OmniGet vs Parabolic
OmniGet is a free, open-source alternative to Parabolic for Windows, macOS and Linux. Measured on September 26, 2026, it is the smaller download (37.1 MB against 223.9 MB on Windows) and adds torrents, direct files and an MCP server; Parabolic keeps a native GNOME app on Flathub and a Windows on ARM build.
Written by Antonio Leandro, who makes OmniGet. Parabolic is described from its own repository and releases.
Short answer
Both speed up yt-dlp with aria2c and parallel fragments; a timed test is under construction. OmniGet adds torrents, direct files, followed channels, an extension that forwards your login and an MCP server for AI agents. Parabolic wins on Linux and Windows on ARM: a native GNOME app on Flathub, an ARM64 Windows build and more translations. OmniGet is also the smaller download: 37.1 MB against 223.9 MB on Windows.
Pros and cons, side by side
Written from our study of each app's repository and releases. Every row names the better app, including when it is not OmniGet.
| What matters | OmniGet | Parabolic |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | Own extractors, yt-dlp, torrents, direct files | yt-dlp sites |
| Speed options | aria2c, parallel fragments, segmented direct files, speed limit | aria2c with tunable connections, fragments, speed limit |
| Private and members content | Extension forwards your cookies per site | Browser cookies, cookie file, saved logins; extension sends URL only |
| Watch channels | Followed channels checked for new uploads | Not offered |
| Linux and Windows ARM | .deb, .rpm, AppImage; no Windows ARM | Native GNOME app on Flathub; Windows ARM64 |
| Translations | 12 languages | 47 translation files on Weblate |
OmniGet wins 3, Parabolic wins 2, 1 tied
Download speed is not timed yet: the timed test is being run on the same links, connection and computer for every app. Until then, the table above lists speed options, not results.
What each app can do
| OmniGet | Parabolic | |
|---|---|---|
| Playlists and channels | Yes | Yes |
| Subtitles | Yes | Yes |
| Audio only | Yes | Yes |
| Choose quality and format | Yes | Yes |
| Private and members-only videos (your login) | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes |
| Torrents and magnet links | Yes | No |
| Direct file links | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Queue and parallel downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Watch channels for new videos | Yes | No |
| SponsorBlock, chapters, metadata | Yes | Yes |
| AI agents and MCP | Yes | No |
Native look, or one app for more sources
Parabolic focuses on converting and downloading what yt-dlp supports, with a native interface on each system. OmniGet adds its own extractors, torrents, direct files, a browser extension that forwards your login, an MCP server and AI coding agents.
Parabolic, earlier called Tube Converter, is a well-known yt-dlp front end with a native look: WinUI on Windows and GNOME on Linux. OmniGet is a Tauri app that uses the same interface on the three systems. Both are free and open source.
The numbers come from each project's latest GitHub release, read on the date at the top of the page.
Download size and packages
Why Parabolic is bigger
OmniGet is several times smaller on Windows and macOS, and smaller on Linux too, where Parabolic ships a Flatpak bundle that carries aria2, FFmpeg and other tools, and OmniGet an AppImage. On a slow connection the Windows difference is minutes, as the waiting-time table below shows.
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OmniGet is a desktop app
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What that means in waiting time
Time to download each app (Windows installer) at common connection speeds.
| 2 Mbit/s | 20 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OmniGet | 2 min 36 s | 16 s | 3 s |
| Parabolic | 15 min 39 s | 1 min 34 s | 19 s |
Files each project offers
Files attached to each project's latest GitHub release. Store listings such as Flathub, Snap or the Microsoft Store are not counted here.
| OmniGet | Parabolic | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows installer | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Windows portable (x64) | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Windows on ARM build | —No | ✓Yes |
| macOS, Apple Silicon | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| macOS, Intel | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Linux AppImage | ✓Yes | —No |
| Linux .deb | ✓Yes | —No |
| Linux .rpm | ✓Yes | —No |
| Linux Flatpak | —No | ✓Yes |
| Linux on ARM | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
The apps in this benchmark
-
OmniGet
- License:
- GPL-3.0
- Built with:
- Tauri (Rust + web UI)
- GitHub:
- 14.4k stars · v0.10.1
- Version tested:
- v0.10.1 (September 21, 2026)
- Its own extractors, torrents and direct files on top of yt-dlp.
- An MCP server and AI coding agents in the same app.
-
Parabolic
- License:
- MIT
- Built with:
- .NET (C#): WinUI on Windows, GNOME on Linux
- GitHub:
- 7.6k stars · 2026.5.0
- Version tested:
- 2026.5.0 (May 24, 2026)
- Native look on Linux: a GNOME app, also published as a Flatpak.
- MIT license; the Flatpak id shows its earlier name, Tube Converter.
Flatpak or .deb and .rpm
This is where the two differ most. Parabolic is a Flatpak, which suits people who install apps from Flathub and like sandboxing. OmniGet offers .deb, .rpm and AppImage for x64 and ARM, which suits people who install from their distribution's tools. OmniGet has no official Flatpak yet.
Which one should you pick?
- Choose OmniGet if you want a smaller download, .deb or .rpm packages, torrents and direct files in the same app, or the MCP server and AI agents.
- Choose Parabolic if you want a native GNOME app, prefer Flatpak on Linux, use Windows on ARM, or need the interface in a language OmniGet does not have yet.
Other Parabolic alternatives
Free, open-source apps that do some of what Parabolic does.
- Open-source yt-dlp GUIs compared Every desktop app we track, ordered by GitHub stars, with its license, latest release and who it suits.
- OmniGet vs ezytdl Electron front end for yt-dlp with advanced options. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs Media Downloader Qt/C++ front end for several download engines, including yt-dlp, gallery-dl and aria2c. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs SCrawler Windows app that saves media from social sites and user profiles. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs Videomass Cross-platform FFmpeg front end for batch conversion with presets; it removed its yt-dlp downloader in version 6.1.12. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs Vividl Windows front end for yt-dlp built with WPF. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs Hindsight Agent memory system by Vectorize: retain, recall and reflect over a memory bank, as a server with Postgres or embedded in Python. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs aria2 Command-line download utility for HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent and Metalink, with many connections per file. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs you-get Command-line downloader written in Python that scrapes media from web pages. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs youtube-dl The original command-line video downloader that yt-dlp was forked from. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs yt-dlp The command-line audio and video downloader that OmniGet runs on. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs Open Video Downloader Cross-platform yt-dlp front end built with Tauri and Vue, with a very small installer. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs VidBee Electron app built on yt-dlp that also makes local transcripts, AI summaries and RSS subscriptions. Compared with OmniGet
- OmniGet vs ytDownloader Electron yt-dlp app with a clip trimmer and a video compressor, on many app stores. Compared with OmniGet
- Media Downloader on GitHub Qt/C++ front end for several download engines, including yt-dlp, gallery-dl and aria2c.
- Varia on GitHub Download manager for regular downloads, torrents and videos.
- Vividl on GitHub Windows front end for yt-dlp built with WPF.
Where OmniGet still loses
We publish this on purpose. It is the list we work from to make OmniGet better.
- Flatpak: Parabolic is packaged as a Flatpak; OmniGet has no official Flatpak yet.
- Windows on ARM: Parabolic ships ARM64 Windows builds; OmniGet only runs the x64 build through emulation.
- Translations: Parabolic has 47 translation files on Weblate; OmniGet has 12 languages.
Trying OmniGet costs nothing
Both are free and save to normal folders, so you can install OmniGet next to Parabolic and compare them on your own downloads before choosing.
Method
Run it yourself
node scripts/bench/gui-downloads.mjs Data licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse it freely with a link to this page.
Sources
Questions
Is there a Flatpak of OmniGet like Parabolic?
Not yet. OmniGet ships AppImage, .deb and .rpm on Linux. Parabolic ships a Flatpak.
Which is smaller, OmniGet or Parabolic?
OmniGet, on Windows, macOS and Linux, measured from their latest GitHub releases.
What is a good alternative to Parabolic?
OmniGet is a free, open-source alternative for Windows, macOS and Linux: a smaller download with torrents, direct files and an MCP server, but no Flatpak and no Windows on ARM build yet. Open Video Downloader, VidBee and ytDownloader are other free yt-dlp apps, each compared with OmniGet on its own page.
Other benchmarks
Try OmniGet 1.0.0
Free and open source, for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Download