Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to A Chrome extension to give you back control over short-form videos
Hi HN! I built this little extension to prevent, in my opinion, the most offensive anti-pattern used by tech companies. That is removing the seek bar in short-form videos. The "seek bar" is the bar at the bottom of a video that progresses as you play the video, and that you can click on or drag to skip around. Why companies ever thought it was a good idea to get rid of this I don't know, but I find it infuriating, so I decided to add it back for myself and thought others might like it too. ReelControl adds a progress bar and seeking capabilities to videos on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and…
ReelControl is a Chrome extension that restores seek bar functionality to short-form videos on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels. These platforms removed the progress bars that let users skip around videos… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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Stop Reels▲163Hey HN, I just launched a free Chrome extension called Stop Reels — it blocks Reels/short videos on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, without breaking other features like messaging or the regular feed. Why I built it Like many people, I found myself endlessly scrolling Reels even when I only opened the apps for something specific. The algorithms are too good at hijacking attention. There are tools to block entire sites, but none I found that just surgically block Reels and Shorts — and leave the rest of the platform functional (DMs, posts, marketplace, etc). So I built…
2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 2YB
Hi HN! Since Youtube no longer allows AdBlockers, I built my own extension to get around their video ads. If there is an ad it temporarily manipulates the video; Mutes the volume, sets speed to 10x, and skips it if there is a button. Chrome Webstore link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ad-accelerator/gpbo... Code: https://github.com/rkk3/ad-accelerator
2023 · its alternatives →
- 3
I wanted to find a way to use Instagram without ending up scrolling for two hours every time I open the app to see a friend's story. Most screen time apps I found focus on blocking the app itself instead of the addictive feed, so I created this app to allow me to keep using the "healthy" and "social" features and block the infinite scrolling (Reels) After implementing the block on Instagram Reels, I got addicted to YouTube Shorts and Reddit feed. So, I extended the app to cover these as well. To avoid replacing the scrolling for regular feeds, I also added a feature that shows a pop-up when…
2025 · scrollguard.app · its alternatives →
- 4
Remove Shorts videos from YouTube
2022 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 5
UNDOOMED▲298Stop doomscrolling. A mute button for Reels, Shorts & feeds.
2025 · undoomed.app · its alternatives →
- 6WC
Hi all, I'm an indie hacker and I've been working on watchlimits.com over last couple months. It's a chrome extension that helps you set limits (greatly customizable) and provides you stats and various accountability features. It only runs on the video streaming platforms (not everywhere) and it's privacy centric. Almost all functionality is available for free, but some advanced features only available in the paid version (password protection, allowed youtube channels). It's a pretty niche tool that originated from my own occasional struggles (lost sleep anyone?), even though many people…
2022 · watchlimits.com · its alternatives →
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- 8CP
Hi HN, I recently released a new browser extension for YouTube, which in addition to the table stakes of hiding the existence of Shorts, hiding promoted content, automatically skipping ads, hiding useless/unused UI elements, hiding unwanted channels YouTube keeps recommending to you, letting you hide algorithmic suggestions etc. etc., makes other changes I've always wanted as a user, in the same vein as one of my other extensions, Control Panel for Twitter. The most significant of those is attempting to make your Subscriptions page more like an Inbox, by hiding videos you've already…
2024 · its alternatives →
- 9
Remove YouTube recommendations, comments, and more
2019 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 10
- 11
Video Roll▲62Web Extension, Chrome Extension, add-ons, rotate video
2023 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 12AB
2021 · tabfloater.io · its alternatives →
- 13
Stop your fingers from taking you to the wrong website
2020 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 14
Youtube Shorts are pure evil. It just distract me whenever I open Youtube, I'll always waste my time in it and forget why I opened it. So I made a extension for myself and it works well, Still there is no improvement in my productivity but I'm not distracted. I made it for myself and personally using it, if you like you can use it too. I made it open-source, if you like it give a star -Vick
2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 15
I am neurodivergent and noticed the Youtube Shorts format was hacking my brain to engage longer than I wanted. I wrote this quick extension to gain my time back. If you have suggestions for improvement, I'm all ears. Thank you :)
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 16
ScrollToll▲77Counts every Reel you watch, then locks the app.
Aug 2026 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
- 17
- 18BA
2020 · baitblock.app · its alternatives →
- 19
PiP Cue▲58PIP video controls and captions for any site
May 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 20
Safari extension to improve video playback on the web.
2019 · camdenfullmer.com · its alternatives →
- 21
Take control of your feed and eliminate distractions
Sep 2026 · waafaa.com · its alternatives →
- 22
Take back the controls while watching YouTube Shorts
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Block Reels, Shorts with surgical precision. Keep the rest.
Jun 2026 · reelkill.thermalstudios.xyz · its alternatives →
- 24
keeps your eyes glued to the youtube video
2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →