What is ChannelTube?

ChannelTube is a self-hosted application for downloading content from YouTube channels on a recurring schedule. It uses yt-dlp to fetch videos or audio from specified channels, with configurable format selection, subtitle handling, and automatic yt-dlp updates. The web UI runs on port 5000 for managing channel subscriptions and sync schedules. Optional integration with Plex and Jellyfin triggers library scans when new content arrives. It runs as a Docker container configured via environment variables for user/group IDs, format preferences, threading, and scheduling.

Should you self-host ChannelTube?

ChannelTube scores 47/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #31 of 45 in Download Management. It has 333 GitHub stars.

It shipped 16 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v0.9.10, came out on 27 October 2026. New versions land roughly every 5 days.

Setup is easy: most people get it running in one sitting. An official Docker image is available. It is GPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in Python.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is cobalt (83/100, 45 586 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See ChannelTube vs cobalt side by side.