With faster and more dependable internet connections, online video sharing sites have become a hit, especially with the upsurge of active participation from users. Videos easily make up for the majority of the content we consume online content today. And with the rise of augmented and virtual reality, the demand is likely to increase even further. So, we have compiled a list of some of the best video sharing sites and apps in 2022. They include content from both original entertainers and creators, as well as users.
Note: If you are looking for online streaming services that deliver popular TV shows, movies, and more, then click on the link to check them out.
Best Video Sharing Sites and Apps (2022)
The list also talks about some of the most popular live streaming services which you must be aware of – whether you’re a creator yourself or simply a follower. So without any further delay, here are the best video sharing sites and apps that you should check out:
1. YouTube
Owned by Google parent Alphabet, YouTube makes the best use of machine learning for indexing and compiling suggestions for users and has support for up to 8K as well as HDR content that can be uploaded in any of the popular video formats. It means that there are many possibilities for creators to make money via YouTube.
To be able to earn through pre-roll and mid-roll ads, which are facilitated through AdSense, creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers, with a minimum of 4,000 hours of viewership in total from the past one year. These rules went into effect at the beginning of 2018. Besides that, creators with at least 50,000 subscribers can now offer exclusive content and other merchandise in exchange for a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 from the viewers.
Furthermore, channels with a minimum of 10,000 subscribers can sell their official merch through the merchandise shelf, a row featuring officially-backed products available below videos. By visiting the YouTube Studio dashboard or using the dedicated apps, creators can view stats like total subscribers, total viewership, and view comments on videos. They can also analyze data such as traffic source, the age of viewers, their gender, devices used, and get a time-wise overview of user activity related to the videos. As a creator, you can use the YouTube desktop site or apps to upload videos, create videos, or add Shorts (Instagram-style stories) to tease work under progress.
Lastly, the YouTube creators program is one of the most advanced out of all as it supports various YouTube creators through workshops, providing infrastructure support through ‘YouTube Space’ studios, and recognizing the best YouTube Celebrities through activities such as YouTube FanFest, YouTube Rewind, and whatnot.
- Upload limits: 20GB/15 minutes (without verifying your account), 128 GB/12 hours (after verifying your account).
- Supported video formats: MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
- Revenue Sharing: Creators get 55% of the ad-generated revenue; Ads served through Google Adsense
- Premium Plans and Pricing: $11.99/month in the US, Rs. 129 per month in India (Prices vary depending on region). Includes ad-free watching, free YouTube Music, and more)
- Visit: Website
- Download YouTube: Android / iOS
- Download YouTube Studio: Android / iOS
2. Vimeo
While YouTube is undoubtedly the most popular video-sharing platform, Vimeo remains probably the best alternative to Google‘s offering. Unlike YouTube, Vimeo doesn’t feature advertisements either at the beginning or in-between the videos, which is great from the audience’s point of view. Besides, it allows creators to upload HD videos and has a maximum upload limit of 500 MB/week for the Basic Free plan. After the elimination of the ‘Tip Jar’ feature, Vimeo uploaders now primarily focus on earning through their videos by a ‘Video-on-demand’ model.
The only downside to using Vimeo for video content creators is that most goodies are available for Vimeo Pro users as the Basic Free plan is quite limited. Supporting uploads in multiple file formats, Vimeo provides its premium content creators with 90% of the revenues through their own videos. Uploading videos across multiple platforms is a great promotion and marketing strategy, and Vimeo is one such service that ought to be on the top of upload priority for a content creator. Providing the audience with the best quality of videos with the least intervention is what Vimeo is all about.
- Upload limits: Weekly upload limit of 500MB for Basic Free plan, 5GB for Vimeo Plus, and unlimited uploading with a 25GB limit per file for Vimeo Pro.
- Supported video formats: MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM.
- Revenue Sharing: Video on demand (Take home 90% of the revenue).
- Premium Plans and Pricing: Vimeo Plus ($84/year), Vimeo Pro ($240/year), Vimeo Business ($600/year), Vimeo Premium ($900/year).
- Visit: Website
- Download: Android / iOS
3. TikTok
TikTok may not be available in India anymore, but its popularity around the world is at a record high. Lip-syncing videos have become a craze today, and you should give credit to TikTok for playing a significant role. This video-sharing platform has kind of become a go-to destination for folks who love to watch short videos of all kinds, including gaming, DIY, sports, comedy, and more. So, whether you are fond of fun-loving videos or like to create eye-catching clips, you shouldn’t miss out on this one.
One of the highlights of TikTok is the rapidly growing community of creators who keep on producing fascinating videos that you may never get tired of watching. And with a ton of free music and sounds at the disposal, you also get the desired freedom to craft your clips to your heart’s liking. Not to mention, all the attractive filters, real-time effects, and a wide range of AR objects add an x-factor to the videos. Everything considered TikTok is hard to ignore as a popular video sharing platform.
- Upload Limits: Up to 287.6 MB (iOS) and 72 MB (Android) in size. Video Length Max: 15 seconds. Up to sixty seconds for combined story videos
- Revenue Sharing: Tiktok Creator Fund, which you can read all about right here. The creators can also earn money through sponsorship opportunities)
- Download: Android / iOS
- Visit: Website
4. Facebook Watch
Facebook, the largest social media platform, is also the home of one of the most diverse catalogs of video content generated by both users themselves, brand pages, and creators. And to compete with offerings from YouTube, Facebook Watch comes with several notable features, including the ability to watch any video with friends. Here you can explore the latest videos uploaded by creators and your favorite Facebook pages in a scrollable format with a highly personalized feed.
Creators get access to a dedicated platform called Facebook Creator Studio to help them publish and moderate original video content besides managing subscriptions. They can also insert pre-roll and mid-roll ads in videos and while the on-demand content might be limited to certain countries, Watch is available in several countries. In the US, Facebook Watch also has award-winning original series such as Mind of a Chef. What’s more, the social networking app has also been among the frontrunners when it comes to supporting 360-degree videos.
To compete with YouTube, Facebook offers a host of options to creators. With the Creator Studio page – and dedicated apps, video producers can track the performance of their videos, manage and optimize content, create stories for their Facebook pages, and cross-post content to associated Instagram and Twitter accounts. Furthermore, Creators can also leverage these tools to monetize their videos. Facebook also lets Creators and brands earn revenue by taking ad breaks in between live videos, besides allowing them to enter mid-roll ads between videos.
In order to monetize their videos, producers must have at least 10,000 followers with at least 30,000 total views (of at least one minute each). Just like YouTube, Facebook allows Creators to take a 55% cut on their videos while keeping the remaining 45% itself. If you own an app, you can also use Facebook’s video API to gain money from your app’s user base by showing the Facebook ads.
- Upload limits: Maximum 240 minutes or 10GB, whichever is achieved first.
- Supported video formats: 3G2, 3GP, 3GPP, ASF, AVI, DAT, DIVX, DV, F4V, FLV, GIF, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPE, MPEG, MPEG4, MPG, MTS, NSV, OGM, OGV, QT, TOD, TS, VOB, WMV.
- Revenue Sharing: Creators get 55% of the ad-generated revenue
- Premium Plans and Pricing: None
- Visit: Website
- Learn More about Facebook Creators: Visit
5. Twitch
If you are a gaming geek who would love to stream their gaming videos on the web, Twitch is a great platform to do so. Twitch is a video game streaming service on the web. This network allows users to stream their games with a maximum bitrate of 3500. For those advanced gamers looking forward to cashing in on the revenue sharing model of Twitch, it is one of the best networks to stream your games. Although Twitch hasn’t publicized any specifics regarding the share that its content partners would be receiving, it has more than 11,000 partnered content creators on the network.
Twitch Turbo, a premium account of the network, allows users to view all of the streams and videos ad-free. Although becoming a Partner at Twitch isn’t easy, it is worth the effort for gamers as the network is an entirely targeted niche. For new Twitch content creators to become a Partner would require 100,000+ subscribers and an average of 15,000+ views on each of the videos. Twitch is a must consider video sharing site for gamers. If you are interested in game streaming, read our guide on how to stream on Twitch.
- Upload limits: Maximum streaming bitrate of 3500 bits/s.
- Supported video formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, and FLV file formats, AAC audio, h264 codec, up to 10Mbps bitrate, and up to 1080p/60FPS
- Revenue Sharing: Twitch Partner program available; Specifics not publicized.
- Premium Plans and Pricing: $8.99/mo for Twitch Turbo.
- Visit: Website
- Download: Android / iOS
6. DailyMotion
Dailymotion is another popular video sharing site on the web. The site allows users to view, upload and share videos through the network. With a file size limit of 2GB and a video length limit of 60 minutes per video, Dailymotion is a widely popular video sharing service on the web. Also, using the Dailymotion Publishing Partner program, content creators can earn a share of the revenue from their monetized videos. Offered through in-video advertisements, paid content, and monetization through an own website, Dailymotion offers the best flexible revenue sharing models for content creators.
Also, if you’re targeting regional audiences, Dailymotion is very popular in Europe and France, where this site is based from. It curates the best set of videos depending on the videos you’ve viewed from their service recently. In a nutshell, it’s the sort of platform that every video content creator must try to make the most of for their video marketing and promotional purposes.
- Upload limits: 2 GB of file size and 60 minutes of video length;
- Supported video formats: .3gp, .avi, .divx, m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg,. ogg, .wmv etc.
- Revenue Sharing: Video monetization, Paid content, and website monetization; Partners receive 70% of the share of all the revenues from their videos.
- Premium Plans and Pricing: None.
- Visit: Website
- Download: Android / iOS
7. IGTV by Instagram
Integrated with Instagram, IGTV serves the class of users looking for short-form video content in portrait (vertical) format. This is targeted at smartphone users and its easy scroll and tap gestures feed you a platter of easily consumable content. You can either use IGTV directly using its standalone app or from within the Instagram app.
IGTV’s intention is to bring users closer to creators and businesses and the mobile-first platform makes the content easily discoverable. While Instagram does have plans to help businesses benefit from the app, we’re still waiting for this video sharing site to be up to others. For now, if you’re a user, you can use IGTV to catch up with the latest content from your favorite creators or upload content that can be as long as 10 minutes.
- Upload Limits: 10 minutes (650MB) for everyone; certain renowned creators get up to 60 minutes (3.6GB).
- Supported video formats: MP4
- Revenue Sharing: Creators get 55% of ad-generated revenue
- Premium Plans and Pricing: None
- Download: Android/iOS
8. byte
If you were heartbroken after Vine shut down in 2016, you already might have heard about its resurrection in the form of byte earlier last year. For those of you who don’t know Vine, it was a platform for user-generated 6-second-long (mostly goofy and cringe) videos, which can be seen as the precursor to currently leading platforms such as TikTok.
Vine’s co-creator Dom Hofmann first announced his plans to start work on version 2.0 of Vine in 2019. The launch was, however, delayed due to a financial crunch. Finally, Dom launched the 6-second video-sharing app byte in January 2020 amid much fanfare. As per data from Sensor Tower, the app saw well over 1.3 million downloads in the first week of its launch, with the US leading the chart (70%) followed by the UK and Canada. What caught my eyes in this video-sharing app is the fully personalized feed curated by human editors. It ensures you get to watch the sort of clips that appeal to your fancy the most
- Upload Limits: 6-second
- Revenue Sharing: The company originally promised 100% of ad revenue to users and says it will share the majority of ad revenue with creators over time.
- Download: Android and iOS
9. LBRY
Thanks to the promise of decentralization, digital security, and freedom from corporate monopoly, blockchain applications have gained significant traction over the past few years. LBRY is one such video sharing site that allows creators to take complete control of what content they share. It also lets them set a price of their own choice or filter out vandals. If videos are available for free, creators can accept tips from viewers.
Since the videos are shared over a blockchain, only publishers can delete or modify the content. Since the videos are stored in smaller chunks over a decentralized network, they cannot come under the ax of regional censorship. Moreover, the user-friendly experience makes up for a convenient browsing experience that is not much different from YouTube.The LBRY app is available on prominent desktop platforms and Android. While there is no set payment, creators can make approximately $2 per every thousand views.
- Upload Limits: No time limit
- Revenue Sharing: Creators get 100% of revenue, creators can accept tips on free videos
- Premium Plans and Pricing: None
- Alternatively, you can try Flixxo (visit) which is another blockchain-based video sharing platform that offers rewards in exchange for watching videos or even ads.
- Download: Android, iOS (LBRY’s Odysee platform)
- Visit: Website
10. Metacafe
Metacafe is a popular video-sharing site with millions of short videos. The categories range from movies to video games, sports to music, TV to fashion, and more. The company behind the website says it uses a special ranking algorithm that ensures the uploaded videos are of high quality. Each video can be uploaded only once, ensuring that there are no duplicates.
One of the oldest websites on this list, Metacafe was originally similar to other video streaming platforms, such as YouTube or Dailymotion. However, it turned to short-format videos once Google’s all-conquering video site upended the industry for good. Metacafe is advertising-supported and shares its revenues with creators as part of its ‘Producer rewards’ program. Payouts depend on the number of views. For popular videos that hit 20,000 views, Metacafe reportedly pays $5 for every 1,000 views.
On the downside, the company only pays for US views, which means most of its creators are based in North America. Also, creators can’t automatically add videos to Metacafe for public viewing. After a video is uploaded, the Metacafe community, with around 80,000 volunteers, decides whether it gets added to public channels or not.
Most of the videos on Metacafe are around 90-180 seconds, and the site has a 100MB size limit. So while you’re not going to see 4K Ultra HD videos on the website, it isn’t made for that purpose anyways. The videos available on Metacafe are largely similar to those found on Instagram Stories and Snapchat. However, unlike the newer platforms, the videos don’t disappear after 24 hours and are available for viewing permanently.
- Upload Limits: 100MB file size
- Revenue Sharing: $5 for 1,000 views (US views only)
- Premium Plans and Pricing: None
- Visit: Website
Bonus: VEVO
If you are a music artist, VEVO allows artists to set up their premium channel on its platform. Part of Vydia media, VEVO allows all artists to create a channel, upload videos, and maintain their channel on the web. Available only in United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, VEVO is made available to audiences based only out of these locations, although users can access your content across 200 countries through VEVO’s partnership with YouTube. VEVO is more of a distribution network, that allows users to upload their content through Vydia media and get them distributed across VEVO and other networks.
VEVO does not provide its content contributors with their own personalized page. Also, VEVO takes about 2-3 weeks to make a video live after screening it for the desired quality. Once you’re through the screening process, you’ll gain access to Vydia to upload your content to get it published on VEVO. Solely for music artists, VEVO has become industry-standard for musicians to publish their content online while keeping everything off the royalties from the videos. The best thing about getting published on VEVO is that it is linked to YouTube. That makes it easy for content creators to make their content available through YouTube also.
- Upload limits: Not Publicized.
- Revenue Sharing: Content creators keep 100% of all the royalties.
- Premium Plans and Pricing: $20/yr for an active VEVO channel.
- Visit: Website
Show Off Your Creativity on the Top Video-Sharing Sites
Videos enjoy the advantage of being more immersive than text or images, and for this reason, engage more users. YouTube and Facebook envisioned this long back and have increased our focus on video content and there’s no major competitor in sight. We have listed some of the most promising video sharing sites and apps. They will help feed your appetite for an endless supply of videos suited to your taste.
The list also includes some services that we think can be sensations, such as Byte and blockchain-powered LBRY, in the near future. They plan on giving creators complete control over their work. Do you think we missed a video sharing platform that you like or enjoy? Tell us in the comments below!
