Invidious

An alternative YouTube front end without ads or tracking, with subscriptions that need no Google account and an audio-only mode.

25.8k stars, 2.9k forks Crystal On GitHub since February 2018

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Invidious?

Invidious lets you watch YouTube videos through your own server or a public instance, without ads, tracking or required JavaScript. Subscriptions are kept independently of Google, with notifications for channels you follow, comments, light and dark themes and a customizable homepage. You can import subscriptions and history from YouTube, NewPipe and FreeTube, export your data, and use a developer API. It does not use the official YouTube APIs. Weblate volunteers have brought the interface to 48 languages.

Good fit if

  • You want YouTube without ads or a Premium subscription, and without Google profiling your viewing.
  • You want to share a private, lightweight front end with family or friends.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want to host and stream your own video files instead of YouTube content: Jellyfin.

Before you adopt it

Invidious is AGPL-3.0, has no paid parts, and the README states there is no contributor agreement to sign. One maintainer writes most of the recent commits. Docker Compose runs it with PostgreSQL.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

Invidious health: is it still maintained?

76 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    95 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 3 November 2026.
    24 / 30
  • Contributors
    8 people wrote the 95 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 81% of them.
    13 / 20
  • Releases
    7 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v2.20261103.0, on 3 November 2026.
    17 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 60% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 10 hours.
    17 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5 of 10.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 3 November 2026. How the score works

Invidious license: is it open source?

Invidious uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. February 2018First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayAGPL-3.0.

How to run Invidious yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 2 services (postgres)
Setup effort
2 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
48 languages

Install instructions: invidious.io or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to Invidious

  • JellyfinThe Free Software Media System - Server Backend & API 94 health · GPL-2.0 · 59k stars
  • SRSSRS is a simple, high-performance, AI-driven real-time media server supporting RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV,… 74 health · MIT · 29.4k stars
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  • NavidromeYour Personal Streaming Service 85 health · GPL-3.0 · 24.5k stars
  • AudiobookshelfSelf-hosted audiobook and podcast server 83 health · GPL-3.0 · 14.9k stars

All 8 projects in Media servers & streaming

Questions about Invidious

Is Invidious open source?

Yes. Invidious is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Invidious still maintained?

Its health score is 76 of 100 (actively developed). It had 95 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 3 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 3 November 2026.

How do I run Invidious?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to Invidious?

Close alternatives in the Media servers & streaming category include Jellyfin, SRS, Kodi.