What you get on the free plan
The free plan is permanent and does not require a credit card. It covers everything you need to set up a working folder system:
- Unlimited top-level folders.
- Drag-and-drop to move channels into folders, to reorder channels within a folder, and to reorder folders themselves.
- Multi-device sync via your account โ folders follow you to any browser where you sign in.
- Unread-count badges that show how many new uploads are waiting in each folder.
- Mark as Watched (with a monthly cap on the free plan).
For most viewers organizing a normal-sized subscription list, the free plan is enough on its own. There is no asterisk that limits how many channels you can put into a folder, no time-limited trial, and no surprise nag screen.
See new videos together, folder by folder
The unread badge is free: it tells you which folder has new uploads. The list of actual videos is Premium: open the folder, choose the New tab, and review its new videos together. The complete workflow is:
| Feature | Access | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| See new videos together, folder by folder | Premium | Open a folder and choose the New tab to review its new uploads in one place |
| Spot new uploads instantly with unread badges | Free | See the unread count next to each folder before you open it |
| Hide or dim videos you have already watched | Premium | Keep the videos that still need attention easy to scan |
| Organize channels precisely with subfolders | Premium | Split broad folders into a structure that fits how you watch |
| Organize favorite videos into folders | Premium | Keep saved videos grouped by topic or purpose |
| Customize folder colors and icons | Premium | Make a larger folder list easier to recognize at a glance |
| Back up and export your folders | Premium | Keep a portable copy of the folder system you have built |
Premium also keeps the existing power-user benefits: unlimited Mark as Watched, unlimited channel video search, and priority support.
When Premium is worth it
A simple rule of thumb: upgrade when at least two of these are true:
- You regularly notice an unread badge and want to review that folder's actual new videos together.
- You want each folder to work as a focused daily inbox instead of scanning one mixed subscriptions feed.
- You use Mark as Watched daily and run into the free monthly cap.
- You need subfolders, favorite-video folders, customization, or a backup and export workflow.
If only one of these applies, the free plan is probably still the right choice for now. Upgrade when the second reason kicks in.
When the free plan is enough
Be honest about when you do not need Premium:
- You have under 50 subscribed channels.
- You comfortably fit your structure into 4 or 5 top-level folders.
- The free unread badge is enough to tell you when a folder needs attention.
- You rarely mark videos as watched.
If all four are true, do not upgrade just to upgrade. The free plan is built to actually work for that case.
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 ChromePricing breakdown
| Plan | Price | Effective monthly cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | โ | Trying it out and casual users with a small subscription list |
| Monthly | $2.99 / month | $2.99 | Trying Premium with no commitment; downgrade at any time |
| Yearly | $19 / year | $1.58 | Committed users โ saves ~47% vs Monthly |
| Lifetime | $39 one-time | Pays back in ~14 months vs Monthly, ~25 months vs Yearly | Long-term users who would rather pay once and forget |
All three paid plans unlock identical features. The only difference is the billing structure.
Which billing option to pick
Start with Monthly if you are unsure
Monthly at $2.99 is the lowest-risk way to try Premium. Use it for a month, decide whether subfolders and custom styling are part of your daily YouTube workflow, then either downgrade or switch to a longer plan.
Move to Yearly once you know you will keep it
Yearly costs less than seven months of Monthly. If you have used Premium for two or three months and have not considered going back, Yearly pays back almost immediately.
Lifetime makes sense if you are sure
At $39, Lifetime breaks even against Monthly after about 14 months and against Yearly after about two years. If you genuinely expect to keep using FolderTube long-term, Lifetime removes the recurring decision entirely.
Be honest about how long you will stick with a tool
Lifetime is great value if you actually use the tool for years. It is poor value if you stop using it in six months. Most people overestimate their persistence with new tools โ give it a few months of real use before committing.
What is not included in Premium
Premium does not add things FolderTube does not do. To be clear about what is not included:
- It does not block ads or sponsor segments. Use SponsorBlock for that.
- It does not hide the YouTube homepage. Use DF YouTube or Unhook.
- It does not replace YouTube Premium (no ad removal, no background play, no music access).
- It does not give you parental controls. Use YouTube Kids or a supervised Google account.
Premium is specifically about turning organized folders into focused inboxes: review each folder's new uploads together, control watched videos, refine the structure, and keep it portable. Pair it with other extensions for the things FolderTube does not address.
What to read next
For a feature-by-feature comparison against the main alternative, see FolderTube vs PocketTube. If you are still on the fence, the complete guide to organizing YouTube subscriptions walks through the free-tier setup that is the natural starting point either way.