Once you make the decision to get involved in live video streaming, one of the first questions you’ll face is which platform you’re going to invest the most time in. Meerkat, Blab and Periscope are three of the biggest platforms of their type and in many ways they’re very similar. How do you know where to start?
Focus
One thing that makes this a little easier is the fact that Meerkat, Blab and Periscope have some differences when it comes to their focus. Periscope is currently aimed more at the commercial user and you’ll find that a lot of the content is very voyeuristic in nature – people chatting about their day, or just filming themselves on the way to work. Meerkat meanwhile is a little more organized with scheduled posts uploaded by big name marketers like Tai Lopez.
Then you have Blab which is all about conversations. This acts like a video conferencing app where strangers can watch and even take part in the conversation.
Size
In terms of size, Periscope has the lead and this is in no small part thanks to the fact that it’s owned by Twitter. Meerkat and Blab are slightly smaller, but Blab is still in beta at this point so likely has a lot more growing to do. All three of them are quite ‘empty’ right now, which is actually one of the big advantages.
Interface
Periscope has the best UI and interface and looks very modern, slick and well put together. It has an Android app and an iOS app and it provides lots of tools for finding specific content. Meerkat is considerably less well-thought out in its navigation though this is largely due to a dearth of content – there’s no real need for advanced filtering yet. Blab is more well designed and on-par at least with Periscope – but what really lets it down is a lack of Android app. On the other hand, you can use Blab through your PC browser which may be seen as an advantage.
Features
While the three platforms are very similar, some exclusive features set each of them apart. For instance, Periscope will store your content for about 24 hours after you upload it which is very handy. Blab goes further and keeps your content indefinitely, whereas Meerkat simply deletes it.
Meerkat’s useful features though are an ability to show images during your feeds and to schedule your posts. Blab also lets you schedule posts.
