The popular Vanced service for blocking ads in YouTube videos has shut down. It announced this to users on its Discord server and has already removed links to its app from the official website. These are the best free app-based alternatives: NewPipe, SkyTube, and LibreTube.
NewPipe
The New Pipe app is the standard alternative and has been around longer than the mentioned Vanced service. It is completely free, it is an “open source” project, and it also offers background video playback, a “picture in picture” feature, and even video downloading. Developers are constantly bringing new features and also focusing on user privacy.
One downside is that you cannot sign in with a Google account. So if you want YouTube without ads thanks to New Pipe, your account will be signed out. You can still share individual YouTube videos to the New Pipe app for playback as usual. There is also a New Pipe alternative that integrates the Sponsor Block feature. You can find the app at the following link.
SkyTube
Another practical alternative is SkyTube. This app is available in two versions. One of them is SkyTube Extra, which includes proprietary libraries and even supports the official YouTube player and video casting. The second version is “open source” and is published via the F-Droid portal. However, this is an app with slower updates (once every five days).
Whichever version you choose, you get background playback, video downloading, ad blocking, and more. You can download SkyTube from the mentioned F-Droid page. The SkyTube Extra app is available at the following link.
LibreTube
LibreTube is also interesting because it is still in development. However, a beta version is already available, offering several key features to try right away. One of them is using an external server. That means that when you use the app, you never connect directly to Google's servers. LibreTube even offers a choice of multiple external servers.
On an external server, you can register an account and subscribe to channels, but this way you are not logging into any service linked to Google. Using this app and the external server is aimed more at computers, but it could be a solid foundation for creating a mobile client in the future. You can LibreTube download it via GitHub.
Kiwi Browser, SponsorBlock, Return YouTube Dislike, uBlock
If you don't want to use individual third-party apps, you may appreciate a specific web browser such as Kiwi Browser. It lets you install useful extensions and provides its own environment for YouTube. It is a browser based on Chromium, developed by XDA-Developers Senior member arnaud42.
The browser supports various desktop extensions, such as SponsorBlock (blocking sponsored segments), Return YouTube Dislike (the Dislike button), as well as others like uBlock or YouTube Enhancer. These extensions work surprisingly well, even if they do have some imperfections. For proper functionality, you need to use YouTube in “Desktop” mode.
When it comes to the videos themselves, you get HD YouTube video playback without ads and without sponsored spots. There’s also the return of the Like/Dislike button with the number of votes, and a plus is the option to sign in to YouTube using your Google account. On the other hand, the downside is that sharing videos is a bit more demanding, and also the absence of the “picture-in-picture” mode.
The Kiwi Browser is also useful on its own and offers other practical extensions for both desktop and smartphone. If you’re a casual user and only need ad blocking, the uBlock Origin extension for the competing Firefox browser will also serve you well.
Official paid YouTube Premium service package
Of course, you can still use the paid YouTube Premium service too (family package, 10.99 € / month). This package offers ad-free video playback on all devices, including smart TVs, as well as the ability to run the app in the background with the display turned off (applies to the YouTube apps, as well as YouTube Music).
Did you use the Vanced app?
Will you try one of the alternative apps from today’s article too? If you have any other questions, feel free to write them below in the discussion under the article. Follow our China Planet website, subscribe to updates, and join us on Facebook and also on our YouTube channel, where we’re preparing more interesting video reviews for you.
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