Kaset

Open source alternative to Apple Music

2.6K stars
MIT
Active this week
Last commit today

Last verified Nov 15, 2026

Run YouTube Music and YouTube in a single native macOS app, with a 6-band EQ, synced lyrics, smart shuffle, and AppleScript automation.

Visit website GitHub2.6K

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs, the quick start and the FAQ

who it's for

Who Kaset is for#

YouTube Premium subscribers wanting a native Mac music client

Kaset delivers the full YouTube Music experience in a proper Mac window: your library, playlists, podcasts, smart shuffle, and EQ. For users whose music lives on YouTube Music rather than Apple Music or Spotify, Kaset is the only native macOS client available.

Skip if:

Skip if your music library is on Apple Music, Spotify, or another streaming service. Kaset plays YouTube Music and YouTube only; it cannot access other streaming catalogs.

macOS power users who rely on automation

Kaset's AppleScript support and URL scheme let you control playback from Raycast, Alfred, or macOS Shortcuts. You can trigger playback, switch playlists, or open a specific YouTube video from any automation context. Apple Intelligence integration on macOS 26 enables natural language playback commands.

Skip if:

Skip if you need broad cross-platform support. Kaset is macOS-only and requires macOS 15.4 or later; there is no Windows or Linux version.

YouTube viewers who want native controls and no browser clutter

Side B gives YouTube subscriptions, Shorts, Watch Later, and history in a clean native window. The Liquid Glass player bar handles captions, quality, picture-in-picture, and AirPlay. SponsorBlock can be loaded as a WebKit extension to skip sponsorship segments.

Skip if:

Skip if you need Chromecast or non-AirPlay casting. Kaset supports AirPlay but not other casting protocols.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Using YouTube Music on macOS means living in a browser tab: media keys work inconsistently, there is no Control Center Now Playing widget, no picture-in-picture, and no way to apply an equalizer to the audio output. YouTube's official apps are iOS-first, and no first-party macOS client exists for YouTube Music or YouTube.

The gap deepens for users who also watch YouTube: switching between a music tab and a video tab is clunky, and browser UI adds clutter around content. Users who want native controls, subscription and history navigation, or AirPlay from a YouTube video have no official path on macOS.

how Kaset solves it

How it solves it#

Side A and Side B in one app

Kaset puts YouTube Music (Side A) and YouTube (Side B) in a single window with a sidebar toggle. Side A gives your full YouTube Music library, playlists, podcasts, and smart shuffle. Side B shows your subscriptions, Shorts, Watch Later, and history. One click flips between them.

6-band parametric equalizer

A system-wide 6-band parametric EQ is applied directly to WebKit playback output, so it affects what you hear from Kaset without touching other audio on your Mac. Spotify-style presets are built in, and you can adjust individual bands at 60, 150, and 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.4 kHz, and 15 kHz.

Synced lyrics with Apple Intelligence explanations

Lyrics display with line-by-line highlighting as a song plays, using timing data when available. On macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, Kaset can explain lyrics and analyze their mood on device, without sending data to a third-party service.

WebKit extensions on both sides

Load standard WebKit extensions such as uBlock Origin Lite and SponsorBlock. Extensions work on both YouTube Music and YouTube. Nothing is bundled; you install only what you choose.

AppleScript and Shortcuts automation

Kaset is scriptable via AppleScript, making it compatible with Raycast, Alfred, and macOS Shortcuts. You can control playback, play specific playlists, and run actions from other apps or scripts. A URL scheme (kaset://play?v=VIDEO_ID) lets any app open a specific video directly.

Full macOS system integration

Now Playing appears in Control Center and responds to media keys. A Dock menu gives quick playback controls. Music continues playing when the window is closed. The app supports 18 languages and haptic feedback on Force Touch trackpads.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

MIT license, free to downloadKaset is MIT-licensed and costs nothing to download and use. Unlike subscription music apps, there is no per-user fee and no account required beyond your existing Google account. The source code is public on GitHub and can be audited or forked.
Native Swift app, not a browser wrapperKaset is written in Swift and SwiftUI with Apple's Liquid Glass APIs. It behaves like a Mac app: media keys, Control Center Now Playing, picture-in-picture, and AirPlay all work natively. This distinguishes it from browser-based or Electron-wrapped alternatives that lack proper system integration.
Smart shuffle and queue managementBeyond a plain shuffle toggle, Kaset blends suggested tracks into the queue based on what is currently playing, with configurable cadence. You can reorder, clear, and inspect the queue at any time. This level of queue control is not available in YouTube Music's web player.

Trade-offs

-Not signed with an Apple Developer IDKaset is not signed or notarized by Apple, so macOS shows a warning on first launch. The Homebrew install handles this automatically. If you download the .dmg directly, you must approve it manually in System Settings > Privacy and Security. This is a one-time step, but it adds friction for less technical users.
-102 open issues as of November 2026Kaset had 102 open issues on GitHub at the time this pack was generated (from the GitHub issues API, pull requests excluded). First released in December 2025, it is a relatively new project. The maintainer is active and the issue tracker is open, but some edge cases and feature requests remain unresolved.
-Full playback requires YouTube Music PremiumKaset plays DRM-protected YouTube Music content via your existing Premium subscription. Without a Premium subscription, YouTube Music playback is limited to free-tier content. Users on the free tier will find Side A less functional than Side B, which works with a standard Google account.

versus alternatives

Kaset vs alternatives#

Kaset vs Apple Music

Kaset and Apple Music solve different problems for different user bases. Apple Music is Apple's own streaming service with 100 million+ songs, lossless audio, and deep macOS integration. Kaset is an unofficial native client for YouTube Music and YouTube, for users whose library and habits are on Google's platform rather than Apple's.

Feature	Kaset	Apple Music
Catalog	YouTube Music and YouTube video	100M+ songs, iTunes Match
License	MIT, free to download	Proprietary, subscription required
Subscription	YouTube Music Premium for full features	Yes ($10.99/mo individual)
Native macOS app	Yes (Swift and SwiftUI)	Yes (first-party)
Equalizer	6-band parametric EQ	No built-in EQ
Video playback	Yes (Side B: YouTube)	No
Extensions	uBlock Origin Lite, SponsorBlock	No

Apple Music is the right choice if your library lives in iTunes or iCloud Music Library, or if you want lossless audio, Dolby Atmos, or Apple's curated editorial. iTunes Match for personal libraries and lossless playback have no equivalent in YouTube Music.

Kaset fits better when your listening centers on YouTube Music's catalog, you want YouTube video playback in the same app, or you need a real equalizer, AppleScript automation, or SponsorBlock for ad skipping. It is free to download and costs nothing beyond your existing YouTube Music Premium subscription.

install · quick start

Quick start#

bash

Install Kaset on macOS 15.4 or later via Homebrew, which handles the quarantine flag automatically.
```bash
brew install sozercan/repo/kaset
```

Or download the .dmg installer directly from GitHub Releases: https://github.com/sozercan/kaset/releases/latest

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: PythonSwift

frequently asked

FAQ#

Is Kaset free to use?

Yes. Kaset is free to download and MIT-licensed. There is no subscription fee for the app itself. To use YouTube Music's full library and Premium playback, you need an existing YouTube Music Premium subscription from Google. The YouTube side (Side B) works with a free Google account.

Does Kaset work without a YouTube Music Premium subscription?

Side B (YouTube) works with a free Google account. Side A (YouTube Music) can browse and play free-tier content, but Premium features like offline playback and ad-free listening require a YouTube Music Premium subscription. Kaset does not add or remove any subscription tier from what Google offers.

Is Kaset affiliated with YouTube or Google?

No. Kaset is an unofficial, community-built app and is not affiliated with YouTube or Google Inc. 'YouTube', 'YouTube Music', and the YouTube logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc. The app uses publicly available web interfaces.

What macOS version does Kaset require?

Kaset requires macOS 15.4 (Sequoia) or later. Apple Intelligence features, including on-device lyrics explanations and natural language playback commands, require macOS 26 or later. Kaset will not run on macOS 14 or earlier.

How do I install Kaset without the macOS security warning?

Install Kaset via Homebrew by running brew install sozercan/repo/kaset in Terminal. Homebrew clears the quarantine flag automatically, so no security warning appears. If you download the .dmg directly, go to System Settings > Privacy and Security and click 'Open Anyway' after the first failed launch attempt.

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Kaset vs Apple Music

Feature	Kaset	Apple Music
Catalog	YouTube Music and YouTube video	100M+ songs, iTunes Match
License	MIT, free to download	Proprietary, subscription required
Subscription	YouTube Music Premium for full features	Yes ($10.99/mo individual)
Native macOS app	Yes (Swift and SwiftUI)	Yes (first-party)
Equalizer	6-band parametric EQ	No built-in EQ
Video playback	Yes (Side B: YouTube)	No
Extensions	uBlock Origin Lite, SponsorBlock	No