Youtube Downloader App For Mac

YouTube is everywhere. You come here to learn, listen to music, stare at cats, and so much more. But while YouTube is omnipresent, stable WiFi connection is not. Let’s find the best YouTube downloader to save videos for offline watching. Here are our top 12.

4k Video Downloader

Paste the link to a YouTube video and save it on your computer — as easy as that. 4K Video Downloader is a free video downloader with a starter plan that is limited to 30 downloads per day and lets you download one video at a time. But you can pay $12 to unlock more features.

A free YouTube downloader for Mac users to download YouTube videos and the built-in FLV player lets you watch downloaded YouTube videos conveniently. This free downloader must first be downloaded to your Mac, in order to use. 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.

• Good for one-time use. If you need a YouTube downloader app for occasional use, 4K Video Downloader is as uncomplicated as one can imagine.
• 4K support. It’s all in the name — this YT downloader can get you a video in great quality, including 4K. That’s a big perk for a free video downloader!
• Download presets. Always downloading video in the same resolution? Enable Smart Mode and create presets that fit your flow.

• Speed limitations. 4K Video Downloader is slow compared to other downloaders. The free plan doesn’t support simultaneous downloads.
• Limited playlists. You can only download a playlist with up to 10 videos in it if you’re on a free plan. So if you want to download music playlists, it won’t work in most cases.

Elmedia Player

As the name suggests, Elmedia Player is not exactly a YouTube video downloader. It's a media player that lets you watch online videos on your Mac without ads. You don’t have to waste storage on downloads. And you get the video on your computer. For many, this is a win-win.

• Variety of formats. Elmedia Player is a great tool to replace your default media player with, due to a huge number of audio and video formats supported.
• Ad-free video. Grab any link from YouTube, Playmotion, or Vimeo, and play it in Elmedia Player without ads.
• Stream via AirPlay. Take your video content to any big screen, right from the app.

• All-in-one package. While this sounds more like an advantage, a huge list of features might be overwhelming for beginners.
• Limited compatibility. This URL video downloader might not work with some older devices.

Downie

Download YouTube video without opening YouTube. Downie offers the best workflow we’ve seen so far — you can search for videos right in the app, typing your keywords in the built-in browser. Then, save the video on your Mac in a preferred quality and format.

• Permute integration. You can convert your downloads to any format with Permute. If you install Downie via Setapp, you get access to both apps right away.
• Search. The search feature is genius. You don’t have to copy and paste any links. Nor do you stumble upon “can’t download this video” error — Downie’s search shows only the videos that are available for download.
• More than YouTube. Downie can download video and audio from 1200+ sites.

• No preview. You can’t preview the video in the app (before or after downloading).
• No trimming. There’s no possibility to extract part of the video.

Snaptube

Snaptube is a Chinese YouTube video downloader that is super popular on Android. The app is free to use and has a recommendation system — kind of like its own YouTube, suggesting channels and videos for you. So you can download videos as well as discover what else to download based on your history.

• Unlimited downloads. You can download video and audio files of any size and quality, including TV shows, playlists, etc.
• 50+ websites. Snaptube works with YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and many other major platforms where you can download video.

• Bad reputation. In 2019, Snaptube was accused of secretly charging users for premium purchases and serving invisible ads to earn money.
• Poor experience. As our quick trial revealed, the app is glitchy and acting slow (especially with playlist downloads).
• Doesn’t work on Mac. The major downside is that you can’t download YouTube video with Snaptube on macOS.

Pulltube

This is the best YouTube video downloader and editor, in our opinion. Pulltube has every feature an average user will long for — one-click download, subtitles support, customizable format, audio extraction, and trimming mode. To download video, you should paste or drop the link in the app.

• Trim video. No need to waste storage space by downloading a huge movie if you only need one scene. Trim video before downloading.
• Custom format. Extract audio or instantly convert to available video formats.
• Subtitles. You can either download a video with subtitles or get subtitles separately.

• UI imperfections. It’s not instantly obvious where the video is saved to, and you might spend a few minutes to figure out the buttons.

Folx

The fastest YouTube video saver is called Folx. It’s an app that splits your downloads into streams to accelerate the download process. And it works magically! Folx is a dedicated Mac app usually used to download movies and torrent files.

• Unrivaled speed. Downloads can run in up to 20 parallel streams, which gives you a huge speed boost compared to other tools.
• Safe torrent downloader. Instead of searching through suspicious torrent websites, use Folx’s built-in search and downloader.
• Download music. Folx is very handy in terms of saving music playlists from YouTube. It’s quick and supports batch downloads.

• UI imperfections. Although Folx has pretty good filters, it misses batch options — for example, the button for clearing the downloads list.
• Easy to abuse. Folx is safe to use, but some people might use it for illegal torrenting, which is prohibited by the service’s Terms of Use.

AnyTrans

With AnyTrans YouTube downloader, you get an extra benefit — AnyTrans file transferrer. Use AnyTrans to move files across devices and/or download videos from 900+ websites. If you miss iTunes, AnyTrans will soothe your pain, because it essentially has the same capabilities.

• One app, many use cases. Sync files between devices, back up data, move photos from an iPhone you’re planning to sell to a Mac, or download videos.
• iOS and Android. Depending on your device, you can get AnyTrans for iOS or AnyTrans for Android.
• Audio download and custom quality. Choose your preferred format before downloading.

• Lots of options in the UI. To a beginner, AnyTrans will seem overwhelming at first.
• iTunes library trouble. If your Mac runs on macOS with iTunes, you might have trouble syncing your iTunes library with AnyTrans.

Y2mate.com

Looking for YouTube video download online? KeepVid is a popular online solution that bundles together a video and audio downloader, editor, and converter. Plus, it’s versatile when it comes to platforms — you can download Instagram videos, YouTube content, even Netflix movies.

• Free online tool. There’s no limitation on how many videos you can download in a day. Just paste the link and get the video on your Mac.
• Audio extraction. Before downloading, you can modify resolution or choose to download audio only.

• Malware threat. Free downloaders like Y2mate get monetized through ads. Some of those might contain malicious files.
• No video editor. You can’t trim your video or do any advanced editing work.

KeepVid

Another YouTube downloader app you can access online is called Y2mate. There’s no dedicated app unfortunately, but as long as you’re careful and don’t click any pop ups on the website, Y2mate can do the job for you. Still, we recommend it as a one-time solution.

• Quick access. Online YouTube video download tools are convenient because you can just paste the link on the website and get the video. No app installations.
• Pick quality and format. Before downloading, specify quality and file format. You can also extract audio from video.

• Legal issues. It says on the website you can use the tool to get content from Netflix and Apple Music, which is prohibited by these services’ Terms of Use.
• Ads and malware threat. When you try downloading anything from the website, malicious pop ups might show up. Be careful with what you’re clicking.

YT Cutter

Sometimes, you don’t want to rip video from YouTube. You just need a small part of it. YT Cutter is a stellar online service for downloading scenes from YouTube videos. Paste the link, choose the scene, and hit the download button. There are also options to save a scene as GIF, audio, or just extract a screenshot from the video.

• Unique cutting feature. Not all YT video downloaders have good trimming tools, not to mention the precision with which YT Cutter solves the task.
• Preview available. Before downloading the scene, you can preview it on the website.

• Poor format customization. It says on the website you can use the tool to get content from Netflix and Apple Music, which is prohibited by these services’ Terms of Use.
• Glitchy. We’ve tried to download some videos and YT Cutter responded with the “temporarily unavailable” error a few times.

Airy

Airy is a YouTube video downloader from the creators of Folx, Eltima Software. By the way, if you work with media files a lot, we recommend checking out Eltima’s products, they are top quality and many of them are on Setapp. We love Airy’s clean UI and ease of use — just paste the URL, pick resolution, and download your video from YouTube.

• Download playlists. Airy gives you an easy way to download a range of videos or music playlists from YouTube.
• One-click solution. The app is beginner-friendly and super easy to use.

• Price. Unlike its mate, Folx, which is available with Setapp membership, Airy costs $19.95.
• YouTube only. Most YT video downloaders for Mac we’ve mentioned before work with all popular video sites. Airy is limited to YouTube.

aTube Catcher

Not every video can be downloaded, no matter how advanced your downloader is. aTube Catcher tries to fix this problem by combining a video downloader with a screen recorder. This way, you can capture a video if it’s impossible to download it. Note that the app only works on Windows.

• Free. Even though some features are locked, you can use the downloader and screen recorder for free.
• Batch formatting. Download, process, and convert multiple videos and playlists super fast.

• Windows only. You can’t install aTube Catcher on Mac, so if you’re looking for a tool that works on macOS, look into Setapp, it has screen recorders too.

While choosing the best free YouTube downloader, focus on your priorities. Do you need a tool with the most extensive file format support? Is 4K quality important? Do you listen to YouTube music a lot? Do you want to be able to batch download files? Truth be told, most of the reviewed URL YT video downloaders don't have it all. However, you can try many of them for the price of one with Setapp, a curated collection of 200+ apps. Or, if you want a free YouTube downloader, try Setapp for 7 days free — it gives you access to Folx, Downie, AnyTrans, and Elmedia Player so you can figure out which one works best for you.

YouTube video downloaders FAQ

What’s the best video downloader? To answer this question, let’s go through a quick FAQ to help you set priorities and make the right decision.

How to use YouTube downloader?

The most common way is “copy and paste the link.” Some tools also offer browser extensions that let you capture videos while you’re browsing the web. Advanced video downloader apps often come with a built-in browser, so you can search for videos right in the app.

Is YouTube downloader legal?

Sure. Most apps with video download features, such as Folx and Pulltube, are safe, it all depends on how you choose to use them. However, there are some safety concerns involved when it comes to online downloaders. They’ve been proven to contain ads that could be infected with malware, so by downloading a video, you might accidentally download a malicious file on your computer.

What is the best YouTube downloader?

Some people argue that the quality of a downloader is determined by its speed and how well it handles different video formats. For sure, these features are important, but we’d say the essential thing is safety. Choose dedicated apps over online services to avoid malware threats. Mac users can additionally rely on CleanMyMac X malware scanner just to be sure they’re safe.

Which is the best YouTube video downloader?

There’s no one-size-fits-all. Someone needs a hyper-fast tool like Folx to download movies. Someone wants an app like Pulltube or YT Cutter to be able to trim videos. We suggest you don’t limit yourself and install Setapp, a productivity suite for Mac and iPhone users. Setapp has Folx, AnyTrans, Downie, Pulltube, and many other reliable apps to choose from.

Where to download YouTube downloader?

Download and install Setapp. This way, you never have to download apps again. Whether you need a YouTube downloader app, a media converter, or a screen recorder, Setapp has lots of tried-and-tested options. Just type the keyword in search and Setapp will suggest the best apps to solve your tasks. Install and uninstall, save to favorites, and connect the apps together to improve your workflow.

Superpowers for your Mac

You may hate funny cat videos or game reviews, but the chances are you still use YouTube. A mammoth of video content, YouTube is a go-to spot for many. In fact, the platform has over 1 billion users which is one-third of all internet users. Huge.

Or, maybe your daily companions are Vimeo and Twitch. One way or another, video content is a part of your digital life. The question is how to make the best use of it.

In this article, we compare top YouTube downloaders for Mac and explain how you can legally download video from YouTube (or any other video platform) to watch it anytime and anywhere.

Best YouTube downloaders

Get a huge set of top tools to download videos from Youtube. Most helpful utilities in one pack, give it a go!

Let us warn you in advance, all YouTube download tools reviewed in this article are worth a try. To help you narrow down the choice, here are the nice-to-have:

• Works with all major video streaming platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion.
• Allows to save mp4 content and, optionally, convert to different formats.
• Has support for audio output — allowing you to save music from videos.
• Can download playlists or channels in batch.
• Caters for both professional and everyday use.
• Guarantees privacy and does not collect any of your personal information.

For sure, these are not one-size-fits-alls. Maybe batch downloading playlists is totally useless for you. We made sure the reviewed tools satisfy the key needs — like security and integration with video streaming platforms. The rest is up to you.

Quick navigation:

It’s not easy to step into the jungle of video downloaders and instantly pick the right fit. Impossible if you’re new to Mac. There’s help, though.

How to download from YouTube

Whether to capture a few movies for an upcoming flight or save favorite clips to rewatch, many Mac owners want to know how to download a YouTube video. The problem is that it’s complicated to find an efficient free YouTube downloader. Not to mention they could be used for copyright infringement.

To legally save content from YouTube and video streaming services to Mac, as well as download music from videos, you can use third-party apps. As long as you’re not earning money from downloads or breaching any copyright agreements, they are safe to use.

How to save YouTube videos on Mac using native tools

YouTube used to allow direct video downloads. But well...no more. That’s because there’s now a native tool for the job. If you ask YouTube for the best YouTube downloader, it will probably suggest you use YouTube Premium, a native paid subscription service that allows you to save content for offline watching. For the monthly cost of $11.99, you can keep YouTube videos on iPhone and Android devices. Here’s how it works:

1. Open the video in your YouTube mobile app.
2. Click on the download button below the video player.
3. Customize the quality of the output.
4. Once the video is downloaded, you’ll see the “download complete” icon below the player.

The app will automatically save YouTube videos you download to the Library or Account tab. Note that a YouTube Premium subscription allows you to save videos only to mobile devices. Thus, if you want to download a YouTube video to Mac, it won't help.

Save YouTube videos on iPhone and iPad

If you want to download video from YouTube on your iOS device, there’s a way to do it with Shortcuts, a native utility that helps solve tasks faster with your iOS apps (by the way, Shortcuts are coming to macOS Monterey! This means shortcuts for video download on Mac could become available in the future). For now, let’s focus on iOS:

• Add the “Download YouTube” shortcut to your Gallery (open this link on your iOS device)
• Open the YouTube video you want to download in the YouTube app > Share button > More > Shortcuts
• On the Run Shortcut screen, tap your shortcut — it will prompt the download process
• Once the video is downloaded, you can choose to save it to camera roll or share.

Unfortunately, many people have been reporting errors with this shortcut method recently. If you, too, can’t get it to work, here’s a workaround: download video on your Mac and then transfer it to iPhone or iPad with AnyTrans. Sounds like an overkill, but AnyTrans actually makes the whole process really smooth.

AnyTrans for iOS is a file transfer and backup app that lets you manage your content across devices. And guess what, it also has a YouTube download feature! So you can literally do it all in one app: 1) download video from YouTube; 2) connect your iPhone or iPad; 3) move the video from Mac to iOS in one click. Works like magic.

Save YouTube videos on Android

One option is to use YouTube Go, an alternative version of YouTube for Android that wastes less network data but also, naturally, works much slower. If you’re ok with spending more time than usual waiting for your download to finish, you can try it out:

1. Find YouTube Go on Google Play and download it on your phone
2. Search for the video
3. Tap on the video you want to download > select quality > Download.

Youtube Downloader Ytd For Mac

If you have a Mac, we recommend AnyDroid, an app that downloads and sends your videos directly to your Android phone. It’s faster and requires minimum effort:

• Open AnyDroid on Mac
• Navigate to Media Downloader > YouTube
• Find the video you want to download > select quality > Download
• Click on Device Manager, connect your Android phone to Mac, and move the video.

So that’s how to save YouTube videos on Mac without software that needs installing (for AnyTrans and AnyDroid, you’ll need a Setapp membership). Now let’s talk about third-party tools that not only answer the question of how to download a YouTube video, they are packed with extra perks like trimming, converting, and sharing your videos flexibly.

How to download YouTube videos with a YouTube downloader

If you download media files often, you don’t want any extra fuss. Ideally, you want to just grab the video from YouTube in one click. With browser extensions, you can! Get an app that supports extensions and craft your ideal workflow. Here are our favorite options:

• Downie, a video downloader with built-in search and browser extensions, capable of saving videos from 1200+ websites. Want to download YouTube videos Mac Chrome? Just pick Chrome from the available extensions and give it a go.
  
• Folx is the fastest video and torrent downloader with extension support we’ve seen. It can split your downloads in up to 20 streams to speed up the process — so if you have a particularly large file to download, you can get it 20x times faster than usual. In Preferences, you can enable an extension for one of the most popular browsers.
  
• Pulltube supports extensions for only three browsers — Safari, Chrome, and Firefox — but there’s a lot more to love Pulltube for. We love it for the trimming tool and built-in file converter. If you want to know how to save a YouTube video as a file of any quality and size, look no further.
  

Save video from YouTube in mp3, mp4, and other formats

Whether it’s native YouTube Premium or a third-party application, most of the tools you use to download content from YouTube will by default save video files in mp4. There are different options to tweak the format:

• Retrieve only audio from your video file — it’s possible with apps like Downie and Folx.

• Use Downie + Permute to download and convert to different formats — from FLV to MKV to AVI. The two work well together and are both available with Setapp subscription.

• If you use AnyTrans or AnyDroid to transfer downloaded videos to your phone, there’s an option to change the format in Media Downloader.

How to save streaming video

Streaming content is a huge chunk of your internet traffic. Think Vimeo, Twitch, YouTube, Dailymotion, and other platforms where you can watch live content. Relying on online streaming stymies your watching experience in many ways – from limited data usage to network issues. Plus Wi-Fi often fails you at the most crucial moments. Therefore, you need a reliable tool that helps you capture YouTube videos.

If you’re wondering how to watch favorite YouTube videos without downloading, try Elmedia Player — it disables ads in YouTube videos. Yes, it’s actually possible! Just open Elmedia > menu > Open Online Video > paste the link > Play.

If you want more than just removing ads from a streaming video — maybe you need to extract music from it, add/remove subtitles, trim the video, or just keep it on your Mac — a downloader like Pulltube will work better here. It works with over 1000 websites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and so on. Its best feature, in our opinion, is the trimming tool. Instead of downloading the whole video, you can just extract a specific scene and save lots of space on your Mac. To start downloading, just drag or paste the video link in Pulltube.

Finally, if you need to capture a live stream that can’t be downloaded, use a screen recording tool like Capto. It lets you record the whole screen, a specific window, or area — save the recording on your Mac, and even edit it if you like.

How to save YouTube videos on Mac FAQ

Any questions left? Hopefully, we’ve covered them in this FAQ.

• How do I download YouTube videos on my Mac for free?

  >With a Setapp subscription, you can try all the trusted downloaders we’ve mentioned — AnyTrans, AnyDroid, Folx, Pulltube, and Downie – for free with a 7-day trial. We don’t recommend using free online services to download videos, because you can accidentally download malware.
• Can I download a video from YouTube with YouTube Premium?

  Yes, you can download a video on your mobile device with YouTube Premium. This option doesn’t work on Mac.
• Why do my YouTube videos keep saying an error occurred?

  It could be that you need to update your browser, clear cache and cookies, or just refresh the page. Check out the most common video download issues below.
• Why are my YouTube videos not downloading?

  In some work spaces, it’s prohibited to download YouTube videos, so there might be a firewall blocking your downloads. Also, some copyright holders block video downloaders.

Common YouTube video download issues and how to fix them

Got your ideal video downloader, but keep having issues? Well, maybe the downloader itself is not an issue. There are different factors, from your Mac’s performance to YouTube’s geo-restrictions, that might prevent you from downloading videos. Here are the ways to fix them.

How to unblock geo-restricted YouTube content?

Some videos may not be available in your location, but there are still ways to access them. Get a good VPN app that can unblock geo-restricted content.

The absolute best is ClearVPN with its shortcuts. Unlike traditional VPNs that just switch locations, ClearVPN has one-click options to unlock American Netflix, Australian HBO, or Norwegian YouTube — you name it. It’s all geared towards your needs.

You can also use ClearVPN to unlock games, toggle anonymous browsing, change your IP, and all the usual things you can expect from a high-end VPN.

Fix the “video download failed” issue

Cached

If your video downloader suddenly freezes and shows the “download failed” error, the first thing to try is to simply quit and reopen the app. Doesn’t work? In this case, check whether there’s a copyright issue involved — make sure you have the copyright holder’s permission to download the video.

Youtube Video Downloader App For Mac

Why is YouTube not working?

Here are a few things to try if you can’t play video in YouTube:

• Check your network connection. Even if it looks like you’re connected, there might be a problem that’s hard to spot. Tools like NetSpot and WiFi Explorer will help scan your network environment and identify possible issues. You can then use one of these tools to try and fix the issue or simply connect to a different network.
• Play the video in Elmedia Player. Elmedia can play YouTube videos without ads on Mac — and this is a great way to check if the video is even available. So if you can play video in Elmedia, there’s a YouTube issue. If not, probably the video is just unavailable.
• Restart your Mac — sometimes it helps, for no reason.

Downloading from YouTube is very slow — what to do?

First of all, it should be said that if you download large files (like a high-resolution movie), it’s ok that it takes much time to download it. If you want to get the best speed possible, Folx to the rescue.

If you notice that your downloader works much slower than before, there could be a problem with your Mac performance. CleanMyMac X is a wonderful tool to diagnose such problems. Just run a Smart Scan to see whether there’s some kind of malware or performance issue that you can fix. Or, maybe your Mac is just very cluttered and needs a cleanup to free up storage space.

It’s ok if you have a hard time choosing your favorite. Some of the apps complement each other – like you could use Folx to capture large videos and transfer them with AnyTrans. With Setapp subscription, you can try every mentioned YouTube downloader (as well as other apps such as WiFi Explorer, ClearVPN, and CleanMyMac X) for free, and choose what suits your flow. Or, don’t choose. Your Mac deserves all of them.

Video Downloader App For Windows