The popular free ad-blocking hacked YouTube app, Vanced, is now dead. On March 13, 2022, Vanced officially announced that it will be shutting down YouTube Vanced after a legal threat from Google. While the app continues to work on the devices it is currently installed in (and can also be downloaded from the website for a few more days), the app will be removed from the web in the coming days.
Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website will be taken down. We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it’s something we need to do. Thank you all for supporting us over the years.
— Vanced Official (@YTVanced) March 13, 2022
NewPipe
NewPipe is also a Vanced-like service for YouTubers, who get free access to all the videos on Android smartphones. NewPipe offers premium features like play content in the background, ad-free video streaming, an option to download the videos, and picture-in-picture mode is available as well. Since NewPipe is not linked to Google in any way, you cannot play content from the middle, and even the user interface will probably take you a while to get used to.
The app provide options like subscribing to the channel, bookmarking videos, creating custom playlists, and much more without a Google account or even requiring you to sign in to Google. You can try the NewPipe app on your Android smartphone by downloading the app using the link given below (or download it using the F-Droid app store):
SkyTube
SkyTube is another alternative to Vanced that offers its services without having to sign in to your Google ID. The content will stream ad-free and users can subscribe to the channels, create a playlist as well and even block the channels which you don’t want to see on the feed.
It comes in two variants. One is “SkyTube Extra” which packs closed libraries and supports the official YouTube player and casting. The other is a completely open-source variant that’s published on F-Droid, though it’s slower to update (the team says up to five days for an update) and obviously lacks those additional features.
However, no matter which you choose, you’re getting video downloading, background playback, video blocking, no advertisements, and a whole lot more. SkyTube is also available on F-Droid, though you’ll need to download SkyTube Extra from the team’s own website.
YMusic
If you primarily use YouTube Vanced for streaming music, then you’ll love the YMusic app. YMusic is much closer to YouTube than NewPipe. You can stream music on the app, which might sound limiting to some of a few, but the option to play music, that too without ads, and in the background is probably something that most of us would happily get. Add to that, YMusic gives you the download option.
Moreover, it works with the YouTube app so you can directly. Just share the link to YMusic from the official YouTube app and the video will start streaming in the background.
LibreTube
LibreTube is an interesting YouTube app as it’s currently in beta, and it shows. However, it still has some crucial features that may entice you to try it out. One of the most interesting things about LibreTube is that it uses Piped, so you don’t ever connect directly to Google’s servers. There’s a server in between you and Google (and LibreTube lets you select from a few). You can register an account on that server if you want to subscribe to channels, but you’re not subscribing on any Google-affiliated service.
LibreTube is currently available on GitHub Only
Kiwi Browser
Kiwi is a unique browser among the myriad of browsers on Android. It is the only Chromium-based browser on Android that supports a wide range of desktop Chrome extensions. It is also open-source and is in continuous development. You can use an ad blocker like AdGuard or uBlock Origin to access YouTube ad-free. To get even closer to the Vanced experience, you can also install SponseBlock, Enhancer for YouTube and Return YouTube Dislike. You can also install several other YouTube enhancement extensions such as Turn Off the Lights for a comfortable video viewing experience or GIFit! to make GIFs from YouTube videos, and more. If you want a Vanced-like YouTube browsing experience, this setup is as close to the Vanced experience as it gets.
Download the browser from the Play Store
Brave Browser
The brave browser comes with a default ad-blocker out of the box. The browser is not as versatile as the Kiwi browser and won’t let you install extensions but it gets the job done as a basic YouTube browser to provide you with an ad-free YouTube browsing experience. The Brave browser is also open-source and can be installed on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac as well.
Download Brave Windows | Android | iOS