YouTube has almost any video you could want, for free, from technical tutorials to concerts and podcasts. The price of free is heavy advertising and an algorithm tuned to hold attention, and it is blocked in Iran.
Best in Catalog depthBest in Subscription price
Founded
2005
Based in
San Bruno, United States
Business model
Free ad-supported video plus Premium subscription
Available in
Most countries, except Iran
Score by criterion, against the category
The tick on each bar is the category average; the signed number is the distance from it.
Catalog depth99+3
Playback and content quality90+2
Subscription price88+8
Taste-based recommendations90+4
User experience90+1
Good fit for
Free learning on almost any subject
Music, video podcasts and live streams
Creators who want a global audience
Less suited when
People in Iran; YouTube is blocked there
Anyone who wants no ads or distraction without paying for Premium
Strengths
The largest video catalog in the world, on every subject
Free with ads, and Premium for ad-free and background play
Up to 4K playback and automatic multilingual captions
Monetisation and live-streaming tools for creators
Opportunities for improvement
Room for improvement in: Heavy and growing ads on the free tier
Room for improvement in: The recommendation algorithm prioritises watch time over quality
Room for improvement in: Blocked in Iran and unavailable without a circumvention tool
Verdict
For free learning and entertainment nothing matches YouTube; if you use it daily, Premium is worth it.
What YouTube actually is
YouTube launched in 2005 and has been owned by Google since 2006. Anyone can upload, and the platform earns from ads and subscriptions, the model Aparat runs in Iran at global scale.
What you pay and what you get
Watching is free with ads. YouTube Premium removes ads and adds background play and downloads.
Where it is strong
Catalog depth, playback quality and creator tools are unmatched. Automatic captions and translation have widened global access.
How it can improve, and what we could not verify
Ad load on the free tier is high, and the recommendation algorithm draws serious criticism. YouTube is blocked in Iran and is not in the Iran view.
Questions about YouTube
Is YouTube available in Iran?
No; it is blocked. In the Iran view, Aparat covers this space.
What does YouTube Premium give you?
Ad-free viewing, background play, downloads and YouTube Music.
Is YouTube better than Aparat?
YouTube leads on depth and quality; Aparat is for Persian content and access inside Iran.
Was this review useful?Thanks, noted.
Disclosure: Seemerce is developing products in some of these same areas (Seemerce Infinity). Scores are editorial assessments by Seemerce based on public information. Companies can send corrections or a reply to mahdiparto94@gmail.com. Names and logos belong to their owners and are used only to identify them; Seemerce is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
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