PeerTube: open video platform

PeerTube is an open-source video platform you use in the browser; there is nothing to download to watch. Framasoft, a French non-profit, leads its development, and the current release is 8.3.1. PeerTube is not a single website: many independent servers (instances) each host their own channels and videos, and they federate so that one instance can show videos from others.

Who PeerTube is for

Viewers who want video without an ad-funded recommendation engine get a plain experience: subscribe to channels, browse an instance's local videos, search across the instances it follows. Creators, schools, archives, activist groups and small media often choose PeerTube because they can publish on an instance that shares their values, or run their own, and keep control of the files, the comments and the moderation rules. It is also an option for short clips and vertical videos as an alternative to TikTok, though most instances lean towards longer, topic-focused content and there is no endless feed designed to keep you scrolling.

Finding an instance

The Open button goes to the official instance list at joinpeertube.org/instances. You can filter by language, topic and whether registration is open. To watch, you do not need an account at all. To upload, you register on an instance that accepts new members; each has its own rules and quotas, set by its admins.

An account on one instance does not give you an account on the others. From a Mastodon account, though, you can follow a PeerTube channel and see new videos in your timeline, because both speak the same fediverse protocol.

How it delivers video

• Each video lives on the instance where it was uploaded.
• Instances can mirror videos from others to share the load.
• Live streaming and playlists are supported on instances that enable them.
• Viewers only need a modern browser; the web player handles the rest.

Licence and cost

PeerTube is free software under the GNU AGPLv3 licence, with source code on GitHub. Watching is free. Instances are run by their owners and are usually funded by donations or by the organisation behind them, not by ads.

Safety

Because every instance is moderated separately, content policies vary. Check an instance's about page and rules before you sign up or let children browse it. Your uploads and account data sit on that instance's server.

Alternatives and related apps

PeerTube is listed here as an alternative to TikTok, TikTok Lite and TikTok on the web, but the closer comparison for most instances is a general video site: channels, playlists, subscriptions and comments. For short vertical clips in the fediverse, Loops is the newer project to look at; for photos, Pixelfed. All three can be followed from a Mastodon account, which is often the easiest way to keep up with channels without registering on each instance.

Pros and cons

• Pro: no ads and no algorithmic feed; creators own their channel.
• Pro: open source, anyone can host an instance.
• Con: fewer videos and viewers than on the big commercial platforms.
• Con: playback speed depends on how well an instance is hosted.