Subscriptions: auto-download new videos from a channel

Updated October 7, 2026 · tested with version 2.0.0

A subscription in Top Video Downloader 2.0 downloads a channel's, playlist's or profile's new videos to your computer on its own. The app checks each subscription every 6 hours while it's running (including from the tray), queues up to 20 new videos per check, and never spends credits by itself.

What it downloads

only videos published after you subscribe; the back catalogue is left alone

How often

every 6 hours while the app runs; first check 90 seconds after launch

Per check

up to 20 new videos; any more arrive on the next check

How many

up to 100 subscriptions

Credits

never spent; on a free account these count toward your 10 free downloads a day

What you can follow

a YouTube channel or playlist, a TikTok profile, an Instagram profile (login needed)

This isn't a cloud service. Subscriptions live in a file on your computer, the app itself does the checking, and the videos go straight from the site to your drive without touching our server. The catch is simple: if the PC is off or the app is closed, nothing gets checked. Missed uploads aren't lost, though. The next launch finds them in the channel's list.

How to auto-download new videos from a YouTube channel

1. 1

   Paste a channel link (youtube.com/@name/videos), a playlist or a profile into the app and click Download. The video list opens.

2. 2

   Pick a quality cap. On a free account choose up to 720p or audio only: a subscription never spends credits, so it can't fetch anything above 720p and would skip those videos.

3. 3

   Choose a folder. Keep Save into a folder named after the playlist ticked and every channel gets its own folder.

4. 4

   Click Subscribe — download new videos automatically. The button changes to Subscribed.

5. 5

   Want the existing videos too? Click Add N to queue first. A subscription treats everything that was in the list when you subscribed as already seen.

Why subscriptions never spend credits, and what that means on a free plan

Every subscription video is queued with credit spending switched off. The server still decides whether a download is free. If it is, the video downloads. If it would need a credit, because today's 10 free downloads are used up or the cap is above 720p, the app hands the reservation back and sets the video aside without charging anything.

A video only counts as done once its download has actually started. Quit before it starts, or hit the daily limit, and it comes back next time. The plans that make subscriptions unlimited are on the pricing page.

What the app needs to keep checking

• The app has to be running. Checks happen every 6 hours while it's open. There's no background service that wakes the PC.
• Turn on Close to tray in Settings. It's off by default, so the X button quits the app. With it on, closing the window leaves an icon in the tray and checks and downloads carry on. Quit from the tray icon.
• Notifications. When the window isn't in focus, new uploads trigger a system notification, "New videos: N". You can switch it off in Settings.
• Instagram needs a login under Platform logins. Re-checks only read the newest couple of pages of the profile to go easy on your account. Instagram subscriptions weren't tested on live accounts before launch.

Managing subscriptions: check now, pause, unsubscribe

The panel lists each subscription with its title, quality cap and last check time ("not checked yet" for a new one). If a check fails, say the channel was deleted or the site didn't answer, the reason appears next to it. The buttons:

• Check now looks for new uploads on that subscription right away instead of waiting six hours; Check all does it for every subscription.
• Pause stops checking a channel without deleting it. The row says "paused", and Resume turns checks back on.
• Unsubscribe deletes the subscription. Files you already downloaded stay on disk.

To change the quality or folder, open the channel again, pick the new option and click the subscribe button once more. The existing subscription is updated, not duplicated.

App subscription vs YouTube subscription: what's the difference?

Subscribing on YouTube only puts a channel in your feed. A subscription in Top Video Downloader has nothing to do with your YouTube account: it saves new uploads as MP4 files (or in your chosen audio format) to a folder, so you can watch them offline, on a flight, or after the creator deletes them. It works well as a lightweight YouTube channel archiver for new uploads. For YouTube you can also turn on SponsorBlock to cut sponsor reads out of the files. Only download what you have the right to; see is it legal to download videos.