Arroxy vs Downie (2026): free open-source Mac alternative

Downie is a proprietary macOS video downloader from Charlie Monroe Software: polished, Mac-native, $19.99 direct, or available through Setapp. Arroxy is a free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop GUI built on yt-dlp, available on macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows, and Linux. This post compares them so you can pick the right one for your Mac workflow.

TL;DR

• Pick Arroxy if you want a free, open-source app, built-in SponsorBlock, and the same tool across Mac + Windows + Linux.
• Pick Downie if you’re already a Setapp subscriber, you want the iCloud history sync, or you specifically want Charlie Monroe’s polish and the browser extension flow on Safari.
• Both run native on Apple Silicon. Both download from YouTube. The Arroxy engine (yt-dlp) reaches more sites; Downie reaches “1000+” per its own marketing copy.

Definition blocks

Downie — Proprietary commercial macOS app by Charlie Monroe Software. Pricing: $19.99 one-time direct purchase, via Setapp subscription, or bundled with Permute at $26.99. Free trial available. Not in the Mac App Store; Downie’s own FAQ says Apple does not allow apps that download videos from YouTube in the App Store. Current version 4.12.7 at the time of this refresh. macOS 11+ required, macOS 13+ strongly recommended. Apple Silicon native.

Arroxy — Free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop app from antonio-orionus. No paid tier, no bundled offers, no paid feature gates. Available on macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows 10/11, and Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, tar.gz). Distributed via Homebrew Cask on Mac, Winget/Scoop on Windows, AppImage/Flatpak on Linux, and direct GitHub Releases. Built on yt-dlp, auto-fetched at runtime, so yt-dlp compatibility updates arrive independently of upstream.

Feature-by-feature

Pricing

Downie’s pricing is clean. $19.99 buys you a perpetual single-Mac license direct from Charlie Monroe Software. Setapp gets you Downie plus the wider Setapp catalog; Downie’s page shows $14.99/month, while the Setapp Pulltube listing advertises annual plans from $8.99/month after trial. There’s a bundle with Permute (video format converter) at $26.99 if you also need conversion. A free trial is available.

Arroxy’s pricing is also clean. It’s $0. There’s no Premium tier and no plan to add one. The funding model is “I built it for myself and it’s open source,” not “freemium with caps.” The cost of running it is what your bandwidth bill costs, which is the same on both apps.

The honest framing: if you already pay for Setapp for other apps, Downie is an add-on inside that bundle. If you don’t, you’re paying $19.99 for a cleaner Mac-native interface, browser extensions, iCloud history sync, and Charlie Monroe’s extractor work.

Site coverage

Arroxy ships whatever yt-dlp supports. The current count is 2000+ extractors, maintained in the yt-dlp repo and updated weekly. Auto-fetched on Arroxy launch, so the moment yt-dlp ships a YouTube fix, your next Arroxy download has it.

Downie advertises “1000+” sites. The exact list is published in-app rather than as a GitHub document, and the extractors are maintained by Charlie Monroe directly. The trade-off: Downie’s first-party extractors can be tuned for the macOS-specific case (better browser integration, more reliable on Safari-cookied flows), but the long tail is narrower than yt-dlp’s. If you regularly download from niche sites — Bilibili, NicoVideo, fansubbed archives — Arroxy/yt-dlp will reach more of them.

When to pick which

Pick Arroxy if: you want open source, you want optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies (optional chapters or trims, no separate post-process step), you want the same app on a Linux server, a Windows desktop, and your Mac, you install via Homebrew Cask (brew install --cask arroxy), or you want the UI in one of 21 languages.

Pick Downie if: you’re already a Setapp subscriber and want Downie inside that bundle, you live in Safari and want the official browser extension’s one-click flow, you specifically want iCloud history sync across multiple Macs, or you want Charlie Monroe’s Mac-native UI and quick support. Downie’s product page says support replies arrive within 24 hours.

How to switch from Downie to Arroxy

Most of the migration is “uninstall Downie, install Arroxy.” There’s no library format to convert. Two things to set up:

1. Default download folder. Downie defaults to ~/Downloads/Downie. Arroxy lets you pick any folder per session or set a default in Settings → General. If you want the same path: ~/Downloads/Arroxy or just ~/Downloads.
2. Clipboard watch (the closest analog to Downie’s browser extension). Enable in Settings → Advanced → “Watch clipboard for YouTube links.” When you copy a URL in Safari and switch back to Arroxy, the URL field auto-fills. It’s one extra paste-target switch vs Downie’s one-click extension, but you keep using Safari without installing anything.

brew install --cask arroxy
open -a Arroxy

That’s the install. The first launch fetches yt-dlp into ~/Library/Application Support/Arroxy/ (Apple Silicon: ~12MB; Intel: same), then you’re paste-and-go.

Limitations to know

Arroxy doesn’t yet ship channel-subscription / auto-download-of-new-uploads. Today you re-run the channel URL when you want new videos. The roadmap has scheduled downloads as the closest workaround. Arroxy’s macOS build is not code-signed (Apple Developer ID is $99/year for an indie project), so Gatekeeper warns on first launch — see the README’s macOS first-launch section for the one-line xattr fix if you hit “app is damaged.”

Downie is closed source, so you can’t audit or fork it. It’s macOS only, so if you also work on Linux or Windows you’ll need a second app. No SponsorBlock — if you want sponsor segments skipped, you post-process with a separate tool. And it’s not in the Mac App Store, so if you only install MAS apps for IT-policy reasons, neither Downie nor Arroxy will work (same Apple policy blocks both).

What users say

Downie’s own product page emphasizes the parts Mac users usually care about: 1,000+ supported sites, Safari/Chrome/Firefox browser extensions, iCloud history sync, weekly-to-biweekly updates, and support replies within 24 hours. That is a different product shape from Arroxy. It is Mac-first, paid, and polished.

The common Arroxy fit cases are users who want SponsorBlock without a second tool, the same app on Windows or Linux, or source they can audit before downloading off the public internet.

FAQ

Is Downie free?

No. Downie is $19.99 one-time direct, or available through Setapp. A free trial is available. There is no permanent free tier.

What’s a free open-source alternative to Downie?

Arroxy is the closest match in workflow (paste-a-link desktop GUI), runs on macOS 11+ Apple Silicon and Intel, ships under the MIT license, and is built on yt-dlp. Other free options: the yt-dlp CLI directly, or open-source GUIs like Tartube and Parabolic.

Does Arroxy work on Apple Silicon?

Yes. The macOS build is a universal binary (arm64 + x86_64). On M1/M2/M3/M4, download the arm64 DMG. On Intel Macs, the x64 DMG.

Does Downie support SponsorBlock?

Downie does not advertise built-in SponsorBlock support on its product page. Arroxy ships optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies and writes the skip points directly into the file’s chapter metadata.

Can I install Arroxy via Homebrew Cask?

Yes. brew tap antonio-orionus/arroxy && brew install --cask arroxy. Updates flow through brew upgrade --cask arroxy.

Methodology

Data compiled 2026-05-19 and refreshed 2026-06-15 from each project’s official site, public documentation, the Setapp app listing, and direct install testing on macOS 14 (Apple Silicon). Downie pricing and feature claims pulled from software.charliemonroe.net/downie. Arroxy claims pulled from the project README. If anything has drifted since, please open a GitHub issue — Antonio Orionus, maintainer of Arroxy, refreshes these posts on report.

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