Our verdict: Parabolic puts a clean window on top of yt-dlp, so you can download video or audio by pasting a link instead of typing commands. It runs several downloads at once and saves subtitles and metadata. The installer is large, and downloading from some sites may break their terms.
About Parabolic
Parabolic, previously called Tube Converter, is a graphical front end for yt-dlp, the command-line tool that supports hundreds of video sites. On Windows it uses a native WinUI interface; on Linux it has a GNOME version.
Paste a link, pick the format and quality, and Parabolic downloads it as MP4, WebM, MP3, Opus, FLAC or WAV. It can fetch subtitles and metadata, download only a time range, and run several downloads at once. Browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome send links to the app.
What it does well
- yt-dlp inside. Downloads from the hundreds of sites that yt-dlp supports.
- Audio and video formats. Saves MP4, WebM, MP3, Opus, FLAC and WAV.
- Concurrent downloads. Runs several downloads at the same time.
- Subtitles and metadata. Saves subtitles and embeds metadata into the files.
- Time range downloads. Cuts only a chosen part of a video with ffmpeg.
Who it is for
Good fit
People who want yt-dlp's site support without using the command line.
Look elsewhere
Users with little disk space or slow connections, since the installer is over 200 MB.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source
- Simple window over yt-dlp
- Many audio and video formats
- Browser extensions
Cons
- Large installer (over 200 MB)
- Site changes can break downloads until yt-dlp updates
- Downloading may violate some sites' terms
How to install Parabolic
The button downloads the 64-bit Windows installer from the official GitHub release; portable and ARM64 builds are on the same page. The developers note that videos may be protected by copyright, so download only what you are allowed to.
Questions about Parabolic
Is Parabolic free?
Yes. Parabolic is open source under the MIT license.
Which sites does Parabolic support?
It supports the sites that yt-dlp supports, which number in the hundreds.
Can Parabolic save only the audio?
Yes. Choose MP3, Opus, FLAC or WAV as the format.
