ByClick Downloader is a Windows-focused YouTube downloader with a popup-on-browser-detection workflow. Its Premium page controls the live price and unlocks gated features such as playlist/channel downloads, HD downloads, subtitles, and ads-free use. Arroxy is a free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop GUI built on yt-dlp, cross-platform on Windows + macOS + Linux. Both target the paste-a-URL desktop flow, but the browser hooks and feature gating are very different.
TL;DR
- Pick Arroxy if you want free + open-source + no paid feature gate, Winget install on Windows, cross-platform reach, and 2000+ sites via yt-dlp.
- Pick ByClick Downloader if you specifically want the browser-detection popup (Chrome / Firefox / Edge / IE) and you’re fine paying for Premium to unlock HD/4K/8K and batch features on Windows-only.
- Both have a free tier. ByClick’s free tier is restricted; Arroxy’s “free tier” is the whole app.
Definition blocks
ByClick Downloader — Proprietary commercial app from EZ Soft Solutions. Free tier with limits; Premium pricing is published on ByClick’s Premium page and changes with promotions. Premium unlocks playlist/channel downloads, HD downloads, subtitles, ads-free use, and extra conversion features. Windows is the primary platform; a macOS build is referenced. Sites covered: YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youku, plus “40+ sites” per the official copy. Audio formats: MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A. Browser detection across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE. Direct EXE installer distribution; not on Winget at the time of writing.
Arroxy — Free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop app from antonio-orionus. No paid tier, no bundled offers, no paid feature gates. Available on Windows 10/11, macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon + Intel), and Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, tar.gz). Distributed via Winget, Scoop, Homebrew Cask, AppImage, Flatpak, and GitHub Releases. Built on yt-dlp, auto-fetched at runtime. 21 UI languages. Optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Arroxy | ByClick Free | ByClick Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | Free, with limits | Verify on official site |
| License | MIT (open source) | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Source on GitHub | Yes, full repo | No | No |
| Platforms | Windows + macOS + Linux | Windows (Mac mentioned) | Same |
| Engine | yt-dlp (auto-fetched at runtime) | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Site coverage | 2000+ via yt-dlp | 40+ per official copy | 40+ |
| YouTube 4K / HDR / high frame rate | Yes, where source provides | Capped on free tier | 4K/8K per vendor copy |
| Playlists / channels | Yes, unlimited | Limited on free | Yes, batch |
| Audio extraction | MP3, M4A/AAC, Opus, WAV | MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A | Same + some Premium-only conversions |
| Subtitle download | Yes (sidecar + embed) | Yes | Yes |
| Browser-detection popup | No, clipboard-watch instead | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE) | Yes |
| Private video support | Via cookies.txt (built-in) | Yes per official copy | Yes |
| SponsorBlock at download time | Yes | No | No |
| Winget package | Yes (AntonioOrionus.Arroxy) | No per official site | No |
| Scoop bucket | Yes | No | No |
| Homebrew Cask | Yes | No | No |
| Telemetry | Anonymous aggregate OpenPanel; opt-out; no URLs/titles/paths | Check vendor policy | Check vendor policy |
| Languages (i18n) | 21 | English-primary | English-primary |
Pricing
ByClick’s pricing is two-tier: free with caps, Premium for the price shown on the official Premium page. Premium unlocks playlist/channel downloads, HD downloads, subtitles, ads-free use, and format conversions. The free tier is functional for one-off downloads but starts gating once you batch.
Arroxy is $0. The whole app, all features, no usage caps, no resolution cap, no paid batch unlock. Parallel downloads, bandwidth caps, request delays, and fragment threads are configurable in Settings. There’s no Premium tier because there’s no business model — it’s open source, maintained because Antonio Orionus uses it daily.
If ByClick’s free tier covers your use case and you never hit a cap, both apps work for you. If you’re hitting the cap, the comparison is “pay ByClick’s Premium price once” vs “install Arroxy for $0.” On price alone, Arroxy wins; on Premium-specific features (some Premium-only conversions, the polished browser popup), ByClick has a small edge.
Browser-watch vs clipboard-watch
ByClick’s marquee feature is the auto-detect popup: open a YouTube video in Chrome, ByClick’s browser hook notices, a popup offers to download. One click, no app switch. The popup works across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE per the official copy. It’s the closest thing to a “browser extension that’s actually part of the desktop app.”
Arroxy doesn’t have a browser hook. The analog is clipboard-watch: enable in Settings → Advanced → “Watch clipboard for YouTube links.” Copy a URL in any browser, switch to Arroxy, the URL field auto-fills. One extra app switch vs ByClick’s one-click popup.
If your workflow is “watch YouTube, hit download on every interesting video,” ByClick saves you 2–3 seconds per download. If your workflow is “queue up a batch and walk away,” the difference disappears. Pick by your actual click pattern, not by which sounds nicer in marketing copy.
When to pick which
Pick Arroxy if: you want MIT-licensed open source, you want optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies, you want Winget install (winget install AntonioOrionus.Arroxy), you also work on Linux or macOS, or you want the yt-dlp engine’s 2000+ sites instead of ByClick’s 40+.
Pick ByClick Downloader if: you specifically want the browser-detection popup workflow and you’re on Windows, you’ve tested the free tier and it covers your usage, or you’re willing to pay Premium for the polished browser-watch experience and a Windows-first feature set.
How to switch from ByClick to Arroxy
- Install Arroxy.
winget install AntonioOrionus.Arroxy(or Scoop:scoop bucket add arroxy https://github.com/antonio-orionus/scoop-bucket && scoop install arroxy). - Reproduce the default folder. ByClick defaults to
C:\Users\<you>\Downloads\ByClickDownloader. Arroxy lets you set any default in Settings → General. - Replace the browser popup with clipboard-watch. Settings → Advanced → “Watch clipboard for YouTube links.” Copy URLs in your browser, Arroxy picks them up. It’s two more clicks per download than ByClick’s popup but doesn’t need a browser hook.
- Migrate batch URLs. Copy any saved URLs you still need into a text file, one URL per line. Arroxy’s batch-URL-input feature is on the roadmap; today, paste URLs sequentially into the queue.
Limitations to know
Arroxy doesn’t have a browser-detection popup. If that exact workflow matters, you’ll feel the gap. Arroxy’s Windows builds are not code-signed (Windows EV code-signing is several hundred USD/year for an indie project), so SmartScreen warns on first launch — see Windows first launch for the click-through.
ByClick is closed source and Windows-first (Mac mentioned but the feature parity question is open — verify on the official site). Free tier has caps. No SponsorBlock. Not on Winget, Scoop, or Homebrew Cask. The installer behavior is a direct EXE — for new users, check with VirusTotal before running unsigned installers from any source, including ours.
What users say
ByClick’s own product page leans hard on the browser popup: open a video in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or IE, and a small download prompt appears in the browser. That is the product’s clearest advantage over Arroxy. The trade-off is Premium gating: the official Premium page lists playlist/channel downloads, HD downloads, subtitles, and ads-free use as Premium benefits.
The common Arroxy fit cases are users who want SponsorBlock, Winget install, source they can audit, or the same app on a Linux box they also use for downloads.
FAQ
Is ByClick Downloader free?
The free tier is free indefinitely but has caps. Premium pricing is published on byclickdownloader.com and unlocks playlist/channel downloads, HD downloads, subtitles, ads-free use, and extra conversion features.
Is there a free open-source alternative to ByClick?
Arroxy is the closest match in workflow (paste-a-URL desktop GUI on Windows + macOS + Linux), MIT-licensed, with no paid feature gates or bundled offers. Other open-source options: the yt-dlp CLI, Tartube, and Parabolic.
Does Arroxy have a browser extension or popup like ByClick?
No browser extension. The analog is clipboard-watch (Settings → Advanced → “Watch clipboard for YouTube links”). Two more clicks per download than ByClick’s browser popup, but no browser-hook install required.
Can I install ByClick via Winget?
Not at the time of writing — ByClick distributes a direct EXE installer. Arroxy is on Winget as AntonioOrionus.Arroxy (winget install AntonioOrionus.Arroxy).
Does either app support SponsorBlock?
Arroxy supports SponsorBlock at download time. ByClick does not advertise built-in SponsorBlock support on its product page.
Methodology
Data compiled 2026-05-19 and refreshed 2026-06-15 from byclickdownloader.com, the ByClick Premium page, and direct install testing on Windows 11. Arroxy claims pulled from the project README. Premium pricing changes with promotions, so verify before quoting. If anything has drifted, please open a GitHub issue — Antonio Orionus, maintainer of Arroxy, refreshes these posts on report.