The 10 Best YouTube Alternatives for Android and iPhone - MUO - MakeUseOf

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YouTube is long-established as the go-to video streaming service on the internet. The app comes pre-installed on all Android phones and is a permanent fixture near the top of the iOS App Store download chart.

But it isn't the only free video streaming app for Android and iPhone. So if you want to explore different types of content, or to try something away from the Google ecosystem, here are the best YouTube alternatives for your phone.

1. Vimeo

Vimeo has a decent variety of videos but focuses mainly on professional, educational, and other work-related topics. Vimeo, being an ad-free platform, is at your rescue when you get overwhelmed with the ads on YouTube.

Vimeo app allows you to watch, create, upload, and manage videos, and stream live events. It offers videos in 4K, and you can cast to bigger screens. It also allows you to save videos to watch later and lets you customize your feed by following the categories and creators you love.

If you are a creator, the app has an analytics tab that you can use to keep an eye on your content’s performance. The app also allows you to track your weekly data usage conveniently. This functionality makes the entire management of content much easier.

Download: Vimeo for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Dailymotion

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Dailymotion is one of the oldest competitors of YouTube, and so is its smartphone app. The video content on the Dailymotion app is categorized into Featured, News, Entertainment, and Music. Once you switch to the one that interests you the most, it updates your feed accordingly.

You can also manually customize your feed on the Dailymotion app as you do on other similar apps. The family filter allows you to restrict any mature content from appearing on your feed.

Dailymotion provides among the highest video quality, albeit with the downside of loading a bit slow and being data-hungry. But you get to watch the videos in pretty fine quality.

Download: Dailymotion for Android | iOS (Free)

3. Viddsee

Are you a fan of short films? If yes, Viddsee is the best app for you. While logging on to the Viddsee app, you will be asked to choose the categories that interest you. It can be action, comedy, drama, family, or anything that you love.

The app will then recommend various short films as per your interest. You can also queue movies to be watched later using the Watch Later option.

The community tab on the app keeps you updated through conversations with people of similar interests. The users are also free to create playlists on the app.

Download: Viddsee for Android | iOS (Free)

4. IGTV

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If you are a regular Instagram user and love to share and watch videos on the app, IGTV is the video-streaming app to download. With IGTV, you can share and watch longer videos on Instagram and can connect with your audience.

Although the suggestions on IGTV are not as robust as on YouTube, it still recommends pretty relevant short movie and drama clips, as well as IGTV videos of the people you are following.

The IGTV Discover tab shows the videos that might interest you. You can also manage app notifications and customize the kind of videos you want to see on your IGTV.

Download: IGTV for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Facebook

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Facebook App - Categories incl Videos on Watch

If you are looking for a video streaming app that combines videos with rich social media features and engagement, Facebook is the service for you. This platform is known for engaging large audiences via its sharing and commenting features.

The Facebook app’s Watch tab offers tons of fun videos and keeps on showing more videos related to what you once watched or might be interested in watching.

It has full films, drama episodes, short clips, and live streaming and contains diverse content to watch.

Download: Facebook for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Utreon

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Utreon sees itself as a genuine rival to YouTube. The app contains three main options to discover its channels: topics, channels, and videos, and there are more than 20 topics that are further divided into subcategories showing the kind of variety this app offers.

If you follow any channels, you receive their content in your feed regularly. The app comes with a large number of languages to choose from. It also offers multiple ways to engage with the videos by adding up or down votes, comments, or emoticons.

In addition to this, you can switch to dark mode whenever you like, and the app also lets you minimize the video player to any corner, allowing you to see your other phone notifications.

Download: Utreon for Android | iOS (Free)

7. 9GAG

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If you are fond of funny memes, gifs, and short videos, 9GAG is the app for you. It has a huge variety of humorous content, and it is incredibly user-friendly.

The videos and memes on the app are categorized based on whether they're hot, trending, or fresh. It offers many sections which lead you to the memes, videos, and jokes related to any particular topic.

It also has discussion boards where you can find multiple chat rooms on different topics.

In addition to this, 9GAG provides its users with many options for customization of the app, and the pro version enables you to remove all kinds of ads and promotional videos.

Download: 9GAG for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. TED

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TED is an ideal app for getting motivation, hearing evidence-based knowledge, or enhancing your vision. TED and TED Talks interest entrepreneurs, educationists, psychologists, philanthropists, healthcare workers, and other business-related people.

With the TED app, you can listen to your favorite podcasts in a few clicks. The app also allows you to discover the TED Talks of your favorite speakers via its search option. It contains content on various topics like technology, culture, neuroscience, and much more.

You can download the podcast or TED Talk that you like, make a list of your choice, and access your previously visited videos via the history option on the app. It also allows you to change the language of the app, making it more accessible.

Download: TED for Android | iOS (Free)

9. Twitch

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The Twitch app is for watching videos of streamers and gamers out there. It allows you to watch live streams of your favorite games and players and lets you choose from various categories like games, music, IRL, sports, or anything else of your choice.

This app lets you watch single or multiplayer games like FIFA, Leagues of Leagues, PUBG, Call of Duty, and so on. An exciting feature is chatting live during the game to talk about game strategy or game planning.

If you want to launch your streaming career, Twitch is the place to start. Moreover, it also allows you to join live discussions and listen to podcasts of your choice, or even engage with a live concert.

Download: Twitch for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. TikTok

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TikTok is one of the fastest-growing video streaming apps where you find genuine content on any topic, from politics to pets to entertainment.

You can adjust your priorities and select what type of content you want to see on the app. From the Accessibility tab, you are free to remove sensitive content that might come your way.

The app is highly secure with its 2-step verification system. You can also switch your account to a business account and use its balance tracker to keep an eye on all the money you earn by making video content. You can also add the language of your choice and change the video languages too.

Download: TikTok for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Feed Your Video Appetite With These Apps

All the apps mentioned above serve as great YouTube app alternatives for Android and iOS. Although these services are not as versatile as YouTube, all these apps are meant for specific audiences and serve particular purposes.

For instance, if you are a meme person, you can go for the 9GAG app. Similarly, for an entrepreneur, TED is more suitable than YouTube.

So go ahead and test out some of the above apps. You might find a great collection of undiscovered videos on these platforms.

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About The Author

Ali Arslan (15 Articles Published)

Ali has been a tech enthusiast since 2005. He is a power user of Android, Linux, and Windows. He has an Advanced Diploma in Business Management from London, UK, and is an English Literature graduate from Punjab University, Pakistan.