MeTube vs ytdl-sub
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
MeTube
Web UI for downloading video from YouTube and many sites
VS
ytdl-sub
Subscribe to and download media into a self-hosted media library
| Feature | MeTube | ytdl-sub |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,837 | ★ 2,952 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | YouTube Premium | YouTube Premium |
What are MeTube and ytdl-sub?
MeTube
MeTube is a self-hosted web GUI for yt-dlp that lets you download videos and audio from YouTube and hundreds of other sites. Downloaded files can be served directly or added to a media library.
- yt-dlp web interface
- Supports hundreds of sites
- Format and quality selection
- Queue management
ytdl-sub
ytdl-sub is a tool built on yt-dlp that downloads videos, podcasts, and music from subscriptions and formats them with metadata and thumbnails for Plex, Jellyfin, or Kodi. It turns online channels into a self-hosted library kept up to date automatically.
- Subscription-based downloading
- Media server metadata formatting
- yt-dlp powered
- Recurring sync
MeTube vs ytdl-sub: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for MeTube versus GPL-3.0 for ytdl-sub. MeTube has the considerably larger community, at 14,837 GitHub stars versus 2,952.
Why pick each one
Choose MeTube if…
- Very easy to use
- Lightweight container
Watch out for
- Not a full media server
- Download-focused only
Choose ytdl-sub if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is MeTube or ytdl-sub better?
MeTube is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ytdl-sub if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MeTube and ytdl-sub free and open-source?
Yes. MeTube is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ytdl-sub under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MeTube and ytdl-sub with Docker?
MeTube: yes. ytdl-sub: yes.