Top 10 Video Sharing Websites You Should Use

Imagine investing thousands of dollars in a solid video for your marketing, and three months after publishing it on your LinkedIn page, nobody has watched it.

If you almost suffocated thinking about the time, energy, and money invested in that video without any ROI… Great. Because that’s what you get if you don’t put your videos on the right video sharing platforms. 

Video sharing websites can help you boost the visibility of your video content and much more. In this article, you will learn about the best video sharing websites companies need to use. You’ll learn why you should share your videos on places other than your site and explore ten options you can start using today.

Why do you need to post your videos on video sharing sites?

Your videos are only as effective as people view them. Video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo make your videos easy to view and share. These platforms make your videos easier to find and enable you to direct people back to your site and turn them into leads. For that matter, 86 % of businesses confirm video helps them generate leads. 

Video platforms are generally designed to help creators share their content with their audience and maximize their content’s ROI (Return On Investment). There are essentially two types of video sharing platforms. There are free platforms and paid/premium platforms. The latter type may sometimes be referred to as video hosting solutions. 

In a nutshell, free platforms make your videos more discoverable and win new visitors, and premium platforms provide you with asset protection, efficient team video management, stream scalability, and analytics. With premium platforms, you can monetize your video assets or only give access to a select audience and it is their primary purpose. This is the type of platform most online course sellers use. 

Things to consider when choosing a video hosting platform

While there are many excellent choices for video sharing platforms, they are not all excellent for the same reasons. That’s why there are certain specific elements you need to consider and questions you need answers to before choosing your video sharing website. 

Your goal

The first thing you need to consider is the goal you want to achieve with your videos. Your goal determines whether you choose a free or private video sharing website. This is the reason you can’t post an online course video you want to sell on YouTube or post a brand awareness video on a private video hosting platform.

Content management 

Does the platform offer seamless content management? It’s easy to focus on other features and ignore content management convenience. What’s the point of using a platform if you have to go through hoops and hurdles to manage your own content?

The platform you choose should be able to track how and where your content appears, as well as handle all of the technical aspects. 

Privacy and security features

It’s fair to say that security concerns always pop up in whatever choice or decision we want to make online. You need to think carefully about this before you choose your platform. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• Who can access my account? 
• Who can view my videos? 
• Will people be allowed to download my videos? 
• Can viewers share their links with others? 

Customization features

Customization features are no-code, no-fuss features that allow you to tweak your videos to match and resonate with your brand’s overall design and feel. You can choose the color, size, controls, and positioning of video players. This is also an important feature to consider, especially if you have to embed the videos on your website. 

Performance analytics

Specific video analytics will help you know which videos are performing the best; the average time viewers spend on them, when they drop out of the video, etc. Make sure the video sharing website you choose provides you with comprehensive analytics data to understand the performance of your video and the behavior of your viewers. 

Break-free video streaming and live streaming experience

The platform’s streaming experience can make or break your video performance and prompt some unusual behaviors on your viewership’s part. You need to think of it as your website speed. If the video doesn’t play fluidly and seamlessly, viewers will bounce. Take it that even your die-hard fans will abandon your live sessions if the video keeps breaking up. 

Integrations

Does your video hosting platform integrate with your email marketing tool? Does it integrate with your CRM? And so on. This is an essential factor to consider for several reasons. For example, you can’t send video emails and have the recipients watch the video on your video hosting platform. Integrations help you streamline your sales and conversion funnel, don’t overlook it. 

Top 10 video sharing websites you need to consider

Now that you know why you need to share your videos on hosting platforms, here are ten of the best sites you can weigh up before making any decision. We’ve divided the list into free and premium platforms and laid out the main perks you will get with each. 

So, let’s start with the free platforms you should share your videos on. 

Top 10 video sharing websites you need to consider

Here are ten of the best sites you can weigh up before making any decision. We’ve split the list into free and premium platforms and laid out the main perks you will get with each. 

So, let’s start with the free platforms you should share your videos on.  

Five free video sharing sites you should use

Free video sharing site 1: YouTube

YouTube is the first platform that comes to mind when talking about videos. The platform is the second largest search engine and the second most popular online platform behind Google. The platform’s power and popularity make it an obvious choice to reach any audience worldwide with videos. 

YouTube boasts over 2 billion monthly active users, that’s a quarter of the world’s population. What’s even more interesting about this is not the user count but the engagement rate on the platform. Every single day, people view over 1 billion hours worth of video content, and more than 1.5 billion videos are viewed on YouTube every day, according to YouTube. That’s just huge. 

YouTube is an excellent place for any type of marketing video like explainer videos, brand videos, videos testimonials, and you name it. However, just like Google, topping the competition on the platform can be a tough nut to crack. But at the same time, it’s impossible to miss the mark when you follow YouTube video posting best practices and along with a solid YouTube video SEO strategy. 

YouTube Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: None.
• Maximum unique file size: 128 GB.
• Maximum video length: 12 hours.
• Maximum resolution:  4K (3840 x 2160).
• Minimum resolution: 240p (426 x 240).
• Supported file formats: .MOV, MP4, .AVI, .MPEG4, .MPEGPS, .FLV, .WMV, DNxHR, ProRes, 3GPP, and WebM.
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (automatically adds black frame for 4:3 videos).

Free video sharing site 2: Vimeo

Vimeo is the best alternative to YouTube, especially for business and marketing. Two things you will find interesting about this site is that it is more geared to professionals and its video rendering is much better than that of YouTube. 

As of this writing, Vimeo counts a worldwide audience of 230 million users and attracts over 715 million monthly traffic. So, Vimeo is also an obvious choice with huge business potential. 

Vimeo also offers a library of Video SaaS tools for businesses, making it an all-in-one video solution. And according to Statista, there were more than 1.58 million subscribers to Vimeo’s tools at the end of the first quarter of 2021. However, we must precise that while the site is free, you have to upgrade to a paid plan to enjoy the full potential of the site and its video tools. 

Vimeo Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: 500 MB/week for free users (20 GB/week for pro users).
• Maximum unique file size: 500 MB for free users (up to 256 GB for pro users).
• Maximum video length: only restricted by file size.
• Maximum resolution:  8K (8192 × 4320).
• Minimum resolution: 240p (426 x 240).
• Supported file formats: MOV, MP4, AVI, MPEG-PS, FLV, ProRes, 3GPP, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (automatically adds black frame for 4:3 videos).

Free video sharing site 3: Dailymotion

Dailymotion is also a widely known video platform you can use for all ranges of videos. It is a big YouTube competitor that claims all types of videos, from marketing to funny cats. It provides video producers with flexibility and cutting-edge technology to create videos that inspire their audience and help them grow their business. 

Here too, viewers can subscribe to your channel and share your videos with peers and friends. Dailymotion currently counts 300 million unique users, and they watch over 3.5 billion videos on its player each month. This is still meager compared to the above two sites, but it is undoubtedly an excellent place to be. 

Dailymotion Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: Unlimited.
• Maximum unique file size: 2 GB.
• Maximum video length: 60 minutes.
• Maximum resolution:  4K (3840 x 2160).
• Minimum resolution: 240p (426 x 240).
• Supported video formats: MOV, MP4, AVI, MPEG-PS, FLV, ProRes, 3GPP, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (automatically adds black frame for 4:3 videos).

Free video sharing site 4: Facebook Watch 

Facebook stands out as the third most popular website in the world (behind Google and YouTube), with about 2.5 billion active visitors per month. Facebook Watch, which is their exclusive video content board, was created in response to the rapid growth and significant engagement with video content on the platform. The number of users visiting Facebook Watch had exceeded 1.2 billion by 2020.

Whether you’re an influencer or marketer, it is a great place to post and share any type of video content. In fact, 84% of video marketers use Facebook primarily for video marketing. It’s also a great field for coaching businesses, online courses, e-commerce businesses, etc., to get more exposure. 

Also, in response to the massive adoption, the company came up with many video features such as Facebook Stories, Facebook Live 360, auto-captions, video series and playlists, and much more to help creators win more views on their videos.

Facebook Watch Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: Unlimited.
• Maximum unique file size: 4 GB.
• Maximum video length: 2 hours.
• Maximum resolution: 1080p (1920×1080).
• Minimum resolution: 240p (426 x 240) but recommended resolutions only include 720p (1280×720) and 1080p (1920×1080).
• Supported file formats: MP4
• Aspect ratio: portrait (9:16), landscape (16:9), square (1:1), vertical (2:3, 4:5).

Free video sharing site 5: Instagram IGTV

Instagram counts over 1 billion users. It is Facebook’s sister platform and, at the same time, its best alternative. They both operate on almost identical guidelines. The same goes for the video features of Facebook Watch and IGTV. 

IGTV is best suited for quick or short-form video content in vertical format, meaning that it is mainly targeted at smartphone users. 

Videos generally autoplay as users scroll through their feed and makes your content easily consumable. Also, 51% percent of the total Instagram users are women. This indicates a great audience for fashion, food, beauty, yoga, and many more businesses. 

Instagram IGTV Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: Unlimited.
• Maximum unique file size: 3.6 GB.
• Maximum video length: 1 hour.
• Maximum resolution: 1080p (1920×1080).
• Minimum resolution: 720p (1280×720).
• Supported file formats: MOV, MP4, AVI, MPEG-PS, FLV, ProRes, 3GPP, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: portrait (9:16), landscape (16:9), square (1:1), vertical (2:3, 4:5).

5 private (premium) video sharing platforms you should use

Now, it’s about time we talk about private business video sharing platforms. These are top-notch and high-performing video sharing sites you can leverage for your business purposes. While they all vary in specs and guidelines, the idea behind private video sharing platforms is simple: help business owners maximize their video content’s ROI. 

Here are the best private video sharing sites you need to look into. 

Premium video sharing site 1: Wistia

Businesses use Wistia to create online training, educational videos, etc. But mainly, these businesses leverage the platform for their video marketing strategies. 

You can embed your lead capture forms and other call-to-actions into Wistia’s video player. Because of this, most marketers see the platform as a digital marketing solution and not just a business video hosting platform. While they’re not to blame, the platform is also jam-packed with features to make your videos look amazing.

Wistia Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: 10 videos with the pro plan ($99/month), $0.25 for each additional video.
• Maximum unique file size: 8 GB.
• Maximum video length: 2 hours.
• Maximum resolution: 4K (3840×2160).
• Supported file formats: MP4(recommended), MOV, AVI, 3GPP, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: Any.

Premium video sharing site 2: Uscreen

Uscreen is a video hosting platform that breaks down the barriers to video monetization by offering online creators a video viewing arena with a fast and convenient viewing experience to sell their videos. 

To be more precise, it is a digital video course platform solely designed to help educators make money from their online videos. It packs a great deal of video features that help creators create, organize, and sell video courses. The service also integrates with mobile apps and smart TVs. 

Uscreen Guidelines and Specs: 

• Unique upload size: 13GB at a time recommended.
• Maximum video length: Unlimited.
• Maximum resolution: 1080p/2K (1920×1080) or smaller.
• Supported file formats: MP4.
• Aspect ratio: Any.

Premium video sharing site 3: SproutVideo

On a comparative basis, SproutVideo outperforms Wistia and Uscreen. It is a great video hosting platform that offers unique video marketing tools to facilitate collaboration and give users a seamless experience. SproutVideo also has extensive lead capture tools, built-in viewership enhancement tools, and advanced video analytics.

SproutVideo Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: 500GB with 500GB of bandwidth (Seed plan at $24.99/month)
• Maximum unique file size: Tested successfully with up to 100 GB.
• Maximum video length: Unlimited.
• Maximum resolution: None.
• Supported file formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, 3GPP, WMV, FLV, MKV, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: Any.

Premium video sharing site 4: WordPress JetPack 

JetPack is a WordPress plugin that offers tools to help businesses and professionals host their videos on WordPress. The video hosting services only come as its Premium and Pro plan offerings. 

Thanks to its straightforward and low-tech tools, it allows users to achieve video sharing on WordPress with minimal effort, and the plugin is compatible with Elementor, as well. Interestingly, users can also turn off the tools they don’t need, allowing total focus and a customized software experience. 

JetPack Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: Unlimited.
• Maximum unique file size: Can work with up to 2GB files, but 1GB or lower is recommended for convenience.
• Maximum video length: Limited by file size.
• Maximum resolution: None.
• Supported file formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, 3GPP, WebM, MPEG4, etc.
• Aspect ratio: Works with any.

Premium video sharing site 5: Brightcove

Brightcove is a video hosting platform designed for businesses. Case in point, it is viewed as a reliable cloud service for video and used by major publications and five out of ten of all Fortune 500 companies. 

Brightcove is geared toward integrating with other marketing automation tools and facilitating server-side insertion of ads. The platform also offers a unique digital video distribution technology, support for monetizing videos with ad revenue, and more.

Brightcove Guidelines and Specs: 

• Storage limit: Defined as per plan.
• Maximum unique file size: None.
• Maximum video length: Unlimited.
• Maximum resolution: None.
• Supported file formats: MP4(recommended), MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, 3GPP, WebM, etc.
• Aspect ratio: Any.

Choose the right video sharing websites.

Choosing the video sharing websites to post and share your videos will depend on your type of business and the goal you’re trying to achieve with your video. 

Just keep in mind that a video is only as effective as it attracts viewers. So first, ensure you have compelling video materials and choose the site that best works for your target audience. Or, if your goals call for a premium video site, you can weigh the options we listed there and go with the one that best works for you.  

Wondering what type of video content and strategy will work for you, start here.