What is SponsorBlock used for?

SponsorBlock is a crowdsourced browser extension that automatically skips sponsor segments, intros and other marked sections in YouTube videos. It is a good fit for watching YouTube without sponsor interruptions and reusing segment data in other video players.

Is SponsorBlock open source?

Yes. SponsorBlock is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ajayyy/SponsorBlock and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Is SponsorBlock free?

Yes. SponsorBlock is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host SponsorBlock?

Yes. SponsorBlock can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to SponsorBlock?

Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include Return YouTube Dislike, Piped and Invidious. SaaS products in the same category include Antatube, Vevo and YouTube Music.

Is SponsorBlock actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to SponsorBlock was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.1.7, published on 13 July 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.

SponsorBlock: open-source media & streaming

About SponsorBlock

SponsorBlock is an open-source browser extension that skips sponsored segments in YouTube videos. Viewers submit the timestamps where a sponsor appears, and the extension then jumps past any segments already recorded by the community. Besides sponsors, it can skip other categories such as intros, outros and reminders to subscribe.

The extension is available for Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, Edge, Android and Safari on macOS and iOS, and it also works with Invidious. Third-party ports exist for players and devices such as MPV, Kodi and Chromecast. The submission database is publicly downloadable, and a documented API lets other projects reuse the data.

The extension is written in TypeScript and licensed under GPL-3.0 or any later version. The backend server is developed in a separate repository, and the project accepts translations and contributions, with build steps described in its contributing guide. The hosted service and database are run by the maintainer at sponsor.ajay.app.

Key features

Skips community-submitted sponsor segments automatically
Also skips intros, outros and subscribe reminders
Works in Chromium browsers, Firefox, Edge and Safari
Supports Invidious front ends
Public database and documented API
Viewers can submit new segment timestamps

Good fit for

→Watching YouTube without sponsor interruptions
→Reusing segment data in other video players

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: youtube; browser-extension; adblock; sponsorblock; crowdsourced; chrome-extension; firefox-extension

SponsorBlock: questions and answers

What is SponsorBlock used for?: SponsorBlock is a crowdsourced browser extension that automatically skips sponsor segments, intros and other marked sections in YouTube videos. It is a good fit for watching YouTube without sponsor interruptions and reusing segment data in other video players.
Is SponsorBlock open source?: Yes. SponsorBlock is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ajayyy/SponsorBlock and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is SponsorBlock free?: Yes. SponsorBlock is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host SponsorBlock?: Yes. SponsorBlock can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to SponsorBlock?: Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include Return YouTube Dislike, Piped and Invidious. SaaS products in the same category include Antatube, Vevo and YouTube Music.
Is SponsorBlock actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to SponsorBlock was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.1.7, published on 13 July 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.