What If

Subscribers 8.8M

Videos 1.5K

Views 1.7B

Channels Like What If

What If explores science-based hypothetical worlds by asking simple what-if questions and applying real scientific theory from physics, biology, astronomy, and earth science to see where ideas lead. The channel delivers in-depth explorations across space, Earth, technology, and prehistoric history, with a tutorial-style approach that follows what-if scenarios rather than vlogs or quick shorts. It publishes at a high frequency with a broad library of about 1,500 videos and averages around 10.7 million views per video, based on recent data; the channel has 8.8 million subscribers and over 1.7 billion total views since joining in 2018.

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

Shares a high search overlap on astronomy thought experiments, biology hypothetical scenarios, and space physics thought experiments (100% search), and similarly examines thought-provoking science ideas, though What If's narrative style is more exploratory explanations while TED-Ed emphasizes concise lessons (83% overall match, content focus at 72%).

#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

Aligns on earth science exploration and extinction impact hypotheses (search 54%), with content that mirrors science storytelling and speculative scenarios about Earth's history, though BBC Earth Science often emphasizes documentary-style visuals rather than What If's concise speculative explanations (66% overall match, content 75%).

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

Targets space exploration ideas, paleontology speculative, and ecosystem evolution hypotheticals (search 40%), overlapping with What If's interest in hypothetical science scenarios, but Curious Archive leans more toward archival and theoretical discussions while What If emphasizes rapid, engaging explanations (61% overall match, content 74%).

#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

Covers future technology speculation and space travel hypotheticals (search 37%), sharing audience interest in tech-forward, speculative topics, yet focuses more on tech news and forecasting while What If emphasizes science-based ‘what if’ scenarios (58% overall match, content 71%).

#5

Vividen: Paleontology Evolved

56% relevance

Subscribers 159K

Videos 352

Views 23.6M

Appearances 7

SERP 27%

Similarity 75%

paleontology speculative

Focuses on paleontology speculative themes (search 27%), aligning with What If's occasional paleontology hypotheticals, but Vividen concentrates specifically on fossil science narratives, whereas What If presents broader science curiosity content (56% overall match, content 75%).

#6

AlternateHistoryHub

53% relevance

Subscribers 2.5M

Videos 293

Views 430.7M

Appearances 4

SERP 20%

Similarity 76%

alternate history scenarios

Centers on alternate history scenarios (search 20%), appealing to a similar audience interested in speculative 'what if' thinking, though it tailors to historical counterfactuals rather than scientific explanations like What If (53% overall match, content 76%).

Content Landscape

Discovered competitors include TED-Ed (83% match) and BBC Earth Science (66% match) as the top two. What If shares overlapping queries such as astronomy thought experiments, biology hypothetical scenarios, earth science exploration, and space physics thought experiments with TED-Ed and BBC Earth Science, respectively. Curious Archive (61% match) also aligns on space exploration ideas and paleontology hypotheticals, while Future Business Tech (58% match) and Vividen: Paleontology Evolved (56% match) align on future technology speculation and paleontology themes. What If has 8.8M subscribers, which is significantly smaller than TED-Ed’s 22.4M but larger than the other listed competitors, highlighting a medium-to-large reach with strong thematic competition around science education and speculative science queries.

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 (83% match), BBC Earth Science — 1.8M subscribers (66% match), Curious Archive — 1.4M subscribers (61% match). All three channels create educational, science-focused content and videos that explore scientific concepts and big questions, similar to What If.

What type of content does What If make?

What If makes science-focused, thought-experiment videos based on titles like 'What If Uranus Collided With Earth?', 'What If You Were Swallowed by a Whale?', and 'What If We Dumped Our Trash into Volcanoes?' Uploads appear frequent, with recent videos ranging from 1.3M to 17.9M views (average around 10.7M per video).

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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