A real count, not an estimate
Every count is the exact number of verified accounts holding that reaction, in a public log an open-source verifier can recompute. Nothing is extrapolated.
Return YouTube Dislike alternative
Return YouTube Dislike restores an estimated dislike count on YouTube. Web Reactions counts real reactions from verified accounts, on YouTube and well beyond it.
Why people go looking for one
Return YouTube Dislike (RYD) is a respected open-source project, and for "rough thermometer on a viral video" it works. People start looking for an alternative for three recurring reasons.
First, the number is an estimate. RYD's own site and README describe the count as archived dislike data combined with extrapolation from its users' votes. Second, it is YouTube-only by design. Third, its identity model is a random ID per browser install: reinstall the extension or open a new profile and you are a brand-new "user", which makes the underlying votes cheap to inflate and impossible to de-duplicate.
Web Reactions scratches the same itch with a different contract: the count you see is the literal number of verified accounts that picked that emoji, and the same reaction layer follows you to other sites.
What you get instead
The whole palette, not just the dislike
A counted 👎 is there if that's what you came for. So is everything else: the picker carries a full searchable emoji set, so "mid", "hilarious", and "this saved my project" stop being the same button.
YouTube today, and the rest of your tabs
Web Reactions mounts on YouTube videos and Shorts, and the same picker works on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, X, Threads, GitHub, GitLab, and Amazon, with more sites on the roadmap.
One person, one vote
Submitting a reaction takes a one-time email verification; your account is an irreversible hash of that email. Reinstalls, new profiles, and private windows stay the same account, so the count reflects people rather than browser installs. Reading counts stays fully anonymous.
Switching takes about a minute
Install the extension, confirm a one-time email code the first time you react, and the counter is live on the page. You don't have to uninstall RYD either: it keeps estimating the native dislike counter while Web Reactions adds its own counted layer, and the two don't interfere.
Is it the right alternative for you?
Choose Web Reactions if you want reaction counts that are real rather than estimated, a palette wider than one dislike, and the same layer across the sites you already use.
Stay with Return YouTube Dislike if all you want is the native YouTube dislike estimate back, with no sign-in of any kind. It remains very good at exactly that.
Want the detailed side-by-side, with links into RYD's source? Read Web Reactions vs Return YouTube Dislike.
Sources and fair play
- RYD is open source (GPL-3) at github.com/Anarios/return-youtube-dislike. The estimate methodology and the per-install identity model are documented in its README and source; the full comparison links the exact file.
- Web Reactions claims are documented in the privacy policy, the counts page, and the public repository.
- We're not affiliated with RYD. It's a good project; this page exists for people who want a different kind of count.