If you read my previous article on yt-dlp, you know it’s an amazing tool to download videos with commands like:
First, ensure Flatpak is installed:
From yt-dlp to ytDownloader: Why the GUI
Keep your app updated for the best compatibility with websites:
ytDownloader is a free, open-source desktop application built on Electron that uses yt-dlp as its download engine. It supports the same hundreds of websites that yt-dlp does – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Vimeo, and many more.
What is ytDownloader?
If you’ve been using yt-dlp and love its capabilities, but sometimes wish for a simpler interface, give ytDownloader a try. If you’re new to downloading videos on Linux and found yt-dlp intimidating, ytDownloader is your perfect starting point.
Key Features
- Supports hundreds of sites including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and so on.
- Multiple themes.
- Video Compressor with Hardware Acceleration.
- Advanced options like Range Selection, Subtitles.
- Download playlists.
- Available on Linux, Windows & macOS.
- Fast download speeds.
- And of course no trackers or ads.
Installing ytDownloader on Linux
flatpak install flathub io.github.aandrew_me.ytdn
flatpak run io.github.aandrew_me.ytdn
Option 2: AppImage
sudo snap install ytdownloader
How to Use ytDownloader in Linux
yt-dlp -f best “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID”
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install flatpak
# Fedora
sudo dnf install flatpak
# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S flatpak
You have three installation options, but I recommend Flatpak for most Linux users.
Either way, you’re getting the same robust, reliable downloading engine that has made yt-dlp the go-to tool for video downloads.
The beauty is that you get all the power of yt-dlp without needing to reference documentation or remember command flags.
# Flatpak
flatpak update io.github.aandrew_me.ytdn
# Snap
sudo snap refresh ytdownloader
# AppImage
# The app will notify you when updates are available
cd ~/Downloads
chmod +x ytDownloader-*.AppImage
./ytDownloader-*.AppImage
Option 3: Snap
Enter ytDownloader: a modern graphical interface that brings the power of yt-dlp to your desktop with a user-friendly design.
To download an entire YouTube playlist, simply copy the playlist URL (you’ll notice ?list= in the link) and paste it into ytDownloader. Then, select your desired quality and format, and click Download, which will automatically download all the videos in the playlist one by one.
Final Thoughts
ytDownloader successfully bridges the gap between the power of yt-dlp and the accessibility of graphical interfaces. It’s not meant to replace yt-dlp for power users, but rather to complement them and make video downloading accessible to everyone.
flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Earlier, I wrote about yt-dlp, the powerful command-line tool for downloading videos from hundreds of websites, which is an incredible tool that many Linux users have come to rely on, but let’s be honest, not everyone loves working exclusively in the terminal, and sometimes you just want a quick, visual way to download videos without typing commands.
