Comparison

Vinegar vs ThreadMaster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Vinegar

Enhance your YouTube viewing experience by replacing the default player with a streamlined HTML video tag. Enjoy ad-free playback, enable picture-in-picture, and listen to videos in the background with audio-only mode.

Highlights
  • Replaces YouTube player with HTML5
  • Removes ads
  • Restores picture-in-picture
  • Background audio playback
  • Minimal interface
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Vinegar is a Safari extension that replaces the YouTube player with a minimal HTML video tag. It removes ads, restores picture-in-picture, and allows videos to play in the background when set to audio-only quality. Note: The phrase 'can read and alter webpages' in the permissions section is just an unfortunate choice of words. Vinegar needs access to the webpage to find the YouTube player and replace it. It's not doing anything creepy! (Also, do check out Vinegar's companion app, Baking Soda. It's essentially a less powerful version of Vinegar, but it works on all websites except YouTube.)

About

ThreadMaster

Browse multiple forums and communities with advanced features like NG filters, unread tracking, and dark mode. Save favorite threads, track browsing history, and participate in discussions. Optimized for fast, organized reading on various devices.

Highlights
  • Multi-forum browsing
  • NG filters (threads, boards, regex)
  • Unread tracking
  • Favorites and history
  • Dark mode
  • Thumbnail and link previews
  • Thread creation and posting
Features
Read full description

◆ Multi-Forum Viewer with Advanced Features ThreadMaster is a powerful forum viewer for browsing threads across multiple boards and communities. It includes advanced features like NG filters, unread tracking, differential loading, and dark mode. Whether you check daily updates or follow long discussions, ThreadMaster keeps reading fast and organized. ◆ Main Features - Favorites: Save threads and boards for easy access. - Browsing History: Track your viewed threads. - Thread Creation: Start your own discussions. - Posting: Participate in discussions by posting your comments. - Thumbnail Display: View image URLs as thumbnails. - Anchor Link Preview: Preview links before clicking. - ID Post List: View posts grouped by each user ID. - Dark Mode: Comfortable browsing at night. - iPad Support: Optimized for larger screens. - Highlight Own Posts: Easily find your comments. - Cache Deletion: Free up storage space. - Sage Button: Don't bump threads when you post. - Differential Reading: Update threads with new posts only. - Unread Counts: See the number of unread posts in favorites and thread lists. - Read Items Grouping: Organize read items in thread lists. - Automatic Image Loading: Manage image loading preferences. - Mosaic Feature: Add mosaics to images. - Rich Thread Sorting: Various sorting options for threads. - Regular Expression NG: Filter threads by body, email, or name. - Board NG: Filter out unwanted boards. - Thread NG: Filter out unwanted threads. - In-thread Search: Find specific content within threads. ◆ Supported Services - Supports multiple forum and board services. - Additional compatibility updates are delivered continuously. *We plan to add more features based on your requests.* ◆ Bug Reports We welcome feedback and bug reports within the app or through the following forms: - Feedback: https://forms.gle/GfPPr37Cyya1msGX9 - Please use this instead of app reviews. - Bug Reports: https://forms.gle/ndAVLvmPbXo25pEEA - Current bugs are listed here. ◆ Terms of Service For detailed terms, please refer to: https://hackmd.io/W8T2gLO-TRmQj-5nxfocdw

Screenshots

Vinegar2 screens
ThreadMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ThreadMaster at Free against Vinegar's $1.99. ThreadMaster also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2). Vinegar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ThreadMaster is free to download; Vinegar costs $1.99 up front. ThreadMaster sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Vinegar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ThreadMaster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vinegar has 761 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Vinegar's written reviews are positive against 33% of ThreadMaster's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vinegar ships an update every 3 days, ThreadMaster every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Vinegar versus ThreadMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVinegarThreadMaster
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (761 ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings761 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#58 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB102 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAnd a DinosaurKazumasa Shimomura

Customer experience

Vinegar

All ratings759 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral6.3%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews943 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral12.2%
Negative23.8%

ThreadMaster

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral13.7%
Negative52.9%

Bugs and requests

Vinegar

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Videos default to mute audio
  • Doesn't work with AirPlay
  • Playback issues when switching apps or rotating device
  • Toolbar buttons not working
  • Video player crashes when rotating device
Show 3 more
  • Inconsistent video quality selection
  • Doesn't update video history
  • Doesn't remember playback speed settings

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add playback speed options
  • Add support for chapters
  • Add option to disable ad blocker
  • Add option to disable extension on certain sites
  • Add support for higher resolutions and HDR
Show 4 more
  • Add support for Chromecast
  • Add keyboard shortcuts for navigation
  • Add option to always start in theater mode
  • Add option to default to highest available quality

ThreadMaster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Vinegar

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

ThreadMaster

Subscriptions2
  • VIPプラン7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • VIPプラン7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time8
  • Donation$0.29
  • Donation$0.49
  • Donation$2.99
Show 5 more
  • Donation$5.99
  • Donation$9.99
  • Lifetime VIP$59.99
  • Donation$199.99
  • Donation$599.99

Questions

Is Vinegar free?
Vinegar costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ThreadMaster free?
ThreadMaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Vinegar or ThreadMaster?
ThreadMaster is rated higher. Vinegar averages 4.2 out of 5 from 761 ratings, while ThreadMaster averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Vinegar or ThreadMaster have ads?
ThreadMaster shows ads; Vinegar does not.
Which is updated more often, Vinegar or ThreadMaster?
Vinegar ships an update every 3 days, and ThreadMaster every 4 days. Most recently, Vinegar was updated on November 3, 2026 and ThreadMaster on November 3, 2026.

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