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Head-to-head · Video Downloaders

yt-dlp vs youtube-dl

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score yt-dlp #1 in Video Downloaders 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit yt-dlp
youtube-dl #34 in Video Downloaders 5.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit youtube-dl

yt-dlp leads on 0 checks, youtube-dl on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreyt-dlp · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth

yt-dlp scores higher on our rubric for video downloaders: 9.4 against 5.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #34.

yt-dlp is the better fit for power users needing maximum downloader control. youtube-dl is the better fit for users wanting the classic CLI downloader.

  • yt-dlp fits best

    Power users needing maximum downloader control

  • youtube-dl fits best

    Users wanting the classic CLI downloader

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Side by side

Feature yt-dlp 9.4/10 Visit ↗ youtube-dl 5.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 5.3
Ranking #1 in Video Downloaders #34 in Video Downloaders
Best for Power users needing maximum downloader control Users wanting the classic CLI downloader
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features yt-dlp 3/3 · youtube-dl 3/3
Playlist downloads ✓ ✓
Subtitle downloads ✓ ✓
Batch downloads ✓ ✓
Specs
Maximum video quality Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported sources YouTube, Bilibili, Dailymotion, Facebook, Vimeo, TikTok, Twitch, and many other extractors YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook, SoundCloud, and many other listed sites
Output formats avi, flv, mkv, mov, mp4, webm, aac, aiff, alac, flac, m4a, mka, mp3, ogg, opus, vorbis, wav 3gp, aac, flv, m4a, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, webm
Device platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Our review
Pros
  • Extracts audio and video from thousands of supported sites
  • Supports playlists, subtitles, batch files, and metadata
  • Offers extensive format selection and configurable post-processing
  • Downloads playlists, selected items, and multiple URLs from batch files
  • Supports subtitles, audio extraction, metadata, thumbnails, and format selection
  • Runs locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux with configurable filenames
Cons
  • Command-line design requires comfort with terminals or scripts
  • Maximum quality depends on formats available from each source site
  • Not designed as a hosted web service
  • The command-line workflow suits technically comfortable users best
  • The main stable release is described as old
  • Downloads depend on supported sites and available source formats
Our verdict

yt-dlp is an open-source command-line application for downloading audio and video from thousands of websites. It is intended for users who are comfortable with terminals, scripts, or command-line automation and want detailed control over…

Read the review →

youtube-dl is a free, open-source command-line program for downloading videos from YouTube and many other supported platforms. It is aimed at technically comfortable users who prefer local tools over a graphical workflow. The program runs…

Read the review →
  1. yt-dlpVideo Downloaders 9.4Free plan
  2. youtube-dlVideo Downloaders 5.3Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • yt-dlp — where it wins

    • Extracts audio and video from thousands of supported sites
    • Supports playlists, subtitles, batch files, and metadata
    • Offers extensive format selection and configurable post-processing

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line design requires comfort with terminals or scripts
    • Maximum quality depends on formats available from each source site
    • Not designed as a hosted web service

  • youtube-dl — where it wins

    • Downloads playlists, selected items, and multiple URLs from batch files
    • Supports subtitles, audio extraction, metadata, thumbnails, and format selection
    • Runs locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux with configurable filenames

    Where it doesn't

    • The command-line workflow suits technically comfortable users best
    • The main stable release is described as old
    • Downloads depend on supported sites and available source formats

More comparisons

All video downloaders comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update