Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

FreeTube VS Minitube

Compare FreeTube VS Minitube and see what are their differences

FreeTube logo FreeTube

FreeTube is an open source desktop YouTube player built with privacy in mind.

Minitube logo Minitube

Minitube is a YouTube desktop application.
  • FreeTube Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-29

  • Minitube Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-27

FreeTube features and specs

  • Privacy
    FreeTube offers enhanced privacy features, ensuring that user data isn't tracked or harvested. It doesn't track viewing habits and does not show personalized ads.
  • Open-Source
    Being an open-source application, FreeTube lets anyone inspect its code, ensuring transparency and the possibility for user-contributed improvements.
  • Ad-Free Experience
    FreeTube provides an ad-free experience, allowing users to watch YouTube videos without interruptions.
  • Cross-Platform
    FreeTube is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a broader audience.
  • Offline Viewing
    FreeTube allows users to download videos for offline viewing, which can be particularly useful in areas with limited internet connectivity.

Possible disadvantages of FreeTube

  • Limited Features
    FreeTube may lack some of the advanced features and services available directly on YouTube, such as real-time comments and live streaming options.
  • Dependency on YouTube
    Since FreeTube relies on YouTube for content, it may be subject to changes in YouTube's API or policies, which could affect its functionality.
  • Potential Bugs
    As an open-source project, FreeTube may occasionally encounter bugs or stability issues that could affect the user experience.
  • Manual Updates
    Users may need to manually update the app to benefit from the latest features and bug fixes, which can be less convenient than automatic updates.
  • Less Integration
    FreeTube may not integrate as seamlessly with other Google services and accounts, limiting some of the benefits of using YouTube within the Google ecosystem.

Minitube features and specs

  • Ad-Free Experience
    Minitube provides an ad-free experience, allowing users to watch videos without interruptions from advertisements, enhancing the viewing experience.
  • Lightweight Application
    The application is lightweight and doesn't consume many system resources, making it ideal for machines with limited performance capabilities.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Minitube is available on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring a wide range of compatibility with different operating systems.
  • Ease of Use
    The user interface is straightforward and user-friendly, making it easy for users to navigate and find videos without a steep learning curve.
  • Playlist and Channel Management
    Users can easily create and manage playlists and subscriptions to their favorite channels, which enhances the organization and accessibility of content.

Possible disadvantages of Minitube

  • Limited Features
    Compared to the full YouTube website or application, Minitube may lack some advanced features, such as comments, likes, and detailed video information.
  • Subscription Fee
    Minitube is not entirely free; it requires a subscription fee after a trial period, which might be a deterrent for some users who prefer free solutions.
  • Non-Official YouTube Client
    As an unofficial YouTube client, Minitube may occasionally face issues with video playback and other functionalities due to changes in YouTube's API or terms of service.
  • Video Quality Settings
    Minitube does not offer as many options for selecting video quality compared to YouTube's website or official app.
  • No Online Integration
    The app does not support features like YouTube comments, live chat, or other community interactions, limiting the social aspect of watching videos.

FreeTube videos

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More videos:

  • Demo - 【復活】サワヤンの世界一面白いフォールガイズ
  • Demo - summer walker
  • Review - FreeTube: Watch Youtube Without Ads
  • Review - Best YouTube Alternatives! - Invidious, Newpipe, Freetube, LBRY, PeerTube

Minitube videos

MiniTube Review for Linux, Windows, etc

More videos:

  • Review - DabbersDaily: Grasshopper Glass Minitube Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FreeTube and Minitube)
Video
80 80%
20% 20
Video Platform
79 79%
21% 21
Video Downloader
76 76%
24% 24
Social Media
77 77%
23% 23

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare FreeTube and Minitube

FreeTube Reviews

15 Best YouTube Vanced Alternatives 2023
You’ll be pleased to know that FreeTube does not track your viewing habits and does not resell your data to third-party entities. The FreeTube interface is built to look just like the YouTube interface and this makes it easy for users to transition from the original app to this one.

Minitube Reviews

15 Best YouTube Vanced Alternatives 2023
It’s worth pointing out that it has a filtering feature that you can activate to ensure that children do not have access to inappropriate content. Once you play a video on Minitube, playback will continue from one video to the next automatically.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FreeTube should be more popular than Minitube. It has been mentiond 47 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

FreeTube mentions (47)

  • Someone at YouTube Needs Glasses
    Another reason to use FreeTube. https://freetubeapp.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 16 days ago
  • Show HN: I tried making YouTube safer for my kids
    This is nice. It's a disgrace that Youtube does not have the option to allow only certain channels for a kids' account, but of course it's brings Google more money to trap kids in endless video garbage, so here we are. I made a similar setup for my kids, but simply locally using Freetube (https://freetubeapp.io/). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Block YouTube Ads on AppleTV by Decrypting and Stripping Ads from Profobuf
    Google for "sponsorblock" extension for your browser, crowdsourced data makes it skip all the promotions, intros, "like and subscribe" and all other unneeded parts. And when you're at it, ublock origin also skips the youtube ads. There's also: https://freetubeapp.io/ , but it's a constant cat and mouse game with youtube, where you now have to refresh a video a few times before it starts playing (then it works... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Kill your Feeds – Stop letting algorithms dictate what you think
    In the spirit of the video (and the article), I'm watching this on Freetube [0] while hiding the comments, recommended videos tab, and pretty much everything else apart from the video description. [0] https://freetubeapp.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • YouTube detects and blocking Brave browser
    Https://freetubeapp.io/ ^ great alternative to youtube in a browser. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
View more

Minitube mentions (7)

  • Show HN: I tried making YouTube safer for my kids
    Minitube is pretty great, and uses MPV (and therefore yt-dlp) behind the scenes. It has filters that are really neat, and is very minimalistic. I personally use it, too, to avoid distracting myself and to actively search for everything I consume. [1] https://flavio.tordini.org/minitube. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Block YouTube Ads on AppleTV by Decrypting and Stripping Ads from Profobuf
    I can recommend "minitube" [1]. It's super minimalistic, and requires you to actively search for things to find them. No ads, no feeds, no short videos, nothing - just playlists for search terms. Uses yt-dlp and mpv behind the scenes, so it's using less than 5% CPU on my small Intel NUC machine, too. I can't stress enough how it is soooo much better in terms of what type of content I consume now.... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • YouTube confirms that it has removed the “sort by oldest/newest” option
    In regards to alternative Youtube clients. Not sure if it fits your requirements but I've used MiniTube which is pretty decent: https://flavio.tordini.org/minitube. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • YouTube Player
    Minitube is what I use, not open source though. https://flavio.tordini.org/minitube. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Invidious: An alternative front-end to YouTube
    Or the native cross-plattform opensource Minitube from https://flavio.tordini.org/minitube . Is already available on most systems through the package manager. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing FreeTube and Minitube, you can also consider the following products

NewPipe - NewPipe is a lightweight YouTube front-end for Android.

YouTube - Our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world.

Invidious.io - Invidious is an alternative front-end to YouTube.

YouView - Browse, watch, convert, and download YouTube videos on your Mac faster, because YouView uses the core technologies of Mac OS X to play instead of Flash allowing video to run smoother on systems with lower specs.

YouTube Vanced - Vanced is a modded version of YouTube with many features such as adblocking and background playback

Tubbler - YouTube Movie Player for Mac OS X.

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