Quick Answer
You can watch YouTube videos without ads or restrictions. You don’t need to log in if you use the right open-source tools listed below.
I usually recommend using FreeTube. If it has issues, switch to Nadeko by clicking “Open In Invidious” in FreeTube. You must first set “https://inv.nadeko.net” as your “current invidious instance” in FreeTube settings.
FreeTube
FreeTube is a desktop YouTube client focused on privacy and ad-free viewing. It is a similar experience to using the YouTube app.
Freetube sometimes can’t connect to YouTube, and sometimes I’m unable to download videos (they appear as zero byte files). Usually the developer releases a new update to address these issues.
- No Login Needed: You can subscribe to channels and make a feed without a Google account. The app stores your subscriptions on your device.
- Bypasses Tracking: FreeTube does not track your activity. You access video data by scraping or using the Invidious API. This keeps your viewing habits private.
- Ad-Free Experience: Watch any YouTube video without pre-rolls or banner ads.
- Cross-Platform: Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Nadeko Invidious Instances
Nadeko’s Invidious instances offer a privacy-focused front end for YouTube:
- No Google Account Needed: You can watch videos, manage subscriptions, and create playlists.
- No Personalized Tracking: Invidious doesn’t track your data. It also doesn’t create a personal watch profile.
- Multiple Backends: Nadeko provides several servers (“backends”) to avoid blockages or slowdowns. Switching between them helps maintain reliable access if some are restricted.
- TOR and I2P Support: Options for enhanced anonymity via Onion and I2P networks.
Recent YouTube changes mean that some info, like view counts and video length, may not be available in subscriptions. But, core viewing and search functionality remain robust.
Nadeko’s Invidious network helps you skip YouTube’s tracking and login hurdles. You can pick from different backends for reliability, even if Google blocks some.
YewTube Invidious Instance
YewTube (accessible via yewtu.be) is a prominent public instance of Invidious, similar to Nadeko. Its primary goal is to offer an ad-free YouTube browsing and viewing experience while minimizing user tracking, not requiring Google accounts, and supporting users who wish to avoid the official YouTube site
yt-dlp
yt-dlp is a powerful command-line tool that is available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. Installation is somewhat technical though.
yt-dlp helps you download and save YouTube videos for offline use.
You can search for Youtube videos using keywords, or by pasting a Youtube URL into the search bar. Videos are downloadable via a “Download” button on each video page.
It has a number of useful features including:
- The ability to download entire YouTube playlists
- The ability to download videos in several formats such as MP4 or WebM
- The ability choose the quality of the video being downloaded — if the video is available in 4K, you can download it in 4K, 1080p or 720p
- The abillity to download videos from hundreds of sites besides YouTube (see the full list here)
- Automatic pausing and resuming video downloads
- The ability to bypass YouTube geo-restrictions
NewPipe for Android
NewPipe is a free, open-source YouTube client for Android that provides a privacy-focused, ad-free alternative to the official YouTube app.
Tube Pro for iOS
Tube Pro is an iOS app that provides an ad-free alternative interface to YouTube.
Features include:
- Ad Blocking: Tube Pro is primarily known for its ability to block video ads on YouTube, providing an uninterrupted viewing experience.
- Chromecast Support: The app allows users to cast videos on Chromecast-enabled devices.
- Background Playback: Some users have said they can play audio in the background. However, this may not be an official feature because of YouTube’s terms of service.
