CleanTube Review — Strip YouTube Back to Just the Video Player
CleanTube removes everything from YouTube except the video player and search — comments, recommendations, Shorts shelf, homepage feed, trending, and the sidebar all disappear. What remains is a focused video playback environment. For creators who need to access YouTube for specific content without any of the features designed to extend session time, CleanTube provides the most stripped-back option available.
Install on Chrome Web Store →Key Features
CleanTube removes the YouTube homepage feed, recommendations sidebar, Shorts shelf, comments section, and trending page by default. The interface is reduced to search, your subscriptions list, and the video player.
The absence of the recommendations sidebar during video watching is the most impactful change — the 'Up Next' column that leads most YouTube rabbit holes is simply gone.
Comments can be hidden entirely, which removes a significant time sink for creators who read comment sections on competitor videos during research sessions.
The distraction-free environment is applied across YouTube — both the homepage and individual video pages are cleaned simultaneously without separate configuration.
Who Is It For
Creators who want the most aggressive possible version of distraction-free YouTube — more extreme than UnTrap or Unhook. If the recommendation sidebar and homepage feed are your primary distraction triggers and you want them completely gone by default, CleanTube delivers that.
Creators who use YouTube's recommendation engine intentionally — for content discovery, trend monitoring, or leisure — will find CleanTube removes features they rely on. It is designed specifically for those who want to use YouTube as a pure search and watch tool.
Pros and Cons
- ✅ Most comprehensive YouTube distraction removal available
- ✅ Completely free
- ✅ Applied automatically — no per-session setup
- ❌ Removes features some creators use intentionally — recommendation discovery is disabled entirely
- ❌ Less granular control than UnTrap or Unhook
Pricing
CleanTube is completely free. No paid version, no account required.
Summary
Worth installing for creators who have tried less aggressive YouTube distraction tools and still find themselves losing time to recommendations. CleanTube is the most thorough option — it is the right tool if you want YouTube as a pure utility rather than a browsing environment.