ZY Player
Desktop video player for online video sources, with no ads, for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Stars
- 14.5k
- Forks
- 2.2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Vue
- Last update
- 3.7 years ago
- Type
- App
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
ZY Player is a desktop app built with Electron and Vue that plays videos from online resource sources. It offers poster and list browsing, playback history, favorites, search across sources, and a compact mode. The README says the app itself does not host or upload any content.
- Browse a video source in poster or list view and start playback
- Resume a show where you left off using playback history
- Keep a favorites list and import or export it
- Use the global Alt + Space shortcut and a mini window while working
- Open a video in a third-party player from within the app
Great for
- People who want a desktop player for online video sources without ads
- Users on Windows, Mac or Linux who want a single app for browsing and playing
- People who want to import and export their own video source lists and favorites
- Users who want playback shortcuts and a small floating mini window
Not ideal for
- Anyone looking for officially licensed content, since the README says the sources come from the web and the download channel is currently closed
- Users who need active maintenance or security updates, since the last push was in February 2023
- Users who need a supported, documented developer API or plugin system, which the README does not describe
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Hunlongyu/ZY-Player - 2
Run it
- Check the README for whether the download channel is open, since it says it is temporarily closed
- If you obtain an installer, run the file for your system (.exe for Windows, .dmg for Mac, .AppImage or .snap for Linux)
- Open the app and add or select a video source
- Browse results in poster or list mode and choose a video to play
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Import and export your video sources and favorites to back them up or move them
- Use the playback shortcuts listed in the README, such as space to pause and f for fullscreen
- Use compact mode or the mini window (Alt + m) to keep video on screen while you work
- Set a source to play in a third-party player if you prefer it
Downloads
Strengths
- The README describes the app as free and ad-free
- Supports Windows, Mac and Linux from one codebase
- Has keyboard shortcuts and an import/export feature for sources and favorites
Trade-offs
- The README says the download channel is temporarily closed, so getting the app may be difficult
- The last code push was 2023-02-09, so the project may not be actively maintained
- Content comes from third-party sources the README does not control, and the README asks users to delete the app within 24 hours
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZY-Player (this) | 14.5k | App | beginner | 3.7 years ago | People who want a desktop player for online video sources without ads |
| PicGo | 27.5k | App | beginner | 17 days ago | Bloggers and note-takers who paste screenshots into Markdown editors |
| Lepton | 10.3k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who already keep snippets as GitHub Gists or GitLab snippets |
| YesPlayMusic | 33.5k | App | beginner | 27 days ago | Existing NetEase Cloud Music users who want a different player interface |
| DPlayer | 16.5k | Library | intermediate | 8 months ago | Web developers who want an embeddable video player with scrolling comments |
| react-player | 10.3k | Library | intermediate | 1 months ago | React developers who need to embed videos from several services behind one component |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.