Open-source yt-dlp GUIs compared
There is no single best yt-dlp GUI. The right one depends on your system and on what you download: a tiny installer, a native Linux app, torrents and direct files, AI tools, or a Windows-only portable window. Below are 28 open-source desktop apps ordered by GitHub stars, each with its license, its latest release and a line on what it is for.
Written by Antonio Leandro, who makes OmniGet. Each app is described from its own repository, releases or official site. Stars, releases and licenses were read from GitHub on November 11, 2026.
The apps, by GitHub stars
Stars and activity read from GitHub on November 11, 2026.
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OmniGet
14.4k starsFree desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux: yt-dlp plus its own extractors, torrents, direct files, an MCP server and AI coding agents.
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VidBee
11.1k starsElectron app built on yt-dlp that also makes local transcripts, AI summaries and RSS subscriptions.
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ytDownloader
10.6k starsElectron yt-dlp app with a clip trimmer and a video compressor, on many app stores.
ytDownloader on GitHub OmniGet vs ytDownloader: full comparison
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Open Video Downloader
9.7k starsCross-platform yt-dlp front end built with Tauri and Vue, with a very small installer.
Open Video Downloader on GitHub OmniGet vs Open Video Downloader: full comparison
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Parabolic
7.6k starsyt-dlp front end with a native interface: WinUI on Windows and GNOME on Linux, published on Flathub.
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Media Downloader
5.1k starsQt/C++ front end for several download engines, including yt-dlp, gallery-dl and aria2c.
Media Downloader on GitHub OmniGet vs Media Downloader: full comparison
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YTSage
4.7k starsyt-dlp front end written in Python and PySide6, with SponsorBlock and subtitles.
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yt-dlp-gui (kannagi)
2.7k starsWindows front end for yt-dlp, written in C#.
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SCrawler
2.3k starsWindows app that saves media from social sites and user profiles.
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Varia
1.9k starsDownload manager for regular downloads, torrents and videos.
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Youwee
1.6k starsCross-platform yt-dlp front end with AI video summaries and post-processing.
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yt-dlp-gui (dsymbol)
1.5k starsSmall cross-platform yt-dlp window written in Python and PySide6.
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Vividl
1.3k starsWindows front end for yt-dlp built with WPF.
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Media Downloader (macOS)
1.2k starsTiny native macOS app in Swift: paste a link, it saves an MP4 with the yt-dlp and FFmpeg you installed, then opens a trim panel.
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MacYTDL
1.1k starsmacOS front end for yt-dlp written in AppleScript.
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Arroxy
864 starsCross-platform yt-dlp front end written in TypeScript.
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ezytdl
797 starsElectron front end for yt-dlp with advanced options.
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pytube-downloader
711 starsSimple desktop downloader written in Python.
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yt-dlp-gui (imsyy)
688 starsyt-dlp front end built with Tauri and Vue.
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NeoDLP
589 starsDesktop yt-dlp front end with a browser integration.
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yt-channel-downloader
524 starsQt desktop app for choosing and saving several videos from a channel at once.
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ytdlpgui
357 starsSimple yt-dlp window written in Python, with proxy support.
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yt-dlp-gui v2
296 starsPortable Windows front end for yt-dlp, written in Rust.
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MediaHarbor
248 starsCross-platform app for browsing and saving media, written in Rust.
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GDownloader
239 starsJava desktop app that sends each copied link to the right engine: yt-dlp, gallery-dl or its own segmented HTTP downloader.
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gydl
156 starsSmall graphical wrapper around yt-dlp, written in Python.
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yt-dlp-gui (vokrob)
145 starsSmall desktop front end for yt-dlp written in Python.
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ClipGrab
Source outside GitHubFree downloader and converter for Windows, macOS and Linux, with its source code offered on its own site.
Closed or partly closed apps people also compare
These come up in the same searches. Their code is closed, or only partly open, so they are kept out of the ordering above.
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4K Video Downloader
Closed-source desktop downloader for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu, with a free plan and paid plans.
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JDownloader
Java download manager for Windows, macOS and Linux that handles file hosts, link lists and archives. The standard Windows installer carries optional software offers.
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Stacher
Closed-source front end for yt-dlp, free to use, with an optional paid tier.
How to choose
Start from what you need. Each line names apps whose own repositories or sites say they do it.
- The smallest download
- Open Video Downloader has a very small installer and fetches yt-dlp and FFmpeg after installing. It is built with Tauri and has ARM builds on Windows, macOS and Linux.
- A native Linux app or a Flatpak
- Parabolic is a GNOME app published on Flathub, with a WinUI version on Windows. ytDownloader is on Flathub and Snap.
- Torrents and direct file links, not only video sites
- OmniGet has a built-in BitTorrent client and its own segmented downloader for direct files, next to yt-dlp. Varia handles regular downloads, torrents and videos. Media Downloader drives several engines, aria2c among them.
- Transcripts, AI summaries or agents
- VidBee makes local transcripts with speaker labels, runs AI prompts on them and follows creators through RSS; its usage analytics are on by default and can be switched off. Youwee adds AI video summaries. OmniGet has an MCP server so AI coding agents can queue downloads.
- Cutting and compressing clips
- ytDownloader downloads a time range and has a hardware-accelerated video compressor. Media Downloader (macOS) trims videos on a Mac.
- Windows only, portable
- yt-dlp-gui (kannagi) is written in C#, yt-dlp-gui v2 is a portable Rust build from the same author, and Vividl is built with WPF.
- Mac only
- MacYTDL is written in AppleScript; Media Downloader (macOS) is a native Swift app.
- Several engines in one queue
- GDownloader drives yt-dlp and gallery-dl from one queue, and Media Downloader wraps yt-dlp, gallery-dl and aria2c.
- A small Python app you can read and change
- YTSage is written in Python with PySide6 and handles SponsorBlock and subtitles. yt-dlp-gui (dsymbol) is similar but its repository is archived.
- Your language in the interface
- Parabolic is translated on Weblate into far more languages than OmniGet, and ytDownloader also ships more translations than OmniGet.
How this list was made
Every desktop app in the list we track for our comparisons is here, whether or not it beats OmniGet at anything. An app is in the main list when its source code is public; the license shown is the one the project declares, and a few repositories declare none.
The order is GitHub stars, highest first, read on the date above. Stars say how many people noticed a project over the years. They do not say which app is faster, safer or better for you, so treat the order as a map of attention, not a ranking. OmniGet is placed by the same rule as everyone else; we make OmniGet, so read its row with that in mind.
Some entries are not pure yt-dlp front ends: download managers, FFmpeg tools and apps that drive several engines are listed too, because people compare them for the same job. Apps whose code is closed, or partly closed, have their own short list at the end. Apps that keep their source outside GitHub have no star count and come after the rest.
Each description is written by hand from the project's own README, releases or site, not copied from GitHub. Where we have studied an app in depth, its row links to a full OmniGet vs comparison with pros and cons on both sides.
Full comparisons with OmniGet
Pros and cons on both sides, features, packages and download sizes, written from each project's code and releases.
Questions
What is the best yt-dlp GUI?
It depends on what you need. For the smallest install, Open Video Downloader. For a native GNOME app on Flathub, Parabolic. For torrents, direct files and AI agents next to video downloads, OmniGet. For local transcripts, VidBee. For clips and compression, ytDownloader. The section How to choose above lists more cases.
Is there a yt-dlp GUI for Linux?
Several. Parabolic and ytDownloader are on Flathub, ytDownloader is also on Snap, and OmniGet and Open Video Downloader ship .deb, .rpm and AppImage files.
Which yt-dlp GUIs work on a Mac?
MacYTDL and Media Downloader (macOS) are made only for the Mac. OmniGet, Open Video Downloader, Parabolic, VidBee and ytDownloader have builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Are these apps free?
Every app in the main list is free and its code is public. Of the apps in the closed list, 4K Video Downloader and Stacher have paid tiers, and JDownloader is free but its standard Windows installer carries optional software offers.
Why are 4K Video Downloader, Stacher and JDownloader in a separate list?
Their code is not open, or only partly open, so they are not ranked with the open-source apps. They are listed because people compare them with the apps above.
Is OmniGet a yt-dlp GUI?
Yes, and more: OmniGet runs yt-dlp plus its own extractors, a BitTorrent client, a direct-file downloader, an MCP server and AI coding agents. We make it, which is why this page orders every app, OmniGet included, by the same public number and links to comparisons that list where OmniGet loses.
How current are the stars and release dates?
They are read from the GitHub API every time the site is built, and the date of the last read is shown at the top of the list.