What is yt-dlp used for?

yt-dlp is a command-line audio and video downloader, forked from youtube-dl, that supports thousands of sites and offers extensive format and output controls. It is a good fit for archiving online video and audio locally, scripting batch downloads, and embedding downloads into Python applications.

Is yt-dlp open source?

Yes. yt-dlp is open source under the Unlicense. Its source code is on GitHub at yt-dlp/yt-dlp and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. yt-dlp is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What are some alternatives to yt-dlp?

Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include Beets, MeTube and HomeTube. SaaS products in the same category include Downlodr, Blerbz and CastPlus.

Is yt-dlp actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to yt-dlp was on 27 September 2026, and the latest release is 2026.08.19, published on 19 August 2026. The project has 195k stars on GitHub.

yt-dlp: open-source media & streaming

About yt-dlp

yt-dlp is a command-line program for downloading audio and video from thousands of websites. It started as a fork of youtube-dl and builds on the inactive youtube-dlc project, and it is written in Python. It is released under the Unlicense, a public-domain dedication, so it can be used, modified and embedded without restrictions.

The tool offers a large set of options covering network settings, geo-restriction workarounds, video selection, filesystem and thumbnail handling, subtitles, authentication and post-processing. Users can filter and sort formats, define output filename templates, modify metadata and use SponsorBlock options. Plugins extend its behavior, and the project can be embedded in other Python programs.

Installation options include a platform-independent zipimport binary that needs Python, a standalone Windows executable, pip and third-party package managers. Settings can be stored in configuration files, and credentials can be supplied through netrc. It suits people who archive media, write download scripts or integrate downloading into their own tools.

Key features

Downloads audio and video from thousands of sites
Flexible format filtering and sorting
Output filename templates
Subtitle, thumbnail and metadata handling
SponsorBlock options for skipping segments
Plugin system and embeddable Python API
Configuration files and netrc authentication

Good fit for

→Archiving online video and audio locally
→Scripting batch downloads
→Embedding downloads into Python applications

Built with: Python
Tags: video-downloader; audio-downloader; cli; python; youtube-dl; download; command-line; media

yt-dlp: questions and answers

What is yt-dlp used for?: yt-dlp is a command-line audio and video downloader, forked from youtube-dl, that supports thousands of sites and offers extensive format and output controls. It is a good fit for archiving online video and audio locally, scripting batch downloads, and embedding downloads into Python applications.
Is yt-dlp open source?: Yes. yt-dlp is open source under the Unlicense. Its source code is on GitHub at yt-dlp/yt-dlp and is written mainly in Python.
Is yt-dlp free?: Yes. yt-dlp is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What are some alternatives to yt-dlp?: Similar open-source tools in the Media & Streaming category include Beets, MeTube and HomeTube. SaaS products in the same category include Downlodr, Blerbz and CastPlus.
Is yt-dlp actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to yt-dlp was on 27 September 2026, and the latest release is 2026.08.19, published on 19 August 2026. The project has 195k stars on GitHub.