YDL-UI

If you ever need to download something from YouTube or another video hosting website, the youtube-dl command-line utility is almost guaranteed to get the job done. However, it is not the most intuitive program out there, so you might be interested in a GUI for the popular downloader.

YDL-UI is a very good option, allowing you to use the most popular youtube-dl features from a novice-friendly GUI. It is quite versatile and also enables you to create and load presets.

As you are probably well aware, there are countless applications and web services that can be used to download videos from YouTube and other video hosting websites. Some are more useful than others, but none of them offer all the features included in youtube-dl, which is also free and open-source.

The downside, of course, is that this command-line application is not exactly suitable for novices. If you can find an easier way to generate the commands required to process URLs, however, this is the best utility for the job.

From the start, YDL-UI’s design is worth appreciating. The main functions and settings are all listed in the General tab for easy access, but their layout is not at all confusing.

You can, for instance, choose the preferred resolution and frame rate, set up a file naming template and use filters to determine which videos from a playlist should be downloaded.

The program provides access to some more advanced workarounds supported by youtube-dl. For example, you can use a proxy, even if it requires authentication, and limit the download rate.

While there are plenty of similar applications to choose from, we feel that YDL-UI is definitely worth a try. It offers more features than most youtube-dl GUIs while still being intuitive, and it can be used to download videos from a wide range of websites.