How To Develop App Like Youtube?

Why does everyone want to develop an App like YouTube?

Well, there are several reasons. YouTube is the world’s most popular video streaming platform that has generated multi-billion dollars in revenue.

It has inspired many investors as well as start-ups to develop a YouTube clone app themselves. And if you are one of those people who want to develop a video streaming app, there is a lot you need to look at.

This includes researching YouTube, looking at all the different components, the development process, and just quite a lot of work. Now, to save you all the worry and hard work, we have done it for you.

Therefore, in this blog, we shall be discussing everything about YouTube and how to make a video-sharing website and app. With this being said, let’s get started:

What Is a Youtube App? Pinnacle of Video Streaming App Development

YouTube is one of the most popular mobile apps and websites on the internet. In fact, YouTube is 2^nd most visited sites after Google, an impressive feat. Plus, it goes without saying that people love using this platform.

This platform was launched in 2005 as an independent online video streaming website. Later, down the line after showing great performance, it was bought by the tech giant, Google.

You see, this video streaming platform has over 30 billion daily active users as well as 30 million premium subscribers. For those who don’t know, recently YouTube had started offering premium services through which users can enjoy advertisement-free video streaming.

Users absolutely love YouTube. A stat that perfectly shows it is that more than 1 billion hours of video were streamed on YouTube each day, receiving five billion views per day. This is quite impressive as it is more than the combined figures of Netflix and Meta combined.

This is all fine and well, but what is this app called YouTube?

Well, the answer is simple. YouTube is a video streaming app that is often called a search engine. The latter one is because, with the number of videos this platform has, it needs its own custom search engine to show them all.

In simpler words, YouTube is an example of well-planned video streaming app development. As such, it is available on iOS and Android as well as the web. And know that you know what YouTube is, let’s look at it.

Working on Video Streaming App Like Youtube

For those who don’t know, in addition to earning billions of dollars itself, YouTube has helped many influencers and “YouTubers” become millionaires.

Now, working of YouTube can be a bit complex so, bear with us. We can divide it into two parts. One is that, users and other “YouTubers”. Let’s get into it before we discuss YouTube app development:

Working For Youtube User App

• Download the app from the iOS App Store, Google Play Store or website from a web browser.
• Once opened, you can either log in to it using your Google Account or browse as a guest
• Here, you get an exploration screen where you get randomized videos that are either trending in the region or personalized based on your history
• Apart from this, you can also search for videos from the 25 million strong collections of videos, with new ones coming each day.
• With the in-app video player, you can enjoy all the videos on the platform itself.
• YouTube videos come with two or one ad on average. If you want to avoid it, you can buy a premium membership.
• The user can also download the video for later consumption; however, not all videos are downloadable.

This is the working of the Youtube mobile app works for users; let’s look at the content creator side.

Working For Youtubers

• Create a Google Account and Log in to the YouTube Mobile App
• Start uploading videos that people want to watch.
• With growing views, your videos will be eligible for monetization and then you can start generating revenue.
• Based on the ads you show on your video, number of subscribers, and so on

When done right, this video-sharing app can help the business grow and generate millions of dollars in the market. But this makes one wonder, how does this platform earn money? Let’s see:

How Does YouTube Make Money? Revenue-Generation Strategy

In this section of the blog, we shall be looking at how the YouTube video-sharing platform generates revenue. Learning this is important if you want to create a video streaming app that generates millions or even billions of dollars in this booming industry.

In order to generate revenue, large platforms like Youtube use monetization strategies. Here, we shall be looking at the most prominent two:

1. Paid Promotion & Advertisements

This method has long been employed by YouTube to generate revenue. You see, there are billions of people who watch videos on YouTube. When a content creator’s account has reached a said level, it will show ads with videos.

The ads can be shown before, during, after, or in combination, with videos. Now, the companies who want to advertise themselves have to pay a price to place their ads. Based on various factors the cost of advertisement is different.

Coming back, the amount paid goes to YouTube and a part goes to the content creator. This is how YouTube and the content creators on the platform generate revenue. Apart from in-video ads, YouTube also runs paid promotions across the platform.

2. Premium Subscription

The latest method by which YouTube generates revenue is a premium subscription. If you use the YouTube mobile app, you must have noticed that it has been promoting an ad-free version of itself.

However, it doesn’t come without a cost. Users have to pay a one-time premium fee after which they don’t have to see any kind of ads, plus they can also download high-quality videos.

This is how the market-leading best example of video-sharing app development YouTube Generates revenue.

Reasons To Develop A Video Streaming App Like Youtube

So, why should you consider video-sharing app development? This is something a lot of clients ask for and for a good reason. You see, when you are investing thousands of dollars in a mobile app development process, you want to know each and everything about it.

But most of all how this investment will pay you back or return on investment in other words. So, with this being said, let’s look at some reasons to develop a youtube clone app.

1. Popular Among Users

The very first reason is public demand. As we read, YouTube has the second highest visitor count after Google itself. This means billions of users each day.

And anyone knows, if you have a good user base, you can create a successful business over it. This remains quite true in this context.

2. High Revenue Generation Opportunities

Another reason why you should develop video sharing apps like YouTube is revenue generation. This goes hand in hand with the previous point which was a large user base.

You see, the larger the user base is, the more opportunity there is to generate revenue. With the rising popularity of online streaming platforms like Netflix and so on, revenue generation is doubling every year.

3. Fast Paced Growth

Now, the video streaming app industry is fast paced. The growth it shows is remarkable and with the right video streaming mobile app, you can take full advantage of the same.

This is one of the top reasons why a lot of clients get into the video streaming industry.

4. The Future of Entertainment

It goes without saying that Media and Entertainment Development is taking over the conventional entertainment mediums.

And if this goes on as it is expected to, which it will, then video streaming apps like YouTube will become the new normal.

These are some of the reasons to develop a mobile app like Youtube. Now, with this being said, let’s look at the feature that you should consider adding to the same.

Features To Include In Your Video Streaming App

If you want to create the best YouTube clone app, you need to fill it with the best features. You see, with the right set of features, you won’t be able to attract let alone engage potential customers. So, to create a million-dollar video streaming app, you need to fill it with a unique set of engaging features.

Therefore, some features that you should add to the application shall be discussed here. But before we get into it, you should know that the app can be divided into three parts. These are the app for users, an app for the content creator, and the app for admin.

We shall be discussing each of these turns in turn:

These are the feature that you should consider adding to your online streaming platform.

How to Create a Video Streaming App Like YouTube: Video Streaming App Development Process

Developing an app like youtube isn’t rocket science. In fact, it is quite simple once you know the process and steps involved in mobile app development. And for that reason, in this section of the blog, we shall be looking at the development process used to create a video-sharing app like YouTube.

With this said, let’s start with the first step which is:

Step. 1) Come Up With An Idea

Everything starts with an idea. While it is true that you are developing an app like youtube, there is still room for brainstorming. And come up with a unique idea for the same.

Now, this is something you need to do before you consult a mobile app development company. In addition, it is recommended that you collect a few ideas and choose the best one after cross-checking them.

Step. 2) Cross-Check It: Research

Coming up with an idea isn’t enough, you need to make sure it is developable, marketable, and monetizable. And this is exactly what you do in this step of online streaming platform development.

When done with this, we can get into the interesting stuff.

Step. 3) Monetize It

Finalize the idea and cross-check it, you need to monetize the same. Because at the end of the day, generating revenue is the main reason to hire a dedicated developer and create an app.

Currently, there are various monetization strategies that you can use. The one used by YouTube was discussed earlier in the blog. Moreover, you can come up with your own ideas and combine them with other strategies.

Step. 4) Hire Mobile App Developers

Since we are done with all the preparations done, it’s time to hire mobile app developers. Now, there are various methods to do this. Some of these ways are, as mentioned below:

• Hire Freelancers
• Hire Local Development Agency
• Hire outsourcing company
• Assemble in House Team

Depending on your requirements, you can choose any one of these. Once you have hired a development partner, we can move to the next step.

Step. 5) Choose Mobile App Development Platform

Both Android and iPhone App development services are quite popular among clients. And if you want to develop an app, you too have to choose one, for obvious reasons.

Again, you can choose to hire either of the development services. But then again, when you have to choose between two great platforms, it can be confusing.

If this is something you are experiencing, you can also go for flutter app development. This will give you cross-platform apps that combine the best of both worlds at optimal costs.

Step. 6) Pick A Tech Stack

Once done with the platform, you have to choose the tech stack. For those who don’t know, this refers to the development of technologies like programming languages, frameworks, etc.

As one might have guessed, choosing the right tech stack is important. This can highly affect the performance of apps like Youtube. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, you can take MEAN Stack and MERN stack for example as these are popular tech stacks.

Step. 7) Finalize Features and Design

With all the technologies finalized, it’s time to start developing. And first things first, front-end development is what we are looking at.

The front end mainly brings us to deciding the features and creating UI/UX design. We have already discussed features, leaving us with the design part.

UI/UX design is quite important in creating user engagement and reducing the bounce rate. This is the reason you should hire UI/UX Designer who understands your idea.

Step. 8) Video Stream App Development

With the front end done, it’s time to for back-end development. This is where the developers will write Youtube clone app source code.

Moreover, they will be creating what you can call the final version of the app. For that reason, it is recommended that you maintain communication with the development team.

Step. 9) App Testing & Deployment

After development, the app has to be tested. There are chances of bugs and other errors, which needs to be fixed before deployment.

Speaking of deployment, the process can be different based on whether you choose to hire android app developers or iOS ones.

Nevertheless, once the app is launched, you can track it for performance.

Step. 10) Maintenance & Support

When work is done with deployment, the app requires maintenance. This is why you need App Maintenance and Support.

This is a 10-step process for developing an app like Youtube. With this process, you can create a successful mobile app that has the potential to generate millions of dollars in the market. But this begs the question, how much does it cost?

How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App Like Youtube?

People often ask, how much it costs to develop an app like youtube. You see, it isn’t that simple. There are a lot of different factors. For instance, the size of the app, whether you choose iOS or iPhone app development, complexity, and so on can highly affect the cost.

 Coming back to the topic, you can expect the mobile app development cost to be anywhere between $25,000 and $85,000.

If you are looking for a closer estimate, it is recommended that you consult an app development company. As they can help you with the same.

Conclusion

Creating an app like YouTube with all the right features and functionalize can be revolutionary for your business. When done right, it can generate millions in revenue. So, if this is what you want to do, you will need a development partner. For that reason, we recommend that you consult a video streaming app development company.

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.