What is YouTube used for?

YouTube is a video sharing and streaming platform where creators publish videos and viewers watch, search and subscribe. It is a good fit for publishing video content to an audience, hosting tutorials and product demos, and streaming music and podcasts.

Is YouTube open source?

No. YouTube is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to YouTube include PeerTube, NewPipe and Invidious.

What are some alternatives to YouTube?

YouTube competes with Vimeo, Twitch and TikTok. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source YouTube alternatives.

YouTube: features, pricing and alternatives

About YouTube

YouTube is a video sharing and streaming platform where creators upload videos and viewers watch them on the web, mobile and connected devices. The company describes its mission as giving everyone a voice and showing them the world, and it places value on communities that form around people's stories.

The wider family of services includes YouTube Kids, YouTube Music, YouTube Originals, YouTube Podcasts, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. Creators use YouTube Studio to manage their channels, and there are separate offerings for advertising, developers and business users. The company also publishes resources on culture and trends, policies and safety, copyright and creator research.

YouTube is a proprietary service operated by Google. Watching is free, and several of the related products, such as Premium and YouTube TV, are paid subscriptions.

Key features

Video upload and streaming
YouTube Studio for channel management
YouTube Music and Podcasts
YouTube Kids for younger viewers
Advertising and developer offerings

Good fit for

→Publishing video content to an audience
→Hosting tutorials and product demos
→Streaming music and podcasts

Tags: video; streaming; creators; social-media; podcasts; music; advertising; google

YouTube: questions and answers

What is YouTube used for?: YouTube is a video sharing and streaming platform where creators publish videos and viewers watch, search and subscribe. It is a good fit for publishing video content to an audience, hosting tutorials and product demos, and streaming music and podcasts.
Is YouTube free?: Yes. YouTube has a free plan.
Is YouTube open source?: No. YouTube is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to YouTube include PeerTube, NewPipe and Invidious.
What are some alternatives to YouTube?: YouTube competes with Vimeo, Twitch and TikTok. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source YouTube alternatives.