Play YouTube Shorts as regular videos and hide the Shorts tab with this YouTube-focused project.
Open source
24 alternativesFocustube
This YouTube client removes comments, Shorts, sidebars, and trackers from its viewing interface.
About Focustube
FocusTube is a YouTube client that removes comments, Shorts, sidebars, and trackers from the viewing interface. It plays video through youtube-nocookie mode, skips sponsor segments through the SponsorBlock API, and handles search and recommendations through the Invidious API without requiring a Google account.
Watch history and preferences are kept in the browser's local IndexedDB, while search, playlist, and recommendation requests are sent to public Invidious instances or a server-side provider router. The repository documents how to clone, install dependencies, and run the code locally in development and production preview modes.
Key features
- Removes comments, Shorts, and sidebar recommendations from viewing interface
- Skips sponsor segments, intros, and outros via SponsorBlock API
- Stores watch history and preferences in browser IndexedDB
- Shows home feed mixing subscribed creator uploads with new discoveries
- Plays videos through youtube-nocookie privacy-enhanced mode player
- Uses Invidious API for search and recommendations without Google account
Best for: People who want to watch YouTube without comments, Shorts, and sidebars while keeping history in the browser.
Good for
- No Google account required
- Watch history and preferences are stored in browser IndexedDB
- Skips in-video sponsor segments, intros, and outros via SponsorBlock
Watch out for
- Requires cloning the repository and running install and run commands locally
- Search and recommendations depend on public Invidious instances or provider router
- Separately hosted setup requires configuring API URL and allowed origins
Focustube at a glance
- Category
- Social & Communities › YouTube Tools
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Focustube alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
Hide selected parts of YouTube’s interface with toggles in this browser extension.
Open source
24 alternatives
yt-local provides a local browser interface for browsing and playing YouTube videos.
Invidious Instances lists public instances of the Invidious alternative YouTube frontend and links to their uptime history.
Watch YouTube Shorts through the normal desktop interface with this Chromium and Firefox extension.
Open source
24 alternatives
UnTrap removes YouTube distractions and filters page elements, letting users adjust the viewing layout to focus on selected content.
Popular in YouTube Tools
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Focustube FAQ
Do I need a Google account to use FocusTube?
No. The documentation states no Google account is required, with history and preferences stored in the browser.
Where is watch history stored?
In the browser's local IndexedDB. The provider router forwards requests to public Invidious instances without storing responses or watch history.
How do I run it locally?
Clone the repository, run npm install, then npm run dev and open http://localhost:5173, or npm run build and npm run preview for a production build preview.
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