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6 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to YouTube

The best open-source alternatives to YouTube are PeerTube, MediaCMS and Invidious.

About YouTube: Google's video sharing and streaming platform.

Every option below is free to self-host and ranked by GitHub stars, so you can move off YouTube without giving up the features you rely on.

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    PeerTube

    Chocobozzz/PeerTube

    Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.

    Media ServersTypeScript
  2. Rank 2:

    MediaCMS

    mediacms-io/mediacms

    Modern, fully featured open source video and media CMS, written in Python/Django/React, featuring a REST API.

    Media ServersPythonDocker
  3. Rank 3:

    Invidious

    iv-org/invidious

    Alternative YouTube front-end.

    Media ServersCrystalDocker

Why switch

Why teams move off YouTube

Self-hosting is not only about saving money. These are the reasons people make the switch.

  • Own your data

    Your data lives on a server you control, not on YouTube's infrastructure. No surprise policy changes and no lock-in.

  • No per-seat pricing

    Open-source alternatives to YouTube are free to run for as many users as your server can handle. A small VPS often costs less than a single subscription.

  • Customize and extend

    Read the code, add plugins, connect it to your own tools and automate it through open APIs. When you need a feature, you can build it or fund it.

Full ranking

All 6 YouTube alternatives

Ranked by GitHub stars. Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    PeerTube

    Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.

  2. 2

    MediaCMS

    Modern, fully featured open source video and media CMS, written in Python/Django/React, featuring a REST API.

  3. 3

    Invidious

    Alternative YouTube front-end.

  4. 4

    Owncast

    Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options.

  5. 5

    Tube Archivist

    Organize, search, and enjoy your YouTube collection. Subscribe, download, and track viewed content with metadata indexing and a user-friendly interface.

  6. 6

    MeTube

    Web GUI for youtube-dl, with playlist support. Allows downloading videos from dozens of websites.

FAQ

YouTube alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open-source alternative to YouTube?

PeerTube is the most popular open-source alternative to YouTube, with 15,345 GitHub stars. MediaCMS and Invidious are also strong choices. Compare features, license and recent activity to find the best fit for your team.

Is there a free alternative to YouTube?

Yes. All 6 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can run a YouTube replacement without per-user fees. You only pay for the server, and a small VPS is usually enough for personal use or a small team.

Can I self-host an alternative to YouTube?

Yes. MediaCMS, Invidious and Tube Archivist ship a Docker image, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose in a few minutes. Your data then stays on hardware you control.

How do I migrate from YouTube?

Start by exporting your data from YouTube, then check the import options of the app you pick, since many projects ship importers for popular formats. Run both side by side for a week before you switch so nothing is lost.