Better YouTube Controls vs Video Controls Plus | Comparison

Better YouTube Controls is a tiny single-purpose extension that forces arrow keys to control volume and seek on the YouTube player reliably, working around YouTube’s default focus-stealing behaviour. Users install it because YouTube’s arrow-key behaviour is inconsistent on its own. Video Controls Plus implements the same arrow-key forcing as part of its broader keyboard system and adds the rest of its feature surface. If you want a 50KB extension that does one thing and never updates, Better YouTube Controls is fine; if you want consistent keyboard control plus the rest of the toolkit, Video Controls Plus replaces it.

Use cases

When Video Controls Plus is the better fit

You want reliable YouTube keyboard control AND any other feature (PiP, loop, screenshots, transcripts); you watch on multiple video sites and want the same shortcuts everywhere; or you want fully customisable bindings rather than fixed arrow-key behaviour.

When Better YouTube Controls is the better fit

You watch only on YouTube, want exactly arrow-key forcing and nothing else, and prefer the lightest possible extension.

Side-by-side trial week

Install Video Controls Plus alongside Better YouTube Controls and use the per-site disable list to assign each extension to a different domain — for example, YouTube on Video Controls Plus, niche site on Better YouTube Controls. After seven days, audit which extension you reached for in your real workflow and uninstall the loser.

Migrating saved presets and shortcuts

Browser policy isolates extension storage, so saved speeds, filter presets, and bindings do not move automatically. The migration steps below cover the typical path; expect five to ten minutes of one-time setup, then identical day-to-day use.

How it works

  1. Step 1. Install Video Controls Plus.
  2. Step 2. Open options → Keyboard Shortcuts → enable "Force shortcuts on YouTube".
  3. Step 3. Confirm arrow-key bindings for volume and seek match your old setup (defaults are the same as Better YouTube Controls).
  4. Step 4. Test on a few YouTube videos to confirm the focus-steal fix works.
  5. Step 5. Disable Better YouTube Controls.

Examples

  • A current Better YouTube Controls user trying Video Controls Plus. Install in under a minute, reapply 3-5 settings, run both extensions for a week. Most users either commit to Video Controls Plus by day three or confirm Better YouTube Controls is the right fit for their narrower workflow.
  • A new user choosing between Better YouTube Controls and Video Controls Plus. Read this comparison, install whichever wins on the features that matter to you, and skip the trial week. Both extensions handle their core jobs reliably; the choice is about scope, not quality.

Frequently asked questions

Does Video Controls Plus reproduce the focus-steal fix?

Yes. The "Force shortcuts on YouTube" option overrides YouTube’s default arrow-key handling so volume and seek work consistently regardless of which page element has focus.

Will it conflict with YouTube native shortcuts I want to keep?

Force-shortcuts only takes priority for the keys you bind. Unbound keys still pass through to YouTube’s native handler.

Can I customise the arrow-key step size?

Yes — seek step (default 5s) and volume step (default 5%) are both configurable. Better YouTube Controls uses fixed defaults.

Does this work on YouTube Music and YouTube TV?

YouTube Music: yes. YouTube TV: depends on the embed; most controls work but some DRM-restricted streams limit playbackRate.

Will arrow-keys still scroll the page when I am NOT on the player?

Yes. Force-shortcuts only intercepts when the player has focus. Page scroll behaviour outside the player is unchanged.

Tips

  • Run both Better YouTube Controls and Video Controls Plus side-by-side for one week before uninstalling either — overlap is the easiest way to spot which features you actually use.
  • Use each extension's per-site disable list to avoid double-handled keyboard shortcuts during the trial period.
  • Re-bind keyboard shortcuts in Video Controls Plus to match your Better YouTube Controls muscle memory; every key in VCP is rebindable from the options page.
  • If you stay on Better YouTube Controls after the trial, file the missing-feature request you found via /feature-requests so a future Video Controls Plus release can close the gap.

Limitations

  • Video Controls Plus is a larger extension than Better YouTube Controls when Better YouTube Controls is single-purpose. The trade-off is footprint vs. feature breadth — pick the side that matches your machine and habits.
  • Browser-extension storage is sandboxed per extension, so settings do not transfer automatically between Better YouTube Controls and Video Controls Plus. Reapply preferences once after install.
  • Better YouTube Controls may handle a specific edge case (a particular preset, a UI affordance you have built muscle memory around) that Video Controls Plus does not replicate exactly. The decision guide above lists the real reasons to stay with Better YouTube Controls.

Last updated 2026-05-06 by Ahsan Mahmood, maintainer.