What If

Subscribers 8.8M

Videos 1.5K

Views 1.7B

Channels Like What If

What If explores science-based hypothetical worlds across space, technology, Earth, and prehistoric history, answering simple 'what if' questions by aligning with real scientific theory, physics, biology, and astronomy. The channel uses deep-dives and educational explorations, presenting tutorials-style explanations through engaging hypothetical scenarios, with frequent uploads and an average of about 10.7 million views per video across 1,500 published clips. It is an American channel active since July 18, 2018, with 8.8M subscribers and 1.7B total views.

Similar Channels

We found 47 YouTube channels similar to What If

#1

TED-Ed view on YouTube ▶

83% relevance

Subscribers 22.4M

Videos 2.3K

Views 4.5B

Appearances 20

SERP 100%

Similarity 72%

astronomy thought experiments biology hypothetical scenarios space physics thought experiments

Both target science-curious audiences with thought-provoking scenarios and explanations; high search overlap on queries like astronomy thought experiments and biology hypothetical scenarios, and a strong content alignment (72%) indicating similar curiosity-driven, explainer-style videos.

#2

BBC Earth Science

66% relevance

Subscribers 1.8M

Videos 1.5K

Views 287.7M

Appearances 16

SERP 54%

Similarity 75%

earth science exploration extinction impact hypotheses

Shares a science exploration focus and uses extinction- or impact-related hypotheses in content; moderate search overlap (54%) but higher content similarity (75%), signaling similar topics framed as educational natural science explorations.

Curious Archive YouTube channel thumbnail

#3

Curious Archive view on YouTube ▶

61% relevance

Subscribers 1.4M

Videos 130

Views 171.4M

Appearances 8

SERP 40%

Similarity 74%

space exploration ideas paleontology speculative eco-system evolution hypotheticals

Appeals to fans of space exploration ideas and paleontology hypotheticals with ecosystem-evolution hypotheticals; notable content match (74%), though lower search overlap (40%) suggests a mirrored audience with distinctive subject emphasis.

#4

Future Business Tech

58% relevance

Subscribers 156K

Videos 127

Views 23.0M

Appearances 11

SERP 37%

Similarity 71%

future technology speculation space travel hypotheticals future tech possibilities

Centers on speculative futures including space travel and technology possibilities; decent search overlap (37%) and strong content similarity (71%), indicating parallel interest in what-if scenarios presented through technology contexts.

#5

Vividen: Paleontology Evolved

56% relevance

Subscribers 159K

Videos 352

Views 23.6M

Appearances 7

SERP 27%

Similarity 75%

paleontology speculative

Focuses on paleontology speculation similar to What If’s science-hypothesis vein; high content alignment (75%) but modest search overlap (27%), implying a shared niche audience with specialized topics.

#6

AlternateHistoryHub

53% relevance

Subscribers 2.5M

Videos 293

Views 430.7M

Appearances 4

SERP 20%

Similarity 76%

alternate history scenarios

Explores alternate history scenarios, aligning with What If’s thought-experiment ethos; substantial content similarity (76%) though lower search alignment (20%), indicating a similar narrative style with distinct historical angles.

Content Landscape

Discovered competitors include TED-Ed (83% match) and BBC Earth Science (66% match). TED-Ed and What If share overlapping queries around astronomy thought experiments, biology hypothetical scenarios, and space physics thought experiments, while BBC Earth Science aligns with earth science exploration and extinction impact hypotheses. What If has 8.8M subscribers, whereas TED-Ed has a larger 22.4M and BBC Earth Science has about 1.8M, highlighting different scale but similar topic focus. Other close players are Curious Archive (61% match) with space exploration ideas and paleontology speculative, Future Business Tech (58% match) with future technology and space travel hypotheticals, and Vividen: Paleontology Evolved (56% match) focusing on paleontology hypotheticals. Overall, the strongest direct competitors by overlap are TED-Ed and BBC Earth Science, sharing core queries around space science and earth science hypotheses.

Video Highlights

Didn't Make the Cut

41 additional channels that were close

Rank	Relevance	Channel	Similarity	Subscribers	SERP	Appearances
#7	53%	The Paint Explainer ▶	70%	1.8M	28%	4
#8	52%	PBS Space Time	73%	3.4M	21%	5
#9	52%	Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell ▶	76%	25.1M	16%	4
#10	52%	Antonio Zamora	69%	11.9K	26%	3
#11	52%	AstroKobi ▶	76%	3.0M	15%	2
#12	52%	Sabine Hossenfelder ▶	70%	1.8M	24%	4
#13	52%	Late Science	70%	105K	25%	8
#14	50%	Joe Bartolozzi ▶	74%	4.7M	15%	2
#15	50%	Destiny	76%	2.0M	10%	2
#16	49%	ExtinctZoo ▶	74%	1.4M	13%	1
#17	49%	WIRED ▶	67%	12.8M	22%	4
#18	49%	Fexl	73%	247K	13%	4
#19	49%	Isaac Arthur	75%	873K	10%	2
#20	49%	7 Days of Science	74%	60.8K	10%	1
#21	48%	World Science Festival	70%	1.4M	17%	2
#22	48%	The Secrets of the Universe ▶	72%	1.8M	13%	1
#23	48%	NOVA PBS Official	73%	1.4M	10%	4
#24	48%	Anton Petrov ▶	73%	1.6M	10%	2
#25	48%	Veritasium ▶	72%	20.4M	11%	5
#26	47%	Species \| Documenting AGI ▶	70%	313K	13%	4
#27	47%	BBC Ideas	69%	678K	14%	2
#28	47%	Astrum ▶	72%	2.8M	10%	3
#29	47%	National Geographic ▶	68%	25.9M	15%	5
#30	47%	TED ▶	71%	27.2M	10%	3
#31	47%	StarTalk ▶	72%	5.4M	9%	3
#32	47%	Trivia on Tap	70%	1.3K	12%	2
#33	46%	Technology Dash	70%	6.5K	10%	2
#34	46%	SRF Kultur Sternstunden	66%	382K	15%	3
#35	46%	TEDx Talks ▶	66%	44.2M	15%	3
#36	46%	Planet Geology	70%	16.1K	9%	3
#37	45%	The Organic Chemistry Tutor ▶	63%	10.5M	18%	3
#38	45%	PhysicsHigh	67%	141K	13%	1
#39	45%	Astral Curiosity	68%	33.5K	10%	1
#40	45%	WYS by Adam Lash	68%	7.2K	10%	1
#41	45%	Asher Games	68%	9.7K	10%	1
#42	44%	ObsidianAnt	68%	331K	9%	2
#43	43%	John Ankerberg Show	66%	119K	10%	1
#44	43%	Visualiser 3D	66%	23K	8%	1
#45	43%	Cognito	64%	1.2M	10%	1
#46	42%	Freesciencelessons	64%	955K	9%	2
#47	41%	Hardware Grid	61%	10.6K	9%	2

Search Queries Used

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which YouTube channels are most similar to What If?

TED-Ed — 22.4M subscribers, match 83%; BBC Earth Science — 1.8M subscribers, match 66%; Curious Archive — 1.4M subscribers, match 61%. What If's top competitors share a focus on educational science content, explain scientific concepts or explore scientific questions in an engaging, documentary-style format similar to What If.

What type of content does What If make?

What If creates science-focused, speculative and educational videos based on titles like What If Uranus Collided With Earth?, What If You Were Swallowed by a Whale?, What If We Dumped Our Trash into Volcanoes? and What If the World Lost Oxygen for Five Seconds? The channel features approximately 10.7M average views per video, with recent titles ranging from 10.8M to 17.9M views. Upload frequency is not explicitly stated, but the average views per video suggest frequent, high-engagement uploads.

How do we determine which channels are similar to What If?

We analyze What If's recent videos, generate topic-relevant search queries, check YouTube search results, and compare the meaning of each channel's content to measure similarity. The result is a ranked list sorted by SERP overlap, semantic similarity, and search appearances.

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