pytubefix
Python3 library for downloading YouTube Videos.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and installs with low friction. It covers a clear use case (YouTube content download) with both sync and async APIs. Verify that your intended use complies with YouTube's terms of service before deploying in production.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires nodejs-wheel-binaries as a runtime dependency; YouTube may block or rate-limit automated downloads depending on usage patterns and account status.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution.
- Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release cycle; the project shows 1604 stars and receives regular updates.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both personal and commercial projects.
last release 2026-07-29 (16 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-09 · 1,604 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 322,348 downloads/mo, #7,614 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pytubefix
from pytubefix import YouTube
from pytubefix.cli import on_progress
yt = YouTube('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...', on_progress_callback=on_progress)
stream = yt.streams.get_highest_resolution()
stream.download()- Whether YouTube's terms of service permit automated video downloads for your intended use case
- Whether OAuth authentication actually bypasses age-restricted content restrictions or merely handles authentication
- Performance characteristics of AsyncYouTube relative to synchronous YouTube for bulk downloads
What it is and what it does
Pytubefix is a Python library that wraps YouTube's web interface to download videos, audio, playlists, and channel content without requiring API keys. It offers both synchronous and asynchronous interfaces, allowing you to fetch video metadata (title, views, likes, author, thumbnail), retrieve captions, extract chapters and key moments, and download streams in various resolutions and formats. The library depends on aiohttp for async HTTP operations and nodejs-wheel-binaries for underlying JavaScript execution, and supports Python 3.7 through 3.14.
Typical usage involves instantiating a YouTube object with a video URL, querying available streams, and downloading a specific stream to disk. The library provides convenience methods like get_highest_resolution() and get_audio_only() to simplify common tasks, progress callbacks to track downloads, and OAuth support to handle age-restricted content. For bulk operations, the asynchronous AsyncYouTube interface allows non-blocking downloads and metadata fetches within an event loop.
Use it for
- Download individual YouTube videos in highest resolution or as audio-only files for offline viewing or archival.
- Batch-download entire playlists or all videos from a channel with minimal code.
- Extract and save video captions or subtitles in SRT format for accessibility or transcription.
- Fetch video metadata (title, view count, likes, author, thumbnail URL) without downloading the full video.
- Build asynchronous download pipelines that handle multiple videos concurrently without blocking.
- Search YouTube and filter results by upload date, duration, or features like 4K or Creative Commons licensing.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and installs with low friction. It covers a clear use case (YouTube content download) with both sync and async APIs. Verify that your intended use complies with YouTube's terms of service before deploying in production.
Install
pytubefix on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance with recent commits and a stable release cycle; the project shows 1604 stars and receives regular updates.
Requires nodejs-wheel-binaries as a runtime dependency; YouTube may block or rate-limit automated downloads depending on usage patterns and account status.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both personal and commercial projects.
Quickstart
pip install pytubefix
from pytubefix import YouTube
from pytubefix.cli import on_progress
yt = YouTube('https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...', on_progress_callback=on_progress)
stream = yt.streams.get_highest_resolution()
stream.download()Verify before relying
- Whether YouTube's terms of service permit automated video downloads for your intended use case
- Whether OAuth authentication actually bypasses age-restricted content restrictions or merely handles authentication
- Performance characteristics of AsyncYouTube relative to synchronous YouTube for bulk downloads
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesaiohttpnodejs-wheel-binaries |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 16 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 322,348 / month, #7,614 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: InternetTopic :: Multimedia :: VideoTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: TerminalsTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: pytubefix-10.11.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also pytube · youtube-transcript-api · youtube_dl · subliminal · spotdl · micawber · streamlink · sphinxcontrib-youtube · ytmusicapi · python-youtube