The Best YouTube Downloader for Windows & Mac PC 2023

Our 2023 updated list of top YouTube video & music downloader apps for PC (free & paid), including firefox & chrome extensions.

Many websites allow users to only watch videos on the website. So what If you want to save your favorite videos on the computer to watch them without an internet connection or on any other device. Most streaming sites discourage downloading videos from their site and do not provide any such option. Then you have to consider one of the best YouTube downloader for Mac & Windows.

Video downloader is very handy for anyone who uses YouTube quite regularly. These downloaders can do most of the work for free like downloading, edit and converting videos to MP4 and MP3. All you have to do is put in the URL of the video you want to download.

4K Video Downloader is our current top YouTube downloader, it’s an ad-free app that lets you save videos files without watermarks. You can download an entire playlist or pull the audio from a video. It can do most of the things that a paid tool does.

Read on to see our top picks. We have covered a few different options that you can check out. You will definitely find something to meet any kind of need.

How To Choose The Best YouTube Video Downloader?

To be able to watch videos offline, you might want to download them on your PC, tablet, or cell phone. A video downloader will come to the rescue. It allows you to save and download videos in the desired formats to any device for later playback without the need to access the Internet. Listed below are some important features to look for in a YouTube video downloader.

  • Fast & Easy to Use: To download YouTube videos quickly in MP3 or MP4, you just need to copy the URL, insert it into the app and click Download, without lengthy registration process.
  • Without Limitation: You can download unlimited videos, even entire playlists and channels. Conversion of video into audio is also possible. All features are provided at no extra price.
  • 100% Safe & Clean: Your personal data is fully protected. The app is completely free of viruses.
  • Modern Platform Support: App works on all modern platforms. The ease of converting video files to audio does not depend on whether you use Android/iOS-based phones or any other Windows, Mac, or Linux devices.
  • File Formats Support: App supports the conversion to multiple formats. Videos from YouTube channels can be converted to MP3, 3GP, MP4, WMA, M4A, FLV, WEBM, etc.
  • Value For Money: Downloading video and audio to your device should not always require a premium. You just need a decent YouTube video downloader, be it free of cost or not.

List of Top YouTube Downloaders for Windows PC & Mac

YouTube downloader apps are highly popular, because YouTube pulls a lot of traffic, and people want to save YouTube videos locally. Since apps constantly change and compete, you need to look at the most up-to-date list of such apps to choose the best one. We offer a selection of freshly-reviewed great apps that allow you to download YouTube videos on Windows PC, or Mac.

Best Offline YouTube Downloader for PC

  1. Allavsoft100% Secure to download. Virus-free! 24/7 to help via Email. Try Allavsoft’s with 30 days money-back guarantee or get a refund any time. There are no hidden fees or gimmicks.
  2. MP4 Downloader – Create and download MP4 videos with the Motionbox video editing tools.
  3. 4K Video DownloaderDownload 4k and 8k videos anywhere and to watch them while offline on your mobile or PC.

Best Online Youtube Downloaders

  1. Yt1s.com – You don’t need to install any software on your computer or mobile. Youtube video downloader Yt1s.com is a free online video downloading tool that offers three basic downloading
  2. Y2Mate.com – Convert & download video from YouTube to Mp3, Mp4 in HD quality.

How To Download YouTube Videos?

Whether you’re trying to save personal projects from an account you can’t access anymore or trying to download a video for a presentation, a YouTube downloader can save the day. It has never been easier to download videos from any major video-sharing platform. Just follow the simple steps below to get going.

  1. Install The App: Download the app. You may need to authorize the download and specify a destination folder. Once it has downloaded, double-click the executable to proceed to the installation.
  2. Select Video: Inside the software, type a keyword to search for a video. Alternatively, you can copy the video URL. It automatically recognizes any valid URLs and will suggest initiating a download.
  3. Select Format: You can download videos in a wide range of resolutions and formats, like audio as a 128 Kbps MP3 file, or an Ultra High Definition 4K video as an MP4.
  4. Download Video: Once you hit the download button, the app will optimize the download speed and only initiate a conversion in case it’s required.

What Can I Download Using A YouTube Video Downloader?

Download YouTube To MP4 Video

Downloads videos in AVI, Webm, and MP4 formats. You can choose the video quality 360p, 480p, 720p (HD), 1080p (FullHD), 4k or 8k.

Download YouTube To MP3 Music

YouTube downloader and converter can save videos to MP3 music files. Audio quality depends on the source file, usually, it is 320kbps.

Why Download Videos From YouTube

There are many reasons for downloading all kinds of videos from YouTube:

  • The video can be deleted or blocked for many reasons already a couple of hours after its publication;
  • You can watch downloaded videos at any time. Even without having the Internet access on your device;
  • You can edit downloaded videos using specialized software packages;
  • Watching the downloaded videos will not be accompanied by a constant demonstration of annoying ads.

Looking For A Multisite Video Downloader?

Some online services allow you to download and save not only from YouTube, but also from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Using these online video downloaders, you can easily download content from Facebook and upload it to Instagram, for example. It is also possible to convert videos to MP3.

YouTube Downloader Apps Alternative

An online service is ideal for downloading from YouTube in HD with no need to install any apps. Just use any web browser you have on your device.

Facebook Video Downloader

Online web app allows you to download FB videos in MP4 (video) and MP3 (audio) formats.

Twitter Video Downloader

Online web app allows you to download Twitter videos and convert them to MP3 and MP4 as well.

Instagram Video Downloader

Downloading stories and other videos from Instagram is quite possible. Online web app can act as an Instagram Downloader to help you with this.


Questions and Answers

Is it legal to download videos from YouTube and other websites?

It’s not illegal to download videos for personal use. In some cases, it might also be legal to download videos for commercial reasons, as long as those reasons are covered by ‘fair use.’ You may be breaking YouTube’s Terms of Service by not using the download button they provide for specific videos. Still, we’ve never heard of anyone being banned or getting in trouble for this. We believe that downloading content from a video sharing website to watch it at another time or on a device without an Internet connection has the same purpose as timeshifting and should be considered fair use. This precedent was set in the Betamax case. As such, downloading non-copyrighted videos is entirely legal. We recommend that you always request permission from the copyright holder to download any video that’s not licensed under Creative Commons.

What video formats and resolutions can you download and convert?

Free apps support any resolution up to 1080p. With the Pro version, you can download videos at any resolution offered by YouTube, including 4K and 8K. To ensure the smoothest possible playback, the app provides support for a frame rate of 24, 30, or 60 fps. For complete immersion, spherical 360° videos are to be downloaded and converted. You might want to consider using a VR device such as Google Cardboard for optimal playback. You can convert any video to MP4, WebM, 3GP, or AVI format. The conversion can be performed during the download or using the local file conversion feature if it’s already on your hard drive.

What audio formats and bitrates can you download and/or convert?

Free apps support downloading YouTube music as MP3 with a bitrate of up to 128 Kbps. With the Paid app, you can convert songs on YouTube to MP3 with a bitrate of up to 320 Kbps. Some apps also support the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec, which offers even better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate, or Vorbis, which is technologically superior to MP3 at 192 Kbps.

Can I download YouTube Live Stream?

Yes, you can! But free apps limit YouTube Live stream downloads to 5 minutes. Paid app offers unlimited YouTube Live downloads without any restrictions whatsoever.

How can I transfer downloaded audio or video files to my phone?

We recommend installing a cloud hosting service such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive on both your computer and your phone. This way, any files downloaded to your synced folder will automatically be accessible on your phone.

Why shouldn’t I use an Android or iOS app to download videos?

Google Play nor the Apple Store will ever allow any application that could potentially be used to download copyright-protected video or audio. As such, no publisher will be able to offer a functional app. Any app that actually allows YouTube downloads would be quickly removed by the moderation team. In other words, any app you might find in the official app store is a useless decoy created with the sole purpose of displaying ads to make a quick buck. You might be able to root your iPhone or install a rogue APK on your Android phone, but doing so puts your security and privacy at risk. Virus scanners for mobile devices are not as advanced and widespread yet as for desktops, and hackers know this. Your phone is where you store your naked selfies ????. As such, we recommend you don’t take any risks and don’t disable any security mechanisms on your mobile device.

Is a desktop-based downloader app superior to a web-based one?

Yes, websites use server resources. Server resources are not free. To keep the lights on, the website owner needs to either limit downloads of a certain length, restrict video quality, and/or use aggressive strategies for monetization. Desktop PC app runs on your computer, so we do not require expensive servers to power conversions. Since some users pay for the pro version, an app can feed its developers without resorting to shady tactics.

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