The Google Chrome extensions store has utilities for all occasions. In this article, we decided to tell you about handy extensions for YouTube.

You can use them to download videos, change player settings, hide ads and much more.

In this article we will briefly describe the functions of these utilities and why they are needed.

vidIQ Vision for YouTube

Author: vidiq.com

An extension from vidIQ service for YouTube video optimization. Allows you to select successful tags, create a description, analyze your competitors and estimate how ready your video is for promotion.

‘Improve YouTube! (Video & YouTube Tools)

Author: improvedtube.com.

A comprehensive extension that allows you to customize your YouTube player.

Here are just a few of its features (there are more than 40 in total):

• setting the size of the player;
• Ability to automatically hide some elements, such as annotations, comments, chat during live broadcasts;
• H264 codec to speed up video loading;
• keyboard shortcuts setting;
• screenshots;
• default playback speed setting;
• blue filter for eye relaxation.
• *Analogue – Enhancer for YouTube.

Video Downloader Plus

Author: vidow.io

Utility for downloading videos in MP4, FLV, HD, MP3 formats. Works not only with YouTube.

*Analogue – Video Downloader professional.

PocketTube: Youtube Subscription Manager

Author: yousub.info

Allows you to organize your YouTube subscriptions into convenient folders categorized.

YouTube™ Auto HD

Author: ExtApp Team

Automatically sets up playback of HD videos. Can be set to show in 720p, 1080p, 4K, 8K. Great for when internet connections cause the player to tune videos up to minimum quality so you’ll need to tune them down manually.

*Analogue of Auto HD/4k/8k for YouTube.

Easy PiP

Author: Joannes Ferrara

This utility enables picture-in-picture mode. You can browse other sites and videos from YouTube will be shown in a separate window in the corner. In YouTube itself, this mode is only available when surfing through the video hosting site. If you go from it to another site, you can only listen to the audio, without the picture. Easy PiP solves this problem.

Hide YouTube Comments

By Michal Stankoviansky

Automatically hide comments below videos. Useful if you do not want to waste time reading other people’s opinions under videos. There is a nuance – there is no button to enable comments again. If you need them, you will have to disable or delete the extension.

*This feature is in the ‘Improve YouTube!’ extension, but if you only need to hide comments without extra functions, this utility will be enough.

YouTube Time

By Chris Smith

A utility to combat procrastination. How much time have you been wasting on YouTube videos without realizing it? This extension allows you to set the time you need to use the video hosting service. For example, 1 hour per day. A timer will appear on the YouTube page, which will show how much time you have left to watch. When the time runs out, the utility will block the hosting site from your side.

*You can set your time for each day of the week. For example, more on weekends and less on weekdays.

However, this has a disadvantage – if you urgently need to watch a video for work or study, and time is up – you’ll have to go into the settings and change the limits. Or disable the extension.

Looper for YouTube

Author: alvinhkh.com

The extension activates the button under the video, which allows you to enable automatic repeat playback.

By default, the repeat button on YouTube (without extensions) appears in the last seconds of the video. In the video itself, not below it. You don’t always manage to click it in time. If autoplay is set up, then after the previous video is over the next one is launched automatically, and this one can be completely irrelevant to your interests. Moreover, it clogs up the viewing history. This is annoying. With the extension the same video is played again and again, until you disable the button or switch to another video manually.

*All in all, it’s amazing that YouTube developers haven’t thought of adding such a button to the functionality themselves. Maybe they will in the future.

Color Changer for YouTube

Compiled by: youtubecolorchanger.com

The extension allows you to customize any theme color from the palette. By default, there are only 2 themes in YouTube: light (white) and dark (dark gray).

P.S. Most of the extensions have analogues that you can find in the “Related” section (the ribbon below the main extension). Or by similar names. You can choose among them optimal in quality and features, if you do not suit the extensions from our list.

Conclusion

Extensions allow you to customize YouTube to your liking, rather than waiting for the developers of the video hosting to add the desired feature. Of course, extensions alone won’t fully cover your need for functionality – some utilities just haven’t been invented yet. But the Chrome store is constantly adding new extensions and improving old ones.