Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Extension that plays only the audio, blocking the video, on YouTube
I have made a browser extension that plays only the audio, blocking the video on YouTube, YouTube Music and all embedded YouTube videos in third party sites. It can also hide the thumbnails and avatars and skip the ads. It is compatible with Chrome, most of the Chromium browsers and Firefox. Additionally, it can be installed in smartphones using the Kiwi browser that supports extensions from the Chrome Web Store. I released the extension back in October, 2019 but from now the source code is available on GitHub as well.
This browser extension for Chrome, Chromium-based browsers, and Firefox disables video playback on YouTube, YouTube Music, and embedded YouTube videos while allowing audio to play. It can hide thumbnails and avatars… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Extension that plays only the audio, blocking the video, on YouTube launched in 2024; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
- 1YB
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 →
- 2
Block video playback on YouTube
2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 3
A distraction-free way to listen to music
2019 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 4
The best way to listen to music on Youtube
2019 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 5
2016 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →
- 6
- 7
PlayTube▲69Makes YouTube into great music streaming service (chrome)
2014 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 8
YTMP▲104Play YouTube videos as audio in background without ads
2021 · ytmp.itsvg.in · its alternatives →
- 9
Play youtube audio on background and save bandwidth
2018 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 10
Control YouTube from anywhere in your browser.
2020 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 11
- 12
An awesome audio & video transcription tool for Chrome
2021 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 13
Watch your YouTube homefeed without the distractions
2022 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 14
Skip non skippable ads on your desktop YouTube for free
2023 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 15
- 16
Remove YouTube recommendations, comments, and more
2019 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 17
Block (Some) YouTube Pre-Roll Video Ads. Contribute to KyleBenzle/DotYouTube development by creating an account on GitHub.
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 18
Skip Silence 3▲116Skip silence in audio and video online
2020 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 19
Block youtube ads, text, popup videos automatically
2021 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 20
Chrome extension to block images on webpages with a simple click. The extension helps reduce distractions and improve page load times by controlling when images are displayed. - kirill-markin/chrome-auto-image-blocker
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 21
Listen to any song with your streaming subscription
2017 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →
- 22
Hide spoilers, profanity, politics, distractions by keywords
Nov 2025 · filter-everything-online.com · its alternatives →
- 23MA
Here is the backstory: I used to use YouTube Music, but then I deleted my Google account. I didn't want Spotify because I hate it for various reasons, and at the same time I wanted to show off my programming skills. So here we are. --- On the client: solidjs + tailwindcss + minisearch. IndexedDB as the database. One web worker to download audio to OPFS. Another web worker for indexing with minisearch. On top of this a service worker to precache static assets and make the app work offline. On the server: bun + astro + sqlite + ffmpeg. Full-text search is implemented with fts5. Astro Actions…
2025 · mayo.clumsy.fish · its alternatives →
- 24
This extension will replace videos on websites with a custom one that use download acceleration to prebuffer as you watch. It works on most websites, including Youtube. Fortuitously, it is also able to bypass Youtube's anti-adblock shenanigans. I started this project in high school to fix the terrible video players used on most websites. Since then, I've received a lot of feedback from my users and FastStream has improved significantly. Now that most bugs have been ironed out, I think I am ready to share it here on HN. It is still undergoing rapid development (multiple releases every week),…
2023 · faststream.online · 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 →