Visiting YouTube through google.com exposes you to extensive tracking unless you use apps like Invidious. Software like Invidious act like buffers to support seamless YouTube viewing with minimal or no identity tracking. For a more enjoyable YouTube viewing experience, find the best Invidious alternative for your needs.
Invidious is a popular front-end alternative to YouTube. As of August 2022, there are 20+ Invidious alternatives with active domains users can access without getting tracked by Google’s cookies.
Not only can it be accessed online and self-hosted, but it also boasts client software for a range of platforms – including iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. And if that’s not enough to satisfy your tech cravings, Invidious even makes an API available for developers looking to integrate the platform into their own projects.
Many Invidious features like viewing YouTube without ads and client integration make it a top choice for users. However, in early 2020, Google started to block the main Invidious domain.
After the ban, users can only access Invidious through untrusted third-party domains. Many users don’t want to run the risk and prefer accessing YouTube through a verified Invidious alternative.
This article presents the top alternatives to Invidious, each with its own unique features and functions that may even surpass those offered by Invidious. Say goodbye to buffering and hello to seamless streaming with these top Invidous alternatives. So what are you waiting for? Give one of these alternatives a try and enjoy effortless video watching. Happy streaming!
Invidious Alternative: FreeTube
FreeTube is a popular invidious YouTube alternative. The app allows users to access YouTube content with more privacy. The app supports ad-free YouTube and stops Google’s trackers from identifying or storing your information.
FreeTube adopts a cookie shut-out system and prevents JavaScript imports too. The app is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows devices.
Many positive reviews say this app allows subscription imports and supports fast video rendering from YouTube.
Invidious Alternative: NewPipe
The NewPipe app is an open-source software with similar features available on Invidious. NewPipe client software offers handy functions like YouTube background listening, download plugin, and ad-free playback.
Apart from being suitable for YouTube, NewPipe supports video downloading from several apps.
Users can access YouTube content from an Android device. However, the NewPipe software has no Web client and isn’t available on Mac, Linux, or iOS devices.
Invidious Alternative: Hooktube
Need to share YouTube content without adding views to channels? Hooktube is the Invidious alternative with everything you need.
The app promotes a proprietary design to allow YouTube users to grab and share content anonymously. Many positive reviews identify the ability of Hooktube to see quarantined content as a major plus.
Other users say its client downloader and Web interface make it an excellent alternative to other YouTube viewing apps.
Minitube
The Minitube app allows users to stream content from YouTube and other apps through its lightweight interface. Users can access its dedicated desktop app to view YouTube content with zero ads.
Many Minitube users say the app’s non-dependence on Flash Player gives it added security and promotes privacy. The app is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac devices.
Flote
The Flote app boasts several open-source streaming tools for users to view all kinds of content. However, the app’s no-censorship template app exposes users to harassment and access to unauthorized content.
Flote is free and is available on Web, iOS, and Android.
SkyTube
The SkyTube app supports better privacy for YouTube users on Android. It allows Android users to access content with a Google account.
Its design promotes seamless views from multiple Android releases. Apart from being an Android favorite, SkyTube offers similar support for Windows to Apple TV users.
Many positive reviews of this software identify its YouTube background listening feature as a major plus. Also, other users point to content filtering and ad-free viewing as major functions.
SkyTube is a popular Invidious alternative and currently enjoys positive ratings on many review platforms.
Openwhyd
The Openwhyd app largely focuses on retrieving music and other audio content from any website. It comes with an open source design that allows seamless music discovery and promotes file bookmarking like Invidious.
Positive reviews of Openwhyd identify its ability to capture streams from YouTube and other sources as a major feature. Openwhyd is available online, on Windows, and iOS devices.
SmartTubeNext
The SmartTubeNext app offers ad-free YouTube viewing and is compatible with Smart TVs and other devices running an Android OS. Many people prefer this Invidious alternative due to its lightweight design and user-friendly interface.
Thousands of positive reviews of SmartTubeNext highlight its compatibility with several Android TV box releases. The app currently has over 6,000 favorite ratings on LibHunt.
Piped
The Piped app is designed as an Invidious alternative with user privacy in mind. Piped offers its users ad and tracking free viewing of YouTube content on several compatible devices.
The software offers users an improved interface and is one of few front-end Invidious alternatives with an attractive, easy-to-use design. Many reviews of this app highlight its downloading ease too along with seamless rendering of YouTube content.