Subnook — A calmer way to enjoy YouTube, without the algorithm

5 min read Original article ↗

Today as a color list.

Today with Gold color filter.

Subnook is a stress-free corner for watching the channels you subscribe to.
The people who make YouTube magical, informing and entertaining.
And nothing else.

Coming soon

Hijacked by the algorithm

Library. The people you follow, with pin and mute. A channel page. Saved first, then their uploads. Saved. Videos you want to watch again.

Remember when the Internet was all about connecting with people who shared your interests? And even more exciting, learning about interests you never knew you had?

Then the algorithm took over. Eating away at our time and sanity with click bait, rage bait and hate bait. An endless stream of content from people we never chose to follow.

Subnook puts you back in control of your feed

Today as an even list.

Today with Focus on. One video in the middle.

Your subscriptions are the star. We remove everything that sucks energy from the room.

No recommended channels. No comments. Shorts are optional. Only from the people you follow, or hidden entirely.

The community you curated

A video from a channel you follow, playing in YouTube's official player.

Subnook is your quiet daily feed. With optional calming and focus features. Because video is supposed to be fun, but not slot-machine hijack-your-brain fun.

YouTube is only ever a click away. You can still search for new channels, comment or binge on Shorts whenever you want. But now it's your choice.

You used to love YouTube.

(Here's how I got it back.)

Hey there,

Tell me if this sounds about right.

You used to open YouTube and find something wonderful every time. A creator as geeky about a subject as you are. A life that made you think. An idea you'd never have found alone. You came away more curious about the world.

Then your feed stopped being yours. You'd sit down for one video and surface ninety minutes and a hundred Shorts later. Wired, a bit angry, a bit cynical, with a nagging feeling the world is falling apart and there's nothing you can do about it.

That was me. I loved the channels I'd subscribed to. I just couldn't find them without wading through everything else. So I built Subnook.

Here's what it does. Subnook is a calmer way to enjoy YouTube. You open it and see the latest videos from your subscriptions, newest first. Nothing else. No recommendations. No comment section. Shorts only from channels you follow, or none at all.

When you want to search for a new channel, read the comments, or binge on the algorithm, YouTube is one click away. It's still there. It's just no longer where you start.

The difference is simple. I close the laptop having watched what I chose to watch, not wired, not cynical. And with the crowd out of the room, I can hear my own opinion again.

If you care about what you feed your mind, I think you'll like it. And I invite you to try it out. (Then let me know how I can make it even better.)

Paul Magee Founder, Subnook

Placeholder — hide this block until we have real quotes

From people using it

What they say

“Quote goes here. One or two sentences, not an essay.”

Name · what they make

“Second quote.”

Name · what they make

“Third quote.”

Name · what they make

FAQs

Plain answers

Can I still use YouTube?

Yes. Subnook is another window, not a replacement. Search, comments, a new channel, a binge: YouTube is one click away. We are a calmer daily feed for when you want to focus, not get sucked down the rabbit hole.

How do I add my channels?

We make it easy to import the people you already follow from YouTube, or start fresh and pick from a list of popular channels.

How do friend referrals work?

Subnook has sharing built in. After you set up the app, open $hare in the app for your personal link. You do not have to pay first to get that link.

Friends who buy through your link get $10 off their first year. You earn $10 for each friend who buys that way. When you have five cleared referrals, you can cash out $50 (see terms for payout rules).

Where does my stuff live?

On your Mac. The feed, saved, mutes, and pinned channels sit in a local file. You can export a backup, or delete it. We do not keep your watch list on our servers. All videos remain on YouTube.

Why are there no comments?

When was the last time YouTube comments made you feel good about the world? If you really want to read comments, or comment yourself, just click the YouTube icon on the video.

Can I hide Shorts?

Yes. Keep Shorts from the people you follow, or hide them all in Subnook. YouTube itself does not change.

Have a question we didn't cover? Use the form below.

Ask us

Got a question or general feedback? Use this form. Reporting a bug? If you can, use Feedback inside the app. (Icon bottom right) It sends error logs, which helps us fix things faster.

Or email support@subnook.com.