# NewPipe 113 Hacker News commenters recommended NewPipe and 23 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 13 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** A free, open-source Android YouTube app that blocks ads, plays in the background, downloads videos and keeps subscriptions without an account, though YouTube changes periodically break it. ## Why people recommend it - Blocks ads (8 comments): "NewPipe is a YT frontend that blocks ads, allows downloading, can run in the background and is generally great." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49308003)) "Both have the option to disable shorts and also have extra stuff like SponsorBlock and ad blocking built in." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46989159)) "It's a distinction without a difference to me, as I am still not watching ads for youtube in the end." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47781718)) - Less distracting, no Shorts or algorithm (7 comments): "This is basically what I do in NewPipe! Just a good ol' chronological list of my subscriptions, nothing else." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46520980)) "It takes less time to find something worth watching, and it is easier to move on to do something else" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021493)) "You can define of your homepage will look like, weather you want to see shorts or not" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46904845)) - Subscriptions and playlists without account (3 comments): "I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858772)) "Fantastic app. I love that you can still have "subscriptions", playlists etc without an account." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49311361)) "you can subscribe to channels, create playlists etc, all without needing a Google account" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47022925)) - Background playback and downloads (5 comments): "NewPipe is a YT frontend that blocks ads, allows downloading, can run in the background and is generally great." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49308003)) "Play in background, including with screen off, and ability to download videos to watch on a plane." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021788)) "You also get ad filtering and you can download Audio/Video streams from within the app." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48020938)) ## What people warn about - Breaks when YouTube changes things (6 comments): "newpipe used to work great for me. but for the past month or so I can't watch a video without being prompted to sign in" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021381)) "Not every week, more like a couple of times a year when YouTube makes some breaking changes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47023019)) "Using them can be a pain with the whole cat and mouse thing, but at least it's something" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47656108)) - Buggy, fixes can be slow (3 comments): "NewPipe is quite buggy comparatively or simply not as clean in my experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49862645)) "I'd often have to wait days to weeks for simple fixes to get implemented." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858116)) "paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025113)) - Android only, not in app stores (2 comments): "Telling people about F-Droid, NewPipe (& forks) or secuso apps will be a pain." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47450079)) "you won't find NewPipe on the app store so updating the app is tedious for users who use it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49860665)) - No cross-device sync (2 comments): "nowhere near comparable experience if you want to seamlessly use your YT account across a TV + phone + computer" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47612727)) "I also couldn't sync the list between multiple devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49859031)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [SmartTube](https://hackerapproved.com/p/smarttube.md): 41 recommend - [FreeTube](https://hackerapproved.com/p/freetube.md): 28 recommend - [Grayjay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grayjay.md): 16 recommend - [YouTube ReVanced](https://hackerapproved.com/p/youtube-revanced.md): 14 recommend - [Tubular](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tubular.md): 11 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "NewPipe", https://hackerapproved.com/p/newpipe/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).