YouTube is the world's largest video platform and the second most visited website globally — with over 2.5 billion monthly logged-in users watching a billion hours of video daily. Beyond being a video hosting platform, YouTube is a search engine, social network, and content economy where creators earn revenue through ads, memberships, and Super Thanks. YouTube Studio provides creators with detailed analytics, SEO optimization tools, and monetization management. For businesses, YouTube serves as organic traffic channel, ad platform (Google Ads), and customer education hub.
YouTube
The world's largest video sharing and streaming platform.
Best for: Content creators who want to build an audience and monetise through the world's largest video platform.
- Free plan
4.7/5 ratingEditorial score 93/100youtube.com
The editorial note
What to know about YouTube
Is it right for you?
Who YouTube suits
Choose it if
- Content creators who want to build an audience and monetise through the world's largest video platform.
Look elsewhere if
- Business videos requiring controlled viewing environments — Wistia or Vimeo Pro provide ad-free, branded video hosting with viewer analytics and lead capture forms for businesses where the YouTube viewing experience undermines conversion goals
What you get
Key features
- Video hosting and streaming
- YouTube Shorts
- Live streaming
- Channel memberships
- Super Thanks and Super Chat
- YouTube Studio analytics
- Monetization (YPP)
- YouTube Ads platform
Works with
Integrations8
What it costs
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | FreeBilled monthly | Watch & upload videos free, unlimited uploads (up to 15 min or verified 12 hours), ads shown |
| YouTube Premium | $13.99 / monthBilled monthly | Ad-free viewing, background play, offline downloads, YouTube Music included |
Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- 2.5 billion users provide unmatched audience reach for any creator or business publishing video content
- Search engine within YouTube surfaces videos for relevant queries — built-in organic discovery
- YouTube Partner Program enables creators to monetize through ads, memberships, and merchandise
- Free hosting with no storage or bandwidth limits — no cost for uploading any amount of video
- YouTube Shorts enables short-form video content competing with TikTok with existing audience
Cons
- Ads appear on all free videos — competitor ads and irrelevant content undermine brand videos
- Algorithm favors watch time over quality — optimizing for the algorithm can conflict with creator goals
- Copyright system (Content ID) can incorrectly flag original content requiring manual dispute
- Viewer data is limited — YouTube analytics provide less detail than self-hosted video analytics platforms
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- Video & Audio
- Pricing model
- Free
- Entry plan
- Free
- Free plan
- Available
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Website
- youtube.com
The verdict
Our take on YouTube
The essential video distribution platform — 2.7 billion users and monetisation make it the foundation of any video creator strategy.
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