Stacher is a polished yt-dlp GUI used by power users for downloading from YouTube and other yt-dlp-supported sites. Arroxy is a newer entrant with the same yt-dlp foundation but an MIT open-source license, multi-package-manager distribution, and built-in SponsorBlock. This post compares them so you can pick the right one for your workflow.
TL;DR
- Pick Arroxy if you want an open-source codebase you can audit and modify, native distribution via Winget / Scoop / Homebrew / Flatpak, and built-in optional SponsorBlock chapters or trims for local copies.
- Pick Stacher if you want the longer-established UI and the specific Stacher workflow you’re already used to.
- Both wrap yt-dlp. Site support and quality options are largely identical because they share the engine.
Definition blocks
Stacher — Closed-source proprietary desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Wraps yt-dlp under a polished GUI. Free tier; commercial pro features. Direct-download installer. Active development; recently rebuilt as Stacher 7.
Arroxy — Free, MIT-licensed open-source desktop app built on yt-dlp. Available on Windows 10/11, macOS 11+ (Intel + Apple Silicon), and Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, tar.gz). Distributed via Winget, Scoop, Homebrew Cask, AppImage, Flatpak, and GitHub Releases. Auto-fetches the latest yt-dlp at runtime.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Arroxy | Stacher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | Free tier; paid pro features |
| License | MIT (open source) | Proprietary (closed source) |
| Source available | Yes, full repo on GitHub | No |
| Auditable codebase | Yes | No |
| Account / login | No account by default; optional cookies for restricted content | No account by default; optional cookies |
| Engine | yt-dlp (auto-fetched) | yt-dlp (bundled / managed) |
| 2000+ sites | Yes | Yes |
| 4K / HDR / high frame rate | Yes | Yes |
| Playlists | Yes | Yes |
| Audio extraction | Yes (MP3 / M4A/AAC / Opus / WAV) | Yes |
| Subtitle download (sidecar + embed) | Yes | Yes |
| SponsorBlock at download time | Yes, built-in | Not advertised as built-in on the public site |
| Cookies.txt for authorized signed-in access | Yes | Yes |
| Queue persistence across restarts | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-retry on transient failures | Yes | Partial |
| Apple Silicon native | Yes | Yes |
| Linux distribution formats | AppImage + Flatpak + tar.gz | AppImage only |
| Winget package | Yes (AntonioOrionus.Arroxy) | No |
| Scoop bucket | Yes (antonio-orionus/scoop-bucket) | No |
| Homebrew Cask | Yes (antonio-orionus/homebrew-arroxy) | No |
| Telemetry | Anonymous aggregate OpenPanel; opt-out; no URLs/titles/paths | Check vendor policy |
| Languages (i18n) | 21 | English-primary |
When to pick which
- Pick Arroxy if: you want open source for any reason (auditing, security review, the ability to fork or patch), you use Linux beyond AppImage (Flatpak / tar.gz), you install via Winget / Scoop / Homebrew, you want SponsorBlock applied at download time, or you want the UI in one of 21 languages out of the box.
- Pick Stacher if: you’re already a Stacher user and the muscle memory matters, or you specifically want a Stacher-pro feature that Arroxy doesn’t ship.
Notable limitations
Arroxy doesn’t yet ship channel-subscription / auto-download-new-videos. The runtime yt-dlp fetch needs one-time network access on first launch.
Stacher is closed source, so you can’t audit it, fork it, or build it yourself. Distribution is direct-download only, which makes deployment to a fleet harder than Winget / Scoop / Homebrew / Flatpak.
How to switch from Stacher to Arroxy
If you’re coming from Stacher 7 (the current major version):
- Install Arroxy.
- Windows:
winget install AntonioOrionus.Arroxy - macOS:
brew tap antonio-orionus/arroxy && brew install --cask arroxy - Linux: AppImage / Flatpak / tar.gz from Releases
- Windows:
- Match the default folder. Stacher defaults to
~/Downloads/Stacher. Set Arroxy’s default in Settings → General → “Default download folder” to the same path if you want to keep the structure. - Match format presets. Stacher’s presets map cleanly to Arroxy’s three defaults (Best quality / Balanced / Small file) in Settings → Defaults. If you used a Stacher custom format string (yt-dlp
-f), paste it into Arroxy’s Settings → Advanced → “Custom format” — both apps pass the string through to the same yt-dlp underneath. - Reproduce queue concurrency. Stacher 7 defaults to 3 parallel downloads. Arroxy’s default is 4 (configurable in Settings → Downloads → “Parallel downloads”). Set to 3 if you want byte-for-byte the same behavior.
- Enable SponsorBlock if you want it. Stacher doesn’t ship it at download time; Arroxy does (Settings → Post-processing → “SponsorBlock”). Free win on the switch.
What users say
Stacher’s public fit is clear: it is a mature, polished GUI for people who already like the Stacher workflow. Arroxy’s fit is different: MIT-licensed source, package-manager installs, Flatpak, and built-in SponsorBlock. Both sit on yt-dlp, so the meaningful differences are around the desktop app, not the extractor engine.
The common Arroxy fit cases are users who want MIT-licensed source they can audit, Winget/Scoop/Homebrew install for fleet deployment, SponsorBlock without a second tool, or the UI in a non-English language.
FAQ
Is Stacher free?
Stacher has a free tier and paid pro features. Check the official Stacher site for the current 2026 pricing and what pro unlocks. There’s no per-download cap on free, but some workflow features may require pro.
Is Stacher safe?
Stacher is widely used and well-regarded in the yt-dlp community. It’s closed-source, so you can’t audit the codebase, but the developer is publicly known and ships regular updates. Verify any unsigned installer (Stacher or otherwise) with VirusTotal before running on a clean machine.
Is there a free open-source alternative to Stacher?
Arroxy is the closest match: same yt-dlp engine, similar paste-a-URL GUI, MIT-licensed, distributed via Winget/Scoop/Homebrew Cask/AppImage/Flatpak. Other open-source options: Tartube, Parabolic, and the yt-dlp CLI directly.
Does Arroxy share Stacher’s settings format?
No — different config schemas. But because both apps pass through to yt-dlp, any custom format string (yt-dlp -f argument) that worked in Stacher works in Arroxy’s Settings → Advanced → “Custom format.”
Does either app support SponsorBlock?
Arroxy supports SponsorBlock at download time. Stacher does not advertise built-in SponsorBlock support on its public site.
Methodology
Data compiled 2026-05-14 and refreshed 2026-06-15 from each project’s official site, public documentation, and direct install testing on Windows 11, macOS 14 (Apple Silicon), and Ubuntu 24.04. Stacher feature claims are based on the public site; closed-source software cannot be verified in source. Apps ship — corrections welcome via GitHub issue.