NewPipe

Long-term owners

occasionally falls behind yt changes (2 years ago it was unusable for about a month)

Sep 2026 · comment

What hackers pick instead

• SmartTubeFree app that blocks YouTube ads and sponsor segments with a cleaner interface. Critics warn it was recently compromised and requires a Google account.41recommend
• FreeTubeA free YouTube desktop client with built-in ad and sponsor blocking, advanced search, and no Google account needed. Critics say its interface is weak on mobile and some videos load slowly.28recommend
• GrayjayRecommended as a single app that plays YouTube and other video sites without ads or sponsor segments, works without a Google sign-in, and can cast videos.16recommend
• YouTube ReVancedA patched YouTube app for Android that removes ads and adds features such as background playback and sponsor skipping. People recommend it for ad-free viewing and customisation.14recommend
• TubularFree NewPipe fork for Android that adds built-in SponsorBlock and ad blocking to YouTube playback. Critics say it sometimes breaks when YouTube changes and fixes come slowly.11recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 165 comments. Each links to the original.

1. I use NewPipe so I can subscribe to channels and put channels/videos into playlists, without needing to make a youtube account.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

2. 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

   Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

3. NewPipe is a YT frontend that blocks ads, allows downloading, can run in the background and is generally great.

   Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin”

4. This is basically what I do in NewPipe! Just a good ol' chronological list of my subscriptions, nothing else.

   Recommends · Jan 2026

5. Both have the option to disable shorts and also have extra stuff like SponsorBlock and ad blocking built in.

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Show HN: ShortGuard – Apple rejected my app for blocking Shorts, so here it is”

6. It takes less time to find something worth watching, and it is easier to move on to do something else

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

7. It's a distinction without a difference to me, as I am still not watching ads for youtube in the end.

   Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “YouTube now world's largest media company, topping Disney”

8. Play in background, including with screen off, and ability to download videos to watch on a plane.

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

9. On average it has always been more reliable than Newpipe. It continues to work when Newpipe fails

   Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

10. Fantastic app. I love that you can still have "subscriptions", playlists etc without an account.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin”

11. Not every week, more like a couple of times a year when YouTube makes some breaking changes.

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

12. you can subscribe to channels, create playlists etc, all without needing a Google account

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

13. Using them can be a pain with the whole cat and mouse thing, but at least it's something

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Show HN: YouTube search barely works, I made a search form with advanced filters”

14. Using NewPipe and sponsor block on PipePipe increases privacy and makes YouTube ad free

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Fingerprints are the new cookies”

15. You also get ad filtering and you can download Audio/Video streams from within the app.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent”

16. You can define of your homepage will look like, weather you want to see shorts or not

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Unsealed Court Documents Show Teen Addiction Was Big Tech's "Top Priority"”

17. It works only on Android — it's YouTube for minimalists. No Shorts, no feed, no ads.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Finland to end "uncontrolled human experiment" with ban on youth social media”

18. Newpipe is great, I tend to spend too much time on youtube. This at least limits it.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

19. occasionally falls behind yt changes (2 years ago it was unusable for about a month)

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Introducing Ad Blocker for Firefox on iOS”

20. let you create a playlist of videos and only play the audio track in the background

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

21. NewPipe (FOSS available on F-Droid) is nice alternative to ads-infested YouTube.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android”

22. It can run in the background. I use it to listen to videos before I fall asleep.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

23. No ads in layout. Better organized. Not cluttered by buttons nobody asked for.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

24. Telling people about F-Droid, NewPipe (& forks) or secuso apps will be a pain.

    Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Android: Balancing Openness and Choice with Safety”

25. Using newpipe instead of YouTube helps a lot. It makes YouTube pretty boring.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Making the Internet Boring”

26. The biggest issue with it is that watching a few videos in a row will result in YouTube soft blocking your IP for an hour or so.

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

27. nowhere near comparable experience if you want to seamlessly use your YT account across a TV + phone + computer

    Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “Men are ditching TV for YouTube as AI usage and social media fatigue grow”

28. you won't find NewPipe on the app store so updating the app is tedious for users who use it

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

29. NewPipe is quite buggy comparatively or simply not as clean in my experience

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

30. I'd often have to wait days to weeks for simple fixes to get implemented.

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

31. paying for premium for my family to get over the headache of bugs

    Criticizes · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

32. I also couldn't sync the list between multiple devices.

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

33. When you offer a free service, by definition of it being free, you can't hold consumers of that service accountable for not furthering your revenue.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Android: Balancing Openness and Choice with Safety”

34. Newpipe has been very good at playing and patching the cat and mouse games that YouTube will suddenly roll out now and again.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “YouTube Blocks Background Listening Workaround for Free Users”

35. It can sync one's YT playlists made public and open the list of playlists as main screen, that's handy for audio content.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed”

36. NewPipe/PipePipe is fast, lightweight and I couldn't care less about any "features" other than watching a video.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”

37. As recommended by https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021252 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47020412

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “YouTube Blocks Background Listening Workaround for Free Users”

38. running something like Newpipe on a kid's tablet with specific channels locked on would also interesting

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Amazon’s “digital pacifier” for toddlers”

39. You can also look at NewPipe on Android if you want an alternative YouTube app rather than web mode.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial”

40. Keeping it out of this popular option while remaining open source allows the original to be clear

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock”