Youlag is a FreshRSS extension that allows you to browse your YouTube RSS feed through a modern video-centered interface. It incorporates a bunch of quality-of-life features and mobile friendly layout.
Supports both text-based and video feed content.
Why?
For those who prefer not to use a Google account to stay connected with creators, following via RSS provides a way to do so without being tied to a specific platform.
Since FreshRSS is web-based, you can access your subscriptions and playlists from any device.
Recent features:
- Add your own Invidious instance to use it as video playback source.
- Simulated “Picture-in-Picture” mode, allowing scrolling through the feed while keeping the video in the bottom corner of the page.
Other features:
- Fullscreen viewing for videos and articles.
- Familiar video layout to e.g. YouTube.
- Dark mode.
- Redesigned mobile menus for better one-handed navigation.
Note for existing Youlag users:
Youlag is now installed as a standard FreshRSS extension, and no longer uses the “User CSS/JS” method. To upgrade, please install it as with any other FreshRSS extension.
Find more details and instructions, see the repository:
How does this stand up to GrayJay with multiple devices connected sync and cross platform use?
I don’t use Grayjay myself, but I tried it a long time ago, so this what I recall.
Grayjay uses a web scraper to feed the stream into its own video player, which lets them add features such as timestamp, SponsorBlock, and background playback.
Youlag is less sophisticated as it’s solely a client‑side approach that embeds the official YouTube player. If you however add your own Invidious instance via the Youlag settings, you can play it through Invidious instead.
With Youlag in FreshRSS, everything runs in the browser, so there’s no device syncing needed. That also means it even works on iOS devices, and essentially anything that can run a modern browser.
Since it’s actually open source licensed unlike grayjay then it’s already a step in the right direction