castiz vs YouTube
YouTube is free but comes with ads, limited branding control, and no privacy. Castiz offers ad-free hosting, full control, and professional features for business use.
Reading time: 10 minutes
Quick Comparison
| Factor | castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19-149/month | Free |
| Ads on Your Videos | Never | Yes (unless Premium viewers) |
| Competitor Ads | Never | Frequently |
| Privacy Controls | Password, domain lock, unlisted | Unlisted only |
| Custom Branding | Full control | YouTube branding always |
| Analytics Ownership | You own all data | Limited, YouTube controls |
| Embed Customization | Full | Limited |
| Best For | Business, courses, internal | Public content, discovery |
What YouTube Actually Costs Your Business
1. Ads Damage Your Brand
Real Example: A SaaS company's product demo shows a competitor's ad. This happens daily on YouTube.
2. You Don't Control the Experience
3. Limited Privacy Options
| Feature | Castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Password protection | ||
| Domain whitelist | ||
| IP restrictions | ||
| Expiring links | ||
| True private videos | Unlisted only | |
| Single sign-on |
"Unlisted" on YouTube isn't private—anyone with the link can share it anywhere.
4. YouTube Owns Your Audience
- • You can't export subscriber emails
- • YouTube's algorithm decides who sees your content
- • Policy changes can demonetize or remove videos
- • No direct relationship with viewers
YouTube's Hidden Costs
| Hidden Cost | Estimated Annual Impact |
|---|---|
| Lost leads (viewers click away) | $5,000-50,000+/year |
| Brand damage (competitor ads) | Incalculable |
| Employee time fighting spam comments | $2,000+/year |
| Lost sales (unprofessional appearance) | $10,000+/year |
| Compliance risk (no privacy controls) | Fines possible |
Castiz Actual Costs
ROI Example: If one lost lead costs you $100 CAC, preventing just 3 lost leads per month pays for Castiz Pro.
Feature-by-Feature
Player Experience
| Feature | Castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Ad-free playback | Always | Shows ads |
| Custom player colors | Red only | |
| Remove platform branding | ||
| Disable suggested videos | ||
| Chapters | ||
| Speed control | ||
| Quality selection | ||
| Captions | ||
| Custom thumbnail | ||
| End screen control | Full | YouTube suggests |
Privacy & Security
| Feature | Castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Password protection | ||
| Domain whitelist | ||
| Expiring links | ||
| Private videos | True private | Unlisted only |
| Download prevention | ||
| Viewer authentication | ||
| SSO integration | Business | |
| GDPR compliance | Complex |
Analytics
| Feature | Castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| View counts | ||
| Watch time | ||
| Engagement graphs | ||
| Geographic data | ||
| Device breakdown | ||
| Data export | Full | Limited |
| Real-time analytics | Delayed | |
| Individual viewer tracking | Business |
Embedding
| Feature | Castiz | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Responsive embed | ||
| Autoplay | ||
| Loop | ||
| Start/end times | ||
| Hide controls | Limited | |
| Custom colors | ||
| No platform branding | ||
| No related videos | Hard to disable | |
| Domain restrictions |
What Your Visitors See
YouTube Embed Experience
• Viewer sees 15-second ad for competitor
• YouTube logo in corner
• "Watch on YouTube" link
• Video ends with suggested videos
• Viewer clicks away to cat videos
Castiz Embed Experience
• Video plays immediately
• Your brand colors
• No external branding
• Video ends with YOUR call-to-action
• Viewer stays on your site
Customer Training (YouTube)
- • Unlisted links can be shared publicly
- • No way to revoke access
- • Ads interrupt training
- • Analytics show only aggregate data
- • No completion tracking
Customer Training (Castiz)
- Password or SSO required
- Access revoked instantly
- Zero interruptions
- Per-user analytics
- Completion tracking
When YouTube Makes Sense
YouTube wins for public discovery
When Castiz Makes Sense
Castiz wins for business hosting
Common Objections
"But YouTube is free!"
YouTube extracts value through ads, data, and audience ownership. The "cost" is paid by your brand reputation, lost leads, and lack of control.
Math: If your average customer is worth $1,000 and YouTube's ads cost you just 1 customer per month, that's $12,000/year—20x more than Castiz Pro.
"YouTube has better reach!"
True for public content marketing. But for product demos, training, and support content on YOUR website, you want viewers to stay on your site, not discover YouTube rabbit holes.
"Everyone uses YouTube!"
For entertainment, yes. For business video hosting, professionals use dedicated platforms. Would you host your company website on Facebook?
"YouTube has great analytics!"
YouTube's analytics serve YouTube's interests. You can't export data freely, and YouTube knows more about your audience than you do. With Castiz, you own everything.
YouTube to Castiz
| Content | Transfers? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Video files | Download from YouTube Studio | |
| Titles and descriptions | Export metadata | |
| Thumbnails | Manual download | |
| Captions | Export SRT | |
| Chapter information | Manual | |
| View counts/history | Stays on YouTube | |
| Comments | Stays on YouTube | |
| Subscribers | They're YouTube's | |
| Watch time history | Stays on YouTube |
Migration Steps
- 1Download videos from YouTube Studio
- 2Export metadata (title, description)
- 3Export caption files
- 4Bulk upload to Castiz
- 5Update embed codes on your site
Hybrid Strategy
Use YouTube for discovery, Castiz for everything on your owned properties
| Content Type | Platform | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Public marketing | YouTube | Discovery, SEO |
| Product demos | Castiz | No ads, professional |
| Tutorials (public) | YouTube | Search traffic |
| Training (internal) | Castiz | Privacy |
| Testimonials | Castiz | Brand control |
| Webinar recordings | Castiz | Lead capture |
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
YouTube is excellent for public content marketing where discovery and reach matter. Its algorithm and SEO power are unmatched for building a public audience.
Castiz is the right choice when you need professional, ad-free video hosting with privacy controls. For anything embedded on your website, used internally, or requiring access control, Castiz delivers a professional experience.
| If You Need... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Maximum reach | YouTube |
| SEO/discoverability | YouTube |
| Monetization via ads | YouTube |
| Ad-free experience | Castiz |
| Privacy/passwords | Castiz |
| Professional branding | Castiz |
| Internal training | Castiz |
| Course content | Castiz |
| Client portals | Castiz |
| Data ownership | Castiz |
Comparison accurate as of December 2025. YouTube's features and policies may change. This comparison was written by the castiz team.
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