My approache is simple, on phone I use LibreTube and NewPipe, but don't watch that much here. Mostly listen to music.

On laptop I default to peertube where I can, and use Piped where I can't. To save on resources I just use 'yt-dlp' to download what I want to watch.

Added bonus, I have local copy for preservation or just putting in my notes.

I think I found my next machine to run Emacs and EXWM

As Linus Tech Tips pointed out, and many more creators, supporting them on Ko-fi, Patreon, or buying there merch gives them more income then YouTube ads.

Thank you for that recommendation. Was using AnySoftKeyboard for ages and got very frustrated with autocorrect and space bar position. Now, I can ditch it for something that works.