compare
tapeshelf or unlisted YouTube for private videos
Unlisted is the setting most people reach for when a video shouldn't be public. Here's what it does and doesn't do, and how sharing on tapeshelf differs.
| What you need | tapeshelf | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Private until you share it | Yes, every upload | You choose: private, unlisted or public |
| Links that expire | Video links: from 1 hour to 1 week | No |
| A link for one person only | Yes, with a code sent by email | Private videos, for chosen Google accounts |
| A password on a link | On Pro | No |
| A link to a whole collection | Yes, to your shelf; on Pro also anonymous, without your nickname | A channel or playlist link |
| Viewers need no account | Yes | Unlisted: yes. Private: a Google account |
| Watch in the browser | Yes, an encrypted stream | Yes |
| Trade videos | Yes, one for one | No |
| Organize a collection | Categories, stacks, your own order, covers, hidden videos | Playlists |
| Friends and messages | Friends, messages with videos, “What's new” | Subscriptions and comments |
| No ads | Yes, on every plan | No: YouTube may show ads on any video |
| Open source, your own server | Yes, AGPL; your own server soon | No |
| Free plan | 1 GB per video, 20 GB in all, no ads | Free |
What unlisted and private mean on YouTube
An unlisted video doesn't show up in YouTube's search or recommendations, but anyone with the link can watch it and share it further, without an account. The link doesn't expire, and to stop one person from watching you have to change the video for everyone. A private video is closer to private: you share it with chosen Google accounts, and only they can watch.
A shelf for your own collection
YouTube is made for creators who want an audience: a channel, subscribers, views, recommendations and comments. For sorting your own videos it offers playlists.
tapeshelf is made for keeping a collection of your own. Sort videos into categories, each with its own rows and tile size, drop one video onto another to make a stack, put everything in the order you want, pick covers, give videos you received your own names and hide what only you should see. Nobody pushes your videos to strangers, and you never have to think about an audience.
How tapeshelf is different
- Links run out by themselves, after an hour, a day or up to a week, and you can revoke any of them at once.
- A link can open for one person only, with a code sent to their email. They don't need a Google account or any other.
- On Pro, a link can ask for a password.
- The video plays on a page of its own, with no recommendations, comments or feed around it.
- People you shared it with can download the video in full quality, with its location and camera data stripped.
- Visitors can ask for a private video, and you can trade videos one for one.
- Friends and messages, with videos right in the chat, and “What's new” on the shelves you follow.
- On Pro, a video editor right on your shelf: crop, cut, blur, timers, captions and sound.
- A free browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other browsers downloads videos from other sites and can save them straight to your shelf.
- The code is open under the AGPL, and soon you'll be able to run tapeshelf on your own server.
- No ads on any plan.
When YouTube is the better choice
If you want people to find the video, YouTube is hard to beat: search, recommendations, comments and a huge audience. tapeshelf keeps videos out of search engines on purpose, so it's the wrong place for that.
Facts about other services come from their own help pages and plan descriptions, checked in October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites for the latest. Names of other services belong to their owners.
Questions
- Can I move my videos from YouTube?
There's no import from YouTube. Upload the original files from your computer or phone instead. A whole folder works too, and its subfolders become stacks.
- Do people need an account to watch?
Not for a temporary link or a public video. A private video on someone's shelf plays for them once it's shared or traded to them.