The research shortlist
Page updated
Open Video Downloader Top pick
Cross-platform GUI for yt-dlp
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Rank 1 for Pulltube users: the closest polished GUI replacement, with strong current maintenance, broad yt-dlp coverage, and simple macOS installation for both CPU architectures.
A polished Tauri desktop interface for downloading video, audio, subtitles, and metadata from hundreds of sites. It offers quality controls, playlists, queues, browser-cookie support, automatic updates, and current Intel and Apple Silicon macOS DMGs.
- 01 Video, audio, subtitle, and metadata downloads
- 02 Quality, format, playlist, queue, and filename controls
- 03 Intel and Apple Silicon macOS DMGs plus Homebrew installation
- 04 Automatic app and yt-dlp updates
- The documented feature set does not include Pulltube-style built-in trimming.
- Downloads are subject to the source site's terms and applicable law.
Evidence sources (12)
- Official Open Video Downloader repository Source available ·
- AGPL-3.0 license file License ·
- Official project homepage and download page Website ↗ ·
- Latest official release with macOS DMGs Release ·
- Official project icon Screenshots ·
- Official product mockup Screenshots ·
- Official product screenshot Screenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub license metadata License ·
- Latest GitHub release Release ·
- Latest macOS release asset Free at review time ·
- Official Snapcraft publisher listing states Open Video Downloader is free and fully open source Free at review time ·
ytDownloader
Free GUI video and audio downloader
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Rank 2 for its proven community, active release cadence, and broad Pulltube-like feature set. macOS usability is weaker than Open Video Downloader because the app is unsigned and requires Homebrew yt-dlp setup.
Full review — capabilities, 2 caveats, evidence
A mature Electron app built around yt-dlp for downloading from hundreds of sites. It adds playlists, subtitles, audio extraction, GPU-assisted compression, and range selection, with current Intel and Apple Silicon macOS releases.
- 01 Hundreds of supported sites through yt-dlp
- 02 Video/audio downloads, playlists, subtitles, and range selection
- 03 Hardware-accelerated video compression
- 04 Apple Silicon and Intel macOS DMG releases
- 05 No ads or trackers
- macOS requires removing the quarantine flag and installing yt-dlp with Homebrew.
- The documented range-selection workflow is less polished than a dedicated trim editor.
Evidence sources (10)
- Official ytDownloader repository Source available ·
- GPL-3.0 license file License ·
- Official ytDownloader homepage Website ↗ ·
- Latest official release with macOS assets Release ·
- Official Apple Silicon macOS download Free at review time ·
- Official project icon Screenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub license metadata License ·
- Latest GitHub release Release ·
- Latest macOS release asset Free at review time ·
yt-dlp
Feature-rich command-line video and audio downloader
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Rank 3 as the most capable and trusted underlying downloader, but below the GUI alternatives because it requires terminal-based workflows and manual composition of trimming or post-processing commands.
Full review — capabilities, 3 caveats, evidence
The strongest maintained downloader engine for macOS, with thousands of supported sites, format selection, playlists, subtitles, metadata, audio extraction, and FFmpeg post-processing. It is CLI-first, so it lacks Pulltube's native GUI.
- 01 Thousands of supported sites and extractors
- 02 Format selection, playlists, subtitles, metadata, and audio extraction
- 03 Universal standalone macOS executable or Homebrew/MacPorts installation
- 04 FFmpeg-based merging and post-processing
- 05 Frequent stable, nightly, and master releases
- No native graphical interface.
- FFmpeg and, for full YouTube support, a JavaScript runtime are recommended dependencies.
- Standalone bundled binaries include third-party components with additional licenses.
Evidence sources (10)
- Official yt-dlp repository Source available ·
- Unlicense file and public-domain dedication License ·
- Latest official release Release ·
- Official universal macOS standalone executable Free at review time ·
- Official macOS Homebrew and MacPorts installation documentation Documented macOS path ·
- GitHub REST repository API Source available ·
- GitHub license metadata License ·
- Latest GitHub release Release ·
- Latest macOS release asset Free at review time ·
- Project homepage Website ↗ ·
Specifications, side by side
| Attribute | 1 · Open Video Downloader | 2 · ytDownloader | 3 · yt-dlp |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0-only | Unlicense |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Status | Checked | Checked | Checked |
| Version | vapp-v3.2.1 | v3.22.0 | v2026.07.04 |
| Stars | 9.0k | 10.2k | 185.3k |
| Last push | |||
| Caveats | 2 | 2 | 3 |
About Pulltube
Pulltube — Save, trim, and convert online videos and playlists on Mac.
Setapp listing: Download and trim videos
