Out of tens of hundreds of free YouTube downloaders for Mac, which one really deserves a spot on your Mac? Which one can download YouTube videos muisc on Mac free in a blazing fast speed? Which one is the best of the best?
Based on experience, tests and comparisons, below top 10 free YouTube downloaders for Mac are trustworthy tools to save YouTube videos MP4/MP3, HD, 4K, HDR, etc on Mac. Read the reviews and get the one you like most.
Note: There are no online Mac YouTube downloaders as they are dying choices and often from malicious websites. Also, they have limited output formats and resolutions, and will reduce the output quality during downloading.
[Warning!] YouTube music & copyright-protected contents are not supported for download.
Choose target output. From format profile, scroll down to select MP4- 1920×1080 as output format and video quality. Finally, click the arrow-down icon, and the software will start working. My friend suggested this article to me to download a video from any sites like youtube however I am not a tech-savvy person I made mistake a few more times before I was able to do it. I actually use an online video downloader by acethinker to do the downloading process. And if they are hard to get videos I usually rely on some articles like this. How can you download YouTube videos on your Mac for free? One of the answers is to use the VLC media player. VLC is known as a free and open-source portable cross-platform media player software and streaming media. Video Downloader for Mac is a paid program that offers a free trial. Afterward, the fee for complete access is $29.00. Nevertheless, this program offers many benefits, such as batch video download and conversion, ease of use, and many more powerful functions. In which case, this program offers many professional features for quality video.
Top 10 YouTube Downloaders for Mac
1. MacX Video Converter Pro
MacX Video Converter Pro is a universal 4K UHD video processing software that can be applied to convert, edit, download and resize videos at No.1 fast speed. Acting as a YouTube downloader on Mac, it assures you to download YouTube files in any format including MP3 MP4 with original quality at GPU Hardware Accelerated 5X faster speed than its rivals, and also convert the media files to any formats for any devices including iPhone, iPad, Huawei, Xiaomi, PS4, Xbox One, etc. You are also allowed to edit your YouTube videos.
Pros:
- Able to download YouTube videos, audio, TV shows, movies, etc. in 4K, Full HD 1080p/720p or so on Mac.
- Convert YouTube videos to any formats like MP4 MP3 for any devices.
- Supported input/output video formats: AV1, HEVC, MP4, MOV, HEVC, H.264, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, MTS, M2TS, TS, AVCHD, MOD, etc.
- Supported input/output audio formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, FLAC, iPhone ringtone, etc.
- Download contents from 1000+ video sharing sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, Vevo, Myspace and many more.
- Further edit YouTube videos with crop, cut, merge, rotate, split, subtitle, special effects, YouTube to GIF, watermark, denoise, deshake, etc. features.
Cons:
- Can’t batch download YouTube on Mac, you can add only one media source each time to download.
- Need to update YouTube URL analysis engine to ensure successful video downloads.
2. 5KPlayer
Though born to be a 4K video player, 5KPlayer can also be used as a YouTube downloader for Mac computer. The embedded YouTube module of this tool allows you to directly paste YouTube video URL and then download in a few clicks. It is a quite comprehensive tool that combines YouTube videos audio download, YouTube media playback and stream into one unit, thus you can enjoy the downloaded files directly or in a bigger manner without any other help.
Pros:
- Download videos from 300+ sites including YouTube, Dailymotion, Vevo, etc.
- Analyze any YouTube contents: movies and videos in 3D/4K/HDR/HD/360°3GPP, AVI, FLV, MOV, MPEG4, MPEGPS, WebM and WMV from uploaders.
- Directly play the downloaded YouTube videos on Mac in any format.
- AirPlay YouTube from iPhone iPad to Mac, and cast YouTube contents from Mac to smart TV.
Cons:
- Can’t convert downloaded YouTube videos to other formats.
- Need frequent updates for successful YouTube download on Mac.
- Not compatible with macOS Big Sur as of now.
3. ClipGrab
ClipGrab is free open-source program used to download and convert online videos. When using it as a Mac YouTube downloader, it can save your energy by automatically grabbing the video through video URL and then download it. Software review site softoxi.com states that '[ClipGrab] has a beautifully designed graphical user interface' and 'stands out immediately for its look, feel and performance'.
Pros:
- Provide an integrated search function for YouTube to easily find YouTube videos.
- Download YouTube to MPEG4, WMV, OGG Vorbis, OGG Theora, or original format.
- Support video downloads from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook, etc.
- Download high definition, standard definition and low definition version of videos easily.
Cons:
- Flagged as malware by some security software.
- Limited output formats, only support resolution up to HD.
- Downloaded 4K/8K videos come with decreased output quality.
- Extra program may be downloaded when installing ClipGrab.
4. DVDVideosoft YouTube Download
DVDVideosoft YouTube Download is the new handy application both for free YouTube videos downloading and conversion on Mac. It's simply an excellent tool for saving your favorite video clips or even lessons from YouTube at 1.5-2x faster speed. Since it has been present on the market for over ten years, this free YouTube downloader for Mac has gained over 158 million downloads as of now.
Pros:
- Batch download videos in original YouTube quality including HD and 4K.
- Customize output name easily.
- Save operation history.
- Transfer downloaded YouTube videos to iTunes automatically.
Cons:
- Limited output formats: only choose between MP4, MKV, WebM.
- Interface lags at times.
- Toolbar comes with bloatware.
- Unable to choose output video quality.
5. MacX YouTube Downloader
MacX YouTube Downloader mainly targets YouTube videos download on Mac, so as to let users download all types of YouTube contents including MP3 MP4 easily to save them into personal collection. Thanks to the well embedded hyper-threading technology, people can save online videos within seconds at a very fast speed. It's 100% free and clean, so no worries about ads, virus, spam, plugins, malware, spyware, etc.
Pros:
- Download any YouTube contents: movies, TV shows, MVs, funny videos, tutorials, workout videos, gameplays, cartoons, etc. one by one or in playlist.
- Analyze any types of YouTube contents: 8K 4320p, 4K 2160p, 2K, 1080p or 720p HD, 360-degree, VR180, 3D and HDR.
- Various output choices: Keep the original codec or format, or just download to MP4, WebM, FLV, 3GP or whatever that better suits your device like iPhone, PS4, Xbox One S, etc.
- Compatible with macOS big Sur, and iMac Pro, iMac 5K/4K, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or Mac Pro/mini.
Cons:
- Unable to convert downloaded YouTube videos on Mac.
- The built-in video player is for downloaded video preview.
- No GPU hardware acceleration tech to help speed up video downloading process.
6. YTD Video Downloader for Mac
YTD Video Downloader for Mac is a speedy, easy-to-use tool for saving streaming videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and so on. Its intuitive interface is easy to use without any instruction and help complete downloads quickly and easily. To save time, you can directly download videos in bulk.
Pros:
- Download & convert entire playlist and channels in MP4, MKV, M4A and AVI.
- Integrate video player to watch videos directly.
- Support a variety of languages.
Cons:
- Limited sites support, you can only download videos from 15 websites.
- Limited output formats, only support resolution up to HD.
- Limited download numbers, only upgrade to pro version you can download unlimited videos from YouTube.
7. 4K Video Downloader
As the name implies, this Mac YouTube downloader is capable of downloading 4K videos and it is the truth. If you've seen a video on YouTube and want the ability to save it to your Mac computer so you can watch it whenever you like, you're going to want to give this software a look. What makes it prominent is it can save full playlists and channels in high quality and with various video audio formats available. You can also keep the subtitles and annotations along with the downloaded YouTube videos with the help of this software.
Pros:
- Able to download a single YouTube video, as well as YouTube playlists and channels.
- Support over 50 languages.
- Extract YouTube subtitles.
- Download videos in HD 1080p/720p, 4K, 8K, 3D in MP4/MKV/FLV/3GP, 360-degree, etc.
Cons:
- Though it supports most famous websites, it can only download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, SoundCloud, Flickr, Facebook, Instagram, DailyMotion, Likee, Tumblr and Twitch.
- Need to upgrade to pro version to download unlimited videos and private contents without advertisements.
- The free version only let you download 30 single videos per day, download 10 videos in a playlist and 5 videos per channel each time.
8. Airy for Mac
Airy YouTube downloader can easily save YouTube video right to your Mac computer. It runs on Mac OS X 10.7 or above, and macOS Big Sur is fully supported. Like any other Mac YouTube downloaders, Airy lets you simply copy and paste the URLs and then download. You can download single videos, playlists and whole channels, and manage the download at your own pace. With it, you can enjoy the YouTube videos when there is no internet connection at hand.
Pros:
- Download entire playlists and channels with subtitles.
- Extract audio from videos to build audio playlist.
- Support Ultra HD videos in 4K and 8K resolutions.
- Has browser integration available for any web platform.
Cons:
- Free version provides two free downloads of YouTube videos.
- Audio files are saved at 256Kbps.
- $19.95 is required for a license key to use all the features to the full extent.
9. Wondershare Free YouTube Downloader for Mac
You can use this downloader as an IE, Firefox, or Safari YouTube downloader to save videos from YouTube to your Mac, convert YouTube videos to your portable devices, and format them for playback on your computer with built-in FLV player. You can download HTML5, HD, HQ and 4K videos from YouTube and playlist with a 3X faster speed. However, the free version of WonderShare Mac YouTube Downloader has limited functions that you have to pay $29 for its pro version AllTube to have full features.
Pros:
- Download YouTube SD, HD and 4K videos one by one or in playlist.
- Wirelessly transfer videos through WiFi to play on portable devices.
- The built-in player can play downloaded YouTube and existing FLV, MP4 and WebM videos directly.
- 3 scheduler options: Auto Shutdown, Enter Sleep Mode and Exit Program. You can also set the time period for downloading.
Cons:
- May catch virus and adware during installation.
- Can't download videos from other sites like Vimeo, Facebook, VEVO, Metacafe, Dailymotion, etc.
- Can't directly download audio files.
- Free version only download 5 playlist.
- Only compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) to 10.9 (Mavericks).
10. YouTubeHunter
Likewise, this Mac video downloader can download videos from YouTube and many other websites including Vimeo, VEVO, DailyMotion, etc. The most shinning feature of it is the built-in search function which allows you to enter the keywords and then find the videos directly on YouTube or Vimeo. You can preview the found clips from the tool’s interface and decide which one to download and convert.
Pros:
- 15X faster speed to capture YouTube videos.
- Keep subtitles along with the downloaded videos.
- 'Add to iTunes' feature to copy your YouTube videos to iPhone iPad iPod.
- Built-in search tool to find videos you want to download on Mac directly.
- Batch processing to download multiple clips at the same time.
Cons:
- There might be adware or malware during the process.
- You can choose only between two output formats.
- You can’t access to advanced output settings: frame rate, bit rate or audio quality level.
- It is a freemium that you need to upgrade to the full version for more features.
Summary: Among the 10 Mac YouTube downloaders, each one of them has its own merits and dismerits. If you have a lot of time, you can try them one by one to find out the best one you need. If you need the direct answer, MacX Video Converter Pro wins out with its fast speed, stability, needless of third party help, and you can download YouTube videos to Mac free without worries about virus, malware.
Step-by-step Guide to Download YouTube Video Clips MP4 MP3 on Mac
Here we use MacX Video Converter Pro to show you how-to.
Step 1. Click the download button on this page to free download MacX Video Converter Pro, install and launch it on your Mac.
Step 2. Click the 'add URL' button to pop up the video URL parsing box. Videoredo tvsuite version 5 serial.
Step 3. Find the video clip you want to download on YouTube and copy the URL. Return to MacX Video Converter Pro interface and click on 'Paste & Analyze' input the YouTube video URL. Then, click 'Analyze' to start parsing the video URL.
Step 4. After that, choose the video format, resolution and file size you prefer from the drop down menu, and click 'OK'.
Step 5. Choose an output folder on your Mac to save the downloaded video.
Step 6. Click 'Download Now' to start downloading YouTube videos.
Notice: MacXDVD Software doesn't advocate any reproduce, distribute, transmit, broadcast or sell any content for any other purposes without prior written permission of YouTube or the respective licensors of the content. Please refer to YouTube terms of service before doing so.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best YouTube downloader for Mac?
How To Download Youtube Videos Free Mac Download
Actually, what satisfies your needs is the best choice. If you need a Mac YouTube downloader which owns all the features including choosing video formats, setting video quality, extracting music from YouTube, batch download, downloading playlists and channels, pausing/resuming YouTube downloading and downloading private YouTube vuideos, you are out of luck to get one. But if you only have one of the above needs, the top 10 YouTube downloaders for Mac can give you an ideal choice.
2. How do I download a YouTube video to my Mac?
Simply copy the YouTube video URL, input it to your Mac YouTube downloader and then hit Download button to download videos.
Besides the desktop software, there are also online Mac YouTube downloaders like Keepvid and open-source software like VLC to help get YouTube videos on Mac. However, none of them is better than desktop software due to safety and stability issues.
3. How do I download audio from YouTube to my Mac?
Some YouTube downloaders like 5KPlayer allow you to directly download MP3 from the YouTube URL, and some like WinX YouTube Downloader let you extract sound from YouTube MP4 video.
4. Is it legal to Download YouTube contents?
Especially in the United States, copyright law indicates that it is not legal to download YouTube music and YouTube copy-protected videos, movies, TV series, sports clips, etc. However, you are unlikely to be prosecuted for download some YouTube clips, but this is also the risk you take. Of course, you are safe to download your own videos in your personal channel.
Each of us has our own reason to download a YouTube video for legal use. And in fact, there are numerous online or offline tools designed to download a YouTube video. Here, in particular, we sort out all the feasible solutions to download YouTube videos without any software.
Best Way to Download YouTube Videos without Failure
If you are in request for a solution to download YouTube videos without installing any software, please skip this part and read the following parts.
Maybe you have tried some downloaders, but failed to grab the YouTube videos, especially those long webinars, tutorials videos. Here is a new way to grab YouTube videos, instead of using traditional YouTube downloaders.
Movavi Screen Recorder is an efficient tool to record/grab videos from your screen and take snapshots. It cannot only grab YouTube videos, but also other online videos by recording the video & audio. Even, it can record from your webcam and let you export the standard/1080p/4k online videos as MP4, AVI, MOV, MP3, etc.
Why Movavi Screen Recorder is Worth A Try?
- Grab online videos from YouTube or other video hosting websites
- Never fail to grab webinars, tutorials, movies, all kinds of online videos
- Record screen with ease
- Record from webcam
- Record audio from internal and external device
- Screen recording edit: highlight, trim, etc.
- Export videos as MP4, AVI, GIF, MOV, WEBM and MP3
- Set up schedule to record without waiting all the time before your screen
- Take and edit screenshot
How to Use This Best YouTube Downloader?
- Grab the free trial of Movavi Screen Recorder 2021, install and run the app.
- Open the YouTube video in your web browser.
- Click on Screen Recording icon, select the capture area by drag and move your mouse.
- Play the YouTube video, click the red Start button and wait for the countdown.
- (Optional)Click Edit button for highlights.
- Click Stop button to exit from the recording mode.
- Play, trim and export the YouTube recording to your wanted format.
Is That “All the Online YouTube Downloaders Work” True?
To finalize the list of online tools to download YouTube videos without any software, I tested 20 online youtube downloaders that rank top in Google result, the test results led me to the conclusion: not all the online youtube downloaders work to download youtube videos successfully. You can find the details as following, and will have a wise decision which ones to try next time.
| No. | Online YouTube Downloader | Work or Not | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y2mate | Work | / |
| 2 | Onlinevideoconverter | No | / |
| 3 | Keepvid | Work | The download video cannot be opened sometimes, try to re-download |
| 4 | Saveclipbro | Work | High resolution |
| 5 | Savefrom.net | Work | / |
| 6 | smallseotools | No | / |
| 7 | topvideodownloader | No | Can process the download, but downloaded videos cannot be opened and played |
| 8 | apowersoft | Work | The downloaded video cannot be opened sometimes, try to re-download |
| 9 | vidpaw | Work | Quality scarified |
| 10 | savethevideo | Work | Quality scarified |
| 11 | ytoffline | No | / |
| 12 | Catchvideo | No | Not support copyright material or music |
| 13 | ddownr | Work | High quality |
| 14 | amoyshare | Work | Low quality |
| 15 | sconverter | Work | Low quality |
| 16 | video-converter-mp4 | No | / |
| 17 | Bitdownloader | No | Download of Music content is prohibited |
| 18 | flvto | Work | Quality sacrificed |
| 19 | Ripsave | No | / |
| 20 | videoder | No | Youtube downloading is not supported anymore |
Download YouTube Videos without Software Online
By testing the same YouTube URL with above-listed 20 online, free YouTube downloaders, we finaly pick saveclipbro and ddownr as the best 2 solutions to download YouTube videos without any software.
#1 saveclibro
SaveClipBro allows users to download videos from YouTube and other video streaming platforms.
- Download YouTube videos in 11 video formats
- Save YouTube videos as 9 audio formats
- Video resolution option
Steps to Download YouTube videos with saveclipbro.
- Step 1. Navigate to https://www.saveclipbro.com in your web browser.
- Step 2. Paste the YouTube video URL into saveclipbro.
- Step 3. Select video resolution and output, then click Convert.
- Step 4. Once the conversion finishes, click Download your files.
- Step 5. Save the YouTube video to your computer.
However, SaveClipBro falls short on the downloading speed, it may some time to download the YouTube video one by one, just wait patiently.
#2 ddownr
The video quality of most YouTube videos that downloaded online is always scarified, but it is really lucky to have ddownr. It allows users to download videos in high quality, including 4k and 8k:
Free Download Videos From Youtube Mac
- Download YouTube videos in 2 video formats
- Save YouTube videos as 3 audio format
- Output high quality videos
Steps to Download YouTube Videos with ddownr.
- Step 1. Navigate to https://ddownr.com in your web browser.
- Step 2. Paste the YouTube video URL into ddownr.
- Step 3. Click Download to choose output and video resolution.
- Step 4. Once ready, save the YouTube video to your computer.
Download YouTube Videos without Software/App on Mobile Phone
No, without the needed apps, you can not download YouTube videos to your mobile phone.
And there are free solutions to download the videos to your iPhone or Android phone.
For iPhone Users:
Apps Needed—Download the Documents app from Readdle, it allows users to search and open YouTube videos with its own web browser, also allows users to download and save the media files.
- Go to App Store, download Document, tap it to run.
- Copy the YouTube video URL.
- Go to Documents, open the web browser and input https://ddownr.com
- Then paste the YouTube video URL into ddownr.
- Choose output and download the YouTube video.
- Then go to Documents>Downloads, find the YouTube video and play.
For Android users:
Items Needed: Google Chrome (or preferred web browser), a Video Player for Android
- Open Google Chrome and head to https://ddownr.com
- Then paste the YouTube video URL into ddownr.
- Download the YouTube video.
- Find and play the YouTube video in installed video player.
Does Google Extensions Help to Download YouTube Videos?
Download Youtube Videos
Another method to download YouTube videos without any software is installing the Google extensions. However, the truth is, Google Chrome won’t allow any extensions to download from YouTube website. After all, YouTube is one part of Google services, users who want to enjoy unlimited YouTube services need to pay for the Premium.
And according to my test, though the extension can be added to Google Chrome, there will be error message indicating YouTube videos are not allowed for downloading, even there is no YouTube video found.
Best Youtube Downloader Mac 2017
Also, I tried to install add about 10 add-ons into Firefox but found no one helps to download YouTube videos without software.
| No. | Extensions | Work or Not |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | YouTube Downloaderby al3k_popov | Cannot add to Firefox |
| 2 | YouTube Downloaderby Web Development Studio | Can add to Firefox, but only with a spinning circle, cannot download |
| 3 | Youtube Downloaderby Youtube Downloader Addon | Can add to Firefox and analyze youtube videos, but cannot download successfully |
| 4 | YouTube Download Button by YouTube Downloader | Can add to Firefox but don’t work |
| 5 | YouTube Downloaderby YouTube Addons | Can add to Firefox but cannot download successfully |
| 6 | Youtube Downloaderby download-lagu-mp3.com | Cannot add to Firefox |
| 7 | HD Youtube Downloaderby Samc | Can add to Firefox but cannot download successfully |
| 8 | YouTube™ Downloader Liteby Skott | Can add to Firefox but cannot download successfully |
| 9 | Easy Youtube Video Downloader Expressby Dishita | Cannot add to Firefox |
| 10 | YouTube Download Plusby uepselon | Cannot add to Firefox |
Therefore, if you want to download YouTube videos without software in Google Chrome, you will need to go back to an online YouTube downloader as we mentioned in the above parts.
Youtube Downloader For Mac Os X Yosemite
In Summary
Best Mac Video Downloader
Indeed, there are solutions to download a YouTube video without installing any software, but not all online, free YouTube downloaders work. As we have tested for you, saveclipbro and ddownr deserve a try. But if you want to download YouTube videos easily and without any failure, Movavi Screen Recorder is a solid option.