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The pros and cons of YouTube for creators 🎬
Before exploring the alternatives, let's objectively analyze what YouTube really offers content creators for their next marketing strategy:
✅ The benefits of YouTube
🌍 Unparalleled global reach
YouTube is still by far video platform the most famous in the world. With 2.7 billion monthly users, your videos can potentially reach a global audience. Integration and sharing on the internet are universal and instant.
💰 Total free
Uploading and sharing your videos is 100% free. No hosting, bandwidth, or storage costs - a huge advantage that eliminates barriers to entry.
📈 Attractive monetization potential
The AdSense system makes it possible to generate revenue through ads shown before, during, and after your videos. The most successful creators earn millions annually. Beyond ads, opportunities include:
- Sponsorship and brand partnerships
- Affiliate links
- Sale of derivative products
- Super Chat and memberships
🎯 Ease of use
The intuitive interface requires no advanced technical skills. Creating, downloading and managing your videos remains accessible to everyone, from beginners to professionals.
❌ The disadvantages of YouTube
📊 High monetization thresholds
To activate monetization, you need to reach One of these criteria :
- 1,000 followers + 4,000 hours of viewing (12 months)
- 10 million views on Shorts (90 days)
These thresholds can take months or even years for many creators to cross.
⚖️ Strict rules and restrictions
Les Community Guidelines can limit your creativity depending on your niche. Sanctions range from demonetization to permanent account deletion without notice, putting years of work at risk.
🎵 Complexity of copyright
The management of Music rights And of Content ID requires constant expertise. Copyright claims can happen even with music that's supposed to be royalty-free, affecting your earnings.
🔄 Risk of content piracy
Global popularity also means a exposure to content theft. Anyone can watch and potentially reuse your videos without permission, and YouTube offers only limited protection.
📺 Lack of advertising control
You can't choose the broadcasted ads with your videos. Ads may appear that do not correspond to your values or your audience, without the possibility of blocking them.
📋 Summary table
The decision to stay on YouTube or explore alternatives depends on your priorities: maximum audience Versus control and flexibility.
Why look for an alternative to YouTube to monetize your videos in 2025?
YouTube remains an extraordinary platform, with over 2.7 billion active monthly users in 2025 (source: Statista), full of creators and artists covering every subject imaginable. That's what makes it so appealing to Internet users and creators.
But making a living on YouTube isn't for everyone, and the challenges have grown with the evolution of algorithms and policies.
Why? Well, there are several reasons, updated with 2025 trends. YouTube continues to dominate the video market, but its constraints are pushing many creators towards alternatives for more flexible and profitable monetization.
Let's explore them one by one to help you decide if a migration is worth it.
Videos should be adapted to advertising
To monetize, your videos need to attract advertisers, which means they need to match the products or services being promoted, and your audience needs to match the target profile.
With the rise of AI and automatically generated content, YouTube reinforces its requirements for videos to be “adapted to ads” (ad-friendly), by excluding sensitive or repetitive themes (source: YouTube Monetization Policy Updates 2025).
This forces creators to choose lucrative niches such as tech or lifestyle, or to invest in YouTube ads to boost visibility.
In addition, videos should avoid restrictions on AI-generated content, otherwise they will be demonetized.
Tip: If your videos are niche or controversial, consider alternatives like Rumble, where there is less censorship.
Revenue sharing is an important part
YouTube takes 45% of advertising revenue, leaving 55% to creators — a rate that was unchanged in 2025, but limiting growth for smaller channels.
For Shorts, creators receive 45% of Feed Shorts ad revenue, with YouTube keeping 55%.
This means that out of €1,000 in advertising revenue, you only get €550.
With fierce competition, it takes exponential growth to scale, which is not guaranteed.
Tip: Alternatives like Vimeo (ad-free VOD) or Odysee (crypto) offer more favorable sharing or direct revenue.
YouTube is very competitive
The competition is intense: YouTube has over 114 million active channels, with a 40% increase in new channels since 2019.
To monetize, you need to understand the algorithm, which prioritizes watch time and engagement, and optimize your videos for SEO and ads.
This requires time and investment, and small creators struggle to emerge.
Example: A first-time creator sees his videos buried under thousands of similar competitors.
Policy changes affect revenue
In 2025, YouTube tightened its rules: the minimum requirements remained 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of viewing (or 10 million Shorts views) for the Partner Program (YPP), but an update in July 2025 clarified that repetitive or mass-produced content (including AI-generated) was demonetized.
COPPA (Children's Protection Act) remains strict, with fines of up to $42,000 per non-compliant video, limiting children's content.
These changes can demonetize entire chains, making incumbent revenues unstable.
Experiment with multiple platforms to diversify your revenue and avoid relying solely on YouTube.
With the 2025 updates, flexibility is key for sustainable monetization. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate!
Conclusion
Video monetization platforms There is no shortage of video platforms, but not all video platforms are created equal.
If you're looking for ways to generate stable and significant revenue streams, you need to broaden your reach beyond YouTube and think about diversifying what you offer viewers.
Test out these monetization methods and see which of these YouTube alternatives work for you.
FAQ
Here are answers to the most popular questions:
Is YouTube still the best?
No, depending on your needs: Vimeo for broadcast in pro quality, Twitch for live gaming, PeerTube for open source.
What platform for beginning creators?
The Dailymotion video platform or social networks like TikTok for quick visibility without budget and without skills.
Are open source alternatives free?
Yes, PeerTube is free and decentralized, but requires a domain and hosting with good bandwidth.
Can we monetize on these alternatives?
Yes, via ads (Rumble), VOD (Vimeo), or earn money with cryptos (Odysee).
What is the alternative for live streaming?
Twitch is the king of gaming, the Vimeo platform for professional events.
What is the best YouTube alternative for Facebook Watch as a video platform?
Facebook Watch is a video platform integrated into Facebook, ideal for short and social content. Unlike YouTube, it focuses on speed reading with tips for creative expression. Use playlists to organize your video content, and integrate software like Facebook Creator Studio for better management.
Is Facebook Watch a good video platform for playlists?
Yes, Facebook Watch excels as a video platform for playlists, offering the possibility of creating thematic series.
Follow these tips: use software like Buffer to schedule your posts, and add emails to notify your audience.
Can you use playlists on a video platform like Facebook Watch?
Absolutely, Facebook Watch supports playlists on its video platform, with the ability to organize video content by themes. To maximize, apply tips like adding notification emails, and use software to analyze performance. The outline function allows for smooth creative expression.
