Please note, this document is a work-in-progress. It will be updated often to keep up to date and provide as many alternatives as possible.
Why?
YouTube recently enforced a new AI-powered age-estimation and age-verification policy. The AI will look at user watch history, and attempt to guess if the user is an adult. Any user the AI deems as a non-adult will have their account locked down into teen mode unless the user can prove they are an adult via credit card or government ID.
This directory is intended to provide feasible alternatives for various platorms that are implementing similar policies that may put user's privacy and security at risk. Alternatives on this list must not have similar AI-powered age-estimation and age-verification policies, must be free or reasonably priced, and must not push AI. Some may have generative AI features, but as long as it is not actively pushing AI on users, they will be considered. Further notes for consideration will be labelled under each item as necessary.
All of the following sites have implemented or plan to implement similar policies, and should be avoided if at all possible
YouTube
Google (including Chrome, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc)
TikTok
Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Whatsapp)
Twitter/X
Bluesky (only in the UK)
Spotify
Reddit
Discord (only in the UK)
Dailymotion
Xbox (only in the UK)
Twitch (only in the UK)
Quick Reference Guide
These symbols are used to quickly communicate some basic information about the alternatives on this list.
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A thorough directory of alternatives for YouTube and Google products
In the document, click the outline button (as shown above) to view the outline of the document and skip to whatever interests you!
This document is a living document. It is constantly being updated and improved, with new recommendations and further research as needed. If you have any suggestions or corrections, feel free to let me know.
For anybody looking to replace YouTube with a frontend (or switch from one frontend to another), here's a quick pretty long tutorial (with visuals)! ⬇️
If you're switching frontends or don't care about exporting your subscriptions, then you can skip to the Picking A Frontend section.
Leaving YouTube
Leaving YouTube behind sucks because you lose all your subscriptions. But it doesn't have to suck because there's a way to export those, actually!
Google Takeout is a service Google offers that allows you to export your data from their sites.
When you open the site, most things will be pre-checked. Hit the "Deselect all" button, as we only need stuff from YouTube. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, check YouTube, and then click the "All YouTube data included" button.
This will bring up a menu where you can select what exactly you want to download. You can hit the "Deselect all" button at the top of the menu, and then select only subscriptions.
Next, hit the "OK" button at the bottom of the menu, and then click "Next step".
This will bring you to the page where you choose how to receive the file, when/how often to export, the file format, and file size. The default options should work just fine, but you can pick another destination if it's more convenient (Email, Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, etc.).
When you're done, click "Create export". Since the amount of data you're exporting is relatively small, it shouldn't take very long to receive the file. Once it arrives, download it to your device, and make note of where you saved it.
You will need to unzip the file once you've downloaded it to access the files inside. Use your file manager to unzip the folder and save it somewhere you'll be able to find it once we get to the Importing Your Data section.
Picking A Frontend
All YouTube frontends have their own pros and cons, so I'll list some of them here and you can decide what's best for your needs.
Desktop App Frontends
FreeTube
FreeTube is basically the best way to watch YouTube on any computer. It's available on Linux, Mac, and Windows. It's quite heavily customizable, and it's the only option I've listed (I believe) that has the option for parental controls and an optional password lock for the settings. It includes SponsorBlock. The feed reload times are pretty short, but the videos take a little longer to load than on some other frontends.
Browser Frontends
Invidious
Invidious currently has three public instances, but it can also be self-hosted (self-hosting is fairly resource intensive and complicated to set up). Each of the public instances are slightly different, so I'll give them their own sections. Instances and backends that are geographically closer to you tend to run better.
inv.nadeko.net — Nadeko is hosted in Chile. Accounts are supported.
yewtu.be — Yewtube is hosted in Germany. It does not allow users to make an account.
invidious.nerdvpn.de — NerdVPN is hosted in Ukraine. Accounts are supported.
The accounts you make on Nadeko and NerdVPN are different accounts and do not sync with each other. Invidious does NOT have SponsorBlock or Return YouTube Dislike. It has basically-instant feed reload times, but videos tend to take longer to load, and they might be at a lower quality and/or buffer frequently. You may also have to switch backends or instances while watching a video if you encounter an error.
Piped
I have not personally used Piped, but it seems fairly similar to Invidious. The main site is piped.video, but this instance is bugged and doesn't allow users to log in or register as of writing this. The only other instance currently up and running seems to be Private Coffee. I was able to register, however I'm getting a "sign in to confirm you're not a bot" error, so I don't know how well videos play. I also can't find an option for importing data. Piped includes SponsorBlock.
iOS Frontends
Unwatched
To be honest, I didn't know there were frontends available for iOS, but I heard this one being recommended, so I checked it out. Unwatched follows the same design structure that most iOS apps do, so it should be pretty intuitive to use if you're already familiar with iOS apps. The UI isn't very customizable, but the experience in general is. Unwatched is JUST a video player, though; you can't create playlists or read comments. The feed and videos load very quickly. Unwatched includes SponsorBlock.
Android Frontends
YouTube Revanced
YouTube Revanced is not actually a frontend, but I'm ignoring that for the sake of simplicity.
Revanced is the closest you'll get to the official YouTube app because it is the official YouTube app, just with fake Premium, SponsorBlock, and Return YouTube Dislike, as well as a lot of other QOL features that can be found in the settings. You can leave comments, post videos, scroll the Recommended/For You page, edit your channel, and everything syncs with the official YouTube app and site. You can probably get the age verification pop-up while using this app. This is NOT a good option if you're worried about privacy, as everything you do is still shared with Google.
Revanced has come under some controversy for allegedly stealing code and violating the copyright of the Morphe devs (who formerly worked on Revanced). I am keeping Revanced on this list anyway because it is still an option, as far as I'm aware.
Youtube Morphe
Morphe is not a frontend either, it is a patched version of the official Youtube app, same as Revanced. You will have to download the Morphe Patcher and a Youtube APK during the setup and for any updates down the line, but the patcher has very clear instructions on how to download that APK and the patcher does the rest for you.
Morphe has all the QOL features Revanced has, and quite possibly more. It has spoofed Premium, SponsorBlock, and Return YouTube Dislike. You can use Morphe exactly the same way you would use the official Youtube app. This is NOT a good option if you're worried about privacy, as everything you do is still shared with Google.
Flow
Flow is a relatively new contender in the YouTube alternatives ring, and I'm checking it out specifically for this post. Its main perk is that it has its own algorithm that's kept local to your device, and you can see exactly why a video was recommended to you. You can alter what the algorithm shows you through Interests and Blocked Topics in the settings. The UI is very similar to the official YouTube app, but it's not as customizable as other options on this list. There are dedicated Shorts and Music tabs, and the UI for each stays very true to its official counterpart. Flow includes SponsorBlock and Return YouTube Dislike. Both feed and video load times are very quick.
LibreTube
LibreTube is another frontend I'm looking into just for this post. The UI is more similar to the official Youtube app than NewPipe and PipePipe, but it's not as close as Flow is. You can choose whether to fetch data directly from YouTube, or to use Piped to fetch data instead. LibreTube has an option to log into a Piped account, and this will allow you to sync your subscriptions and playlists to Piped. Includes SponsorBlock and Return YouTube Dislike. I did have to uninstall and reinstall it because it wouldn't show the newest videos from my subscriptions the first time.
NewPipe
NewPipe is probably the most basic frontend on this list. It does NOT have SponsorBlock or Return YouTube Dislike. It can theoretically act as a frontend for FramaTube/PeerTube, media.ccc.de, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp as well, but I haven't tested that out. Its a very solid frontend, though it is a bit slow to refresh.
PipePipe
PipePipe is a fork of NewPipe, and it has the features other fronends have that NewPipe lacks. It has SponsorBlock and Return YouTube Dislike. It can also be used as a frontend for BiliBili and NicoNico in addition to FramaTube/PeerTube, media.ccc.de, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp. It's faster to refresh than NewPipe is, as well. This is the frontend I personally use on my phone.
Importing Your Data
Importing subscriptions and playlists from YouTube to a frontend or from one frontend to another can be a... frankly shitty process. I'm here to make that shitty process as easy as possible.
Importing to FreeTube
Open Settings, click or scroll down to Data, hit Import Subscriptions and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Importing to Invidious
Nadeko:
NerdVPN:
You must be signed in to import your data! Click the gear icon in the top right, scroll to the bottom of the settings page, click "Import/export data", click the "Browse..." button next to the "Import YouTube CSV or OPML subscriptions" option, and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Importing to Piped
Piped doesn't seem to have a way to import data at this time.
Importing to Unwatched
On the Queue page, tap the meatballs menu, then "Import YouTube Subscriptions", then hit "Select File" on the pop-up that appears and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout. You will also be able to select exactly which subscriptions you want to import.
Importing to YouTube Revanced
There's no need to import data to Revanced as you will be able to connect your Google account and retain all your data as-is.
Importing to YouTube Morphe
There's no need to import data to Morphe as you will be able to connect your Google account and retain all your data as-is.
Importing to Flow
Tap the gear icon in the top right to open Settings, scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit "Import Data", then hit "Import from YouTube" and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Importing to LibreTube
Open the kebab menu in the top right, open "Settings", hit "Backup and restore", then "Import subscriptions" and "YouTube (CSV)", and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Importing to NewPipe
On the Subscriptions page, open the kebab menu in the top right, hit "Import from", then "YouTube", then tap the "IMPORT FILE" button at the bottom of the page and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Importing to PipePipe
On the Subscriptions page, open the dropdown menu in the top right, hit "YouTube" from the "Import from" list, tap the "IMPORT FILE" button at the bottom of the page and find the "subscriptions.csv" file from the Google Takeout.
Closing Thoughts
After your data is imported to your frontend of choice, you're done! Feel free to comment on this post or DM me if you run into any issues, or if I've made a mistake in this post. Thanks for reading!
Our web searches are being filled with more and more AI-generated slop. GenAI creates misinformation that can be difficult to tell apart from the correct answer to whatever question you're looking up. GenAI mixes things up that have similar names. In one example that is especially easy to recognize, genAI has thought that a baseball team and the bird that it was named after must both be the same creature, with a bizarre combination of their eating habits and behaviors. This mistake still happens with specialized topics that could be harder for you to recognize unless if you're already very familiar with the topic in question. GenAI also makes up fake sources and facts out of thin air, and you can't tell until you try to find them somewhere else. The tech is more like advanced predictive text than something capable of research or reasoning, even though it can look enough like it that it can fool you if you don't know how to spot its mistakes.
Not only are the results of genAI unreliable, the source texts and images that they’re based on were used without permission. Sometimes they aren't modified enough to avoid plagiarism, but it's worse than that. Source images have turned out to be private medical photos and intimate personal photos that hackers had stolen and leaked to harass the people in the photos. Another reason why this technology is unethical is that each genAI query has such a high energy cost that it's significantly harmful to the environment, contributing to the climate crisis.
Here are some things that you can do when you use Google, DuckDuckGo, or other conventional general web search engines:
To turn off Google's AI Overview, set "web" as default. Here's how to do that on your devices and web browsers.
Add this string to any web search to only show results from before the genAI fad. Before:2021
Install the web browser extension uBlacklist. You give it a list of web addresses to not show you in your web searches anymore. Other people maintain lists for it that you can subscribe to so that you won’t see certain types of results in your web searches. Follow the instructions in Laylavish’s Huge AI Blocklist to subscribe to that list which will rid your web search results of AI-generated pages or images.
Since genAI slop is getting to be such a big problem on them, use alternatives to conventional general web search engines some of the time:
Use a specialized search engine instead of a general one. For example, if you only wanted to find a particular science article, there are specialized search engines that only look for those. The blog post "Skip Google for Research" has a list of specialized search engines for academics.
GenAI is notoriously bad at math because that’s too far outside the scope it was designed for: advanced predictive text. In any case, genAI is overpowered for math that is easy for computers to do. If you want to use a very advanced calculator, or even ask a math question in natural language, use Wolfram Alpha.
For questions about how to do things, look them up in WikiHow, the Youtube channel Dad, How Do I? or The Ultimate Manuals Library.
You can search within Wikipedia, but unfortunately vandals have been putting machine-generated falsehoods into it, as well as genAI images. To avoid this, use the article history to view versions of the article from before 2022.
Ask yourself if there are some topics that you often do a web search for just because you keep forgetting an answer to something. Start saving those answers in a book or file that you can refer to offline. This is called a commonplace book. For an example of one, Beth and Angel made theirs into a zine, Stuff I Often Google.
How about a completely different sort of web search than present-day Google or DuckDuckGo? Marginalia Search only brings up results that are text-heavy and similar to the web of the 1990s and 2000s. Its software is independent and open-source.
Have you been using a web search engine to take you to the websites that you visit on a regular basis? Switch to saving them in your web browser's bookmarks folder. Your web browser, Firefox, can sync your bookmarks to your other devices. If you often need to refer to a large number of static web pages (ones that don't change what is on them every day), then you can save and organize them in your Zotero, a bibliography management program. You can sort them with folders and tags so you can find them again.
what are yall using other than google now i need to expedite my switch since putting "-ai" in the search terms straight up doesnt work anymore so you cant spend the extra effort to not be accosted by the make you stupid while lying machine ... i just want to actually find my information like normal and not defund the sites giving me the right info man
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✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
FINALLY deleted google keyboard and installed the one without constant surveillance (and also disabled spellcheck which I wasn't using anyway), and let me tell you. My phone hasn't worked this fast in AGES.
Had to fight it a little to customize it for my own preferences (as all free and open source projects require you to do to some extent) & of course gboard refused to go out without kicking and screaming, but we made it.
DELETE THAT SHIT NOW. Degoogling is hard and I am personally just starting, but deinstalling its keyboard may be the single most powerful thing you, as a regular user, can do to prove your point. And have a smoother user experience and improved battery life as a bonus.
But I think we should all try and degoogle our devices as much as possible. And I mean as much as possible!!! Because google has shown itself to want to track our every move, it also implemented that shitty ai search (mass surveillance + misinformation in one, yay to ai.)
You'd be surprised by the alternatives out there, the alternatives to everything that we use normally on google, you just need to look.
Switch your browser to Firefox or DuckDuckGo, use Firefox with DuckDuckGo as an extension if you're feeling extra (this is encouraged because Firefox naturally has google as a search engine), you can use Brave too, I hear that it's good.
Stop using google docs for writing your stories, it's scraping your work. Remember those incorrect grammar corrections? Yeah. I recommend finding an alternative, there are some alternatives listed here.
That post connects to a bigger one, though it is incomplete unfortunately, though I am happy with their contribution. This is the post.
!I cannot guarantee that everything there is safe, please do your own research before downloading anything!
There is also a concern with gmail, though I at the moment do not have an alternative to that.
Disconnect yourself from the mega-corporation as much as possible, it'll do you some good to go through the effort!
