Vimeo vs YouTube: A Marketing Guide to Video Content

Today, online videos are arguably one of the most popular ways to read, sell and entertain. And it’s no wonder that, according to Recode, 82% of all internet traffic is expected to be video by 2021.

Due to internet sites like YouTube and Vimeo, video has become a popular marketing tool. But when it comes to video marketing, which one is best for your business?

What is Youtube?

YouTube was created in 2005 and is by far the largest social video-sharing site online. There’s no limit to what you can find on YouTube, from baby giggles and make-up videos to movie trailers.

You can connect, upload and share content if you have internet and a desire to make a video.

What is Vimeo?

Unlike YouTube, Vimeo is a video-sharing site founded by filmmakers in 2004 who wanted to share their artwork and personal moments in their lives. The notion caught on and attracted like-minded people. Today Vimeo is a favorite tool for 70 million creators, including filmmakers, animators, and musicians.

Although smaller than YouTube, Vimeo has built a community geared towards a market that is more “artsy.”

Vimeo vs. YouTube: Audience Reach and Engagement

YouTube

As described above, YouTube takes the cake with 1.8 billion monthly active users when it comes to audience reach. Furthermore, Google owns YouTube and it is the second most searched website right after Google itself. YouTube is also available in over fifty languages and in all regions.

While its reach is limitless, the size of YouTube is also its downfall. There are so many choices for audiences and it’s extremely competitive. Even if you’ve made a beautiful, high-quality video, there’s a risk that it will get lost in the background.

Because YouTube is so big, free, and has so much competition, its audience is also not always the most professional, positive people. YouTube audiences can be ruthless.

Vimeo

There are 240 million active Vimeo users per month today. Because Vimeo is smaller and more focused, your videos have a better chance of being found and followed within its community-fueled network. There is less competition than on Facebook and selection over quantity is sometimes greater.

Or put another way, Vimeo’s figures simply cannot compete with YouTube. The video traffic capacity is significantly less.

Because it is smaller and designed for a group mentality, Vimeo’s audience appears to be more positive and less violent than YouTube.

Vimeo vs. YouTube:

YouTube

Considering that YouTube is owned by Google and is the second most popular website on the internet, it is the best alternative. YouTube videos also rank for keywords on Google. For example, if you type “how to style short hair”, the top position page belongs to different YouTube videos.

As a result of YouTube’s success one has to ask the question, is Google showing favoritism here?

Vimeo

While Vimeo videos can rank for certain Google keywords, it simply does not have the same capabilities as YouTube.

Vimeo vs. YouTube: Pricing

YouTube

It is a free service that allows anyone to upload and share videos without having to pay. Businesses can also use YouTube for free. YouTube is a clear winner here for those with budget constraints.

Vimeo

Vimeo provides a free individual version but with restricted features, including 500 MB of storage per week. Of the business plans, there is a 30-day free trial, which is billed annually based on a tiered pricing model.

Vimeo vs. YouTube: Ads

YouTube

As their service is free, they make their money from advertising. Usually, when you open a video, you are forced to sit through 5-6 seconds of the ad before you have the option to skip it.

However, YouTube offers a premium ad-free subscription which can hurt some viewers.

Vimeo

Thanks to paid subscriptions, Vimeo makes its money so that companies and video producers can offer great videos without annoying ads popping up. We’re working on their business model, so it looks like this awesome feature won’t be changing anytime soon.

YouTube vs. Vimeo: Monetization

YouTube

If you have 10,000 views or more on your YouTube channel, YouTube encourages you to sign up for Google AdSense to join their partner program. YouTube essentially gives you a discount for ads that appear in your video.

Most YouTube content creators also use platforms like Patreon that allow viewers to help their favorite channels by donating.

Of course, content creators can also capitalize on making money by using their videos to sell their products and services.

Vimeo

As Vimeo has no advertising, there’s no reason to capitalize. One cool thing they do offer, however, is Video On Demand, so viewers can pay you to watch their videos. To activate this feature you need to have a Vimeo Pro account.

Unlike YouTube, content creators can also sell their products/services through Vimeo, find sponsors, and use services like Patreon to get donations from viewers.

Vimeo vs. YouTube: Upload Capacity & Storage

YouTube

You can upload videos up to 15 minutes long by default, according to YouTube. You can also upload videos for those with a registered YouTube account that is longer than 15 minutes in length. The maximum file size to upload is 128 GB or 12 hours. YouTube also does not limit the number of videos you can post.

Vimeo

For those using Vimeo for free, the limit is 500 MB per week and 10 files per day, but the paid services offered by Vimeo provide better upload and storage limits. Their Plus Plan allows 5 GB of weekly video uploads with a maximum size of 5 GB, although there is no limit on how many videos you can upload. Each week’s Pro account comes with 20 GB of storage space but each file size must be under 25 GB.