“Unlisted” is not the same as private.
An unlisted link works for anyone who has it — however they got it. If the video is your wedding film or your child's first steps, "anyone with the link" is the problem, not the feature.
Free to start · No app needed · You approve every single viewer
To be fair to YouTube
It's free, it streams beautifully, and for content you'd be happy going public one day — a showreel, a talk, a how-to — unlisted is a perfectly good soft-launch. YouTube is built for reach.
Where it breaks down for family moments
Unlisted means "hidden from search", not "access controlled". The link can be forwarded infinitely, the video plays next to autoplay recommendations and ads, it can surface through playlists and channel pages, and your family's faces live on a platform whose business is attention. You can't see who watched, and you can't take a forwarded link back.
Side by side.
| OurVid | Unlisted YouTube | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can watch | Only viewers you approve, by name | Anyone who gets the link, forever |
| Downloads | Disabled at the streaming layer | Rippable with widely-known tools |
| Ads & recommendations | None — just your film | Ads, autoplay, related videos |
| Who watched | Per-guest views and devices | Anonymous view count only |
| Revoke access | Remove any guest at any time | Delete the video — for everyone |
| Streaming quality | Adaptive, cinema-grade | Adaptive, excellent |
| Price | Free to start · £29/$39 once per event | Free |
Questions? Fair enough.
Can an unlisted YouTube video really be found by strangers?
It's hidden from YouTube search, but the link itself is the only protection. Anyone it's forwarded to can watch and forward it again, it can appear in public playlists, and third-party sites have historically indexed unlisted links. There is no viewer approval of any kind.
How is OurVid different from just not sharing the link widely?
With OurVid the link isn't the key — approval is. Even someone holding your event link sees only a request-access form. Every viewer is approved by you personally, watches through signed links that expire within 24 hours, and can be removed at any time.
Is YouTube's quality better?
Both stream in adaptive quality that looks great on any screen — quality isn't the difference. The difference is who can watch, whether it can be downloaded, and whether your family's moments sit next to ads and an algorithm.
Private should mean private.
Set up your event in minutes and approve every viewer by name — no links that wander, no ads, no algorithm.
Start free — it's private- Free to start
- Stream-only playback
- You approve every guest
- No app required
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