Retro TV Guide
The most recommended of 3 YouTube TV guides
People recommend it as a fun, relaxing way to channel-surf your YouTube subscriptions instead of following the recommendation algorithm. Critics note the user experience and mobile layout need work.
People recommend it as a fun, relaxing way to channel-surf your YouTube subscriptions instead of following the recommendation algorithm. Critics note the user experience and mobile layout need work.
34 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 33
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 97%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 33 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 33 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Escapes algorithm for random viewing
“This will be the perfect thing to have in the background instead of YT recommendations.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “Tools like this that bring back the randomness of channel surfing are a nice antidote”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “This is so much better for finding random things to watch than the algo”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” - Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
- Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
- Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Apple testing new App Store design that blurs the line between ads and results”
Nostalgic retro aesthetic
“not super mobile friendly (as i’d imagine for an app made for tvs) but amazing aesthetic nonetheless”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “There is something absolutely oddly satisfying about using this app.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “I like that this one adds a classic blue cable guide though.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” - Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
- Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
Better than YouTube app
“I would instantly install and sometimes choose this over the Youtube app.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “This is so much better for finding random things to watch than the algo”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” Relaxing, reduces stress
“I love it, its now my homepage. Very relaxing..”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” “It removes a bunch of stress.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
User experience needs improvement
“That user experience needs to be improved.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide” Not mobile friendly
“not super mobile friendly (as i’d imagine for an app made for tvs) but amazing aesthetic nonetheless”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Show HN: Turn Your YouTube Subscriptions into a Retro TV Guide”
Other YouTube TV guides people recommend
The two most recommended other YouTube TV guides, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retro TV GuideThis page | 33 | 1 | 97% | 2 | — | — |
| Channel Surfer | 9 | 2 | 82% | 5 | — | — |
| ytch | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
25 of the 34 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Best feature I've seen in years!”
“My favorite part about the channels is specifically the music channels.”
“Tools like this that bring back the randomness of channel surfing are a nice antidote”
“Ahahah! This is great! I've thought so much about this before!”
“fun to explore around and stumble upon non-clickbait videos”
“I love it, its now my homepage. Very relaxing..”
“This is so much better for finding random things to watch than the algo”
“not super mobile friendly (as i’d imagine for an app made for tvs) but amazing aesthetic nonetheless”
“This will be the perfect thing to have in the background instead of YT recommendations.”
“I would 100% pay for this, as long as it let me login with my YouTube account to remove the ads.”
“this is something really cool in it of itself”
“This is mindblowingly beautiful! Thanks for making this.”
“I would instantly install and sometimes choose this over the Youtube app.”
“It removes a bunch of stress.”
“I don't see any mention of bookmarklet anywhere on the page”
“There is something absolutely oddly satisfying about using this app.”
“I like that this one adds a classic blue cable guide though.”
“This nails the core "aha moment" without unnecessary complexity.”
“This is really well done as a different take”
“Old formats are comforting.”
“But I actually love this!”
“Great idea, not going to use it a lot but great concept”
“I like that this bypasses the algorithm and lets me just watch stuff”
“That user experience needs to be improved.”
“a refreshing break from the big algoscrollers”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.