FreeTube is an open-source standalone YouTube client that gives you control over what to see and what not to see on YouTube. Among my my favourite features are:
- No Ads
- Checkboxes to eliminate common distractions, e.g. Shorts, Trends, Live chat, Recommendations, Comments
- Word filters and channel filters
- Integrated SponsorBlock and DeArrow
- History and subscriptions are saved locally, away from Google’s prying eyes
- Easy download of videos, e.g. for securing videos or re-uploading them to a PeerTube instance (of course, only if it’s legal in your jurisdiction)
If you’re a parent, know that FreeTube also has several child safety features.
why not just https://redirect.invidious.io/
I didn’t know about the web interfaces of Invidious instances. Definitey looks cool, and this redicrect domain is handy to quickly find a working instance.
Still, FreeTube has a couple of major advantages. One is that even if your go-to Invidious instance becomes unusable, your local FreeTube configuration (subscriptions, blocks, ricings, you name it) remains 100% in effect, because FreeTube just picks a different instance. Even when Google again makes all Invidious instances dysfunctional, FreeTube may still be usable by accessing YouTube directly. Also, FreeTube likely has A LOT more options—the settings page is quite sizeable. Finally, I find it increasingly nice that it’s a standalone client separate from your browser. It makes it more deliberate to start watching videos, so that I’m less likely to go on senseless watching sprees; and conversely, when I’m watching useful videos, I’m less likely to interrupt them by going to some irrelevant website.