Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream — Which Online Video Platform Should You Choose?

The five key differences between Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream:

1. Cost: YouTube is free. Kaltura and Viostream have paid options. Kaltura claims to be the world's first open-source video platform but only offers a free 30-day trial and doesn't publish its prices online, which makes it difficult to compare it with Viostream. 
2. Market Share: YouTube is the world's most popular video streaming platform and one of the most-visited websites on the planet. Kaltura and Viostream, along with all other video platforms, are behind YouTube in market share.
3. Target Audience: YouTube attracts a general audience of content creators and viewers. Kaltura caters to the online education and video delivery market, allowing learning institutions to create video content for students. Viostream is an enterprise-grade video platform that lets governments and businesses create branded video galleries and private portals and embed videos into their websites, as well as offering many other content management features.
4. Features: YouTube has various features, though these target personal content creators rather than businesses. Kaltura has video creation and streaming features tailored to educational institutions, such as analytics that reveal how students engage with video content. Viostream offers enhanced analytics and security features for governments and businesses and integrates with existing communication channels via out-of-the-box connectors.
5. Skill Level: All three video platforms are relatively easy to use and require no code. 

In 2019, there were over 2.6 billion digital video viewers worldwide, with more internet users streaming video content than ever before. More and more, governments and businesses use online video platforms to create, upload, and share content with people, making video one of the most powerful communication methods of the 21st century. 

But with so many online video platforms out there, which one should you choose? The three tools in this review all have video streaming capabilities, but target three very different audiences. Here's everything you need to know about Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream.

Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream Overview

About Kaltura

Kaltura is a video streaming platform that caters to academic audiences. Developed by Oregon State University (OSU), the tool offers specific features for educational organizations that want to target students through video content such as online classes and interactive activities. 

Kaltura integrates with OSU's single-sign-on platform, so it doesn't require account management from users. Various departments at the college can access videos and add features to content if required. (For example, Disability Access Services can add captions to videos.) Other features include metrics that show how students interact with content. 

With the enormous number of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational organizations have used Kaltura to move their classes online and create digital learning environments.

About YouTube

YouTube is a household name in video streaming and the world's second most-visited website, with over 34.6 billion monthly visits. Launched in 2005, YouTube has formed the blueprint for the many video streaming platforms that followed. Now owned and operated by Google, YouTube has diversified its offerings. Aside from video streaming, the company offers music streaming (YouTube Music), live TV streaming (YouTube TV), and original content (YouTube Premium), among other services. 

Unlike Kaltura, which targets educational audiences, YouTube has a diversified customer base, attracting both personal and business users. 

About Viostream

Viostream is an enterprise-grade video platform for governments and businesses and the leading platform of its type in Australia. As an enterprise-grade video tool, Viostream differs from Kaltura and YouTube as it targets governments and businesses that require more enhanced security and analytics features than other video streaming platforms on the market. 

Viostream lets you manage all aspects of your streaming. You can store video content in a secure environment, embed videos into your website, and publish content to a private branded video gallery. It has applications for both public and internal communications.

The biggest difference between Viostream and Kaltura and YouTube, however, is the ability to integrate the tool with existing communication channels like your intranet, social media, learning management system (LMS), and even internal emails. Viostream offers various out-of-the-box connectors that facilitate seamless integration between these channels. 

Other features include live streaming, push-button app publishing, audience management, unlimited creation of channels, unlimited creation of players, social syndication, social sign-ins, calls-to-action, accessibility features, and full media management (metadata, filter lists, scheduling, tags, etc.)

Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream: Features

Trial Length

Kaltura: 30 Days

YouTube: None/Free

Viostream: 30 Days

Target Audience

Kaltura: Educational

YouTube: General

Viostream: Business & Government

Video Integration Connectors?

Kaltura: No

YouTube: No

Viostream: Yes, including Amazon CloudFront, Looker, Salesforce Einstein Analytics, and Tableau.

Embed videos?

Kaltura: No

YouTube: Yes

Viostream: Yes

Analytics?

Kaltura: Yes

YouTube: Yes

Viostream: Yes

Security Features

Kaltura: Integrates into OSU's secure environment, private videos

YouTube: 2-step authentication, unlisted videos, geo-blocking

Viostream: Single sign-on authentication, domain whitelisting, geo-blocking, IP restrictions, user roles, password policies, sub-accounts, auditing, ISO27001-compliant, built on secure AWS framework, social sign-ins, and more 

Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream: Support and Training 

Kaltura

• User management provided by OSU
• Email support via OSU's Information Technology department (email/phone) 

YouTube

• Support ticket system (no email/phone support)
• Help forum
• Help guides
• Partner support for content creators with large numbers of followers

 Viostream

• Phone support
• Email support
• Detailed support guides

Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream: Pricing

Kaltura

• Kaltura doesn't publish its prices online and asks prospective customers to contact its sales team, which makes it difficult to compare with YouTube and Viostream. 
• There seems to be only one plan (Enterprise), where users plan for services annually. 

YouTube

• YouTube is free to use.

Viostream

• Viostream offers three flexible payment plans for governments and businesses:
• Viostream has an open and transparent pricing system that suits every stage of business.
• Full details about Viostream pricing are available here. 

Why Choose Viostream

YouTube might be the market leader, but there are other online video platforms out there. Governments and businesses that want to optimize video communications should invest in Viostream, which offers more enhanced security and analytics than YouTube and targets a more appropriate audience for them than Kaltura. Plus, Viostream boasts various out-of-the-box connectors that let users integrate existing communication channels with the platform for greater productivity and performance. When comparing Kaltura vs. YouTube vs. Viostream, there's only one winner for governments and businesses. 

Invest in Viostream, the enterprise-grade video platform that transforms video management in your organization. With flexible pricing, connectors, accessibility features, unlimited channel creation, unlimited player creation, excellent support, branded video galleries, and enhanced media management, it's the top choice for governments and businesses. Start your free trial now and explore your video possibilities.