competitor but is simple to use and the website could use some more unique content to give itself an edge over YouTube as well as the other listed alternatives.
The Internet Archive
Videos on the Internet Archive are part of the WayBack Machine. It houses a huge library of videos which range from entertaining clips to serious documentaries. Users can also upload their content on the archive. Not a lot of these videos are new, but it does boast of a huge library of videos, documentaries, Tv series and Movies which are hard to come by on other video websites.
Metacafe
Metacafe was started in the early 2000s but is fast gaining popularity these days, primarily due to the short-form video format of the website. A majority of the videos are generally 1-3 minutes long. There are an array of categories gracing the drop-down menu located at the top-left of the website and if you’re looking for some quick highlights, video game walkthrough or brief reviews, then this is the place to be.
9Gag TV
You are most likely familiar with the 9Gag brand and as soon as you see it, your mind immediately traverses into an ocean of entertaining content including images, GIFs, memes and the likes. The video section of the website screams sensationalism and fun like any other section. Beware that like the other sections 9Gag, it’s video section also has quite a few NFSW videos — so you might want to avoid it at the office. The website is a good avenue if you’re bored and are looking to kill hours of your time without even noticing.
The Other Options
There are options other than the ones listed above but they don’t offer videos in as many different categories as well as do not boast of a diverse creators base. Websites like Ted, offer you videos of Ted talks that range across a mixed range of topics — mostly inspirational and you’ll usually end up talking something useful at the end. Another website is MySpace, which you might remember as the social network in the early 2000s — a predecessor of Facebook, if you may. The website is now heavily investing its resources into coming up with interview-based videos mainly starring celebrities. Crackle, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment is another option to consider as it houses TV shows like Mad About You, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and movies like Rudy, Night of the Living Dead and more. Which Video surfing platforms do you like? Are there any other awesome alternatives to YouTube that we missed out? Let us know in the comments below. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
