YouTube and TikTok are two of the most used video platforms, and they both compete constantly for your attention. So, which one benefits you as the viewer by keeping you entertained and bringing you consistent high-quality content?
Let’s compare YouTube and TikTok in various categories and crown a winner.
YouTube vs. TikTok: Range of Content
Scroll through the content on TikTok and YouTube and you’ll notice the differences pretty quickly. TikTok caters to short videos that average around a minute, whereas YouTube videos can be hours in length.
TikTok expanded its maximum length of video to about three minutes, but this time doesn’t allow creators on the platform to provide in-depth pieces of content. They instead focus on entertaining people to keep them scrolling through more videos.
YouTube vs. TikTok: Ease of Use
YouTube has been around since 2005, so you’d think the company would offer a better user experience than TikTok, but that’s not the case.
The younger and more adaptable platform TikTok offers a more seamless viewing experience. The platform caused quite a stir from the start as it started playing the videos immediately after opening the app. It also made the videos fit the full size of the screen.
This design change separated it from other platforms and replicated a TV-like experience. The videos will keep playing and you just have to swipe the channel to find something else.
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YouTube vs. TikTok: Adverts
TikTok ads are not integrated into the platform as much as YouTube ads. Since the videos are very short, TikTok does not place ads in the videos themselves.
YouTube allows creators to insert ads of multiple lengths into the same video. This leads to a terrible user experience as the ads interrupt the content at inconvenient times. There are also ads as you scroll through and search for content.
TikTok doesn’t have that saturation with ads yet. It’s young enough that it hasn’t been taken over by advertising yet, so the content still takes center stage. That doesn’t mean you won’t see promoted content, as many influencers work with companies to promote products.
However, that means the overall viewing experience on TikTok is better. You won’t feel inundated with ads while trying to watch your favorite content.
YouTube vs. TikTok: Quality of Content
TikTok appeals to the younger generation with its short videos and easy upload experience. People with a smartphone camera can start a TikTok channel right away and the quality would be as good as many of the videos currently being broadcast.
YouTube has a wide range of content and there are creators that create simple videos, but there are also creators that use a lot of expensive camera equipment and post-production equipment.
As a viewer, the higher quality content tends to be more viewable than a short video recorded on a smartphone. When it comes to content quality, YouTube beats TikTok hands down.
