# charset-normalizer vs yt-dlp

**Leader by Vioscale score:** charset-normalizer

| Attribute | charset-normalizer | yt-dlp |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 79.3 (42% (low)) | 66.2 (19% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 62 | 38 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 127,252 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 789 | 187,127 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 387,767,386 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"charset-normalizer is a library that detects the character encoding used in text data. It functions as a universal charset detector, automatically identifying which text encoding is present in files or text streams.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What is charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"charset-normalizer addresses the problem of automatically detecting character encoding in text data. Applications that process text from diverse sources often encounter different encodings, and identifying the correct encoding is essential for proper text interpretation.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What problems does charset-normalizer solve?","confidence":0.8},{"answer":"Yes, charset-normalizer is open source software, allowing for public use, examination, and modification of its code. As an open source project, it is freely available for distribution and integration into other applications.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Is charset-normalizer open source?","confidence":0.98},{"answer":"Yes, the project is actively maintained, meaning it continues to receive updates and ongoing development. This indicates an ongoing commitment to improving and supporting the software.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Is the project actively maintained?","confidence":0.98},{"answer":"charset-normalizer is positioned as an alternative to Chardet with emphasis on being modern and actively maintained. Specific technical differences or detailed feature comparisons are not provided in the available information.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"How does charset-normalizer compare to Chardet?","confidence":0.85},{"answer":"The project provides documentation through ReadTheDocs at its official website. ReadTheDocs is a standard hosting platform for comprehensive documentation for open source projects.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Where can I find documentation for charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"As an open source project, charset-normalizer is available at no cost. There are no licensing fees or usage costs for integrating it into applications.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What is the cost of using charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.98}]` | `[{"answer":"yt-dlp is a command-line utility designed for downloading audio and video content. It is characterized as feature-rich, offering extensive functionality for media downloading tasks.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"What is yt-dlp?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"yt-dlp is designed for users comfortable with command-line interfaces. It is best suited for technical users, developers, and power users who prefer terminal-based applications.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Who is yt-dlp intended for?","confidence":0.75},{"answer":"Yes, yt-dlp supports downloading both audio and video formats. The tool handles both media types within a single application.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Can yt-dlp download both audio and video content?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"No, yt-dlp operates entirely through the command line, requiring text-based terminal commands rather than a graphical interface. Users interact with the tool by entering commands and parameters.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Does yt-dlp have a graphical user interface?","confidence":0.8},{"answer":"Yes, as a command-line tool, yt-dlp can be incorporated into scripts and automated workflows. This makes it suitable for batch processing and scheduled downloads.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Can I automate downloading with yt-dlp?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"The project maintains a Discord community server where users can ask questions and discuss the tool with other community members and developers.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Where can I find community support?","confidence":0.85},{"answer":"yt-dlp is described as feature-rich, indicating it includes extensive functionality and capabilities beyond simple downloads. This suggests support for advanced use cases and complex scenarios.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"What distinguishes yt-dlp from basic downloading tools?","confidence":0.65},{"answer":"As a command-line utility, yt-dlp can be integrated into scripts to handle multiple files. Its feature-rich nature suggests support for batch operations and processing workflows.","source":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","question":"Can yt-dlp process multiple files at once?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A Python library that identifies character encoding in byte sequences and converts content to Unicode. It determines the most readable interpretation of text regardless of its original encoding, and includes language detection and binary file recognition capabilities. | - |
| integrations.count | - | 15 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"arte"},{"name":"bandcamp"},{"name":"bilibili"},{"name":"instagram"},{"name":"linkedin"},{"name":"mgtv"},{"name":"mxplayer"},{"name":"niconico"},{"name":"omnyfm"},{"name":"openrec"},{"name":"patreon"},{"name":"peertube"},{"name":"periscope"},{"name":"reddit"},{"name":"soundcloud"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Python |
| license.spdx | MIT | Unlicense |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source (MIT license)","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T10:26:17.342Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://discord.gg/H5MNcFW63r","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:23:30.529Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 65 | 9 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.5.1","date":"2026-08-15T06:30:03Z","type":"stable","version":"3.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.5.0","date":"2026-08-12T12:50:58Z","type":"stable","version":"3.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.9","date":"2026-07-07T13:03:13Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.8","date":"2026-07-06T12:54:25Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.7","date":"2026-04-02T07:34:22Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.6","date":"2026-03-15T16:50:12Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.5","date":"2026-03-06T04:17:36Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.4","date":"2025-10-14T03:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.3","date":"2025-08-09T06:42:44Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.2","date":"2025-05-02T06:21:48Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.1","date":"2024-12-24T16:14:04Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.0","date":"2024-10-09T06:14:41Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.2","date":"2023-10-31T20:22:26Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.1","date":"2023-10-22T15:07:29Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.0","date":"2023-09-30T06:08:54Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.2.0","date":"2023-07-07T18:02:27Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.1.0","date":"2023-03-06T06:48:45Z","type":"stable","version":"3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.1","date":"2022-11-18T05:45:50Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.0","date":"2022-10-20T09:00:26Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.0rc1","date":"2022-10-18T19:18:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.0.0rc1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.08.19","date":"2026-08-19T23:48:43Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.08.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.07.04","date":"2026-07-04T22:41:44Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.07.04"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.06.09","date":"2026-06-09T23:26:57Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.06.09"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.03.17","date":"2026-03-17T23:42:33Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.03.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.03.13","date":"2026-03-13T09:02:00Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.03.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.03.03","date":"2026-03-03T16:54:38Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.03.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.21","date":"2026-02-21T20:40:28Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.02.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.02.04","date":"2026-02-04T00:49:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.02.04"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.01.31","date":"2026-02-01T00:12:02Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.01.31"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2026.01.29","date":"2026-01-29T17:17:40Z","type":"stable","version":"2026.01.29"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.12.08","date":"2025-12-08T00:15:34Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.12.08"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.11.12","date":"2025-11-12T01:00:04Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.11.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.10.22","date":"2025-10-22T19:51:38Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.10.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.10.14","date":"2025-10-14T23:38:23Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.10.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.09.26","date":"2025-09-26T22:22:06Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.09.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.09.23","date":"2025-09-23T06:54:15Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.09.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.09.05","date":"2025-09-05T23:06:02Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.09.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.08.27","date":"2025-08-28T00:02:48Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.08.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.08.22","date":"2025-08-23T00:05:11Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.08.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/tag/2025.08.20","date":"2025-08-20T02:57:45Z","type":"stable","version":"2025.08.20"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 8.9 | 7.7 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=charset-normalizer&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:35:22.897Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*