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YouTube vs PeerTube: The Data Privacy Comparison

Explore how France's PeerTube prioritizes user privacy and security over the US-based YouTube. Discover which platform aligns with your data protection needs today.

Last updated: February 6, 2026Reviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to PeerTube?

What You Gain

Gain better privacy protection and control over content.

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Potential loss of features and user experience quality.

YouTube has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy is a priority; stay with YouTube for features.

At a Glance

Data Location
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇫🇷FR

GDPR protected

Pricing

YouTube

Contact

PeerTube

Contact

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-4 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaYouTubePeerTube
Server Location
US, EU (Google data centers worldwide)EU (Self-hosted, varies by instance)
GDPR Compliance
FullFull
Open Source
E2E Encryption
OptionalOptional
Data Portability
Full exportUnknown

CLOUD Act Notice

YouTube is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. PeerTube is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
YouTube logo

YouTube

🇺🇸

Google

VS
Switching to
PeerTube logo

PeerTube

🇫🇷

PeerTube

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

EU-Based
Open Source
Self-Hostable
EU-hosted

Reasons to Switch

  • PeerTube is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring EU data protection.
  • Open-source nature allows customization and community-driven features.
  • Self-hosting options let users control their data and server location.
  • No ads or monetization pressure, fostering genuine content sharing.

Things to Consider

  • !Migration involves manual uploads; no direct transfer from YouTube.
  • !Limited audience reach compared to YouTube's 2 billion users.
  • !Learning curve for managing self-hosted instances and configurations.
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-4 hours

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-4 hours

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create PeerTube account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from YouTube

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to YouTube

Ready to make the switch?

Start using PeerTube today and take control of your data privacy.