Guide
How to subscribe to a YouTube playlist
You can't subscribe to a YouTube playlist the way you subscribe to a channel. YouTube lets you save a playlist to your library, but it won't tell you when a video is added to it, because notifications are tied to channels. To find out when a playlist changes, you need something outside YouTube.
Below you'll find what the save button does, why YouTube works this way, and four methods that do notify you. Two of them are free and have nothing to do with us.
What "Save playlist" does
On any playlist page there's a save control: a bookmark icon, or Save playlist in the three-dot menu. Pressing it adds the playlist to Library → Playlists so you can find it again.
What you get
- A shortcut in your library
- It syncs across your devices
- New videos appear if you open it
What you don't
- No notifications of any kind
- No email, push alert or badge
- Nothing in your subscriptions feed
So saving a playlist works like a bookmark. It doesn't subscribe you to anything.
Why YouTube doesn't notify you
Subscriptions on YouTube are a channel-level product. The bell, the subscriptions feed and the emails all hang off "this creator uploaded something". A playlist isn't an uploader. It's a list that anyone can put together from anyone's videos, and the person who maintains it may not have uploaded anything at all.
Subscribing to the channel instead is the obvious workaround, and it's usually the wrong one: you'll hear about every upload from that channel, most of which won't be in the playlist you care about. For a channel that posts daily and maintains one weekly series, that's roughly seven times more notifications than you wanted. Not sure which you need? Channel or playlist: how to choose.
Four ways to get notified about a playlist
All four watch the playlist from outside YouTube. They differ in where the alert lands and how much setup it takes.
| Method | You get told by | Cost | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube's RSS feed | Your feed reader | Free | You need a reader, and it only carries the newest ~15 videos |
| Browser extension | A badge in your browser | Free | Only that browser, only on desktop, only while it's open |
| Zapier or IFTTT | Free tier, capped | An account plus a workflow to build per playlist | |
| Listabell | Email or Telegram | Free | You give us an email address |
If you already use a feed reader every day, go with the RSS option. It's free and needs no accounts, and we've written up how to build the feed URL including the parts YouTube doesn't document. If you want an email without running anything yourself, that's what we built Listabell for.
Getting an email when a playlist updates
Setup takes about a minute and needs no Google account. Listabell only reads public playlist data, so it never touches your YouTube subscriptions or watch history.
- 1
Create a free account
All it needs is an email address. You don't sign in with Google or grant any permissions.
- 2
Search for the channel
Type the channel name. Listabell lists every public playlist that channel has.
- 3
Pick the playlists you want
Follow one playlist or several. Each one is watched on its own.
- 4
Choose email, Telegram, or both
Within an hour of a new video going up, you get its title, thumbnail and a direct link.
Try it on one playlist
It's free, and you can delete your account in one click.
Common questions
Can you subscribe to a YouTube playlist?
Not in the sense of being notified. YouTube's save button adds the playlist to your library but never alerts you when it changes. Notifications belong to channels, so watching a playlist has to happen outside YouTube.
Does saving a playlist notify me of new videos?
No. A saved playlist is a bookmark. New videos will be there the next time you open it, but nothing tells you they arrived.
What if I subscribe to the channel instead?
You'll be told about every video that channel uploads, not only the ones added to the playlist you care about. For an active channel that is a lot of noise for one series. If you do want everything a channel posts, Listabell can follow the channel's uploads as well. Follow a channel's uploads
Is there a free way to do this without signing up for anything?
Yes. YouTube publishes an RSS feed for every public playlist. It costs nothing and needs no account, but you need a feed reader running somewhere to watch it, and the feed only carries the most recent videos.
Do I need to connect my Google account?
Not for Listabell. It reads public playlist data only, so it never sees your subscriptions, watch history or anything else in your Google account.
How quickly will I hear about a new video?
Listabell checks the playlists it follows around the clock and notifies you within an hour of a video being added.
Related: playlist notification options · the playlist RSS feed