Which Platform Should You Be Posting Your Videos on?
When it comes to uploading videos on the internet, Vimeo and YouTube are two of the most popular platforms. Both of them are incredible options with tons of benefits to offer. However, they differ from each other, and a constant question a lot of people ask is which of the two they should use.
The Basics
Generally, both platforms accomplish pretty much the same thing. However, without any doubt, YouTube is the largest platform with more than 1 billion users, which is a large audience. YouTube actually has the second largest traffic after Google, which means there is a lot of content and a lot of competition.
On the other hand, Vimeo cannot match up to YouTube, in terms of traffic, but their community is not only tightly knit, but it’s very positive. Their platform is sleek and stylish in terms of form and function. This makes Vimeo a lot better when it comes to user experience compared to YouTube.
Pricing
YouTube is free, for both creators and viewers. Anyone can create an account and upload videos without being charged storage, and there is no upgrading to a top tier with better options. Everything is open for everyone, at the same level. On the other hand is a bit different. The platform is free to use as well. However, the free tier comes with several limitations, such as having a limited 500 MB per week, or 25 GB per year upload space. You also get basic support from the community but not the staff. You need to upgrade if you want detailed analytics, staff service, and more storage space, among other things. This will highly depend on which one of their plan you choose. On Vimeo, regardless of your membership, live streaming is a premium add-on.
Monetisation
When it comes to how much money you can make for your videos, the difference between Vimeo and YouTube is quite drastic, especially passive income. The primary source of revenue you get from YouTube will come from advertising. The problem with that is that you must have a minimum of 10,000 views on your channel to qualify for ad revenue. However, YouTube does not prohibit in-video advertising, sponsorships, paid videos or things like that. Vimeo, on the other hand, is ad-free. What they offer their users is videos-on-demand, an option that you can only get if you are a Pro member paying $20/month.
Patreon
Most users on both platforms depend on Patreon for their income. This is a crowd-funding website, which works like a subscription service. The audience pledges to support a user for a certain amount, at times for some perks in return. Patreon works outside of YouTube and Vimeo, but you are likely to make money if you have a sizable audience.
Privacy Control
Sometimes, there could be a video you don’t want people to watch. Both platforms offer a decent amount of privacy. Youtube has four privacy options. The first is public, and everyone can see the videos. The second is private, which only invited people can see. It is limited to just 50 invites and unavailable on search or your channel. The third is unlisted, which means the videos will be available to viewers with the link. These videos will not appear in searches or your channel. The last option is scheduled.
Vimeo has different privacy tiers, which depend on your payment plan. However, you get better privacy options than you do on YouTube. They have basic privacy, advanced privacy, and professional privacy.
Verdict
The winner of the two highly depends on you and your needs since they have different offers. Consider your target audience, traffic, and SEO before you come to a decision.