In this article we’re going to take an in-depth look at YouTube Shorts and TikTok to help you decide which is the better platform to market your business in 2024.
Both TikTok and YouTube Shorts are tremendously popular, boasting hundreds of millions of users each. But as a tool to market your business, you need to get into the nitty gritty to find out which one is going to bring you the most success.
So, let’s get into it!
1. Monthly users
YouTube Shorts has 2.5 billion monthly active users, whereas TikTok has 1 billion. So, YouTube Shorts is the clear frontrunner, and that should come as no surprise considering YouTube has been the king of video content since…well, since the very beginning of video sharing online.
2. Video length
YouTube Shorts are required to be between 15 and 60 seconds long. TikToks, on the other hand, can be anywhere from 3 seconds to a whopping 30 minutes long! However, anything over 10 minutes may not be available in all regions yet.
Of course, for attention spans, shorter is always better. But it’s nice that TikTok is more lenient in this area.
3. Ease of use
Both platforms are pretty easy to navigate as a viewer. You simply swipe for the next video. But let’s look at them both from the viewpoint of a creator. We’ll start with TikTok.
You can create a new video by pressing the plus button in the centre of the screen:
From here, you can record a fresh video or upload one from your camera roll. You can then hit ‘AutoCut’ and TikTok will automatically edit your video, adding music and filters. Although, you’re more than likely going to want to edit it yourself. In that case, you click ‘Next’:
You’ll be recommended music or you can search for a track that fits. We were pretty impressed by this as TikTok was able to recommend fitting music based on the content of the video:
You can also easily add text and filters, and edit your video in an easy and intuitive way:
Now, let’s take a look at YouTube Shorts. The setup is very similar. You press the plus button in the centre of your screen to upload or record your short. You’ll be reminded of the 60 second limit and have the option to edit your video straight away:
Next, you’ll be asked to select music. There were some recommended tracks but they were nowhere near as tailored as the ones from TikTok:
Next, more editing! You can add text and/or a voiceover, using a simple timeline to tweak everything to your liking:
This is a tough one to judge but we’re going to have to give it to TikTok because of the personalised music choices.
4. Community
Posting videos only matters if you can get a good level of engagement on them. After all, the whole point is increasing brand awareness and ROI, right?
YouTube Shorts is okay when it comes to building a community. People can obviously like and comment on your videos. And you can also pin questions to your videos that people can answer in the comments:
However, having a long-form presence on the platform is a better way to build a community. There’s even a Community tab where you can share polls and updates directly with your audience:
TikTok definitely has more of a community feel. You can add topics directly to your videos to encourage other people to share similar content:
And you can also record video responses to other people’s content, called Duets. Duets allow you to post your video side-by-side with a video from another creator. Here’s an example:
It’s worth noting that YouTube Shorts also has their own version of this called YouTube Remix, where you can add in videos from other creators using the green screen functionality. However, in early 2024, they also launched ‘Collab’ which is a direct competitor of the Duets feature on TikTok.
Find out more about that here: YouTube Collab Announcement.
5. Cost
Both YouTube Shorts and TikTok offer monetisation options. But, of course, both platforms do things differently.
YouTube Shorts Ads come in two forms: swipeable videos and still images that appear between Shorts in the Shorts Feed. And, interestingly, Shorts Feed ad revenue is pooled and shared between creators based on views and music usage.
For you, the advertiser, the cost can vary. However, advertisers report that 10 cents to 30 cents per view is most common for reach campaigns.
TikTok’s uses a cost per mile (CPM) approach to advertising. This translates to advertisers paying $10 for every 1,000 views. On top of that, there’s a minimum budget of $500 to start an advertising campaign.
So, it would appear that TikTok is cheaper. However, it’s really important to note that YouTube only counts an ad view if the viewer watched for over 10 seconds and/or clicked the call-to-action button. TikTok, on the other hand, counts any video ad playback as a view – even if it’s a fraction of a second.
This one is tough to call, so we’re going to say that it’s a…
6. Support
To reach TikTok support, you need to click on your profile > settings and privacy > support. From there, you’ll see 3 options:
The help center contains lots of articles that answer standard FAQs:
The safety center contains safety courses and community guidelines and the privacy center has information about TikTok’s privacy policy. It doesn’t look like there’s a way to actually talk to anyone and that’s because this is slightly hidden under ‘report a problem’.
If you click that and scroll all the way down you’ll see a chat with us button that opens an automated chatbot:
From there you can submit a ticket for exactly what you need help with.
For YouTube Shorts, you want to open the YouTube app and click on your profile. From there, you’ll see a ‘help & feedback’ button. Clicking on that opens some popular help resources and also a search bar to allow you to self-solve your issue:
You can also send feedback to YouTube from there. Feedback is a pretty vague term, so we’re not sure how urgently messages that are sent through this medium are replied to.
For that reason, it’s another win for…
7. Analytics
Both platforms boast pretty robust analytics (to say they’re free apps!). You can access data on video reach, impressions, views, likes, comments, watch time, and shares. This will allow you to see what types of videos perform best for your company.
TikTok offers analytics right there in the app:
Whereas for YouTube, you can see views, comments, and likes in the app, but for anything else you need to download the Creator Studio app.
TikTok seems a lot easier to use when it comes to reviewing video analytics.
8. Copyright protection
YouTube is big on copyright protection. As a leader in this space, they’ve created their own automated Content ID system that allows copyright owners to identify videos that include content they own.
This makes it easy to detect and disable videos that feature copyrighted materials.
TikTok isn’t as well-versed in the copyright arena, mainly because they haven’t been in the game as long as YouTube has. However, they still have appropriate measures in place. If you believe your copyright rights have been infringed on TikTok then you can submit a copyright infringement report.
Thanks to their proactiveness on this, the win goes to…
9. Privacy options
When posting to TikTok, you have a couple of options for privacy settings. You can make your videos available to everyone, restrict views to followers only, or make your video private so that you’re the only one who can view it.
YouTube Shorts is pretty much the same. You can make your videos public, private, or unlisted (meaning only people with the link can watch the video).
10. Filters and fun stuff!
These tools aren’t just for posting videos. You can create videos directly within the platforms too. So let’s check out their best features and fun stuff!
We’ll start with YouTube Shorts:
YouTube Shorts has tons of built in features that can make your videos look more professional. From effects and filters, to retouch and trimming options. You’ve basically got everything you need to make a great video in one place. Plus, you can have fun with different effects:
There’s also a green screen feature that allows you to showcase something behind you, like your product or website, while speaking.
TikTok is very similar. You’ve got filters, effects, templates:
There’s also retouch options but these are mostly to do with facial features and beautification.
TikTok also has lots of fun stickers that can be added to videos to encourage engagement:
Because of the green screen (that TikTok now only offers on photos, not videos) we’re going to give this one to…
Final thoughts
We started this article with a question – YouTube Shorts vs TikTok: Which is better in 2024? But, of course, the answer is never that simple!
There is a clear winner in terms of the categories we’ve gone through. However, the winner really depends on which platform has the features that you desire most. And, realistically, you probably want to be using BOTH of these apps in order to increase the reach of your videos.
Eager to learn more about short form video content? Check this article out next: How to Make Short Form Videos that People LOVE
