Freedom251 › Video Downloaders
YDL GUI
What YDL GUI is
YDL GUI is a free, MIT-licensed desktop interface for yt-dlp on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Users can paste a link, select quality, and download without opening a terminal. It supports YouTube, Bilibili, Twitter/X, Twitch, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, SoundCloud, and more than 1,000 sites. Downloads can be video, audio-only, or video-only, with formats including MP4, MKV, WebM, MP3, AAC, and FLAC. Playlist, subtitle, and batch downloads are available. Queues can be paused, resumed, or canceled, with controls for concurrent downloads and fragment threads. Tools include thumbnail downloads, subtitle extraction, live-chat archiving, and a yt-dlp plugin manager. Processing options cover trimming, re-encoding, embedded subtitles and metadata, SponsorBlock, proxies, and speed limiting. A Chrome and Edge extension sends URLs and cookies through a local protocol handler.
Who it suits
It suits desktop users who want graphical downloads from many video and audio sites without terminal commands. It also fits people needing playlists, subtitles, batch queues, or media processing controls.
What it does well
- Supports more than 1,000 websites
- Windows, macOS, and Linux installers
- Playlist, subtitle, and batch downloads
- Video and audio format choices
- Queues support pause, resume, and cancel
What to know first
- Browser extension requires the desktop app running
- Deno is optional for full YouTube format support
- Latest listed release is version 1.0.0
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| YDL GUI | MIT-licensed desktop app | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
YDL GUI provides a broad yt-dlp feature set through a desktop interface, with extensive source and format support. The browser extension depends on the installed app, and some YouTube format support requires optional Deno.
Facts from YDL GUI's own pages
- Additional tools
- Its toolbox includes thumbnail downloads, subtitle extraction in SRT, VTT, ASS, or LRC formats, live chat archiving, and a yt-dlp plugin manager. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Authentication and network
- The app supports cookies for age-restricted or members-only content and HTTP/SOCKS proxies. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Automation
- An installed app can be opened from scripts with a URL, cookies, download directory, and yt-dlp or Deno path supplied as session inputs. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Batch downloads
- Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
- Browser integration
- The companion Chrome and Edge extension can send a page URL and required cookies to the desktop app through a local protocol handler. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Browser support limit
- The extension requires the YDL GUI desktop app to be installed and running for its protocol handler to work. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Cookie handling
- The README states that extension cookies are processed locally and passed to the app without being uploaded. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- The first-launch instructions say yt-dlp is fetched from the app settings and Deno can optionally be installed for full YouTube format support. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Device platforms
- Windows,macOS,Linux · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
- Download controls
- The app supports video, audio-only, or video-only downloads, queues with pause, resume, and cancel controls, and configurable concurrent downloads and fragment threading. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Extra runtime
- The first-launch instructions say Deno is optional and provides full YouTube format support. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Format options
- It can trim video by time, re-encode to formats including MP4, MKV, WebM, MP3, AAC, and FLAC, and embed subtitles, thumbnails, metadata, and chapters. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Getting started
- The README says to paste a link, choose a quality, and click download without using a terminal. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The README lists SponsorBlock integration and a companion Chrome/Edge browser extension that passes a page URL and required cookies to the desktop app. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- The releases page lists v1.0.0 and describes channel/creator archives for YouTube and Bilibili, SQLite storage, and cancellable background tasks. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies the software as MIT licensed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License and support
- The repository identifies the project as MIT-licensed and invites contributions through issues or pull requests. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Output formats
- MP4,MKV,WebM,MP3,AAC,FLAC,and more · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
- Platforms
- The README lists Windows .exe installers, macOS .dmg files, and Linux AppImage, .deb, and .rpm releases. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Playlist downloads
- Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
- Processing options
- The README lists clip trimming, output re-encoding, embedding subtitles and metadata, SponsorBlock integration, proxy support, and a speed limiter. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- YDL GUI is a desktop graphical interface for yt-dlp that downloads videos from YouTube, Bilibili, Twitter/X, and 1,000+ websites. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Release
- The releases page marks version 1.0.0 as the latest release and lists installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Setup
- The README says users can paste a link, choose a quality, and start a download without using a terminal. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where YDL GUI stands on Freedom251
- Video Downloaders#21 of 135