About Return YouTube Dislike
In late 2021 YouTube hid public dislike counts and removed them from its API. Return YouTube Dislike puts a number back. It is free, open source and has millions of users. Its main use is as a quality filter: a poor ratio on a how-to video is a useful warning.
The number is not YouTube's own. The project says its backend combines archived dislike data from before the change with votes cast by extension users, and for newer videos scales the ratio of those votes to YouTube's public like count. Its Chrome listing says popular videos get better estimates than obscure ones. Recent versions add RYD comments for videos where YouTube comments are off. Counts remain free, but some optional features need a paid Patreon tier or eligible GitHub access.
Privacy is the trade-off. To fetch a count the extension sends the video ID to the project's server, along with your IP address, which the project says it stores only as a hash. A random ID is created the first time you vote. Its Chrome rating, 2.5 from 19,900 ratings, is low next to the other picks here. Treat the figure as a hint, not a verdict. It is available for Chrome and Firefox, not Safari.
Pros and cons
- Restores a dislike figure on videos and Shorts
- Open source, with a public API
- Dislike counts stay free
- Actively maintained, with a release this month
- Counts are estimates, not YouTube's real numbers
- Sends the video ID to its server for each lookup
- Optional extras tie into paid Patreon tiers or GitHub access
Permissions
It needs access to YouTube pages to show the count, and to the Return YouTube Dislike server to fetch it. The Firefox build also lists active tab and identity access, which fits its optional Patreon and GitHub sign-in.
