Getting started in 10 steps

The vast majority of public YouTube videos. A small number cannot be analyzed (some Shorts, music videos, or videos where there is simply not enough to work with), and DistillTube tells you clearly rather than showing an error.

Summaries can be written in your chosen language. Quotes are kept in the video's original language, with an optional translation you can switch on in Settings.

Yes. You can turn any summary into a spoken audio briefing and listen to it hands-free, for example on a walk or your commute.

Open “Add or find” and describe what you want to learn in your own words. DistillTube searches YouTube, ranks the strongest matches and lets you preview them, so you can add the best one to your library. The same box also takes a pasted YouTube link if you already have one.

A project bundles several videos on the same topic and merges them into one cohesive, deduplicated document. You assemble up to ten videos in a project using the “Add to project” button from your library, the video finder or any video page. DistillTube then writes a short overview, a long article-style write up, key takeaways, the strongest quotes and a list of mentioned resources, with every point tagged by its source (like [V1] or [V1,V3]) and shared insights or disagreements between the videos surfaced. Pick this when you are researching a topic across several creators and want one clean document instead of jumping between separate summaries.

Open Projects in the top navigation, create one with a name and an optional description that tells the AI what to focus on. Then open your library, the video finder or any video page and click Add to project; a small menu lets you pick the project. You can have up to ten videos per project. When the sources are ready, click Generate project summary inside the project; before you build, you can pick the style, the language and the format (article with section headings or linear prose). Adding or removing a video later flags the summary as out of date so you can rebuild it with one click.

Before the merge, DistillTube does a quick check that the videos actually share a common topic. If one clearly does not fit (for example a stock market video in a project about rabbit care), the build is blocked, the off-topic source is named (like “V2 does not fit”), and you are asked to remove it and try again. This protects you from a confused, unfocused summary. The check is lenient: closely related topics pass through.

Yes, and it is worth it: add your Dashboard, your private overview showing your latest and unread summaries, so a single tap takes you straight there. Sign in first and open your Dashboard, then: on iPhone or iPad, in Safari tap the Share button and choose “Add to Home Screen”. On Android, in Chrome tap the three-dot menu and choose “Add to Home screen” (or “Install app”). The icon opens full screen with its own DistillTube logo, just like a native app, right on your dashboard.

DistillTube ships with ten built-in styles, from compact and actionable to openly critical (Counterpoint) and openly endorsing (Champion), plus two playful character styles. You can also save your own. The full list with descriptions is on the summary styles page.

Yes, in several places. In Settings you set your account default style for every new summary. Under Channels you can give one channel its own default. On any single summary you can switch the style and press “Rebuild summary” to regenerate it. Audio briefings have a separate picker: in the “Audio briefing” section choose “Voice style for this briefing”, which changes the spoken version only and leaves the written summary as it is. Beyond that you can describe your own focus in free text or save your own styles in Settings. The full list of built-in styles, including their characters and the Counterpoint and Champion perspective styles, is on the summary styles page.

Easiest: open the channel on YouTube, copy its web address, and paste it on the Channels page. A handle like @RealMenRealStyle works too. There is an in app helper with details for phone and desktop.

No. Following only summarizes uploads published after you start following, never the back catalogue. Adding a single video never subscribes you to the whole channel.

They are grounded strictly in what is actually said in the video. Quotes are verbatim, and the chat answers from the real content rather than inventing details.

Yes. You can email any summary to yourself as a PDF, and enable a daily or weekly digest of new videos from your followed channels.

On the sign in page, click “Forgot password?”. We email you a link to set a new one.

Yes, of course. Go to Settings and scroll to the “Delete account” section. Type your email to confirm, and it permanently removes your account and all of your videos, summaries, channels and saved styles. This cannot be undone.