Open-source YouTube music downloader - Extract high-quality MP3 audio from YouTube videos with automatic metadata detection, album artwork embedding, and cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
✅ 100% Free & Open Source - No ads, no premium features, no hidden costs
✅ Privacy First - No data collection, works completely offline
✅ High Quality Audio - Download in best available quality (up to 320kbps)
✅ Smart Metadata - Automatically detects artist, title, and album artwork
✅ Cross-Platform - Native apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux
✅ No Installation Hassles - Portable dependencies, works out of the box
- Smart Audio Extraction: Download high-quality MP3 audio from YouTube URLs or search terms
- Format: MP3
- Batch Downloads: Queue multiple songs for bulk downloading
- Search Integration: Find music by artist, song title, or keywords
- Intelligent Metadata Detection: Automatically parses artist and song titles from video titles
- Album Artwork Search: Finds and embeds authentic album artwork from iTunes and Deezer databases
- ID3 Tag Support: Proper metadata embedding with FFmpeg for universal compatibility
- Smart Fallbacks: Uses video thumbnails when album art isn't found
- Modern Interface: Clean, intuitive UI built with Avalonia framework
- Real-time Progress: Live download status with detailed logging
- Organized Downloads: Automatic file organization in your Music folder
- Portable Mode: All dependencies bundled, no system-wide installations required
- Cross-Platform: Works on Windows 10/11, macOS (Intel/Apple Silicon), and Linux
- Automatic Dependencies: One-click download of yt-dlp and FFmpeg
- Smart Naming: Clean, organized filenames (e.g., "Song Title - Artist Name.mp3")
- Error Handling: Comprehensive error reporting and troubleshooting guides
- Download the latest release for your platform from Releases
- Extract the archive to your preferred location
- Launch Symphex executable
- First Run: App will offer to download required dependencies (yt-dlp, FFmpeg)
- Paste YouTube URL or enter search terms (e.g., "Bohemian Rhapsody Queen")
- Preview metadata - See detected artist, title, and album art
- Click Download - Files save to
~/Music/Symphex Downloads/ - Enjoy - Your music is ready with proper metadata and artwork!
- OS: Windows 10, macOS 10.15, or Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
- RAM: 512MB available memory
- Storage: 100MB for app + space for downloads
- Internet: Required for downloading and metadata lookup
- yt-dlp: Latest version downloaded automatically
- FFmpeg: Static builds downloaded for your platform
- Portable: All tools stored in app folder, no system pollution
If you prefer system-wide installations:
Windows:
# Using Chocolatey
choco install yt-dlp ffmpeg
# Or download manually to Symphex/tools/ foldermacOS:
# Using Homebrew
brew install yt-dlp ffmpegLinux:
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install yt-dlp ffmpeg
# Fedora/CentOS
sudo dnf install yt-dlp ffmpeg
# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S yt-dlp ffmpeg- Build your personal music library from YouTube
- Get high-quality audio with proper metadata
- Organize music with automatic album artwork
- Create offline playlists from your favorite videos
- Extract audio for video editing projects
- Download royalty-free music and audio
- Archive audio content for offline editing
- Convert video content to podcast format
- Reference implementation for Avalonia UI applications
- Example of cross-platform .NET desktop development
- Integration patterns for yt-dlp and FFmpeg
- Modern MVVM architecture with CommunityToolkit
Symphex/
├── Symphex.exe (or app equivalent) # Main application
├── tools/ # Portable dependencies
│ ├── yt-dlp(.exe) # YouTube downloader
│ └── ffmpeg(.exe) # Media processor
├── logs/ # Application logs
└── config/ # User preferences
Downloads saved to:
~/Music/Symphex Downloads/ # Clean, organized music files
├── Artist Name - Song Title.mp3
├── Another Artist - Another Song.mp3
└── ...
- Native Integration: Right-click context menus (planned)
- File Association: Set as default for YouTube links (planned)
- Automatic Updates: Built-in updater functionality
- System Tray: Minimize to tray for background downloads
- Apple Silicon: Native ARM64 support for M1/M2 Macs
- Finder Integration: Quick access to downloads folder
- Notification Center: Download completion notifications
- Homebrew: Optional system dependency management
- Package Managers: Integration with apt, dnf, pacman
- Desktop Files: Proper .desktop file installation
- Themes: Respects system dark/light theme preferences
- Wayland/X11: Compatible with both display servers
"yt-dlp not found" Error
- Solution: Click "Get yt-dlp" button in the app
- Alternative: Install manually using your package manager
- Check: Ensure internet connection for automatic download
"FFmpeg not found" Error
- Solution: Click "Get FFmpeg" button in the app
- Alternative: Install system-wide via package manager
- Verify: Check tools/ folder for ffmpeg executable
Downloads Fail or Time Out
- Check URL validity - ensure the video exists and isn't private
- Verify internet connection stability
- Try search terms instead of direct URLs for better results
- Age-restricted content may require additional authentication
No Album Artwork Found
- Normal behavior for obscure or independent tracks
- Symphex searches iTunes and Deezer databases
- Video thumbnails used as intelligent fallbacks
- Manual artwork can be added after download
Poor Audio Quality
- Check source video quality - Symphex can't enhance beyond original
- Verify yt-dlp is latest version
- Some videos only available in lower quality formats
- Console Output: Check detailed logs in the app's console
- Copy Logs: Use "Copy Output" button when reporting issues
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs with full error messages
- Discussions: Ask questions in GitHub Discussions tab
- .NET 8.0 SDK - Download from Microsoft
- Git - For cloning the repository
- IDE (Optional) - Visual Studio, VS Code, or JetBrains Rider
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/CyberNilsen/Symphex.git
cd Symphex
# Restore NuGet packages
dotnet restore
# Build the application
dotnet build --configuration Release
# Run locally
dotnet run
# Create platform-specific builds
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained
dotnet publish -c Release -r osx-x64 --self-contained
dotnet publish -c Release -r linux-x64 --self-contained- Avalonia UI 11.x - Cross-platform UI framework
- CommunityToolkit.Mvvm - MVVM helpers and source generators
- CliWrap - Command-line interface wrapper
- System.Text.Json - JSON serialization for metadata APIs
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
Primary: YouTube downloader, MP3 converter, music downloader, free audio extractor, yt-dlp GUI, cross-platform music app
Secondary: FFmpeg frontend, open source downloader, portable music downloader, YouTube to MP3, album art downloader, metadata extraction, Avalonia UI, .NET desktop app
Long-tail: best free YouTube music downloader 2025, open source music downloader Windows Mac Linux, YouTube MP3 downloader with album art, portable music downloader no installation required
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for complete details.
Important: This tool is designed for personal use only. Users are solely responsible for:
- Complying with YouTube's Terms of Service
- Respecting copyright laws and intellectual property rights
- Only downloading content they have legal rights to access
- Understanding local laws regarding media downloading
Symphex developers assume no responsibility for misuse of this software.
- No Telemetry: Symphex collects no usage data or personal information
- No Analytics: No tracking, no user behavior monitoring
- Offline Capable: Works completely offline after dependency setup
- Local Storage: All data stays on your device
- yt-dlp - Powerful, feature-rich YouTube downloader
- FFmpeg - Complete multimedia processing framework
- Avalonia UI - Cross-platform .NET UI framework
- .NET - Microsoft's cross-platform development framework
- iTunes Search API - Album artwork and metadata lookup
- Deezer API - Additional album artwork sources
- YouTube - Video platform (please respect their ToS)
- Special thanks to all contributors and users who report issues
- Open source community for inspiration and code examples
- Beta testers who helped identify and fix bugs
- 🏠 Homepage: Website
- 📱 Download: Latest Releases
- 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
- 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
- 📚 Documentation: Wiki
- 👥 Contributors: Contributors Graph
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