ClipGrab

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to ClipGrab

A curated collection of the 3 best self hosted alternatives to ClipGrab.

ClipGrab is a desktop application for downloading and converting online videos from popular websites into formats such as MP4, WMV, OGG and MP3. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and supports URL or built-in search downloads with format and quality options.

Alternatives List

#1
YoutubeDL-Material

YoutubeDL-Material

Self-hosted web interface for managing video/audio downloads using youtube-dl, with a Material Design UI, queue management, and an optional public API.

YoutubeDL-Material is a self-hosted web application that provides a modern Material Design interface for downloading and managing video and audio via youtube-dl. It combines an Angular frontend with a Node.js backend and can run as a standard Node app or via Docker.

Key Features

  • Material Design web UI with light/dark themes
  • Download management for video/audio with progress and history
  • Server-side processing that can use common helpers such as FFmpeg
  • Optional MongoDB database backend for improved scaling over JSON-based storage
  • Public REST API with API key support (can be enabled in settings)
  • Docker and Docker Compose deployment support

Use Cases

  • Centralized media downloading tool for a home server or NAS
  • Managing larger download libraries with a database-backed catalog
  • Automating downloads or integrating with other tools through the public API

Limitations and Considerations

  • Functionality depends on external download tools (for example youtube-dl) and their ongoing compatibility with target sites
  • Some advanced post-processing features may require optional system dependencies (for example FFmpeg)

YoutubeDL-Material is well-suited for users who want a browser-based downloader with a clean UI, queue/history management, and optional API/database features for more advanced setups.

3.1kstars
327forks
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#2
HomeTube

HomeTube

Self-hosted web interface to download videos and playlists via yt-dlp, process them, and auto-organize into Plex/Jellyfin-ready folders.

HomeTube is a self-hosted web app that helps you download single videos or playlists from many supported sites and organize them into a media-server-friendly library structure. It is designed for homelabs where downloads should land directly in folders scanned by Plex, Jellyfin, or similar tools.

Key Features

  • Web-based UI to download individual videos and playlists
  • Playlist synchronization with ID-based tracking to handle renames and reordering
  • Automatic organization and configurable destination folder structures
  • SponsorBlock integration to skip or mark sponsor/ads segments on supported sources
  • Cookie-based authentication support for improved reliability and access to restricted content
  • Advanced processing options such as clipping, format conversion, subtitle embedding, and audio extraction
  • Quality selection strategies with modern codec prioritization and fallback profiles
  • Support for custom yt-dlp arguments and network options (for example proxies and rate limits)

Use Cases

  • Build a personal, curated offline video library managed by Plex or Jellyfin
  • Keep educational or reference playlists mirrored locally with incremental updates
  • Download and post-process videos (clip, convert, add subtitles) for archiving or playback

Limitations and Considerations

  • Download reliability and available formats depend on upstream platforms and often require cookies for best results
  • Sponsor skipping/marking depends on community-provided SponsorBlock segments and is primarily effective for YouTube

HomeTube is a practical tool for homelabs that want a simple UI on top of yt-dlp with strong library organization and playlist tracking. It fits well when you want downloads to be automatically placed and named for seamless media server ingestion.

591stars
23forks
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#3
ydl_api_ng

ydl_api_ng

Self-hosted HTTP API wrapping yt-dlp for automated video/audio downloads, presets, queue management, hooks and scheduled recordings.

ydl_api_ng is a Python-based HTTP API that exposes yt-dlp functionality for automated downloading and processing of online media. It provides preset-driven configurations, a queue system, optional Redis-backed scheduling, and browser integration via a userscript.

Key Features

  • REST API to enqueue and manage downloads with preset parameter files
  • Full compatibility with yt-dlp options through a flexible parameter system
  • Presets and parameter metadata files generated for easy customization
  • Queue management with optional Redis backend for worker coordination
  • Programmation (scheduling) system for recurring or timed recordings (requires Redis)
  • Hooks for progress and postprocessing to run custom Python scripts during downloads
  • Docker and docker-compose support plus a systemd service file for non-container deployments
  • Browser userscript to trigger downloads from visited pages and integrate presets
  • Configurable UID/GID for filesystem permissions and volume mappings for downloads, params and logs

Use Cases

  • Archive channels, playlists, or livestreams on a schedule for media preservation
  • Provide an internal API for on-demand media downloads and format extraction for other services
  • Integrate browser-based download buttons for team members via the provided userscript

Limitations and Considerations

  • Scheduling/programmation features require Redis to be enabled; without Redis scheduling is not available
  • Precise start times for scheduled jobs have a small known timing drift (about -1 minute tolerance)
  • Many postprocessing features depend on external tools (for example, ffmpeg) and a compatible yt-dlp installation
  • User management is disabled by default; enabling token-based access requires additional configuration

ydl_api_ng is suited for self-hosted environments where automated, configurable media acquisition is required. It emphasizes scriptable presets, extensibility via hooks, and production-ready deployment options via Docker or systemd.

226stars
26forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running