Up to 4 at once.
| Criteria | Open.Video | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted Score | 3.4/5 | 3.6/5 |
| Pricing | Free; no subscription or setup fees and a 0% platform take-rate on ad revenue. Payouts are quarterly once the balance passes $20. | Free to upload; platform takes 45% of long-form ad revenue and 55% of Shorts revenue via the Partner Program. |
| Platform Type | Hosting | Hosting |
| Ad revenue & fill | 3.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Player performance & page speed | 2.2/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Ad formats & delivery | 2.8/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Content monetisation models | 2.5/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Content control & brand safety | 3.0/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Analytics & reporting | 3.0/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Targeting & contextual | 2.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| CMS & integration | 3.5/5 | 2.0/5 |
| Payment terms & reliability | 3.0/5 | 3.0/5 |
| Privacy & compliance | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Strengths | ✓ 0% platform take-rate: ad, sponsorship and membership revenue stays with the publisher ✓ YouTube library imports once and new uploads stay in sync | ✓ Biggest reach of any platform with 2.5 billion+ active users ✓ Built-in keyword assignment and multilingual translation tools |
| Limitations | ✗ Programmatic ads run on Ezoic's ad stack and need an application ✗ Payouts are quarterly, about 35 days after each quarter closes | ✗ History of unreliable monetization — the 2017 'Adpocalypse' saw advertisers withdraw funding ✗ Publishers lack control over their content and may get lost in the noise of uploads |
Open.Video
3.4
Rating
★ 3.3/5
Pricing
Free; no subscription or setup fees and a 0% platform take-rate on ad revenue. Payouts are quarterly once the balance passes $20.
Platform
Hosting
Scores
Ad revenue & fill
3.5
Player performance & page speed
2.2
Ad formats & delivery
2.8
Content monetisation models
2.5
Content control & brand safety
3.0
Analytics & reporting
3.0
Targeting & contextual
2.5
CMS & integration
3.5
Payment terms & reliability
3.0
Privacy & compliance
2.5
Strengths
✓ 0% platform take-rate: ad, sponsorship and membership revenue stays with the publisher
✓ YouTube library imports once and new uploads stay in sync
Limitations
✗ Programmatic ads run on Ezoic's ad stack and need an application
✗ Payouts are quarterly, about 35 days after each quarter closes
YouTube
3.6
Rating
★ 3.6/5
Pricing
Free to upload; platform takes 45% of long-form ad revenue and 55% of Shorts revenue via the Partner Program.
Platform
Hosting
Scores
Ad revenue & fill
4.8
Player performance & page speed
4.8
Ad formats & delivery
3.5
Content monetisation models
3.0
Content control & brand safety
2.5
Analytics & reporting
4.5
Targeting & contextual
4.0
CMS & integration
2.0
Payment terms & reliability
3.0
Privacy & compliance
3.5
Strengths
✓ Biggest reach of any platform with 2.5 billion+ active users
✓ Built-in keyword assignment and multilingual translation tools
Limitations
✗ History of unreliable monetization — the 2017 'Adpocalypse' saw advertisers withdraw funding
✗ Publishers lack control over their content and may get lost in the noise of uploads
