YouTube vs Vimeo. Which streaming platform should you use?

YouTube vs Vimeo. Which streaming platform should you use?

Videos have become an important part of content marketing. The big question is which platform is the best for hosting your clips?

While YouTube still is the king of online video, vimeo is certainly the closest competitor.


Here are some pros, cons and facts about both.

Vimeo pros

  • Vimeo is ad free and has greater prestige.
  • It has better privacy embed options.
  • You can password protect videos.
  • You can restrict embeds to certain domains only.
  • You can reupload videos and keep the same url.
  • Vimeo has better video and sound quality.
  • Vimeo comes with several levels of support with the paid plans.
  • Vimeo's sleek embedded player offers a number of useful customization options like hex colour customisation and custom player logo.
  • Video’s can be downloaded from Vimeo.

Vimeo cons

  • Vimeo has a smaller user and audience base.
  • The free plan limits storage and uploads.
  • Vimeo comes with a higher cost ($14 / $69 / Enterprise).
  • Videos are not as optimised for Google rankings and SEO.

Vimeo facts

Vimeo was launched in 2004.

Vimeo has around 230 million users with a market share of around 18.5%

Vimeo’s parent company is InterActiveCorp (IAC), a $12 billion holding giant. The company cashed in almost $400 million in 2021.

YouTube pros

  • YouTube has a huge user base. Currently around 2 billion.
  • It will detect copyright infringements e.g. music.
  • Free to use for content creators.
  • YouTube is the 2nd most used search engine on the internet.
  • YouTube provides the ability to monetise content via ads.
  • Better SEO. Google prioritises YouTube clips in search results.
  • You can unlist clips so they don’t show in the search results. Please note: anyone with the video link can still watch, embed and share the clip.
  • You can set a video to private and invite users with a google account to watch it. The clip cannot be embedded on a webpage any more.

YouTube cons

  • Has lower video quality.
  • Comes with fewer privacy settings.
  • Player shows unrelated clips suggestions at the end of each clip.
  • You can not reupload a video without a change of URL.
  • You can not download videos from YouTube.
  • Only basic options to customise a clip.

YouTube facts

YouTube launched in 2005.

YouTube is the 2nd most popular website on the internet.

YouTube earns around $15 billion a year.

70% of all YouTube views come from mobile, and the YouTube mobile app is absolutely dominating the mobile streaming space by far outranking even formidable competitors like Netflix, Hulu, and Twitch.

Conclusion

There is no right or wrong. It comes down to your needs and requirements. If you are after SEO and audience reach YouTube is the way to go and if you need to restrict clips to only be watchable on your website, Vimeo is a better choice.