What is the Competitor tool?
In the competitive world of YouTube, understanding your niche is crucial. The vidIQ Competitors tool allows you to analyze and compare the performance of your YouTube channel with that of your competitors. By accessing valuable insights and data, you can see what’s working for others and apply those strategies to your own channel. This tool is your secret weapon for staying ahead in your niche and maximizing your channel’s growth.
How to Get Started with Competitors
If you're using a computer: Once you're logged into your vidIQ dashboard, you'll see a "Competitors" tab on the left bar of your screen or you can use this link directly: https://app.vidiq.com/competition.
If you're on your phone: Open the vidIQ mobile app, and you'll see a "Competitors" section from the menu at the top left corner of your screen.
If you're using the vidIQ extension for your browser: Open YouTube or YouTube Studio. You'll see a "Competitors" section on the toolbar at the top right of the page or the sidebar on the left of your screen.
Top videos from your competitors
At the top of the Competitors page, you will find the "Top videos from your competitors" to review the provided metrics and gain insights into your competitor's video performance.
The sorting and filtering options are available to refine the list based on specific metrics, and these are:
Sort by: Views, Views per hour (VPH), and Date published:
Time period: Past 48 hours, This week, This month, and All time:
Inside the Top videos from your competitors, you also have the option to sort the videos displayed based on their views, views per hour, and you can decide whether to include your channel videos on the list or not in the search results:
Compare Performance
The compare performance feature inside the competitor's tool allows you to compare your channel's performance against your competitors.
Here are all the filter and sorting features inside the Compare performance feature on the vidIQ web app:
Time Range Filters: 30 days, 60 days, and 12 months filters are available, and by default, the filter will be on 60 days:
Performance Metrics Filters: You can filter the metrics by Views, Subscribers, Public Videos, Average Daily Views, Average Subscribers/Day, and Average Public Videos/Day. By default, the filter will be on Views:
Data Representation Sorting: You can also sort the results based on each performance metric's Total, Cumulative, and Daily values. By default, the filter will be on Daily:
On the vidIQ mobile app, the filter and sorting options are different and the data representation sorting is not available:
Time Range Filters: Past 48 hours, Past 7 days, and Past 30 days filters are available, and by default, the filter will be on the Past 30 days:
Performance Metrics Filters: You can filter the metrics by Subscribers, VPH, and Views. By default, the filter will be on Views:
Channel Stats
The 'Channel Stats' tracks essential metrics: views and growth in subscribers in the last 7 days, 14 days, 28 days, and the total amount of subscribers and views for your channel and the competitors added:
How to add Competitors?
Note: that only 3 competitors can be added to the free/basic plan, whereas on the vidIQ paid plans, the number of competitors that can be added is 20.
You can add competitors using two methods:
Add by using Channel Handle: To add a competitor by their Channel Handle, use the handle usually found in the URL:
Once you have the channel handle, paste it inside vidIQ where it says "Search channels":
Add by searching channel name: This is an easy one; however, make sure you search and choose the right channel name from the list presented, as there could be channels using a similar or the same name as the channel you want to add:
FAQ of the Competitor's tool
Why does it show me negative views on one of my competitor's channel performance?
When you switch one of your videos to unlisted or private, or when a video is deleted, a negative number may appear. This happens because YouTube's total view count only includes views on your public videos. Negative numbers can also appear when YouTube audits view counts. This happens automatically when YouTube has determined an error or an update/change in their algorithms.
Why does vidIQ show zero views on some days while YouTube studio analytics indicates otherwise?
Depending on when the data is being pulled, you might notice that some days will show 0, but there is a large jump the next day. Although this may occur occasionally, it is not a cause for concern. The total view count should be updated within a few days.
Does vidIQ count shorts for the data displayed in the Competitors tool?
Both long-form content and Shorts are counted for the data displayed in the Competitors tab. However, the "Top videos from your competitors" feature will display only long-form videos.