Top Related Projects
A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader
Command-line program to download videos from YouTube.com and other video sites
A lightweight, dependency-free Python library (and command-line utility) for downloading YouTube Videos.
A libre lightweight streaming front-end for Android.
Quick Overview
YoutubeDownloader is an open-source Windows application that allows users to download videos and audio from YouTube. It provides a user-friendly interface for searching, selecting, and downloading content from YouTube, with support for various video qualities and formats.
Pros
- Easy-to-use graphical interface for downloading YouTube content
- Supports downloading videos in multiple qualities and formats
- Allows downloading of entire playlists and channels
- Offers audio-only download options for music tracks
Cons
- Limited to Windows operating system
- May face potential legal issues due to YouTube's terms of service
- Requires frequent updates to keep up with YouTube's API changes
- Limited customization options compared to command-line alternatives
Getting Started
- Download the latest release from the GitHub repository's releases page.
- Extract the ZIP file to a desired location on your computer.
- Run the
YoutubeDownloader.exefile to start the application. - Enter a YouTube URL or search term in the search bar.
- Select the desired video or audio quality and click the download button.
Note: This is not a code library, so code examples are not applicable.
Competitor Comparisons
A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader
Pros of yt-dlp
- Supports a wide range of websites beyond YouTube
- More frequent updates and active development
- Offers advanced features like throttling and rate limiting
Cons of yt-dlp
- Command-line interface may be less user-friendly for some
- Requires more setup and configuration for optimal use
- Larger file size and more dependencies
Code Comparison
YoutubeDownloader:
var youtube = new YoutubeClient();
var video = await youtube.Videos.GetAsync("https://youtube.com/watch?v=...");
var streamManifest = await youtube.Videos.Streams.GetManifestAsync(video.Id);
var streamInfo = streamManifest.GetMuxedStreams().GetWithHighestVideoQuality();
await youtube.Videos.Streams.DownloadAsync(streamInfo, $"{video.Title}.{streamInfo.Container}");
yt-dlp:
import yt_dlp
ydl_opts = {}
with yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(ydl_opts) as ydl:
ydl.download(["https://youtube.com/watch?v=..."])
The YoutubeDownloader code is more verbose but provides finer control over the download process. yt-dlp's code is simpler but relies more on default options and configuration.
Command-line program to download videos from YouTube.com and other video sites
Pros of youtube-dl
- Supports a vast array of websites beyond YouTube
- Highly customizable with numerous options and flags
- Active development with frequent updates
Cons of youtube-dl
- Command-line interface may be less user-friendly for some
- Installation process can be more complex, especially on Windows
- Requires additional software for some features (e.g., FFmpeg for audio extraction)
Code Comparison
YoutubeDownloader:
var youtube = new YoutubeClient();
var video = await youtube.Videos.GetAsync("https://youtube.com/watch?v=...");
var streamManifest = await youtube.Videos.Streams.GetManifestAsync(video.Id);
var streamInfo = streamManifest.GetMuxedStreams().GetWithHighestVideoQuality();
await youtube.Videos.Streams.DownloadAsync(streamInfo, $"{video.Title}.{streamInfo.Container}");
youtube-dl:
youtube-dl -f bestvideo+bestaudio "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..."
Both repositories offer YouTube video downloading capabilities, but with different approaches. YoutubeDownloader provides a .NET library for integration into C# applications, while youtube-dl offers a versatile command-line tool supporting numerous websites. YoutubeDownloader's code is more verbose but offers fine-grained control within a .NET environment. youtube-dl's command-line usage is more concise but may require additional scripting for complex tasks.
A lightweight, dependency-free Python library (and command-line utility) for downloading YouTube Videos.
Pros of pytube
- Written in Python, making it more accessible for Python developers
- Lightweight and easy to integrate into existing Python projects
- Supports both command-line and programmatic usage
Cons of pytube
- Limited to YouTube downloads only
- Less feature-rich compared to YoutubeDownloader
- May require additional dependencies for certain functionalities
Code Comparison
pytube:
from pytube import YouTube
yt = YouTube('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ')
stream = yt.streams.get_highest_resolution()
stream.download()
YoutubeDownloader:
using YoutubeExplode;
using YoutubeExplode.Videos.Streams;
var youtube = new YoutubeClient();
var streamManifest = await youtube.Videos.Streams.GetManifestAsync("dQw4w9WgXcQ");
var streamInfo = streamManifest.GetMuxedStreams().GetWithHighestVideoQuality();
await youtube.Videos.Streams.DownloadAsync(streamInfo, $"video.{streamInfo.Container}");
Both libraries provide simple ways to download YouTube videos, but YoutubeDownloader offers more comprehensive features and supports multiple platforms beyond YouTube. pytube is more suitable for Python-specific projects, while YoutubeDownloader is better for cross-platform applications and more advanced use cases.
A libre lightweight streaming front-end for Android.
Pros of NewPipe
- Open-source Android app with a user-friendly interface
- Supports background playback and picture-in-picture mode
- Offers additional features like SoundCloud integration and local playlists
Cons of NewPipe
- Limited to Android devices, not available for other platforms
- Requires manual updates as it's not available on the Google Play Store
- May have occasional issues with YouTube API changes
Code Comparison
NewPipe (Java):
@Override
public void onLoadFinished(@NonNull Loader<String> loader, String result) {
if (result != null && !result.isEmpty()) {
handleResult(result);
} else {
handleError();
}
}
YoutubeDownloader (C#):
public async Task<Video> GetVideoAsync(string videoId)
{
var response = await _httpClient.GetStringAsync($"https://youtube.com/watch?v={videoId}");
return VideoInfo.Parse(response);
}
Both projects aim to provide YouTube downloading functionality, but they differ in their approach and target platforms. NewPipe is a full-fledged Android app with a broader feature set, while YoutubeDownloader is a cross-platform library focused specifically on video downloading. The code snippets showcase their different programming languages and approaches to handling YouTube data.
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YoutubeDownloader
| Development of this project is entirely funded by the community. Consider donating to support! |
YoutubeDownloader is an application that lets you download videos from YouTube. You can copy-paste URL of any video, playlist or channel and download it directly in a format of your choice. It also supports searching by keywords, which is helpful if you want to quickly look up and download videos.
[!NOTE] This application uses YoutubeExplode under the hood to interact with YouTube. You can read this article to learn more about how it works.
Terms of use[?]
By using this project or its source code, for any purpose and in any shape or form, you grant your implicit agreement to all the following statements:
- You condemn Russia and its military aggression against Ukraine
- You recognize that Russia is an occupant that unlawfully invaded a sovereign state
- You support Ukraine's territorial integrity, including its claims over temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas
- You reject false narratives perpetuated by Russian state propaganda
To learn more about the war and how you can help, click here. Glory to Ukraine! ðºð¦
Download
- ð¢ Stable release
- ð CI build
[!IMPORTANT] To launch the app on MacOS, you need to first remove the downloaded file from quarantine. You can do that by running the following command in the terminal:
xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine YoutubeDownloader.app.
[!NOTE] If you're unsure which build is right for your system, consult with this page to determine your OS and CPU architecture.
[!NOTE] YoutubeDownloader comes bundled with FFmpeg which is used for processing videos. You can also download a version of YoutubeDownloader that doesn't include FFmpeg (
YoutubeDownloader.Bare.*builds) if you prefer to use your own installation.
Features
- Cross-platform graphical user interface
- Download videos by URL
- Download videos from playlists or channels
- Download videos by search query
- Selectable video quality and format
- Automatically embed audio tracks in alternative languages
- Automatically embed subtitles
- Automatically inject media tags
- Log in with a YouTube account to access private content
Screenshots

Top Related Projects
A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader
Command-line program to download videos from YouTube.com and other video sites
A lightweight, dependency-free Python library (and command-line utility) for downloading YouTube Videos.
A libre lightweight streaming front-end for Android.
Convert
designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot