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Moat or Bloat

FastTubeDownloader

Linux YouTube downloader with a floating icon, inspired by IDM, using yt-dlp and aria2

Browser extension Rated 7 Oct 2026Dormant

Link
github.com/Dawaman43/FastTubeDownloader
Built by
Dcoder

Bloat

141/500

Where it landed on the scale

Bloat
0
Float
300
Moat
400

Summary

FastTube is a working, free tool that solves a real annoyance for Linux users and has a store listing, docs and a native-messaging design. It has no way to earn money, it's a thin layer over yt-dlp and aria2, and activity stopped in late 2025. The GitHub repo now returns a 404, which leaves the desktop app (the part the extension depends on) hard to find.

Bloat · Not much here works or looks likely to last, yet.

Breakdown

Five measures, 100 points each. Open the receipts under any of them to see the posts and pages behind the points.

Viability

Is there a real problem, someone who would pay, and a market this builder can actually reach?

The problem is real, since Linux users want an IDM-style grabber, but the product is free and open source with no pricing or payment path. The audience (Linux users who download YouTube videos) is also hard to charge locally.

22/100

Rubric 21–40A real problem, but no plausible path to anyone paying, or a market well out of this builder's reach.

Receipts (3)

  1. The creator states the need (no IDM-like floating downloader on Linux) and that the project is open source, with no mention of charging.

    “As someone who spent a lot of time on Windows using IDM to download YouTube videos, I faced a challenge when I switched to Linux: there’s no downloader with that convenient floating icon to grab videos instantly. Being a broke developer with a problem to solve, I decided to build my own. I created FastTubeDownloader, inspired by IDM, for Linux. It’s currently v1, but I’ll be improving it iterati”

    Post · @dawitlab · 8 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  2. The docs site presents it as free and MIT-licensed, with no pricing or paid tier.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · fasttube-docs.vercel.app (opens in a new tab)

  3. The Firefox listing shows some real use, but a free extension with a free desktop app has no revenue model.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader (opens in a new tab)

Moat

What stops someone copying it?

It's a front end over yt-dlp and aria2, and the extension needs those tools plus a native host, which anyone with the same idea could rebuild in a weekend. Nothing proprietary compounds here.

10/100

Rubric 0–20A thin wrapper or a clone that anyone here could rebuild in a weekend.

Receipts (2)

  1. The creator says the downloading is done by yt-dlp and aria2, so the core engine isn't original.

    “As someone who spent a lot of time on Windows using IDM to download YouTube videos, I faced a challenge when I switched to Linux: there’s no downloader with that convenient floating icon to grab videos instantly. Being a broke developer with a problem to solve, I decided to build my own. I created FastTubeDownloader, inspired by IDM, for Linux. It’s currently v1, but I’ll be improving it iterati”

    Post · @dawitlab · 8 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  2. The extension depends on a native desktop app and does no downloading itself.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader (opens in a new tab)

Momentum

Did the updates keep coming?

It was worked on across about 15 days in November 2025 (launch, fixes and docs, then the Firefox release), and there have been no posts since. That's a short burst, and it's been quiet for over ten months.

0/100

  • Sustained shipping0/60

    Worked on across 15 days.

  • Consistency0/40

    Updates in 1 of 1 month.

  • Quiet

    No update for 318 days, so scaled to 25%.

Receipts (2)

  1. Earliest post about it.

    “As someone who spent a lot of time on Windows using IDM to download YouTube videos, I faced a challenge when I switched to Linux: there’s no downloader with that convenient floating icon to grab videos instantly. Being a broke developer with a problem to solve, I decided to build my own. I created FastTubeDownloader, inspired by IDM, for Linux. It’s currently v1, but I’ll be improving it iterati”

    Post · @dawitlab · 8 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  2. Most recent post about it.

    “Finally the add-on is on firefox install it and use it for downloading youtube videos https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader/ please give it a positive review , if it helps🙏”

    Post · @dawitlab · 23 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

Infrastructure

Does a real, working product exist?

A real extension is live on Firefox Add-ons with a defined feature set, native messaging and a docs site. The desktop app, which does the actual downloading, can't be checked because the GitHub repo returns a 404.

54/100

  • It's live12/20

    The main link didn't respond, but another product link did.

  • HTTPS0/5

    Hosted on a platform (store, GitHub or Telegram), so HTTPS is the platform's.

  • Real product25/35

    There's a working extension on Firefox Add-ons (v3.0.0) with progress tracking, quality options, notifications and history, plus an install script. But the desktop app is the core and its repo is unreachable, and the install is manual and Linux-only, so it's working but thin.

  • Own home10/10

    Has a store listing.

  • Maintained0/15

    Last sign of shipping 2025-11-23.

  • Operations7/15

    There's a docs site, a privacy policy, a support contact and two browser targets with native messaging. No status page, API or accounts backend exists, and the repo is currently unreachable.

Receipts (5)

  1. The main link didn't respond, but another product link did.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader (opens in a new tab)

  2. The Firefox listing describes real features and a versioned release at 3.0.0.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader (opens in a new tab)

  3. An install script and a Chrome native-host setup flow are documented, though the setup is manual.

    “As someone who spent a lot of time on Windows using IDM to download YouTube videos, I faced a challenge when I switched to Linux: there’s no downloader with that convenient floating icon to grab videos instantly. Being a broke developer with a problem to solve, I decided to build my own. I created FastTubeDownloader, inspired by IDM, for Linux. It’s currently v1, but I’ll be improving it iterati”

    Post · @dawitlab · 8 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  4. The GitHub repo returned 404 at crawl time, so the desktop app can't be verified.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · github.com/Dawaman43/FastTubeDownloader (opens in a new tab)

  5. A dedicated docs site covers features, installation, FAQ and packaging.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · fasttube-docs.vercel.app (opens in a new tab)

Sustainability

Is it being set up to last?

Distribution is limited to a Firefox Add-ons listing, and the product is free with no payment path and no revenue. It's a solo project that has gone quiet, and it sits on top of tools it doesn't control.

55/100

  • Distribution30/30

    Listed on Firefox Add-ons.

  • Payments0/15

    No payment provider found.

  • Pricing0/10

    No pricing found on the site.

  • Revenue0/5

    No post mentions paying customers, prices or revenue, and the product is free.

  • Privacy policy7/7

    Has a privacy policy.

  • Terms5/5

    Has terms of service.

  • Support8/8

    A way to reach support.

  • Commitment5/20

    One person built it and shipped steadily for about two weeks, with docs and a Firefox release. There's no sign of a team, roadmap, community channel or funding, and nothing since late 2025.

Receipts (6)

  1. Listed on Firefox Add-ons.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader (opens in a new tab)

  2. Has a privacy policy.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fasttube-downloader/privacy (opens in a new tab)

  3. The docs present it as free and open source with no paid option.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · fasttube-docs.vercel.app (opens in a new tab)

  4. The creator states the goal of becoming the biggest open-source downloader, but no roadmap or team is shown.

    “As someone who spent a lot of time on Windows using IDM to download YouTube videos, I faced a challenge when I switched to Linux: there’s no downloader with that convenient floating icon to grab videos instantly. Being a broke developer with a problem to solve, I decided to build my own. I created FastTubeDownloader, inspired by IDM, for Linux. It’s currently v1, but I’ll be improving it iterati”

    Post · @dawitlab · 8 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  5. Fixes, UI work and docs were shipped within about 11 days of the first post.

    “I have added some fixes for fasttube and improved the ui and here is official doc https://fasttube-docs.vercel.app/”

    Post · @dawitlab · 19 Nov 2025 · open on Telegram (opens in a new tab)

  6. The docs page shows 1 contributor, so it's still a solo project.

    Checked 7 Oct 2026 · fasttube-docs.vercel.app (opens in a new tab)