Description
yt-dlp is the best video downloader there is, but it is a command line: you memorize flags, the progress bar bounces between the video and audio streams, and you still hunt for the file afterwards. TBD wraps it in a native Mac window: paste a link, press return, and the file lands in Downloads. If a video link is sitting on your clipboard the field offers it in one click, and the thumbnail and title show up in about 200 ms.
The nicest touch is your phone drives, your Mac works. Turn on Remote Control, scan the QR code, and any phone, tablet or borrowed laptop on the same Wi-Fi opens the same web UI, pastes a link, and your Mac does the downloading, then hands the finished file back over HTTP with nothing installed on the phone. The port stays closed until you ask for it, and launching the app opens none. No account, no telemetry, no ads, licensed AGPL-3.0, and it needs macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon.
One field:Paste and press return, hit the global shortcut Option-Command-V to download whatever is on the clipboard, or right-click a link in Safari and use the Services menu.
A bar that only moves forward:Video, audio and merge phases are weighted into one progress bar with a steady countdown, filling the whole row capsule as it goes.
Phone remote:A scan-and-go web UI that installs as a PWA and pulls the finished file back to the phone over HTTP.
Formats and subtitles:MP4 with quality choice and H.264 preferred so QuickTime plays it, audio as lossless-remuxed M4A or MP3, and subtitles embedded as a track.
Queue and playlists:Two at a time by default, playlists open a picker for all, some or just the linked video, with pause and resume.
Library:Survives restarts with thumbnails, reveal in Finder and download again, plus a size estimate and a duplicate warning before you start.
Self-updating:The app, yt-dlp and FFmpeg each check once a day so yt-dlp does not go stale.
The nicest touch is your phone drives, your Mac works. Turn on Remote Control, scan the QR code, and any phone, tablet or borrowed laptop on the same Wi-Fi opens the same web UI, pastes a link, and your Mac does the downloading, then hands the finished file back over HTTP with nothing installed on the phone. The port stays closed until you ask for it, and launching the app opens none. No account, no telemetry, no ads, licensed AGPL-3.0, and it needs macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon.
Features
One field:Paste and press return, hit the global shortcut Option-Command-V to download whatever is on the clipboard, or right-click a link in Safari and use the Services menu.
A bar that only moves forward:Video, audio and merge phases are weighted into one progress bar with a steady countdown, filling the whole row capsule as it goes.
Phone remote:A scan-and-go web UI that installs as a PWA and pulls the finished file back to the phone over HTTP.
Formats and subtitles:MP4 with quality choice and H.264 preferred so QuickTime plays it, audio as lossless-remuxed M4A or MP3, and subtitles embedded as a track.
Queue and playlists:Two at a time by default, playlists open a picker for all, some or just the linked video, with pause and resume.
Library:Survives restarts with thumbnails, reveal in Finder and download again, plus a size estimate and a duplicate warning before you start.
Self-updating:The app, yt-dlp and FFmpeg each check once a day so yt-dlp does not go stale.
