▶️ Video platforms Open source Privacy ★★★★

Invidious

Watch YouTube without tracking

Overview

Invidious proxies YouTube video without Google login—blocks ads and tracking on the official site experience.

Subscriptions, playlists, and downloads via alternative UI; many public instances for quick start.

Privacy improvement layer—not full platform exit; Google may block instances intermittently.

Scores

Privacy 4/5
Ease of use 4/5
Features 3/5
Value 5/5

YouTube — comparison

Same content, fewer ads and trackers—not a full substitute but a privacy wrapper around YouTube viewing.

Pros

  • Access to YouTube’s huge catalog
  • No ads or tracking
  • No account required
  • Lightweight on older hardware

Cons & caveats

  • Instances sometimes blocked by Google
  • Must trust instance operators
  • Uploading and commenting still need YouTube

Best for

  • Private YouTube viewing
  • Ad-blocking alternative
  • Subscription without Google account

Not ideal for

  • Creators publishing video
  • Users needing always-stable playback

Specs

Pricing
Free — Completely free. Self-hosting supported.
Difficulty
Easy
Data location
Your Invidious instance server; requests relay to YouTube for video.
Platforms
Web · Public instances · Self-hosted
Highlights
広告なしアカウント不要軽量オープンソース

Migration from YouTube

  1. 1 Bookmark a trusted Invidious instance
  2. 2 Convert YouTube channel URLs to Invidious and subscribe
  3. 3 Rebuild playlists on Invidious
  4. 4 Use browser extensions to default to Invidious when stable

Setup steps

  1. 1 Choose instance from invidious.io list
  2. 2 Search and subscribe to frequent channels
  3. 3 Organize playlists and favorites
  4. 4 Switch instance if one becomes unreliable