TikTok Vs YouTube

The main difference between TikTok and YouTube is in the video duration. While TikTok focuses on short videos, you’ll find long videos on YouTube.

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Differences Between TikTok and YouTube

TikTok	vs	YouTube
Owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance	Ownership	Owned by Google
60 seconds	Video Duration	No such limits
9:16	Aspect Ratio for Videos	16:9 (long videos) and 9:16 (YouTube shorts)
Mostly 18-24 years	Audience	Mostly 18-44 years
No such limit on music	Music Guidelines	Allows only copyright-free music
It doesn’t let you see the competitor analytics	Competitor Analytics	Allows you to see the competitor analytics
A basic smartphone	Requirements To Shoot A Video A basic smartphone Good quality camera and editing software	Good quality camera and editing software
Addictive and provides passive entertainment	Viewing Type	Provides educational and entertaining content

What is TikTok?

TikTok is one of the most popular short-form video-sharing platforms, with over one billion users. Launched in 2017 by Chinese technology company ByteDance, TikTok allows users to create and share videos on all topics.

The video-sharing app allows content creators and influencers to share their artistic and creative sides with a mass audience, irrespective of the demographic.

TikTok (or Douyin in China) is popular among teenagers and young adults.

Top 10 TikTok Creators & Influencers

Though TikTok is an easy and DIY video-sharing platform, it still requires considerable effort and dedication to growing on the platform.

Based on factors such as average views, comments per video, and likes, here is a list of 10 famous TikTok stars.

Patrick Barnes
Jenn Melon
Joshua Garcia
How Ridiculous
Charli D’Amelio
Khabane Lame
Fernanfloo
Mark Cannataro
Alyssa Lauren
Nick Kroll

What is YouTube?

YouTube is another renowned video-sharing platform. It was founded in 2005 by three former employees of American e-Commerce company PayPal, namely Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim.

One year later, Google bought it, and since then, it has dominated the video-sharing space. Currently, the platform has over two billion monthly users.

The idea behind creating YouTube was to let the general public enjoy watching and sharing videos on versatile topics, including how-to tutorials, podcasts, movies, documentaries, educational videos, etc.

YouTube allows creators to create content on any topic as long as it adheres to the platform’s guidelines.

YouTube was initially created as a platform for anyone to post any video content they want without restriction. Moreover, many content creators make a decent living through video monetization.

Top 10 YouTube Creators

Here is the list of top 10 YouTube video creators who have worked hard to make it here.

Ryan Kaji
MrBeast
PewDiePie
Dude Perfect
Rhett and Link
Markiplier
Preston Arsement
Dream
Jeffree Star
SSSniperWolf

TikTok vs YouTube – Key Differences

YouTube and TikTok seem alike in many ways, yet they have a lot of unique differences. Here is a brief differentiation between the two.

Ownership

The Chinese company, ByteDance owns TikTok, while Google holds ownership of YouTube.

Watch Time

Initially, TikTok had a maximum video duration of 15 seconds, but now, it’s up to 60 seconds. On the other hand, YouTube lets its creators post long videos without strict time constraints.

There is no video limit if you’re a verified YouTube creator.

Aspect Ratio For Videos

In TikTok, creators can create their own vertical 9:16 aspect ratio short video clips in the mobile app.

In contrast, YouTube creators can produce widescreen 16:9 videos and vertical 9:16 videos (for YouTube Shorts.)

Audience

TikTok is primarily famous among Generation Z, aged between 16-24. On the other hand, YouTube is popular among all age groups.

Music Guidelines

Background music is an essential editing part of both YouTube and TikTok videos. TikTok allows creators to add all kinds of music without limits.

However, YouTube only allows royalty-free audio tracks or permission from the artists is required.

Competitor Analytics

TikTok and YouTube both allow their creators to view their account’s analytics. YouTube enables video creators to view their competitor’s analytics.

Requirements to Shoot A Video

A basic smartphone is sufficient to create TikTok videos. In contrast, for good-quality YouTube videos, one must have a professional camera and editing setup.

Viewing Type

Although TikTok is a highly addictive platform, it’s only a passive entertainment source for the audience. This is primarily due to its short 60-second video length.

On the other hand, YouTube allows more active participation of its audience and involves both edutainment and infotainment.

TikTok doesn’t run advertisements in the video themselves because of the shorter time of the video. However, YouTube runs multiple ads (called YouTube ads) on every video.

Popularity of TikTok and YouTube

Video is the best way to present any content on social media right now because it’s what the audience demands. According to Statista, video content recorded a reach of 91.4% worldwide in 2021.

When it comes to content in the video format, YouTube and TikTok are two social networks you must be familiar with. If trending is your goal, it’s important to understand how these different social media platforms and their algorithms work.

Both platforms are available on all primary operating systems (Android, iOS, etc.) and are very popular worldwide.

Which Platform Will You Use?

The bottom line is that TikTok and YouTube are the world’s most popular video-sharing platforms with huge content and user bases. However, they have remarkable differences in content, audience, guidelines, and duration.

It solely depends on the creators to choose the platform according to the kind of content they want to create.

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