VidBee
Open-source desktop app to download videos and audio from 1000+ sites, then transcribe and summarize them loca
- Stars
- 11k
- Forks
- 865
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
VidBee is a free, open-source desktop app for downloading video and audio from 1000+ supported sites, or importing your own local files. It can create searchable transcripts on your computer with speaker labels and timestamped playback. You can then run AI prompts such as summaries or translations using a provider you choose.
- Download a video or playlist from a supported site into a managed queue
- Create a searchable transcript of an interview and jump to a timestamp during playback
- Generate a bullet summary or translation of a transcript using a chosen AI provider
- Subscribe to an RSS feed so new episodes are queued automatically
- Export a transcript as plain text or Markdown, or create a video with burned-in captions
Great for
- People who save videos or podcasts from supported sites and want them organized in one library
- Podcast listeners and interviewers who want searchable transcripts with speaker labels
- Students or researchers who want to search and summarize long lecture recordings
- People who want local speech recognition so media is not uploaded to a transcription service
- Users who want to follow channels through RSS and download new items automatically
Not ideal for
- People who only need a one-off download and do not want a full library app; the README describes a broader workflow
- Users who expect AI features to work fully offline unless they set up a local endpoint such as Ollama or LM Studio, since cloud providers receive prompt and transcript text
- Anyone who needs a stable, fully supported product; the README says VidBee is under active development
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nexmoe/VidBee - 2
Run it
- Download the installer for your system from the releases page or vidbee.org/download
- Install and open VidBee
- Paste a supported video link into the download queue
- Optionally start transcription on the finished download from the transcript features
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use RSS subscriptions with keyword filters and custom filename templates to automate recurring downloads
- Set a local model or endpoint such as Ollama or LM Studio if you want the AI step to stay on your computer
- Choose a model for your computer and language through the built-in recommendation in Settings
- Create custom prompts with your own instructions and test them on a sample transcript
Downloads
Strengths
- Speech recognition runs on your computer, so media does not have to be uploaded to a transcription service
- Lets you choose your AI provider, including local endpoints like Ollama and LM Studio, and store API keys on your computer
- Combines downloading, RSS subscriptions, transcription, and export in one desktop app
Trade-offs
- The README states the project is under active development, so features may change
- AI steps send prompt and transcript content to the selected cloud provider unless you use a local endpoint
- Supported-site coverage is described as 1000+ with the current list hosted on the project website; I could not verify individual site support from the README
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VidBee (this) | 11k | App | beginner | 5 days ago | People who save videos or podcasts from supported sites and want them organized in one library |
| YoutubeDownloader | 16.6k | App | beginner | 5 days ago | People who want to keep a local copy of YouTube videos or playlists |
| rubick | 10.1k | App | beginner | 10 months ago | People who want a keyboard-driven launcher for apps and files on Windows or macOS |
| lux | 31.8k | CLI | beginner | 7 months ago | People who want to save videos from supported sites to a local file from the command line |
| social-auto-upload | 16k | CLI | intermediate | 15 days ago | Content creators posting the same video to several platforms |
| 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.