youtube-dl

Spec sheet

Purpose

youtube-dl is a command-line program for downloading videos from YouTube and other supported sites.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Free plan

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Support

The project homepage directs users to its support page and lists an IRC channel for contact.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

License

The project says it is released to the public domain and may be modified, redistributed, or used freely.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Batch downloads

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Device platforms

Windows,macOS,LinuxRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Download controls

Options include rate limits, retries, fragment handling, and external downloaders such as aria2c, ffmpeg, wget, and curl.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Embedding

The README includes instructions for embedding youtube-dl in other Python programs.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

File naming

Output templates can use video metadata to name files and create directory paths.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Installation

Installation options include Unix command-line downloads, a Windows executable, pip, Homebrew, and MacPorts.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Integrity checks

The download page provides SHA256 checksums and instructions for verifying signatures with GPG.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Output formats

3gp,aac,flv,m4a,mp3,mp4,ogg,wav,webmRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Platform support

The program is not platform specific and the project says it should work on Unix, Windows, and macOS.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Playlist controls

Options include selecting playlist items, choosing whether to download a playlist, and filtering video selection.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Playlist downloads

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Project team

The About page lists Remita Amine as a core developer and names Ricardo Garcia Gonzalez as the original author.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Release

The download page lists version 2021.12.17 as its release and provides its download files.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Runtime

The program requires Python 2.6, 2.7, or 3.2+ except for the Windows executable, which includes Python.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Subtitle downloads

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Supported sites

The project publishes an alphabetical list of supported site extractors.Read 11 Oct 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Supported sources

YouTube,Vimeo,Dailymotion,Facebook,SoundCloud,and many other listed sitesRead 21 Sep 2026 · ytdl-org.github.io

Video quality

By default, youtube-dl tries to download the best available quality, and users can select formats explicitly.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

Every youtube-dl plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Video Downloaders#27 of 1358.5