AppGrabbit vs Stacher (2026)
the same yt-dlp underneath; what changes is what you can do after downloading.
Updated: October 2026 · 6 min read
Stacher and AppGrabbit are both interfaces for yt-dlp: underneath, they download with the same engine. Stacher wins on freedom: it exposes yt-dlp's options, uses your browser cookies and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, with a free standard version and no cap. AppGrabbit wins on what comes after downloading: it transcribes and subtitles with AI on your PC, converts, cuts, follows channels and puts a button in your browser, for 1 credit per video with 5 free a month (Pro USD 8.99 a month or a 7-day pass for USD 3.99). If you only want to download and you like configuring, Stacher. If you want to download and also get text, subtitles or a format for editing, AppGrabbit.
Feature comparison
| Feature | AppGrabbit | Stacher |
|---|---|---|
| Download engine | yt-dlp + FFmpeg, inside the installer | yt-dlp + FFmpeg, installed at startup |
| Runs on | Windows 10/11 | Windows, Mac and Linux |
| yt-dlp options of your own | No: you pick quality and format from a list | Yes: exposes many flags and settings |
| Price | 1 credit per video, 5 free a month; Pro USD 8.99 a month or a 7-day pass for USD 3.99 | Standard free with no cap; paid mode with extras (confirm at stacher.io) |
| Private videos or cookies | Doesn't read cookies or sign in | Can use your browser cookies |
| Transcribing with AI on your PC | Yes: .txt with a prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini | No |
| Subtitles with AI | Yes: .srt, .vtt, .txt or burned into the video | No (only downloads the subtitles the site has) |
| Converting your own files | MP4, MP3, WAV, ProRes, DNxHR, HEIC, WebP | Only what yt-dlp converts while downloading |
| Cutting a clip | Yes, with Pro or the pass | Yes, through yt-dlp options |
| Following channels (Watch) | Yes, free | No |
| Extension for Chrome, Edge and Brave | Yes, free | No |
| Watermark | Never | Never |
| Forced annual plan | None: monthly or a pass | Depends on the paid mode |
Sources: stacher.io · AlternativeTo · Stacher. Read in October 2026; the price of Stacher's paid mode changes, so confirm it there.
The same engine, two ideas of an interface
Stacher is yt-dlp with a window: almost everything you can ask yt-dlp for on the command line, you can tick there, which is why people recommend it to anyone coming from the terminal who doesn't want to leave it completely. AppGrabbit hides yt-dlp: you pick the quality from a list and the app decides the format. Less control, fewer questions. Both install yt-dlp and FFmpeg for you and keep them updated; AppGrabbit also ships the PO token component YouTube has required since 2025.
What decides it: what you do with the video afterwards
If the video is the end of the road, Stacher does the job. If the video is the beginning (getting the text of a class, subtitling a clip for TikTok, converting it to ProRes for DaVinci, cutting one minute out), AppGrabbit does it in the same app and on your PC: Whisper runs on your computer and the audio never leaves. Stacher doesn't transcribe or subtitle; at most, it downloads the subtitles the site already has.
Price
Stacher standard is free with no download cap; the paid mode adds a media library, a player, themes and priority support, and its price is best checked at stacher.io because it changes. AppGrabbit Free comes with 5 credits a month (1 credit is one video, one batch of up to 10 links, one transcript or one converted file) and 1 more every 48 hours when you hit 0; Pro is USD 8.99 a month, monthly only, and the 7-day pass is USD 3.99 with no renewal. For downloading a lot and nothing else, Stacher comes out free; for downloading and working on the video, AppGrabbit comes out cheaper than adding up three programs.
When to use Stacher
When you use Mac or Linux. When you want yt-dlp flags of your own or cookies for content behind your account. When you download hundreds of videos and don't want credits in the way.
When AppGrabbit is the better choice
When besides downloading the video you need its text or its subtitles without uploading anything to the internet; when you want to convert to ProRes or DNxHR for editing; when you prefer a list of qualities to a screen of options; and when you want to follow channels or download from your browser with a button.
Only downloading, with fine control: Stacher. Downloading and then transcribing, subtitling, converting or cutting, all on your PC: AppGrabbit, 1 credit per video with 5 free a month, Pro USD 8.99 a month or a 7-day pass for USD 3.99, and never a watermark.
Frequently asked questions
The standard version is, with no download cap. There's a paid mode with extras (media library, player, themes, priority support); the price changes, so check it at stacher.io.
For downloading, yes: both use yt-dlp and FFmpeg underneath. They part ways on the rest: Stacher exposes more yt-dlp options and runs on Mac and Linux; AppGrabbit is Windows only, runs on credits on Free, and also transcribes, subtitles, converts and cuts.
Stacher can use your browser cookies because it exposes that yt-dlp option. AppGrabbit doesn't read cookies or sign in: public content only.
Both update yt-dlp. Stacher installs it at startup; AppGrabbit checks at startup and every six hours, and also updates the whole app in the background.
Never, on any plan. What changes between Free and Pro is the number of credits and the Pro features (playlists, batches with no cap, clips, burning subtitles).
Stacher. AppGrabbit builds the request for you and doesn't take loose parameters.
Related guides
The same yt-dlp, plus what comes after
Windows 10/11 · transcribes, subtitles and converts on your PC · 1 credit per video, 5 free a month