All SponsorBlock categories at a glance
The names and definitions below are taken from SponsorBlock's own English interface text.
| Category | What it covers | Not meant for |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | Paid promotion, paid referrals and direct advertisements | Self-promotion or free shoutouts |
| Unpaid/Self Promotion | Merch, donations, memberships and who they collaborated with | Corporate-designed products |
| Interaction Reminder (Subscribe) | Short reminders to like, subscribe or follow during the content | Longer or specific promotion |
| Intermission/Intro Animation | Intervals without actual content: pauses, static frames, repeating animations | Transitions that contain information |
| Endcards/Credits | Credits or the part where YouTube endcards appear | Conclusions with information |
| Preview/Recap | Clips of what is coming up, or a recap where everything is repeated later | Sections that add new content |
| Hook/Greetings | Narrated trailers for the video, greetings and goodbyes | Conclusions with information |
| Tangents/Jokes | Tangential scenes or jokes not needed to understand the video | Context or background details |
| Music: Non-Music Section | Parts of music videos that are not music | Use outside music videos |
| Highlight | The part most people are looking for (a jump target, not a skip) | Skipping |
| Exclusive Access | A label for whole videos showcasing something given for free or at a discount | Single segments |
| Chapter | Custom chapter names for major sections | Sponsor brand names |
Which categories should you skip automatically?
A common setup is to skip Sponsor automatically, show a button for Unpaid/Self Promotion and Interaction Reminder, and leave the rest off until something annoys you. SponsorBlock's own description calls Tangents/Jokes “a very aggressive category meant for when you aren't in the mood for fun”; turning it on can remove parts of a video you'd enjoy.
Intro and endcard skipping is popular on channels with long animations. Preview/Recap is useful for series and shows that open with a “previously on” montage.
What is the difference between Sponsor and Self Promotion?
Who paid. Sponsor is a company paying for the mention, including paid referral codes. Self Promotion is the creator promoting their own merch, Patreon, membership or projects. Many viewers skip the first and keep the second, because self-promotion goes straight to the creator.
Can SponsorBlock skip intros on YouTube?
Yes, through the Intermission/Intro Animation category, but only where someone submitted the intro. The definition is strict: an intro animation without content qualifies, a talking introduction to the topic does not. Hook/Greetings covers the spoken “hey everyone, welcome back” part.
How SponsorSkip handles categories
SponsorSkip is narrower on purpose. It detects paid sponsor reads and, if you enable it, unpaid self-promotion. It does not skip intros, reminders or tangents. If those matter to you, SponsorBlock's categories are the better fit, and you can use it for those while another tool handles sponsors.
Common questions
What is the Highlight category in SponsorBlock?
It marks the part of the video most people are looking for, similar to “video starts at” comments. It is a jump target you can skip to, not a segment that gets skipped.
Can SponsorBlock mute instead of skip?
For some segments. SponsorBlock's API knows a mute action besides skipping, and for each category you choose whether to skip automatically, show a skip button or do nothing.
Sources
This article is written by SponsorSkip, which offers a paid alternative to SponsorBlock. Facts about SponsorBlock come from its own repository, store listings and translation files; we did not audit its code or servers. External sources were checked on October 8, 2026. Product details describe SponsorSkip as of the update date above.
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