Vimeo vs YouTube… Which is better?

Making the decision of where to host your videos can be challenging. The good news is that Fitter integrates easily into the two most popular video-sharing platforms, Vimeo and YouTube. So which should you choose? We’ve listed the pros and cons of each below.

YouTube

✅ Pro: It’s free to get started

You don’t need to worry about any initial expenses when creating a YouTube account.

Their brand account process allows you to create a specific presence on the platform that can be accessed through a personalised account.

✅ Pro: You can add managers to your brand account

YouTube allows you to add different owners or managers to your account.

Owners are authorised to add or remove listings, edit the brand information, and even respond to reviews. They also have the authority to add or remove managers.

A manager is permitted to perform these functions as well, though they are not permitted to remove listings or handle authorised personnel on the account.

✅ Pro: You do not have video length caps

YouTube permits you to upload a video of virtually any length or size. This allows you to better manage the flow of information that your brand generates on this platform.

✅ Pro: General search listings

YouTube is owned by Google and Google easily and regularly indexes YouTube videos for its general search results.

If you want your video to show up in Google search results, you should have it on YouTube.

🚫 Con: There is a lack of presentation control

There are some privacy controls available on YouTube that give your videos some protection against some sharing and embedding practices.

You do not have full control over who shares links to your video, however, which means there will always be a certain amount of risk to assume.

🚫 Con: Your competition uses the same search tags

YouTube creates a section of related videos for users to see from your video listing.

These videos are often from competitors because most industries use the same core search tags for their videos. You benefit by gaining more exposure with videos on the platform.

You’re also going to provide the competition with more exposure as well.

🚫 Con: It requires a marketing push

Many brands stop their YouTube experience after embedding a self-produced video onto their own website. It needs more than this.

YouTube does not generally promote specific videos to the general public. You must include the videos you produce with an overall marketing plan to take advantage of the numerous benefits that video content offers today.

Vimeo

✅ Pro: There isn’t the hassle of advertising

Vimeo doesn’t run advertisements on your videos. You’ll be able to run your videos in a way that best suits your brand, with more control over how the videos are shared or embedded.

You can even customize the look of your embedded player to maintain the look of you branding.

✅ Pro: It works with Google Analytics

You’ll be able to hook your Vimeo business account into your analytics dashboard to find more insights about who is watching your videos and where they are doing it.

You can add up to 10 team members to your account as well, which makes it much easier to manage your video collections and data.

✅ Pro: You have access to a video production team

Vimeo offers a brand studio team to brands that sign up for a business account. They work with your business to create videos to maximise the impact of your new content.

With the right subscription, you can even hide the Vimeo logo and add your own if you wish.

🚫 Con: There is less traffic available

Vimeo currently has 175 million viewers globally, with 33% of viewers listed as being in the United States. Although those numbers are strong, in 2020, YouTube announced that hit 2.3 billion monthly active users.

If you’re looking for a niche audience, Vimeo can work. It may not be suitable for a generalised audience.

🚫 Con: You must pay to play

Free accounts are not permitted for businesses wanting to promote their brands. You must have a Vimeo PRO account, which gives you 20GB of video per week.

This plan comes to $20 per month when it is billed annually. If you upgrade to the Vimeo Business plan, it is $50 per month, also billed annually. To remove the weekly upload limits, you must use the Vimeo Business plan.

🚫 Con: Even the Premium plan has a capped maximum upload limit

If you spend $75 per month for the Vimeo Premium plan, which allows for live streaming, you’re still capped at 7TB of total storage.

You do receive unlimited live streaming, however, which reduces the impact of this potential negative somewhat. Compared to YouTube, however, where all you need to do is verify your information to receive plenty of storage space, some brands may struggle to justify the expenses here.

Youtube vs Vimeo: Which is Better?

YouTube provides a strong platform for brands and businesses who are looking to share information with the broadest audience possible.

Uploads are a simple process, and you can embed your videos with a simple bit of code that YouTube provides you. Just copy the code into your content platform, then publish.

Vimeo provides a strong platform for specific content where sharing expertise may be more important than sharing information. You have more control over how the videos are displayed and can remove platform branding from the embedded player.

Choosing which one is better is an individualised process. Each business will find its own unique pros and cons to consider.

As you consider your options, keep in mind that there’s no reason you can’t have your video content on both platforms.

Ready to give your videos an audience?

You can deliver your health and fitness videos to anyone, anywhere with your own branded fitness app, created with Fitter. It’s free to sign up and start creating. Check it out here.

What is Fitter? Fitter is a multi-purpose health and fitness platform that enables trainers, gyms and influencers to create and deliver workouts, programs and nutritional content to anyone, anywhere. Fitter provides a platform for users to create and distribute their content via their own feature-rich, self-branded web app.

Find out more or sign up for a free account here.