If you’re watching a video on the internet, then there’s a good chance that you’re watching it on either Vimeo or YouTube. Both are excellent options if you’re wanting to host a video, but each has certain advantages that are worth considering before settling on a final decision.
What Are the Advantages of Vimeo?
1. Vimeo is a mature community of users who have like-minded interests. In some ways, it acts as a video-based social network. Most users will provide constructive feedback on the videos that are hosted.
2. There are multiple tiers that can be utilized by individuals and businesses. Each tier has a different storage limit. This makes scalability an option as opportunities grow.
3. You can replace a video on the platform without losing the analytics you’ve collected on that video.
4. There is no advertising on the platform and your viewers aren’t going to be asked to upgrade to a paid viewing subscription as a way to generate more cash for Vimeo.
5. You have several options for your videos to be displayed and shared, including a password-protected option.
What Are the Advantages of YouTube?
1. You have a large mix of visitors that can access your video, allowing you to target different demographics through specific and targeted keyword search opportunities so that your business can grow.
2. You can choose to join for free or you can choose to go ad-free with a paid tier. You can also monetize your videos with platform-based advertising to create another source of revenue for your brand.
3. You can trim your videos to maintain the analytics that have been collected on it over time and add new videos to your profile whenever there is another message you’d like to share.
4. Users who have subscribed to YouTube Red can save your videos offline if you’ve allowed the option or play your video in the background while they stay productive.
5. You’re allowed to schedule the release time of your video, have your videos unlisted, or create private videos that only you can give permission to share with others.
Does Size Matter in the Vimeo vs YouTube Debate?
Videos on Vimeo reach an audience of about 200 million viewers. About 1 in 5 people who use Vimeo are based in the United States. With a smaller community, the production quality of the videos that are posted on the platform tend to be better than they are on YouTube. On the other hand, it can be difficult to reach a targeted demographic with Vimeo, especially if that group is based in the US.
YouTube has a community of over 1 billion users and billions of hours of content are accessible through the platform. That means you have easy access to post the video, but finding it may be difficult. Videos that are public will also invite anyone to leave a comment and trolls can do a lot of damage to a branded video in very little time. There are fewer costs for most people who choose YouTube, but greater risks.
Vimeo offers users a free membership that limits you to 500MB of storage per week. The Plus plan is about $60 per year, while the Pro plan is about $200 and the Business plan is about $600 annually. The Business plan is the only one that doesn’t have weekly upload limits. On the Pro Plan, you’re given up to 20 GB of storage per week and up to 1TB per year.
YouTube offers unlimited hosting storage for free. It focuses on making money through their advertising, which can benefit your brand as well when clicks are made on your videos. The cost of joining YouTube Red is about $10 per month, which allows viewers to watch videos without any advertising.
One true advantage is that Vimeo allows users to replace a video after it has been uploaded and YouTube does not. If you’ve made a mistake in your video that a quick edit will fix, Vimeo is a better solution.
YouTube is a better option for intellectual property. People who might copy your video and distribute it as their own have YouTube recognize the copyright and disable the video almost immediately. That’s also a good option for users who don’t want the legal liability of infringing on a copyright accidentally.
Vimeo and YouTube offer specific strengths which are worth taking a strong look at. Match up your needs to what the platform provides and you’ll be able to make the right choice.
In the Vimeo vs YouTube comparison, which platform do you prefer?
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