10 Best YouTube Vanced Alternatives That are Free or Open Source

If you have ever used YouTube, you already know how unskippable ads on YouTube ruin your experience.

However, some YouTube users found a way around it. A highly popular third-party app among Android users, YouTube Vanced, offers great features like blocking video ads, background playback, customizations, black theme, and a lot more.

Why Is YouTube Vanced Banned?

The reason behind the large user base of Vanced, a YouTube alternative, is that these functionalities are not available in the official YouTube app for free. Much to the dismay of its users, YouTube Vanced APK has been discontinued this year after a legal threat from the official YouTube owning company Google itself.

Now that you cannot download YouTube Vanced, Android users need alternatives to watch YouTube videos seamlessly with advanced features. Those who have Vanced manager and microG app might be able to use it for some time. However, as the development and distribution has stopped, it is better for them to look at alternatives too.

We bring here the list of best free alternatives for YouTube Vanced app download that you can check out. The apps listed in this blog can be downloaded from their official website or third-party stores.

Free and Open-Source YouTube Vanced Alternatives for PC, Mac, iOS, Android

• NewPipe
• SkyTube
• LibreTube
• UYouPlus
• Web Extensions for Firefox/ Kiwi
• Brave Browser
• iTube
• YMusic
• YouTube Premium
• AdGuard Adblocker

There are numerous YouTube Vanced similar apps that you can check out. Some of the free and open-source options that you can use on your device instead of Vanced while streaming YouTube videos are:

• NewPipe

NewPipe is an Android-based free YouTube Vanced alternative for importing subscriptions from YouTube and watching content without ads. You can use the app without YouTube API or other Google Framework libraries, thereby ensuring privacy.

It has features to customize downloads, decrease battery consumption, provide search suggestions, and more. It also enables playback of videos shared from native YouTube app.

NewPipe Pros & Cons

Pros

• No ads with SponsorBlock
• Background playback
• Downloads in in-app or local storage
• Picture in picture mode

Cons

• Cannot sync watch history and add comments without Google account
• Not on Google Play Store, third party links can be risky

NewPipe Pricing: This is a free and open source YouTube Vanced app alternative.

Suggested Read: How to Live Stream on YouTube from a Computer or Mobile Device?

• SkyTube

SkyTube is another free and open source Android-based alternative that enables users to import their subscriptions from YouTube, create playlists and start watching videos. You have the option to whitelist or block individual YouTube channels, filter by languages, block videos with high dislikes or low views, etc., for better recommendations.

You can also view trending videos, download thumbnails and videos, check video rating, reload videos, and more.

SkyTube Pros & Cons

Pros

• SkyTube Extra supports official YouTube player & casting
• Just Read-only access to YouTube for privacy
• Lacks ads
• Bookmark videos
• Video controls for volume, speed, brightness, etc.

Cons

• Cannot sync playback history and add comments without Google account sign in
• Cannot change playback quality

SkyTube Pricing: It is free to use after downloading from F-Droid or an official website.

Suggested Read: Best YouTube Video Editing Software for Beginners

• LibreTube

LibreTube is a new privacy friendly YouTube Vanced alternative for streaming YouTube content that is under development. Instead of connecting to Google’s server directly, you can route the connection from the server you want by creating an account.

With LibreTube, you can subscribe to YouTube channels, fine tune playback controls, download content, change playback speed and video resolution, view trends, and more.

LibreTube Props & Cons

Pros

• Dark mode theme
• Built with Piped, a YouTube frontend alternative
• Frequent updates for bugs
• Lacks ads

Cons

• Currently in beta mode, glitches reported by users
• No Google account sign in

LibreTube Pricing: This is a free and open source YouTube Vanced app alternative.

• UYouPlus

UYouPlus is an iOS based free YouTube Vanced alternative that can be installed for streaming and downloading YouTube content. Among the apps similar to YouTube Vanced, it is a great choice as you can use it without jailbreaking your iOS devices.

It has features like picture in picture (PiP), SponsorBlock integration, download manager for audio, shorts, and video, background audio playback, VP9 codec, tab manager, and more.

UYouPlus Pros & Cons

Pros

• Ads-free
• Export/ share saved videos to other apps and camera roll
• Custom player
• Gesture controls
• Picture in picture mode

Cons

• Complex installation process
• Required to play video for download links

UYouPlus Pricing: It is a free YouTube Vanced alternative.

• Web Extensions for Firefox/ Kiwi

If you want to sign into your Google account while streaming videos but still want ads-free content, you can install a combination of extensions to work as an alternative for YouTube Vanced. This includes the privacy centric uBlock Origin, SponsorBlock, YouTube Enhancer, and Return YouTube add ons.

uBlock works for websites including YouTube’s website if you browse using Mozilla Firefox or Kiwi browser. Kiwi browser also has built-in hide annoying ads feature.

Web Extensions for Firefox/ Kiwi Pros & Cons

Pros

• Watch history sync and comments with Google sign-in
• No ads
• Can work with other add ons
• Blocklist for malicious links
• Create global and local rules for filters

Cons

• No app alternative
• Difficult to share videos to Kiwi browser
• Does not work with Google Chrome mobile browser

Web Extensions for Firefox/ Kiwi Pricing: Just like YouTube Vanced download, UBlock origin extension is open source and free to use.

• Brave Browser

Brave Browser is an all in one platform for watching YouTube videos without ads on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. It is similar to Chrome as it is built on the Chromium engine. It blocks malware and phishing attempts to ensure security.

However, unlike the other apps similar to YouTube Vanced, it does not have options like skipping sponsored segments, downloading videos, and more.

Brave Browser Pros & Cons

Pros

• Google account sign in
• Ads free
• Faster loading speed
• Cross platform compatibility

Cons: All webpages may not work

Brave Browser Pricing: It is free and open source YouTube Vanced alternative for use. If you opt for non-invasive ads, you will receive revenue in the form of BAT (Basic Attention Tokens) cryptocurrency.

Suggested Read: How YouTube Marketing Can Improve Your E-Commerce Sales

• iTube

ITube is a third-party free YouTube Vanced alternative that works well on both iOS and Android devices if you want to play music. You even get the lyrics for the song being played. It ensures fast loading times and reduces battery consumption. It lets you play videos in offline mode and manage playlists too.

iTube Pros & Cons

Pros

• Simple interface
• Login with YouTube account
• Bass and treble adjustment
• Background playback
• No ads
• Works with poor Internet

Cons: Does not have many features of YouTube Vanced

iTube Pricing: iTube is a free YouTube Vanced alternative.

• YMusic

If you mainly use YouTube for streaming music, YMusic can work as a great YouTube Vanced alternative for you. You can share the link of the video that you want to stream from the official YouTube app. You can also extract metadata from videos directly. It auto detects the artist and album name of any video through Last.fm integration.

YMusic Pros & Cons

Pros

• Background playback
• MP3 audio downloads in local storage
• No ads
• Customizable interface
• Home screen widgets
• Works with slow Internet connection

Cons

• No Google sign-in
• Cannot watch videos

YMusic Pricing: You can download and use it as free YouTube Vanced alternative.

Premium Vanced Alternatives

If you are willing to spend some bucks and opt for the official way to have all advanced features that you get with YouTube Vanced app download, here are some alternatives:

• YouTube Premium

If you want to get all the features of Vanced in the official YouTube app, you can opt for YouTube Premium. Many users chose Vanced due to the unavailability of YouTube Premium in their country. Indian users can subscribe to YouTube Premium to get features like ad-free streaming, offline downloads, background playback, YouTube Music premium subscription, and more.

YouTube Premium Pros & Cons

Pros

• Hassle free experience without risks of shutting down
• Support creators without watching ads
• Offline view
• Create unlimited playlists
• Access to YouTube Originals

Cons

• Lacks swipe controls, extra dark mode, and other features of Vanced
• Still need to pay for paid channel subscriptions

YouTube Premium Pricing: You can opt for prepaid or subscription plans of this alternative for YouTube Vanced. An annual plan costs INR 1290. You get 1-month free trial on subscription plans.

Monthly subscription with auto-renewal costs INR 129 and INR 139 without auto renewal. Family subscription for up to 5 members costs INR 189/ month. For eligible students, it costs INR 79/ month.

Suggested Read: Best YouTube Video Downloader Apps

• AdGuard Adblocker

If your focus is on removing YouTube ads across all platforms, you can use AdGuard Adblocker which works on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. It ensures secure browsing by blocking malicious websites and hiding your activity from web analyzers and trackers.

It also speeds up page loading for seamless experience. You can see the number of threats, ads, and trackers blocked anytime.

AdGuard Adblocker Pros & Cons

Pros

• Chrome extension for all web pages
• Parental control
• Encryption
• Can work as a VPN
• Works for both apps and web browsers

Cons: Not specifically built for YouTube

AdGuard Adblocker Pricing: License be bought for up to 3 devices in personal plan of this open source YouTube Vanced alternative at INR 59.99 per month when billed annually.

In the annual family plan, you can use AdGuard on up to 9 devices at INR 129.99 per month. Lifetime Personal plan of this alternative to YouTube Vanced starts at INR 1899.

Conclusion

It is a sad truth that YouTube Vanced APK will no longer get any developments or updates. You cannot download YouTube Vanced as the link has been removed from the official site. Once Google makes server side changes to the app, Vanced will stop working for existing users too. If you find a download link on any unofficial website, it is most likely unsafe. Hence, it is recommended that users switch to one of the YouTube Vanced similar apps or extensions to have an enjoyable YouTube experience.

Suggested Read: Best Live Streaming Software for YouTube, Facebook & Twitter

YouTube Vanced FAQs