Mave vs. YouTube
A European alternative
to YouTube.
Keep video part of your website. Give your audience a player that fits your design, respects their privacy and makes your content easier to access.
Mave brings hosting, playback and analytics together, with European infrastructure and a straightforward publishing workflow.
Respect the viewer.
No cookies, no tracking, no ads. So no cookie banner for your video.
Stay in European hands.
A Dutch company. Paid plans deliver video from European-owned infrastructure.
Know what you pay.
Fixed plans in euros, with encoding, automatic subtitles and analytics included.
More than a player.
A choice about your data.
Embedding a video brings a provider onto your website. Look at who that provider is, which laws apply to it, what happens to your viewers’ data and what it costs as you grow.
No cookie banner needed
The Mave player and analytics work without cookies or tracking. There is nothing to ask consent for, so your video plays for every visitor straight away.
Explore privacy →In European hands
Mave is a Dutch company. Paid plans deliver video through Scaleway in France, with backups at Hetzner in Germany. The Test plan and optional global delivery use other providers, documented upfront.
Explore European hosting →Every provider in view
Our subprocessor list shows what each provider does, which data it handles and where. We choose providers partly on CO₂ and water use, and publish what we found.
Read our subprocessor list →What changes on your website?
Both platforms play video on your website. The difference is who handles your viewers’ data, under which law, and how much you know about it upfront.
| Consideration | Mave | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty | ||
| Jurisdiction | Strong: Dutch company, EU law | Weak: US company, CLOUD Act applies1,2,3 |
| Hosting | Strong: Scaleway (FR), backups at Hetzner (DE) | Weak: Worldwide, no EU-only option1 |
| Data processing agreement | Strong: Yes, Mave is your processor | Weak: No, Google is its own controller1,4 |
| Privacy | ||
| Cookie banner | Strong: Not needed | Weak: Required, also in no-cookie mode5,6,7,8 |
| Ads | Strong: None | Weak: Ads and related videos9,10 |
| Transparency | ||
| Subprocessors | Strong: Public, with data locations | Weak: Not published1 |
| CO₂ and water | Strong: Figures per provider | Partly: Only for Google as a whole11 |
| Open source | Strong: Yes, the whole platform (Mave Core) | Weak: No |
| Use and cost | ||
| Accessibility | Strong: WCAG 2.2 AA, independently tested | Weak: No conformance report12 |
| Branding | Strong: Fully in your style | Weak: YouTube logo stays6,10 |
| Pricing | Strong: Fixed, in euros, from €19/month | Partly: Free, funded by ads9,13 |
Sources (13)
- Google Privacy Policy
- 18 U.S.C. § 2713 (CLOUD Act)
- 50 U.S.C. § 1881a (FISA Section 702)
- Court of Justice of the EU, C‑40/17 Fashion ID (2019)
- YouTube Help: Embed videos and playlists (privacy-enhanced mode)
- YouTube API Services: Required Minimum Functionality
- Google EU User Consent Policy
- EDPB Guidelines 2/2023 on the technical scope of Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive
- YouTube Help: Ads on embedded videos
- YouTube Embedded Players and Player Parameters
- Google 2026 Environmental Report
- Google Accessibility Conformance Reports
- YouTube Terms of Service
Every YouTube entry links to the public source we used. Spotted something outdated? Let us know and we’ll check it.
Reviewed on 29 September 2026 using public documentation from YouTube, legislation and EU guidance. Features and prices vary by plan and change over time. This comparison covers website embeds and is not legal advice.
Choose around your requirements.
When Mave fits
You want video without a cookie banner, from a European company that shows every provider it works with. Your team values predictable pricing, independent accessibility results and ISO 27001-certified security.
What to consider with YouTube
YouTube is hard to beat for reach and discovery. Keep your channel there, and use Mave for the videos on your own website: no cookie banner, no ads and no recommendations for other content.
Start with your workflow.
Make the switch manageable.
Bring us your current setup. We’ll help you assess what needs to move and how Mave can fit the way your team publishes.
Review the library
Identify the videos, subtitles, original files and embeds you need to keep.
Connect your tools
Choose an embed, CMS integration or API workflow. Test it on a representative page.
Agree the rollout
Plan the migration and checks with your team. Enterprise onboarding can be tailored to your setup.
Considering a move from YouTube?
Tell us about your website, video library and requirements.
We’ll help you work out whether Mave is the right fit.
