Awesome Video Downloaders

A curated list of user-facing apps for downloading video and audio from YouTube and other sites.

Most entries are powered by yt-dlp under the hood.

Contents

• Comparison at a glance
• Cross-platform desktop GUIs
• Windows-only desktop apps
• Android apps
• Browser extensions and userscripts
• Self-hosted

Comparison at a glance

This section compares the apps in Cross-platform desktop GUIs only. Windows-only, Android, browser extensions, and self-hosted apps are listed further down but not compared here. Data was compiled from each project's README, docs, and source on 2026-05-01; star counts are as of that day. Apps ship — open a PR to correct anything stale.

Pick by use case

• I just want to grab a YouTube video occasionally → Arroxy, ytDownloader, YTSage, Parabolic
• Polished Linux / GNOME native → Parabolic, varia
• Available on Winget / Scoop / Homebrew → Arroxy, ytDownloader, NeoDLP, varia, media-downloader
• Bulk URL batches with speed controls → Arroxy
• Auto-download new videos from channels you follow → youwee
• Tiny native binary, low RAM → Sunder, NeoDLP, comine, Pulsar, omniget, Parabolic
• Streaming music player, not a file downloader → Sunder
• Download torrents alongside video → varia, omniget, comine, Aither-Download-Manager
• Streaming services (Spotify / Tidal / Qobuz / Deezer) → mediaharbor, vibedownloader-desktop
• E-learning courses (Udemy / Hotmart / Teachable) → omniget
• Subtitle authoring + AI summaries → youwee
• Image-board galleries → GDownloader, comine
• Also runs on Android → comine
• Install via pip → YTSage, yt-channel-downloader, ytget-gui

The board

Every cross-platform desktop GUI on the list, ranked by total features and annotated with what makes each one stand out. The score breakdown shows sub-totals across the six feature categories (Sources / Downloads / Quality / Subtitles / Auth / Automation) detailed in the matrix below.

#	Project	⭐	Stack	Platforms	License	Distribution	Score	Headline traits
1	Arroxy	193	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	Winget · Scoop · Homebrew · Flatpak	22 · S2 D6 Q5 Su3 A4 Au2	bulk URL queue · speed limit + pacing · playlist sync/M3U · 4-mode subs · metadata + thumbnail embed · tray + clipboard watch
2	youwee	790	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	21 · S2 D5 Q4 Su3 A4 Au3	RSS auto · Whisper subs · AI summary · cookie-free
3	GDownloader	181	Java/Swing	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	GitHub	18 · S4 D4 Q4 Su1 A3 Au2	clipboard-first · 3 downloaders (yt-dlp + gallery-dl + spotDL) · HW transcoding
4	yt-dlp-gui (imsyy)	42	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	18 · S2 D6 Q3 Su3 A4 Au0	bilingual subs merge · HDR aware · cookie-free
5	neodlp	337	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	Winget · Homebrew · Flathub	17 · S2 D4 Q4 Su1 A5 Au1	bundled bgutil-pot · 5/5 auth options · browser extension
6	Parabolic	5659	.NET native	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	Flathub · GitHub	16 · S2 D5 Q3 Su4 A1 Au1	4-mode subs · GTK4 + WinUI native · batch URL list
7	YTSage	3632	Python/PySide6	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	PyPI · GitHub	16 · S1 D6 Q2 Su2 A5 Au0	pip-installable · EBU R128 audio · HDR aware · cookie-free
8	comine	144	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧 🤖	GPL-3.0	GitHub	15 · S4 D5 Q1 Su1 A2 Au2	Android target · Discord RPC · multi-backend
9	ytget-gui	39	Python/PyQt	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	PyPI · GitHub	14 · S1 D5 Q4 Su1 A3 Au0	pip-installable · retry config · 5/7 download options
10	ytDownloader	9475	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	Scoop · Winget · Chocolatey	13 · S2 D4 Q3 Su1 A3 Au0	built-in video compressor · Scoop · Winget · Chocolatey
11	varia	1656	Python/GTK	🪟 🍎 🐧	MPL-2.0	Flathub · AUR · Snap	13 · S3 D4 Q0 Su0 A3 Au3	download scheduler · sleep-on-completion · GTK native
12	Aither-Download-Manager	22	Tauri	🪟	none	GitHub	13 · S3 D4 Q2 Su0 A2 Au2	in-page browser overlay · 16 UI languages
13	streamfetch	29	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	12 · S2 D5 Q2 Su0 A2 Au1	turbo mode · clip studio
14	mediaharbor	161	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	MS Store · GitHub	12 · S2 D4 Q3 Su1 A2 Au0	native Tidal / Qobuz / Deezer clients · built-in player
15	Pulsar	53	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	Flathub · GitHub	12 · S2 D3 Q2 Su2 A2 Au1	preset system · video converter mode
16	omniget	2547	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	GitHub	10 · S4 D4 Q0 Su0 A0 Au2	plugin marketplace · P2P transfer · course downloads
17	cosmo-downloader	57	Electron	🪟 🐧	custom	GitHub	10 · S2 D3 Q2 Su0 A2 Au1	granular codec / bitrate UI
18	vibedownloader-desktop	17	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	custom	GitHub	10 · S3 D3 Q2 Su0 A1 Au1	lossless Spotify FLAC via proxy
19	avrix-downloader	18	Python/PyQt	🪟 🍎 🐧	none	GitHub	9 · S1 D3 Q3 Su1 A0 Au1	sidecar subs · resume on restart
20	yt-channel-downloader	500	Python/PyQt	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	PyPI · GitHub	8 · S2 D3 Q1 Su0 A2 Au0	channel-first UI · size & ETA preview
21	yt-grabber	13	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	8 · S2 D4 Q2 Su0 A0 Au0	GIF generation · 8 themes
22	YouStealD	10	C++/Qt	🪟	MIT	GitHub	8 · S1 D4 Q0 Su0 A2 Au1	C++/Qt native · channel webhooks
23	arcdlp	138	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	7 · S2 D3 Q0 Su0 A2 Au0	Instagram saved collections · cookie-mint window
24	ytdlp-gui (aliencaocao)	31	Python/Tkinter	🪟 🍎 🐧	none	GitHub	7 · S2 D4 Q0 Su0 A1 Au0	single-file executable
25	media-downloader	27	Python/PyQt	🪟 🐧	GPL-3.0	Flathub · Winget	7 · S2 D2 Q2 Su1 A0 Au0	PGP-verified yt-dlp updates
26	Sunder	16	Tauri	🪟 🍎 🐧	AGPL-3.0	AUR · GitHub	7 · S1 D2 Q1 Su1 A0 Au2	streaming music player · 10-band EQ
27	YouTube-Downloader	127	Python/Tkinter	🪟 🐧	none	GitHub	6 · S1 D3 Q2 Su0 A0 Au0	YouTube search built in
28	FastDownloader	41	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	AUR · GitHub	6 · S2 D2 Q0 Su0 A1 Au1	YouTube Premium · YT Music conversion
29	pytube-downloader	171	Python/Tkinter	🪟	MIT	GitHub	5 · S1 D3 Q0 Su0 A0 Au1	Windows toast notifications
30	VidGrabber	23	Python/Tkinter	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	4 · S1 D2 Q1 Su0 A0 Au0
31	YT-Forge	17	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	4 · S1 D2 Q1 Su0 A0 Au0
32	MusicYT-Downloader	11	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	4 · S1 D1 Q2 Su0 A0 Au0
33	ezytdl	766	Electron	🪟 🍎 🐧	GPL-3.0	GitHub	3 · S2 D1 Q0 Su0 A0 Au0	Python bridge for fast yt-dlp startup
34	VidDownloader	35	Flutter	🪟 🍎 🐧	MIT	GitHub	3 · S1 D2 Q0 Su0 A0 Au0	Flutter UI

Capabilities matrix

Single wide matrix — every feature, every project, on one row each. Same row order as The board above so you can cross-reference top to bottom. The matrix scrolls horizontally on narrow screens.

#	Project	Sources						Downloads							Quality of life					Subtitles				Authentication					Automation
		YouTube	1000+ sites	Torrents	Music services	Galleries	Courses	Audio-only	Format picker	HDR	Trim	Playlists	URL list	Speed limit	SponsorBlock	Metadata embed	Thumbnail embed	Auto-retry	Resume on restart	Save separate	Embed in container	Format choice	Post-edit	Cookies from browser	cookies.txt	Proxy	Custom args	Cookie-free anti-bot	Browser extension	Clipboard watch	Channel / RSS auto	Scheduler	System tray	Global hotkey
1	Arroxy	✅	✅					✅	✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅		✅	✅	✅		✅		✅			✅
2	youwee	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅	✅		✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅		✅	✅		✅		✅
3	GDownloader	✅	✅		✅	✅		✅	✅			✅		✅	✅		✅	✅	✅		✅			✅	✅	✅				✅			✅
4	yt-dlp-gui (imsyy)	✅	✅					✅	✅	✅	✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅			✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅		✅
5	neodlp	✅	✅					✅	✅			✅		✅	✅	✅	✅		✅		✅			✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
6	Parabolic	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅	✅	✅			✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅					✅
7	YTSage	✅						✅	✅	✅	✅	✅		✅	✅		✅			✅	✅			✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
8	comine	✅	✅	✅		✅		✅	✅	✅		✅		✅			✅				✅					✅		✅		✅			✅
9	ytget-gui	✅						✅	✅		✅	✅		✅	✅	✅	✅	✅		✅				✅	✅	✅
10	ytDownloader	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅	✅			✅	✅	✅			✅				✅		✅	✅
11	varia	✅	✅	✅				✅	✅			✅		✅										✅	✅			✅	✅			✅	✅
12	Aither-Download-Manager	✅	✅	✅				✅	✅			✅		✅				✅	✅					✅		✅			✅				✅
13	streamfetch	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅	✅		✅				✅	✅					✅	✅					✅
14	mediaharbor	✅			✅			✅	✅			✅		✅	✅	✅	✅				✅			✅		✅
15	Pulsar	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅					✅	✅			✅	✅			✅			✅						✅
16	omniget	✅	✅	✅			✅	✅	✅			✅	✅																✅					✅
17	cosmo-downloader	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅						✅		✅					✅				✅		✅
18	vibedownloader-desktop	✅	✅		✅			✅	✅			✅				✅	✅							✅									✅
19	avrix-downloader	✅						✅	✅			✅				✅	✅		✅	✅													✅
20	yt-channel-downloader	✅	✅					✅	✅			✅					✅							✅		✅
21	yt-grabber	✅	✅					✅	✅		✅	✅				✅	✅
22	YouStealD	✅						✅	✅			✅		✅											✅	✅							✅
23	arcdlp	✅	✅					✅	✅			✅												✅				✅
24	ytdlp-gui (aliencaocao)	✅	✅					✅	✅	✅		✅												✅
25	media-downloader	✅	✅					✅	✅							✅	✅			✅
26	Sunder	✅						✅				✅						✅		✅													✅	✅
27	YouTube-Downloader	✅						✅	✅			✅					✅		✅
28	FastDownloader	✅	✅					✅				✅												✅									✅
29	pytube-downloader	✅						✅	✅			✅																					✅
30	VidGrabber	✅						✅	✅								✅
31	YT-Forge	✅						✅	✅								✅
32	MusicYT-Downloader	✅						✅								✅	✅
33	ezytdl	✅	✅					✅
34	VidDownloader	✅						✅	✅

Methodology

• Data was compiled on 2026-05-01; Arroxy features were refreshed from local source on 2026-06-04. Star counts and license info are authoritative as of 2026-05-01. Licenses come from each repo's GitHub-detected SPDX (gh api repos/<owner>/<repo> → .license.spdx_id).
• Feature checks come from each project's README, docs, and source code — for the trickier ones (HDR awareness, subtitle post-editing, anti-bot mechanism), the cloned source under refs/<name>/ was grepped directly so inventory blind spots don't bias the comparison.
• Blank cells mean the feature was not documented or visible — they are not a definitive "no". When a project gains or loses a feature, please open a PR.
• This compares only the cross-platform desktop GUIs section. Windows-only, Android, browser-extension, and self-hosted apps below have different focuses and are not directly comparable here.

Cross-platform desktop GUIs

Desktop apps that ship for at least two of {Windows, macOS, Linux} — Electron, Tauri, Qt/PySide, Flutter, Java, etc.

• antonio-orionus/Arroxy - Free, open-source, privacy-first modern YouTube and 2000+ site downloader for Windows, macOS, and Linux — 4K, 1080p60, HDR, Shorts, playlists, bulk URL queues, audio-only, subtitles, SponsorBlock, metadata/thumbnail embedding, ClearURLs auto-clean, speed limits, network pacing, playlist sync/M3U output, and optional browser/cookies.txt auth. Available in 21 languages, MIT licensed, with Winget / Scoop / Homebrew / Flatpak packages.
• aandrew-me/ytDownloader - Desktop App for downloading Videos and Audios from hundreds of sites.
• oop7/YTSage - Modern YouTube downloader with a clean PySide6 interface. Download videos in any quality, extract audio, fetch subtitles, sponsorBlock, and view video metadata. Built with yt-dlp for reliable performance.
• tonhowtf/omniget - Desktop app to download videos, courses. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Bilibili (哔哩哔哩), Douyin (抖音), 小红书, 快手, 优酷, Hotmart, Udemy, Kiwify, Telegram, and 1000+ more via yt-dlp. Download torrents and send files between devices over P2P.
• giantpinkrobots/varia - Download manager that supports regular downloads, torrents and videos.
• vanloctech/youwee - A beautiful, cross-platform downloader for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and 1800+ sites (yt-dlp GUI) with AI video summaries and post-processing.
• sylviiu/ezytdl - Advanced electron-based frontend for yt-dlp.
• neosubhamoy/neodlp - Cross-platform Video/Audio Downloader Desktop App based on YT-DLP with Modern UI and Browser Integration (🦭 Seal for Desktop).
• hstr0100/GDownloader - User-friendly GUI wrapper for gallery-dl, spotDL and yt-dlp (YouTube Video Downloader).
• Shripad735/streamfetch - Fast, cross-platform video downloader optimized for Windows. Powered by Electron, React, and yt-dlp.
• nichind/comine - Cross-platform media (video, audio), file, torrent, gallery, & more downloader/archiver. Available on Windows, Linux, macOS and Android.
• archisvaze/arcdlp - Open-source desktop video downloader powered by yt-dlp and electron. Download videos and audio from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, and thousands of sites. Works on macOS, Windows and Linux.
• FuzjaJadrowa/Pulsar - High-performance, cross-platform utility designed to redefine how you acquire and manage digital media.
• seckinaktunc/cosmo-downloader - A powerful all-platforms video downloader, powered by yt-dlp and FFmpeg.
• imsyy/yt-dlp-gui - A modern cross-platform GUI for yt-dlp. Download videos from YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok and 1000+ sites. Built with Tauri + Vue.
• ErfanNamira/ytget-gui - A Cross-Platform GUI-based YouTube Downloader, powered by yt-dlp and PySide6. Supports video/audio/playlist downloads in high quality.
• AndreaSillano/VidDownloader - VidDownloader is a simple desktop application that acts as a UI wrapper for pytube and pytubefix, making it easy to download YouTube videos and audio.
• oheyek/VidGrabber - Desktop application for downloading and processing YouTube content.
• NoahMustafa/Aither-Download-Manager - A next-generation, cross-platform download manager built with Tauri, React, and Rust.
• yassine-krichen/avrix-downloader - 🎬 Avrix - A modern, feature-rich YouTube downloader with concurrent downloads, queue management, and a beautiful dark/light theme UI. Built with Python & Qt.
• Shaikh-Suja-Rahaman/YT-Forge - A blazing fast, minimalist desktop YouTube Video Downloader and yt-dlp GUI wrapper for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
• FrogSnot/Sunder - A desktop YouTube music client that doesn't spy on you.
• naeem5877/vibedownloader-desktop - Premium Desktop YouTube Downloader with High-Quality Video & Audio Downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• karenpommeroy/yt-grabber - YouTube and YouTube Music multimedia downloader (video, audio, playlist, channels, albums).
• taherx7/MusicYT-Downloader - YouTube playlists Music with cover/art downloading ,Open source tool.
• ivan-an/YouStealD - Qt GUI application for downloading videos, playlists and monitoring streams.
• NickvisionApps/Parabolic - Download web video and audio.
• hyperfield/yt-channel-downloader - A Qt GUI app that makes it easy to selectively download multiple videos at once from YouTube and other platforms channels.
• thisal-d/pytube-downloader - Quickly download YouTube videos and playlists with one click. Choose from 144p to 8K quality and download multiple videos simultaneously. PyTube Downloader 让你轻松一键下载 YouTube 视频和播放列表。支持选择 144p 到 8K 的质量，并支持同时下载多个视频。.
• MediaHarbor/mediaharbor - Cross-platform Media Ripping and Browsing GUI.
• MAymanKH/YouTube-Downloader - Simple & modern YouTube Downloader to download videos, playlists, subtitles, thumbnails, and search queries.
• BERNARDO31P/FastDownloader - FastDownloader: A fast video/audio downloader for over 1800 websites!
• aliencaocao/ytdlp-gui - A simple GUI for yt-dlp based on Tkinter, written in pure Python 3.
• markop404/media-downloader - Web video/audio downloader.

Windows-only desktop apps

Apps that build and ship for Windows only — WPF, WinForms, .NET, batch scripts, AutoHotkey, PowerShell.

• kannagi0303/yt-dlp-gui - Windows GUI for yt-dlp.
• Bluegrams/Vividl - Modern Windows GUI for YouTube-dl/ yt-dlp. Download videos from hundreds of websites.
• database64128/youtube-dl-wpf - WPF GUI for YouTube-dl and yt-dlp.
• legend2ks/YoutubeDownloader - YouTube video/playlist/channel downloader.
• LeoTN/yt-dlp-autohotkey-gui - This is a very basic GUI for the well known (YouTube) downloader yt-dlp.

Android apps

Native or cross-platform Android applications.

• JunkFood02/Seal - 🦭 Video/Audio Downloader for Android, based on yt-dlp.
• deniscerri/ytdlnis - Full-featured audio/video downloader for Android using yt-dlp.
• prateek-chaubey/YTPro - YouTube client with older Android version support, background player, Google Gemini ✨ and many more features.
• alexch33/super-video-downloader - Video & Audio downloader for Android with web browser and player. M3U8 and MPD supported, live stream supported, using YouTube-dlp and custom mp4/mp3/m3u8/mpd downloader, cookies supported, HTTP & SOCKS proxy chains supported, encrypted DNS.
• shibaFoss/AIO-Video-Downloader - 📥 Powerful Video/Audio Downloader for Android — Open Source, Ad-Free, and Built on yt-dlp for a Seamless, User-Centric Experience.

Browser extensions and userscripts

Chrome / Firefox extensions and userscripts that trigger downloads from the page.

• DeveloperMDCM/Youtube-tools-extension - Add extra options to YouTube page / añade opciones extras a la pagina de YouTube.
• tublydownloader/Youtube-Downloader-Extension - A Chrome extension to download YouTube videos in 4K, convert to MP3, and save YouTube Shorts. https://tubly.download.
• tublydownloader/Firefox-YouTube-Downloader - Firefox add-on to download YouTube videos and Shorts, and convert to MP3 in one click.
• neosubhamoy/neodlp-extension - NeoDLP (Neo Downloader Plus) Browser Integration.

Self-hosted

Things you run on a server: web UIs, REST APIs, Docker images, scheduled archivers, *-arr companions, podcast/STRM converters.

• imputnet/cobalt - Best way to save what you love.
• alexta69/metube - Self-hosted video downloader for YouTube and other sites (web UI for YouTube-dl / yt-dlp).
• kieraneglin/pinchflat - Your next YouTube media manager.
• DialmasterOrg/Youtarr - Self-hosted web app that automates downloading, organizing, and scheduling YouTube channel content with support for Plex, Kodi, Emby and Jellyfin.
• franklioxygen/MyTube - Self-hosted downloader and player for YouTube, Bilibili, Twitch, MissAV, and yt-dlp sites. Features channel subscriptions, auto-downloads, and local storage for media. Organize your library into collections with a sleek UI. Includes built-in Cloudflare Tunnel support for secure remote access without port forwarding. Docker-ready deployment.
• EgalitarianMonkey/hometube - HomeTube is a friendly video downloader managing single video URL into organized content structure for automatic home media server experience.
• arabcoders/ytptube - A WebUI for yt-dlp with concurrent downloads support, presets and scheduled tasks and many more.
• fe80Grau/ytdlp2STRM - A little script to serve YouTube / Twitch / Crunchyroll videos without storage it. Uses yt-dlp HTTP data throught Flask and dynamic URLs. We can use this dynamic URLs to set STRM files.
• graham-walker/youtube-dl-react-viewer - Web app for yt-dlp, created using the MERN stack.
• ashutoshkrris/EazyLoader - EazyLoader is Flask based web-application built to make downloading easy for you. Download videos and pictures from YouTube and Instagram in the best available quality. You can also download slides from SlideShare in PDF or PPTX format. In addition to that, you can calculate duration of YouTube Playlist at different speeds. You can also encrypt and decrypt your PDF files using this tool.
• coah80/yoink - A simple, open-source media downloader powered by yt-dlp.
• TechSquidTV/Hermes - Hermes Video Downloader — Self-hosted video downloader compatible with 1,000+ sites.
• kisugez/facebook-video-downloader - A modern web application that allows users to download videos from Facebook by providing the video URL. Built with FastAPI backend and Next.js frontend.
• jordanshatford/youtube-downloader - Fast, high quality YouTube downloads.