Getting Started With Tubeup

You get started with Tubeup by installing the desktop app, pointing it at a folder of video files, letting Google Gemini write the metadata for the whole batch, and starting a sequential upload to YouTube. Everything runs on your own machine, so there is no web dashboard to log into and no queue sitting on someone else's server.

What Tubeup is

Tubeup is a cross-platform desktop application for bulk uploading video to YouTube. It replaces the part of publishing that does not scale: uploading one file at a time through the browser, typing a title, writing a description, adding tags, attaching a thumbnail, and setting visibility, over and over.

It is a one-time purchase of $19 with no subscription, sold through Freemius, and there is a three-day trial if you want to run a real batch before paying. There are no daily upload caps built into the app and no limit on how many YouTube channels you connect.

Processing is local. Tubeup opens exactly three external connections: YouTube for uploading, Google Gemini for metadata generation, and a license server for one-time activation. Your video files never leave your machine as part of anything other than the upload itself.

The four-step workflow

Every batch you publish follows the same shape, and it is worth understanding before you install anything.

Drop files in a folder. Tubeup scans your base folder and registers every video it finds, instantly. There is no import wizard and no drag-and-drop-one-at-a-time step. If a thumbnail image sits alongside a video with a matching filename, Tubeup detects it and attaches it automatically.

Generate metadata in one click. With a Gemini API key configured, one action writes SEO-oriented titles, descriptions, tags, and hashtags for the entire batch rather than for one video at a time.

Review, then upload. Read what the AI produced, edit anything that needs a human, set your visibility and scheduling options, and start the upload. Tubeup works through the queue sequentially and moves finished files out of the intake folder so raw and published videos do not mix.

Promote and measure. After upload, copy the AI-generated social post copy for Facebook, X, LinkedIn, or Instagram, and check real-time channel analytics without leaving the app.

Setting up for the first time

Install the build for your operating system, then start the trial or enter the license key from your Freemius receipt. Activation contacts the license server once.

Next, open Settings and find the base folder option, then point it at the directory holding your videos. Folder structure matters more than most settings in the app, so it is worth reading how the base folder and thumbnail matching work before you commit to a layout.

Then sign in and authorize the YouTube channel you want to publish to. Repeat for each channel you manage; switching between them later does not require signing out.

Tubeup ships with a dual upload engine: an unlimited-upload mode and an official YouTube API mode. You can switch between them without rebuilding your batch, so pick either one to start and change your mind later.

Finally, paste in a Gemini API key. Keys come from Google AI Studio and have a free tier, and the full walkthrough lives in the Gemini API key setup guide.

Options worth knowing about

Before your first real batch, look through the video settings. Tubeup covers playlist assignment, per-video visibility, smart scheduling with an individual publish date for each video, age restriction, the "made for kids" audience declaration, and the altered-content declaration. You can set these globally and override them on any individual video.

Once videos are live, bulk selection, search, and filtering let you work across a whole published history rather than hunting for one upload at a time.

Next steps

• Set up your base folder and thumbnail matching
• Connect a Google Gemini API key