If you are both a Firefox user and a YouTube fan (or fanatic), there are number of Firefox add-ons that can integrate YouTube directly into your Firefox browser in ways that make watching videos more enjoyable. Each one of these add-ons comes with certain features: some allow you to download the video, some are able to create complex playlists, some make it easier to search for a video and so on.
These are the YouTube-related Add-ons we recommend that you use, but feel free to visit the official Firefox add-on page and test a few new ones for yourself. If you are into that, check our article about Twitter and Facebook Firefox Addons.
1. 1-Click YouTube Download
Sometimes, all you want to do is download a video from YouTube. You don’t want another player, you don’t want to upload videos, you just want to download that favorite video of yours. If fast and simple YouTube downloads are all you want, the only thing you need to do is install the 1-Click YouTube Download extension for Firefox.
Once you installed 1-Click YouTube Download, you can go to the youtube page the video is on. Under the actual video you will notice three new buttons (FLV, MP4 and 3GP). Just click one of them and you will download the video in the corresponding format. Sounds easy? It really is!
1 Click Youtube Download
2. GoogleTube – YouTube Player 2.0.1
GoogleTube is basically a YouTube player (and a slick one at that) integrated into your Firefox browser.
An interesting feature in GoogleTube is the fact that it uses Google searches just like you would search for a video in a playlist: you search for “Beatles – Let It Be” and you will notice that three buttons will be placed next to the video results. Press the first button and you will play that video in the GoogleTube browser, press the second one and you will be able to download the video, while the third one will display the details for that video.
Unfortunately, due to the problems with the latest Firefox 3.6 Browser (you get no image, only sound, the download feature just doesn’t work, etc), GoogleTube does not get the number one spot in our rankings, or at least until a 3.6-compatible update is released (the developers promise this will happen soon enough). If you are using Firefox 3.5 or older (as many of you are), GoogleTube is definitely an add-on you should check out.
YouTube Player 2.0.1
3. YouPlayer
This Mozilla Firefox Add-On is not YouTube exclusive, but this does not make it less interesting for YouTube fans.
YouPlayer allows to create playlists from both videos on YouTube, Metacafe, MySpace and Google Video and videos on your computer in just a few clicks. A simple drag and drop interface makes sure you combine your favorite videos from around the web without requiring that you keep too many tabs open. If you want to play a file from the playlist, just double click on it and you’ll be happily viewing your favorite video.
Another useful feature in YouPlayer allows you to download the videos you included in your playlist. We recommend that you use 1-Click YouTube Download if all you want to do is download the files, but YouPlayer is not that bad at downloading either.
YouPlayer
4. YouTube Comment Snob
If you spend a lot of time on YouTube browsing for videos and participating in discussions around those videos (via comments), the YouTube Comment Snob is certainly a Firefox Add-on you should give a try.
As you could have noticed, the comments around YouTube videos can lead to fascinating discussions around the video topic. In this case, it is highly unfortunate that you sometimes have to deal with reading inappropriate comments.
You don’t have to be a snob to make full use of the YouTube Comment Snob, as its customization options for the comments it blocks out provide enough flexibility to suit your needs. You can choose to block out comments with too many spelling mistakes, comments that use profanity, etc.
YouTube Snob Comment
5. Related YouTube Videos
Well, the title does seem to say it all when it comes to this particular Mozilla Firefox Add-on: it shows the videos on YouTube that have the same topic as the web page you are currently on.
While the Add-on might give, on rare occasions results that are not related in any way with the page you are watching, we still think it’s definitely a top 5 because it’s the best at what it does.
Related YouTube Videos
Remember that there are considerably more add-ons for you to try out. There are over 10 thousand Mozilla Firefox Add-Ons that you can try out from the main Mozilla Addons Screen here. While at it, you can always give Firefox Personal a try, making your Firefox have its own personality and look.
