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| Bilibili vs YouTube global video platform comparison |
Bilibili just did something it has avoided for a time. In August 2026 the Chinese video platform brought back its app. Bilibili also removed the passport and ID verification that used to stop people from other countries from signing up. Now Bilibili is even hiring community managers in cities like London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Mexico City. This is a move and not just a rumor. However trying to expand is not the same thing as beating YouTube. There is still a gap between those two goals. This article looks at what Bilibili changed. It also compares Bilibili with YouTube regarding users, money and content to see if Bilibili has a chance, at becoming a true global rival.
A Quick Background on Bilibili
Bilibili started in Shanghai in 2009 as a website for people who love anime, games and comics. It started out slowly staying close to its otaku fans while YouTube was already a global site. During the ten years Bilibili expanded into livestreaming, mobile games and longer videos. It kept the danmu bullet-chat feature that made it different from the beginning. The company is listed on both Nasdaq with the ticker BILI and on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. For years it has sometimes been called "Chinas YouTube" because there was no better way to describe what it was creating. Until this month though that comparison was more about format, than similar reach.
What Changed With the Bilibili International App
For most of its history Bilibili viewed users as an extra task. If you lived outside China and wanted to upload videos or comment freely you often had to prove who you are with a passport or government ID. That single requirement made the platform feel like an app that could be reached from abroad rather than a real global app.
That changed this month. Bilibili launched an international Android app, marked by a pink globe icon to show it is different from the older limited version that had been available in places like Malaysia since 2022. The new app does not require users to prove who they are. Signing up is now as easy as signing up on YouTube or TikTok.
Alongside the app launch Bilibili is creating an English website, which the company says will be available soon. Bilibili is also building a marketplace that will link creators with brands for paid deals. Bilibili is hiring a team that will use AI to moderate content with positions in Singapore. A version of the app for iOS is expected after the Android release.
One detail matters more than it seems. Bilibili has said that the content on Bilibilis app and Bilibilis international app will be the same. This is different from before when the international version was a separate part of the main platform. In the future a user in London and a user, in Beijing should see mostly the videos.
The Numbers Behind the Push
Bilibili is not a player trying its luck. On Bilibilis platform Bilibili reports that 376 million people use Bilibili each month and about 115 million people use Bilibili each day as of early 2026. Each user spends two hours a day on Bilibili. Bilibilis total engagement grew 20 percent each year according to Bilibilis first quarter 2026 results. Bilibilis advertising revenue rose 30 percent that quarter giving Bilibili than a decade of double‑digit growth each quarter and Bilibili returned to net profit after years of losses.
Those numbers explain why Bilibili feels confident enough to make this move. Bilibili is not chasing growth out of desperation. Bilibili has a loyal young audience at home a maturing ad business and Bilibili has cash reserves in the billions of dollars to fund an international push.
YouTube however operates on a different scale. Alphabets video platform reaches about 2.7 billion active users worldwide and pulls in tens of billions of dollars each year from advertising alone. Comparing Bilibili and YouTube on size is not close. Bilibilis entire global user base is smaller than YouTubes user base, in individual countries. Any talk of Bilibili becoming a " rival" has to start from that reality.
Bilibili vs YouTube: How the Platforms Actually Differ
Numbers aside the two platforms are built around habits.
Content style. Bilibili grew out of anime, gaming and youth subculture communities. Long‑form video, commentary and livestreaming are central to Bilibili along with Bilibilis signature "danmu" or bullet‑chat feature. In this feature viewer comments scroll across the video in time instead of sitting in a separate comment section below. YouTube supports formats but YouTube was never built around danmu and YouTubes comment culture works differently.
Creator economy. YouTube has spent close to two decades building sharing, YouTube Premium, memberships and Shorts monetization. YouTubes creator tools are mature. Well understood by creators worldwide. Bilibilis creator monetization is newer on the side. Bilibili is actively courting creators, including high‑profile names like MrBeast to post on Bilibilis main site and Bilibili is building the brand marketplace mentioned earlier.. Most international creators do not yet have a reason to treat Bilibili as a primary income source the way they treat YouTube.
Moderation and openness. This is where things get more complicated. Bilibili operates under content regulations on Bilibilis domestic platform. As Bilibili expands internationally and mixes global content in one feed questions about moderation standards, data handling and political content are likely to follow Bilibili the way they followed TikTok in the United States. Bilibili is building AI‑powered moderation systems partly to manage this. Bilibili has not yet been tested at scale outside China.
Regulatory exposure. Once an app crosses user thresholds in the European Union it becomes subject to rules on transparency, risk assessment and moderation under EU digital regulations regardless of Bilibilis original intent. Brussels has already fined Chinese‑owned platforms operating in the region. Hiring a community manager in London is the part of expanding into Europe for Bilibili. Meeting compliance requirements that scale with user growth is the longer‑term part, for Bilibili.
Is Bilibili 2026 Actually a YouTube Rival?
It is important to be clear about what has happened and what has not. As of this expansion Bilibili has:
It has not yet:
- Relaunched its app without ID verification
- Started hiring in six international cities
- Begun building an English-language website
- Started developing a brand-creator marketplace
- Launched the English-language website
- Released an updated iOS international app
- Made the creator marketplace publicly available
- Faced sustained scrutiny outside China at scale
It has not yet:
Who Should Care About This Right Now
Creators exploring platforms. If your content fits Bilibilis core audience, anime, gaming, tech or youth culture it may be worth testing the app early since platforms often reward early creators with better visibility before the space gets crowded. Just go in with expectations about monetization tools that are still being built.
Viewers looking for alternatives to YouTube. Bilibili offers a different content culture, especially around anime and gaming communities and the barrier to trying it has dropped sharply now that ID verification is gone. It is a platform to explore alongside YouTube, not necessarily a replacement for it.
Anyone tracking the tech and regulatory landscape. Bilibilis expansion is a case study in how a Chinese platform tries to go global in 2026 after watching what happened to TikTok in the US. How Bilibili handles data security, moderation transparency and EU compliance requirements, over the year will likely shape whether other Chinese platforms follow a similar international playbook.
Common Questions About Bilibili's Global Push
I. Found that Bilibili is online outside China right now. Bilibili has always been reachable to some extent. Bilibili’s main site has never been blocked outside China and Bilibili already had 376 million active users worldwide. The change is in Bilibili’s app, which now skips ID verification and combines global videos with the Chinese library in a single feed.
I wondered if I need a VPN to use Bilibili and the answer is no. Bilibili does not need a VPN in countries. Bilibili is not blocked by geography. Bilibili’s new international app is made so overseas users can sign up and use it directly without a VPN or an identity document.
I asked whether creators from outside China can make money on Bilibili and the answer is not the way as YouTube, at least not yet. Bilibili is building a brand‑and‑creator marketplace for sponsorships. Bilibili has attracted big‑name creators such as MrBeast to its site.. A broad self‑serve monetization system for international creators is still being developed and is not fully live.
I wondered if Bilibili will replace YouTube and I think Bilibili is unlikely to replace YouTube in the future. YouTube’s monthly user base is ten times larger. YouTube’s ad business is much bigger. YouTube’s creator tools are more mature. Bilibili is better seen as a growing alternative for audiences, especially anime fans, gamers and Gen Z users rather, than a full replacement.
The Bottom Line
Bilibilis global effort is real it has a lot of money. It has support from a platform that already has a big, active and profitable group of users in its home country. Removing the ID verification rule and combining international content in one app is a real change, not just a marketing move.. Youtube is much bigger with about ten times more monthly users. It also has a developed system for creators and years of experience with rules and regulations around the world. This means Bilibili is not even close to being a global competitor yet.
The better way to look at it is that Bilibili is trying to become a choice for a certain group of people. This group is mostly people, especially those who like anime, gaming and long videos that are made by communities. It is not a platform built to replace YouTube for everyone. Whether it creates a lasting place for itself or grows to be something will depend on how well Bilibili handles the parts of this plan that are still not complete. These parts include the website, the iOS app, the system for creators and its ability to deal with rules and content control outside of China.
For now see this as an real effort, not something that is already finished. The next twelve months how the English site and the iOS app are released will tell more, than what the headlines this month have said.
Disclaimer: I wrote this article using public company statements, financial filings and news reports that were current in August 2026. The international expansion of Bilibili is still. Changing all the time. Because Bilibili is growing things like app availability, features and where Bilibili launches might change. You should check the Bilibili channels, for the most recent news before you make any decisions based on what you read here.
Sources:
- Bilibili — Official Website
- Bilibili Investor Relations — Investor Relations
- YouTube — Official Website
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