# WriteFreely vs youtube-dl

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | WriteFreely | youtube-dl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 65/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 24 in Blogging | #6 of 12 in Video |
| GitHub stars | 5 276 ✓ | 402 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.17.2 · 10 Aug 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

WriteFreely scores 65/100 against 51/100 for youtube-dl, so it is the safer default.

WriteFreely ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for youtube-dl.

If you want the quickest setup, youtube-dl is easier to run; WriteFreely needs more configuration.

WriteFreely is growing faster right now (+19 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [WriteFreely](https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely.md)
- [youtube-dl](https://selfhost.directory/project/youtube-dl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/youtube-dl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/writefreely-vs-youtube-dl