RedTube is one of the longest-running and most recognizable adult video-sharing websites on the internet. Launched in 2007 (some sources note early activity as far back as 2006), it was deliberately named to mimic the clean, family-friendly video platform YouTube — swapping "You" for "Red" to signal its explicit focus while borrowing the familiar "-Tube" branding that became synonymous with free streaming video sites in the mid-2000s.

RedTube operates as a free, ad-supported pornographic tube site, allowing users to stream (and in some cases download) a massive library of adult videos. The content includes both professional studio productions and user-uploaded amateur material, covering virtually every category and fetish imaginable — from mainstream heterosexual and lesbian scenes to niche genres, fetish content, and more. Like its competitors, the platform emphasizes ease of access: no mandatory registration for basic viewing, HD streaming options on most videos, mobile compatibility, and features such as categories, tags, search filters, trending sections, and personalized recommendations based on viewing history.

At its peak around 2008–2010, RedTube ranked among the top 100 most visited websites globally according to Alexa, reflecting how quickly free streaming porn became a dominant form of online adult entertainment. Its non-explicit name helped it gain mainstream curiosity and high visibility in the early days of tube-site proliferation.

In 2010–2011, RedTube (along with sister sites YouPorn, Tube8 and others) was acquired by the Canadian company Manwin (later rebranded as MindGeek, and now known as Aylo), the corporation that also owns Pornhub, Brazzers, Reality Kings, and many other major adult brands. This placed RedTube inside the largest porn conglomerate in the industry.

While still receiving hundreds of millions of monthly visits in the mid-2020s (frequently in the 100–300 million range depending on the month), RedTube has lost some cultural dominance to Pornhub, which invested more aggressively in community features, creator monetization, and marketing. RedTube remains a solid second-tier option in the Aylo family — appreciated for its straightforward interface, large video backlog, and reliable streaming — but it no longer sits at the absolute forefront of the adult industry conversation.