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Here are 10 interesting and comparatively lesser-known facts about YouTube and Bilibili, updated with information available through August 2026.
1. YouTube is much larger globally, but Bilibili has an unusually deep community
YouTube operates in 100+ countries and 80 languages, and YouTube says its platform has billions of monthly viewers. Its Shorts alone now average more than 200 billion daily views. (YouTube Blog)
Bilibili is much more concentrated geographically, but its community engagement is remarkable. In 2025, Bilibili reported 368 million monthly active users, 112 million daily active users, and average daily time spent of 108 minutes per active user. (HKEX News)
Interesting comparison: YouTube wins on global scale; Bilibili is notable for depth of engagement.
2. Bilibili originally grew from an anime and gaming community
Unlike YouTube, Bilibili's identity was strongly connected to anime, comics and games (ACG).
Over time, it expanded into:
- Technology
- Education
- Science
- Lifestyle
- Food
- Travel
- Sports
- Music
- Entertainment
Bilibili's own 2025 reporting shows that its content ecosystem has expanded well beyond its original ACG roots. (HKEX News)
Exam/quiz fact: Bilibili is often described as China's major video platform with particularly strong roots in the ACG community.
3. Bilibili has a unique “bullet comment” culture
One of Bilibili's most recognizable features is Danmu/Danmaku.
Instead of comments appearing only below a video, viewers can send comments that appear across the video screen at the moment they choose.
This creates a shared viewing experience where thousands of viewers can effectively “talk” to each other while watching the same scene.
YouTube primarily separates the video from its comment section, while Bilibili's Danmaku system makes audience reactions part of the viewing experience.
4. Bilibili users can take a 100-question membership examination
This is one of the strangest differences between the two platforms.
Bilibili has an official-member system in which users can take a 100-question multiple-choice examination. Passing it provides access to additional interactive/community features.
According to Bilibili's 2025 annual report, it had approximately 284 million official members by the end of 2025. (FinancialFilings)
That's very different from YouTube, where users do not have to pass an examination to become ordinary members of the platform.
5. Bilibili users spend a surprisingly long time on the platform
In 2025, Bilibili reported average daily time spent of approximately 108 minutes per active user. (HKEX News)
Its Q1 2026 results subsequently reported average daily time spent approaching two hours, alongside 115 million DAUs and more than 376 million MAUs.
This is important because a platform's influence isn't determined only by the number of users. Time spent and engagement can be equally important for creators and advertisers.
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6. YouTube has become much more than a video website
Many people still think of YouTube mainly as a place for uploading videos.
Today, however, it covers:
- Short-form video
- Long-form video
- Live streaming
- Music
- Podcasts
- TV viewing
- Educational content
- Creator memberships
- Advertising
- Shopping-related experiences
YouTube reported more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content as of January 2025. (YouTube Blog)
It also reported that viewers watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts per month on living-room devices during 2024. (YouTube Blog)
7. YouTube's Shorts scale is enormous
YouTube's official press information says Shorts now averages over 200 billion daily views. (YouTube Blog)
This is particularly relevant for today's creators because Shorts have transformed YouTube from primarily a long-form video platform into a major short-video ecosystem.
For someone producing 10–20 second AI-generated comedy videos, this makes YouTube Shorts a potentially powerful distribution format—but originality and monetization-policy compliance remain important.
YouTube's Partner Program requires creators to satisfy eligibility thresholds and pass a policy review; meeting the numbers alone does not guarantee acceptance. (YouTube)
8. Bilibili is increasingly becoming an international platform
Bilibili has historically been strongly associated with China, but its international ambitions have been growing.
In 2026, Bilibili began pushing further toward international expansion, including renewed international distribution efforts and attempts to attract creators outside China. (Navbharat Times)
This is significant because Bilibili's long-term challenge is different from YouTube's:
YouTube: already globally established and continues expanding.
Bilibili: has a strong home market and is attempting to make its creator/community model more international.
9. Bilibili's creator economy is much bigger than many people realize
Bilibili reported approximately 4 million monthly active content creators in 2025, producing nearly 24 million average monthly video submissions. Nearly 3 million creators earned income through various advertising and value-added-service products during the year.
Even more interestingly, Bilibili said the number of creators with 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1 million followers each increased by more than 20% year over year at the end of 2025.
So Bilibili isn't simply a Chinese alternative to YouTube—it has developed a substantial creator economy of its own.
10. YouTube and Bilibili have very different strengths
| Feature | YouTube | Bilibili |
|---|---|---|
| Global reach | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Chinese market | Limited | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| ACG/anime culture | Strong | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Shorts | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Growing |
| Long-form | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Live streaming | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Community interaction | Strong | Very strong |
| Danmaku comments | ❌ | ✅ |
| Creator ecosystem | Massive | Large and growing |
| International languages | 80+ | More limited |
| Podcast ecosystem | Very strong | Growing |
| Gaming/ACG identity | Strong | Extremely strong |
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The biggest takeaway
YouTube is the global giant, while Bilibili is a highly engaged community-driven platform with particularly strong roots in anime, gaming, knowledge and youth culture.
YouTube reported over 2 billion logged-in viewers watching music videos each month in 2025, while Bilibili reported 368 million MAUs in 2025 and more than 376 million MAUs in Q1 2026. These figures are not perfectly comparable because the companies use different reporting definitions, but they illustrate the enormous difference in global scale. (YouTube Blog)
Fact-check note: Claims circulating online that Bilibili guarantees a fixed amount such as “₹60 per 1,000 views” should not be treated as an official universal rate. Recent reports themselves note that such figures have not been officially confirmed and that creator earnings vary by factors such as audience, content and monetization conditions. (Navbharat Times)
