Parabolic: yt-dlp desktop and browser frontend for downloading video and audio

Parabolic wraps yt-dlp in a cross-platform graphical interface

Parabolic is a desktop application and browser extension that provides graphical interfaces to yt-dlp, the popular video and audio downloader. It is a powerful frontend for yt-dlp with support for hundreds of sites. Instead of writing command-line flags and options, you select settings in a GUI and paste a URL.

Parabolic is written in C# using .NET 10 and ships in multiple forms: a GNOME desktop application (Gtk4), a Windows application (WinUI), and browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. The same core download logic runs across all platforms, providing consistent behavior whether you use the desktop app or browser extension.

Installing Parabolic via Flathub, GitHub releases or building from source

On Linux, the recommended installation method is Flathub at org.nickvision.tubeconverter, which includes one-click install buttons for desktop environments that support Flatpak.

On Windows and macOS, download the latest version from the GitHub Releases page. Installers are available for both platforms without additional setup required.

Browser extensions are available for Firefox via Mozilla's add-ons store. For Chrome, see the extension folder in the repository for manual installation instructions. Parabolic also accepts translations via Weblate and is available in multiple languages, making it accessible to international users.

If you prefer to build from source, Parabolic requires .NET 10 and platform-specific dependencies: gettext (all platforms), Gtk4 and libadwaita (GNOME), and WindowsAppSDK (Windows). Once dependencies are installed, run:

dotnet run --project Nickvision.Parabolic.GNOME

for the GNOME version, or:

dotnet run --project Nickvision.Parabolic.WinUI

for Windows. The project is actively maintained with regular releases; recent versions include v2026.5.0 from 2026-05-24 and v2026.4.1 from 2026-05-01.

Downloading video and audio in multiple formats with concurrent processing

Parabolic can download content in multiple video and audio formats: mp4 and webm for video, and mp3, opus, flac and wav for audio. This flexibility lets you choose the format that fits your use case, whether you want maximum compatibility (mp4), web-optimized formats (webm), or audio-only extraction (mp3 or opus).

The tool supports concurrent downloads, allowing you to queue multiple URLs and process them in parallel without running separate application instances. This is more efficient than starting Parabolic multiple times for batch downloads.

Parabolic can also download associated metadata and video subtitles, which is useful for archiving video content with context, or extracting subtitles for accessibility or translation purposes. The interface includes separate sections for adding new downloads and viewing active download progress, with details on each download's status.

Hundreds of supported download sites via yt-dlp

Parabolic is fundamentally a wrapper around yt-dlp, which supports hundreds of websites. A full list of supported sites is available in the yt-dlp repository. This means Parabolic can download from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and countless other platforms that yt-dlp supports.

The scope of supported sites depends entirely on yt-dlp's capabilities. As yt-dlp adds support for new sites, Parabolic automatically gains support for those sites without requiring an update. Conversely, if a site changes its API and yt-dlp's maintainers have not yet updated support, downloads from that site may fail.

GNOME and Windows native interfaces with dark mode

Parabolic provides native desktop interfaces optimized for each platform. On Linux, the GNOME version uses Gtk4 and libadwaita for a modern, responsive interface that fits GNOME's design language. On Windows, the WinUI version uses Microsoft's Windows App SDK for native Windows integration.

Both interfaces include dark mode support. The README includes screenshots showing the home page, active downloads view, dark mode appearance, and add-download dialog for both GNOME and Windows implementations.

Legal considerations and community

A legal disclaimer notes: Videos on YouTube and other sites may be subject to DMCA protection, and the authors of Parabolic do not endorse or take responsibility for use of the application in ways that violate copyright laws.

Parabolic is licensed under the MIT license and follows the GNOME Code of Conduct. The project hosts community discussion on Matrix at the #nickvision channel. Contribution guidelines in CONTRIBUTING.md cover reporting bugs, suggesting features, contributing code, and improving documentation.

The project is actively maintained, with the last push on 2026-06-29. The development environment uses a monorepo structure with separate projects for GNOME and Windows interfaces, both sharing core download logic written in C# on .NET 10. This architecture allows the same downloading and processing pipeline to serve multiple platforms while keeping the UI layer platform-specific.

Editorial conclusion

Use Parabolic if you download video or audio from websites regularly and want a GUI instead of command-line yt-dlp. Skip it if you prefer the command line or need advanced yt-dlp configuration options not exposed by the GUI. Start by installing from Flathub on Linux or from GitHub releases on Windows/macOS, then paste a video URL to test.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. License: MIT
2. NickvisionApps/Parabolic on GitHub
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases