Riplox vs MeTube:
phone to PC, without Docker.
Both are free, open source and built on yt-dlp. Both let you send a video link from your phone and have the computer download it. The difference is what you have to run to get there — and there is one job MeTube does better, which is further down this page.
Free · Windows 10 & 11 · Open source (GPL-3.0)
The four ways to do this
Every option below is free. They differ in what you install and how many steps stand between you and the file.
| Riplox | MeTube | yt-dlp Web UI | Seal / YTDLnis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you install on the PC | A Windows installer, or a portable build | Docker or Docker Compose | A self-hosted server | Nothing — plus a transfer tool |
| Sending from Android | Built-in Share menu | No native path | Phone browser | App's own Share target |
| Sending from iPhone | Not yet | A third-party Shortcut | Phone browser | Android only |
| Steps to get the file on the PC | One — share it | One, once it is running | One, once it is running | Two — download, then transfer |
| Uses the phone's storage and data | No | No | No | Yes, for every file |
| Runs a server / opens a port | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Account needed | No | No | No | No |
| Pairing is end-to-end encrypted | Yes | Your own network exposure | Your own network exposure | n/a |
| Where it runs | Windows 10 & 11 | Anywhere Docker runs — NAS, Linux, Mac | Anywhere the server runs | Android |
| Licence | GPL-3.0 | Open source | Open source | Open source |
MeTube's installation methods are taken from the project's own documentation, which lists Docker and Docker Compose and no plain executable. Checked September 2026.
Where MeTube is the better choice
If you already run Docker, or you want this on a NAS, a Raspberry Pi, a Linux box or a Mac, MeTube is the right answer and Riplox is not an option at all. Riplox is a Windows program. MeTube runs anywhere a container runs, it has been maintained for years, and its browser interface works from any device on the network without pairing anything.
It is also the better fit if you want the download queue to live on a machine that is always on, separate from the computer you actually use.
The honest summary: MeTube is a self-hosted service. Riplox is a desktop app. If you want a service, use MeTube. If you want a program you install on your Windows PC and forget about, that is what Riplox is for.
Where Riplox is the better choice
The gap is setup and the phone. MeTube's own documentation lists two ways in, Docker and Docker Compose, and getting a link there from a phone means opening your PC's local address in the phone's browser — or installing a Shortcut somebody else wrote, on iOS only. There is no Android share target.
Riplox installs the way any Windows program installs. You pair the phone once, and after that Riplox is in the Android Share menu next to everything else. You share a link and the PC starts downloading. Nothing to run, nothing to keep running, no address to remember, no port opened on your router, and the pairing itself is end-to-end encrypted. Only the link travels — the video is never sent between the two devices, because the PC fetches it directly.
What about downloading on the phone instead?
Seal and YTDLnis are good Android apps and they are genuinely easy — the link goes straight into the app from the Share menu. The catch is where the file ends up. It lands on the phone, using the phone's storage and the phone's data, and then you still have to move it to the PC with Quick Share or LocalSend. For a short clip that is fine. For a 4K video or a whole playlist it is the slow way round.
What they have in common
All four are free, none of them charge for a "pro" tier, and all of them use yt-dlp underneath — which is why they all support roughly the same list of sites. Riplox keeps its copy of that engine updated from inside the app, so a site changing how it serves video does not mean waiting for a new release.
Get Riplox Desktop
Free, open source, Windows 10 and 11. No account, no caps, no ads.