About YouTube
YouTube is the world's largest video platform with over 800 million videos and 2.7 billion monthly active users. From music videos and tutorials to vlogs and live streams, YouTube has content for every interest imaginable. The recommendation algorithm surfaces relevant content personalized to your viewing habits.
YouTube Shorts competes with TikTok for short-form vertical video content. YouTube Music is integrated for seamless music listening. YouTube Premium ($13.99/month) removes all ads, enables background play and offline downloads, and includes YouTube Music Premium.
For creators, YouTube Studio provides analytics, editing tools, and monetization management. The YouTube Partner Program pays creators through ads, memberships, Super Chats, and merchandise shelves. Live streaming supports real-time interaction with audiences of any size.
Key Features
- 800M+ videos across every topic
- YouTube Shorts for short-form content
- Picture-in-picture playback
- Chapters and timestamps for navigation
- Live streaming with Super Chat
- YouTube Premium for ad-free experience
- Offline downloads on Premium
Pros & Cons
👍 What We Like
- Largest video library in existence
- Best platform for learning anything for free
- Excellent content recommendation algorithm
- YouTube Premium is great value with Music included
👎 What Could Be Better
- Ads are frequent and intrusive without Premium
- Rabbit hole algorithm can waste hours
- Comments section can be toxic
- Premium price has increased over time
User Reviews
YouTube has been my free university. I've learned guitar, Python programming, car maintenance, and cooking all from YouTube tutorials. The depth of educational content is unmatched by any other platform. Premium is worth it just for no ads during tutorials.
YouTube Music being included with Premium is what convinced me to subscribe. Now I get ad-free videos AND music streaming for one price. Background playback on mobile is essential — I listen to podcasts while doing other things.