TL;DR: these solve different problems
- Problem is 'I can't find the channels I care about' → FolderTube (folders).
- Problem is 'my feed is full of Shorts, live streams, and repeat uploads I don't want to see' → SubSorter (feed cleaner).
- Have both problems? Nothing stops you from running both — they touch different parts of the feed and don't do the same job.
Why this comparison is unusual
Most 'X vs Y' extension comparisons are between two tools doing the same job with different trade-offs. This one isn't. FolderTube is an organizer — it adds a folder layer on top of your subscriptions, and you decide which channels go where. SubSorter is a filter — it doesn't group anything into categories; it removes or bundles content from the feed you already have, based on format (Shorts, live, premieres) and repetition (multiple uploads from one creator in a window).
Put simply: FolderTube answers 'which channels do I want to look at right now?' SubSorter answers 'how do I make the feed I'm already looking at less cluttered?' Neither answers the other's question.
Side-by-side comparison
| FolderTube | SubSorter | |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | Folders + Subscriptions page filter | Feed filtering (no folders) |
| What it changes | How channels are grouped and browsed | What appears in the feed at all |
| Hides Shorts | Optional, via the Premium new-upload feed (Shorts excluded by default, configurable) | Yes — a core free-tier feature |
| Hides live streams / premieres | No | Yes |
| Bundles repeat uploads from one creator | No | Yes (24h / 7-day / 30-day windows) |
| Free plan | Unlimited top-level folders, Mark as Watched (30/mo) | Core filters with monthly usage limits |
| Paid plan | $2.99/mo, $19/yr, or $39 lifetime | Premium subscription for unlimited use |
| Data handling | Synced via FolderTube account | Usage stats kept local |
SubSorter details above are drawn from its public listing and can change between releases — confirm current limits and pricing on its own site before subscribing.
What SubSorter actually does
SubSorter works inside your existing YouTube feed rather than building a separate view. It can hide Shorts, live videos, and premieres outright, and it bundles multiple uploads from the same creator within a 24-hour, 7-day, or 30-day window so one prolific channel doesn't dominate the feed — with stats on how much it has filtered. There's a free tier with monthly usage limits and a premium subscription for unlimited use, and usage stats stay local to your device. What it does not do is create folders, categories, or any way to view a subset of your channels on demand — the feed stays one list, just a shorter one.
What FolderTube actually does
FolderTube adds folders you build yourself: create a folder, drag channels into it (each channel lives in exactly one folder at a time), and then filter the Subscriptions page to see uploads from just that folder. Free covers unlimited top-level folders; Premium adds nested subfolders (up to 5 levels), custom colors and icons, and unlimited Mark as Watched. It doesn't touch what counts as noise within a folder — a Shorts-heavy channel in your 'Comedy' folder still shows its Shorts when you filter to that folder, unless you're using the Premium new-upload feed, which excludes Shorts by default.
Add real folders to YouTube
FolderTube is free to install. Drag your subscriptions into folders and finally find what you actually want to watch.
Add to ChromeA feature that looks similar but isn't: Shorts handling
Both tools touch Shorts, which is probably why they get compared. SubSorter's Shorts-hiding is a core, always-on filter on the feed you already have — it's part of the free tier's job. FolderTube's Shorts handling is narrower and lives in a specific feature: the Premium folder new-upload feed, which polls RSS roughly every 30 minutes and excludes Shorts by default (you can change that setting). It's not a general 'hide all Shorts everywhere' switch — it applies to that feed, for folders where you've turned it on. If wall-to-wall Shorts suppression across your whole feed is the actual goal, SubSorter's approach is more directly built for that.
Using both together
Because they operate on different layers, there's no technical conflict in running both: FolderTube to group channels into folders you can browse one at a time, and SubSorter to strip Shorts, live streams, premieres, and repeat uploads out of the feed itself. If your subscriptions are both disorganized and noisy, that combination addresses both complaints rather than picking one. We haven't tested every possible interaction between the two extensions' UI injections, so if you try this, keep an eye out for any visual overlap and disable one temporarily if something looks off.
Neither replaces the other
If you install FolderTube expecting fewer Shorts across the board, or SubSorter expecting folders, you'll be disappointed either way. Match the tool to the actual complaint.
Which should you choose
- You can't find channels in a giant flat list → FolderTube.
- Your feed is technically fine to navigate but cluttered with Shorts, live streams, or repeat posts → SubSorter.
- Both problems apply → there's no rule against installing both; they don't do the same job.