Crumb
c/selfhosted · by muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 171d

What YouTube downloader are the kids using these days?

I had Pinchflat set up on my server and never got around to putting it back in after I nuked it. I remember organizing backed up videos in jellyfin was a mess I never quite got working as well as I’d like.

I see there’s a couple alternatives mentioned on the Pinchflat GitHub. What is everybody else using to accomplish this?

131 points · 55 comments · view on lemmy.world

55 Comments

LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 129 pts · 171d (6 replies)

Yt-dlp is what I see mostly

in_my_honest_opinion@piefed.social · 29 pts · 171d (3 replies)

Make sure you update often though. Youtube/Google/Alphabet are playing whackamole.

You can use yt-dlp -U to update if you are using the release binaries

If you installed with pip, simply re-run the same command that was used to install the program

https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp

SatyrSack@quokk.au · 7 pts · 171d

If you installed with pip, simply re-run the same command that was used to install the program

Simply running pip install yt-dlp doesn't update though, right? You need to add an upgrade flag, so either:

  • pip install yt-dlp --upgrade
  • pip install yt-dlp -U

EDIT: Maybe I should actually read this documentation that I am commenting about. Their steps to initially install it with PIP mention to use the -U flag anyway. That flag is meant for updating, but it won't make the package install wrong if used during initial installation of the package or anything, so no reason not to.

FlexibleToast@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 171d

I put it in a container that has a build process every week.

SexualPolytope@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 171d

I just did uv tool install yt-dlp[default] --with mutagen. Updates are handled automatically.

PP_BOY_@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 171d

Yt-dlp is the way. J-Downloader is okay too if you need a good interface but dlp is just too damn powerful to not use

ToTheGraveMyLove@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 171d

Yup, don't need anything else.

helios@social.ggbox.fr · 72 pts · 171d

Most kids today don't know how to use a computer, but old farts like me use yt-dlp.

herseycokguzelolacak@lemmy.ml · 59 pts · 171d

yt-dlp

edgyspazkid@lemmy.wtf · 26 pts · 170d

yt-dlp memo

SatyrSack@quokk.au · 22 pts · 171d (2 replies)

As others have already said, yt-dlp is absolutely the gold standard. It even works in Termux. As for a dedicated Android app, there are apps like Seal which are effectively just wrappers for yt-dlp. Then the open source YouTube clients like Tubular, which are primarily for browsing/watching videos, have a download button on every video.

shrek_is_love@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 171d

Seal is my favorite app to demonstrate the power of installing apps outside of Google Play

SanctimoniousApe@lemmings.world · 2 pts · 170d

Android users can use YTDLnis for a nice GUI FE. It's also available for install from IzzyOnDroid.

guynamedzero@piefed.zeromedia.vip · 12 pts · 171d (4 replies)

yt-dlp is great for cli, and if you want a web gui, you can run metube in docker

markz@suppo.fi · 2 pts · 171d (2 replies)

I don't think docker is a good solution for people who need a gui

randombullet@programming.dev · 1 pts · 169d (1 reply)

There is portainer. CLI until you install portainer then everything is GUI based.

markz@suppo.fi · 1 pts · 169d

The whole concept of running containers might be too much for most people. Ideally it would just be an app that you download.

Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 171d

If I wanted a web UI I would just make a script that ran yt-dlp $1 and then use php shell_exec(script URL);

COASTER1921@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 170d

On Android Newpipe has the best UI in my opinion.

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 171d

I use GUI wrappers for yt-dlp - Parabolic on Fedora GNOME and Seal on Android

Moonrise2473@feddit.it · 7 pts · 170d

I use newpipe on phone but metube isn't too hard to install with docker

artyom@piefed.social · 7 pts · 171d (1 reply)

Parabolic

harmbugler@piefed.social · 1 pts · 170d

I use the Parabolic flatpak and it works well (apart from when the mouse gets caught for a few days in the cat and mouse game that is YouTube downloading).

wildcardology@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 171d (2 replies)

I use jdownloader2.

Paste a YouTube link and it will download the thumbnail, the video, a separate audio, and the transcript.

It will also download from a lot of video hosting sites if you know what I mean 😜

muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 170d (1 reply)

Stacher already dines the one off things like that for me. I’m more looking at automated runs.

artyom@piefed.social · 0 pts · 170d

I mean you can use Peertube for that. I use it that way.

BigBolillo@mgtowlemmy.org · 6 pts · 171d

yt-dlp rules

RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 171d

I've downloaded many videos with PipePipe on my Android.

roofuskit@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 171d

Metube is a nice UI with yt-dlp as a background that is updated regularly.

Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyz · 5 pts · 170d (1 reply)

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters More Letters
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the Web
Plex Brand of media server package
SSH Secure Shell for remote terminal access

3 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 7 acronyms.

[Thread #93 for this comm, first seen 14th Feb 2026, 14:01] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

slaughterhouse@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 170d

Good bot.

AndrewZabar@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 170d

On Android I use Seal. Aside from an occasional hiccup it’s awesome and does a phenomenal job 99% of the time. If I ever can’t get one item to work and there’s no alternative, I use one of the ones on my Linux machine. I’ll post the name when I’m home and can check.

muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 171d (6 replies)

I’m not really looking to do this with apps since google is pretty close to the regime so anything good could be taken down at any time. I want something to copies it down and I pull in with my existing stack like Pinchflat did, but cleaner.

Part of this is I’m still on apple. I’m looking at fleeing, but certainly not to google. Until I finally get off my ass and get a Linux phone, let’s just assume this has to work from a webUI

DarkSirrush@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 171d (2 replies)

I have been using a docker container - ytdl-sub, which uses yt-dlp to download YouTube videos with metadata for jellyfin

pr3d@eviltoast.org · 2 pts · 171d (1 reply)

thanks for mentioning ytdl-sub!

can it selectively download videos or does it auto download all videos of a subscription?

DarkSirrush@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 170d

By default it auto downloads everything, but you can set rules and filters to avoid videos you don't want.

You also have to explicitly download shorts, as they won't download by default.

SatyrSack@quokk.au · 2 pts · 171d (2 replies)

You're painting yourself into a corner by avoiding degoogled Android operating systems. I guess my suggestion for you would probably have to be to install yt-dlp on your server, and then use an SSH app when you need to download a video. Maybe someone more familiar with Apple can offer a better suggestion.

muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 171d (1 reply)

I was looking at a pixel running graphene this last upgrade cycle but google taking a swing a third party roms chased me back to apple for now.

artyom@piefed.social · 1 pts · 170d

Ah yes, Apple is notorious for the freedom of app installations...

muelltonne@feddit.org · 3 pts · 170d (1 reply)

Just use Jdownloader to download whatever you want from the internet.

Burninator05@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 169d

That's what I use a well, Specifically jdownloader2. I have run into a few YouTube videos it can't get. Typically they are music.

gukleszl4hs48ughgxhr5xgd@fedia.io · 3 pts · 171d

https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe

Shimitar@downonthestreet.eu · 3 pts · 171d

TubeArchivist rules

Buck@jlai.lu · 3 pts · 171d

I still use Pinchflat. It doesn’t exactly do as I like, but I’m mostly just downloading two channels, so it’s okay enough for me.

helloyanis@furries.club · 2 pts · 169d

@muusemuuse There are many comment but only a few links so check it out :

For PC, yt-dlp is by far the best ( https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp)

There are many wrapper/UIs you can install, like https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp.

For Android, I've seen people mention NewPipe https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe

But personally I think Seal is the best as it allows to download entire playlists. https://github.com/JunkFood02/Seal

Gerald@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 171d

I use Tubular

404@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 171d

I use metube on the server and made mobile integration with Android using "HTTP Shortcuts" to easily submit links to metube via its API. Just a simple Android share click and it's done.

Vaggumon@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 171d

Yt.dlp. I wrote a small pyrhon script to give me a gui. Works really well.

enteroninternet@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 170d

NewPipe

bigb@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 170d

I use metube and Pinchflat.

Metube is great for one-off video downloads and works for many sites including social media. This comes in handy a lot when I want to send a short reel to friends without linking to Facebook, etc.

Pinchflat automatically downloads my favorites playlists and a couple other channels that I follow. These videos go into specific folders that are linked to Plex libraries.

pory@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 167d

yt-dlp, but most of the time you'll use some form of front end. All the "youtube downloaders", even the shady websites, are using yt-dlp. For selfhosted purposes, I like MeTube for individual downloads and Tubesync for keeping up with channels.

piwakawakas@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 170d

Is there anything that works for Vimeo?

dan@upvote.au · 1 pts · 171d (1 reply)

On Android, I use ytdlnis, which is a wrapper around yt-dlp. You can "share" a video from to YouTube app to ytdlnis and it'll add it to the download queue.

SatyrSack@quokk.au · 3 pts · 171d

I always recommend Seal just because I can never remember the name of this app. Has anyone made use of both and has an opinion on which is better?

DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 169d

https://cobalt.tools/ is good idk if it works still