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

Pulltube is a polished macOS YouTube downloader available through Setapp and as single-app access from $19.99 on the Setapp listing. Arroxy is a free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop GUI built on yt-dlp, available on macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows, and Linux. Both target the same Mac-user job. This post compares them so you can pick the right one.

TL;DR

• Pick Arroxy if you want a free, open-source app, built-in SponsorBlock, cross-platform reach beyond macOS, and 2000+ supported sites via yt-dlp.
• Pick Pulltube if you want the in-app trim feature, browser extensions, Setapp access, or a Mac-native app with a 97% Setapp rating across 1,718 user ratings.
• Both run on macOS 11+ Apple Silicon. Audio extraction works on both. SponsorBlock and Linux/Windows reach are Arroxy-only.

Definition blocks

Pulltube — Proprietary commercial macOS app available through Setapp. Pricing on the current Setapp listing: Setapp membership from $8.99/month after trial, or Pulltube-only access from $19.99. Sites covered: YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Dailymotion, SoundCloud, Instagram, Youku, Bandcamp, plus 1000+ additional sources per the listing. 4K, 8K, and 60fps video. MP3 and M4A audio extraction. In-app trim (cut a clip out before saving). Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari. macOS 11+. 15 UI languages.

Arroxy — Free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop app from antonio-orionus. No paid tier, no bundled offers, no paid feature gates. macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows 10/11, Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, tar.gz). Distributed via Homebrew Cask, Winget, Scoop, AppImage, Flatpak, and direct GitHub Releases. Built on yt-dlp, auto-fetched at runtime. 21 UI languages. Optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies. No in-app trim — Arroxy hands the file off to the folder of your choice.

Feature-by-feature

Pricing

Pulltube’s price tag has a story behind it. The current Setapp listing offers Pulltube-only access from $19.99, or Setapp membership from $8.99/month after the 7-day trial. Setapp is the better deal if you already use enough apps in the bundle to justify the subscription.

Arroxy is $0. No tier, no upsell, no paid usage tier. MIT-licensed source on GitHub. The funding model is open source — Antonio Orionus maintains it because he uses it daily, and PRs are open.

If you’ve never paid for an indie Mac app, Pulltube is a fair representative of the category: focused, Mac-native, and built around a few careful workflows like trim-before-save. If you don’t want to pay or you want to inspect the code, Arroxy covers the same core download workflow.

Site coverage and the engine question

Both apps reach roughly the same set of high-traffic sites. The difference is in the long tail.

Arroxy delegates to yt-dlp. The current supportedsites.md lists 2000+ extractors and is updated weekly by a 200-person maintainer community. If a site like NicoVideo or fansubbed.tv breaks, the fix usually lands within days of the break. Arroxy auto-fetches yt-dlp on launch, so you get those fixes without a new Arroxy release.

Pulltube ships its own extractors and a regular update cadence. For the headline 8–10 sites people actually download from on a Mac (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Dailymotion, SoundCloud, Instagram, Youku, Bandcamp) this is fine and arguably more polished. For the long tail, yt-dlp wins on raw coverage.

When to pick which

Pick Arroxy if: you want free + open source + auditable, you want optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies, you also work on Linux or Windows and want a single tool, you want the wider yt-dlp site coverage, or you want the UI in one of 21 languages including non-Latin scripts (Pashto, Urdu, Burmese, Amharic, etc.).

Pick Pulltube if: you want to trim a clip out of a video at download time without spinning up FFmpeg yourself, you’re already a Setapp subscriber, you want browser-extension one-click downloads on Safari, or you want Pulltube’s macOS-specific UX and don’t need cross-platform reach.

How to switch from Pulltube to Arroxy

Pulltube doesn’t have a library format that needs migrating. The switch is:

1. Install Arroxy. brew tap antonio-orionus/arroxy && brew install --cask arroxy.
2. Set the default folder. Settings → General → “Default download folder.” Pulltube’s default is ~/Downloads; Arroxy lets you pick the same one or anything else.
3. Replace the browser extension with clipboard-watch. Pulltube’s extensions one-click-send a URL into the app. Arroxy doesn’t have a browser extension, but it can watch your clipboard: Settings → Advanced → “Watch clipboard for YouTube links.” Copy a URL in Safari, switch to Arroxy, the URL field is pre-filled.
4. Replace in-app trim with an external pass. Arroxy doesn’t trim clips. If you used Pulltube’s trim regularly: download the full file with Arroxy, then trim with FFmpeg (ffmpeg -ss 00:00:30 -to 00:02:00 -c copy in.mp4 out.mp4) or with a GUI like LosslessCut. Lossless, no re-encode.

That last step is the one place Pulltube saves real time. If you trim every clip you download, Pulltube’s $19.99 buys back the FFmpeg/LosslessCut step.

Limitations to know

Arroxy doesn’t ship in-app trim, browser extensions, or iCloud sync. The macOS build is not code-signed (Apple Developer ID is $99/year for an indie project), so Gatekeeper warns on first launch — see macOS first-launch for the xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine fix if you hit “app is damaged.”

Pulltube is macOS-only and closed-source. You can’t inspect what it does or fork it. SponsorBlock is not advertised as a built-in feature, so sponsor segments require a separate post-process. And site coverage is the 1000+ the Pulltube listing advertises, not the 2000+ yt-dlp ships.

What users say

Pulltube on Setapp has a 97% positive rating across 1,718 user ratings. The listing’s strongest concrete features are trim-before-save, browser extensions, MP3/M4A conversion, subtitles, and 1000+ supported sites. That is enough to explain why Mac users like it without pretending it is the same kind of project as Arroxy.

The common Arroxy fit cases are users who want SponsorBlock without leaving the download tool, the same app on a Linux server, or source code they can audit.

FAQ

Is Pulltube free?

No. Pulltube-only access starts at $19.99 on the Setapp listing, or it is available through Setapp membership after a 7-day trial. There is no permanent free tier.

Is Pulltube on Setapp?

Yes. Pulltube is listed on Setapp, which is made by MacPaw. The current Setapp listing shows a 97% rating across 1,718 user ratings and macOS 11.0 or later support.

Does Pulltube support SponsorBlock?

Pulltube does not advertise built-in SponsorBlock support on its Setapp listing. Arroxy ships optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies and writes chapter markers into the file’s chapter metadata.

Does Arroxy trim videos before download like Pulltube does?

No. Arroxy downloads the full file. To trim losslessly: ffmpeg -ss <start> -to <end> -c copy input.mp4 output.mp4, or use LosslessCut for a GUI. Both are free.

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 the Pulltube Setapp listing and direct install testing on macOS 14 (Apple Silicon). 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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