Download Videos From Youtube Mac
Updated on July 25, 2018: Add an optional method with Screen Recorder. YouTube is attractive. It has millions of additive contents such as movies, music videos, audiobooks, video tutorials and other great videos made by millions of thousand people. With Apowersoft in hand, one can easily download online videos from YouTube, record game videos, and convert videos taken by camera to more popular formats so that users can easily edit and upload them to YouTube.
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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 utilize it.
In this article, we compare top YouTube downloaders for Mac and explain how you can legally save video to Mac 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!
- Benefit from the possibility to choose the quality for the video to be saved. You can save video in MP4, FLV, and 3GP formats in a resolution of your choice.
- I found this while searching for converting a 'video file to mp3' for my kids school cultural program, where she have to perform on some audio clip. And WOW 4K Video Downloader had done it. Later I found 4K Video Downloader can 1. Download a large range of qualities 240p to 8k 60fps and many more. A verity of audio and video formats.
Let us warn you in advance, all YouTube tools reviewed in this article are worth a try. To help you narrow down the choice, check the nice-to-have assets every safe YouTube downloader should 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.
- Downloads entire playlists or channels in batch.
- Caters for both professional and everyday use.
- Guarantees data security, not collecting any of your personal information.
For sure, these are not one-size-fits-all qualities. You may need to batch download playlists, or this might be a totally useless feature 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 and your priorities.
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, Mac owners love to save content. The most basic tool should teach you how to download YouTube videos directly from URL. 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 breach copyright, they are safe to use.
Download streaming video from any website
Streaming content is a huge chunk of your internet traffic. Think Vimeo, Twitch, YouTube, Dailymotion, and other platforms where you can watch video displayed in real time. 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 video.
If you’re wondering how to watch YouTube videos offline without breaking any laws, let us help you.
Grab YouTube video with YouTube Premium
Since recently, you can’t download YouTube video anymore. That’s because the service created a native tool for the job. So if you ask YouTube for the best YouTube downloader, it will probably suggest you use YouTube Premium, a native paid subscription service to save content. For the monthly cost of $11.99, it allows you to keep YouTube videos on iPhone and Android devices. Here’s how it works:
- Open the video in your YouTube mobile app.
- Click on the download button below the video player.
- Customize the quality of the output.
- 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.
Download streaming video from any website
Yes, you got it right. You can’t capture online videos to watch offline on Mac if you’re using YouTube Premium. To fill the gap and bring streaming content to a computer, you’ll have to consider third-party software. Most of video downloaders differ only in terms of customization capabilities. The flow of capturing a video will be pretty much the same — no matter what platform you take it from. It's easy to use AnyTrans to download youtube videos or convert youtube to mp3 in just 3 simple steps: copy-paste-save.
- Choose the video and copy the URL (the app has in-build video search on YouTube/Vimeo/Dailymotion).
- Paste the link into the app and wait for the app to finish the download.
- Choose/customize the output format and storage location.
When using third-party tools, be careful about YouTube blocking downloads. If you comply with YouTube’s Terms of Service, you should be fine.
Download and save video from YouTube in mp4
Whether it’s native YouTube Premium or a third-party application, the tools you use to download mp4 from YouTube will by default save files in mp4. There are different options on tweaking formats, though:
- Retrieve only audio from your video file — tools like Downie and Folx will work for it.
- Download video in mp4 with Elmedia Player.
- 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.
- Customize the output before downloading and convert a poor-quality YouTube video to mp4 HD.
Top YouTube downloaders compared
Below you’ll find a small collection of media downloaders that we recommend you look into. Use the apps to play, manage, and automatically save videos. Best of all, you can use the full toolkit of apps reviewed in this article for a flat fee.
Downie: Save YouTube videos within seconds
The easiest version of a YouTube downloader you can imagine. Grab a link, drag it onto the app icon, wait a few seconds for the content to travel to your Mac. While you don’t really do much, you can do even less with the browser extension. Downie already has it, so you don’t have to install the extension separately – check the box in your browser preferences and you’re good to go. Magically, Downie can also scan text files for links and download video content from there.
In other words, Downie is a media downloader that commits to cherishing your time. Here are the key ways to align the app with your workflow:
- Enable Simple mode to get rid of distractions in Preferences > General. Perfect for those who are annoyed by a progress bar showing up each time a download takes place.
- Downie is also a search machine. You can find YouTube videos on for download by searching right in the app, without opening a browser.
- If you love YouTube concerts and music videos, you can download audio only. To set Downie to the MP3 mode, open Preferences > Postprocessing > Enforce MP3.
This downloader automatically converts all videos to MP4, but if you need more options there’s Permute to help. It covers virtually all media formats and works both for video and audio. The app is basically Downie’s cousin, created by the same team of developers, Charlie Monroe Software. So you get a discount if you buy the two. Also, Downie and Permute are both available on Setapp.
Pros:
- Simple and clean interface
- Customizable functionality
- 4K support
- Integrates with YouTube video converter
Cons:
- Limited file conversion options
Price:
$19.99 if purchased separately
$26.99 Downie + Permute
$9.99 per month Downie, Permute and 150+ apps on Setapp
Play and download video content with Elmedia Player
Elmedia Player is one of the best tools to entrust your movie watching experience to. Not only does it tell you how to save videos from YouTube, it also enables viewing content ad-free, right from the app. Download audio, convert to different media formats, or stream via AirPlay – it solves tons of problems.
Not limitless, but the functionality is pretty impressive. It’s a good idea to work with Elmedia Player if you want to:
- Organize downloads and bring them into curated playlists.
- Play Vimeo, Dailymotion, and YouTube videos in the app, without downloading.
- Open and convert files to different formats – from MP3 TO MKV.
- Extract audio tracks from YouTube videos.
- Stream media content to all Apple devices that support AirPlay.
Compared to Apple’s native QuickTime, Elmedia Player supports a bigger number of formats and is generally a decent alternative to the default program.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface
- Covers virtually all video and audio formats
- Streaming capabilities
Cons:
- Lots of features confusing for a beginner
Price:
$19.95 Elmedia Player Pro license
$9.99 per month Elmedia Player Pro and 150+ apps on Setapp
Swiftly download large videos with Folx app
There’s no better option than Folx if you’re big on big downloads. Combining the functionality of a download manager and torrent client, the app brings large videos to your Mac in a matter of minutes.
With your browser and Folx open, you can download any video from YouTube by URL. Once you have the URL, paste it directly into the search bar or click on the plus button > YouTube > paste the link. Give the app a few seconds to prepare a download, and click OK. Before you know it, the video is on your Mac.
The in-built torrent client that is available to Pro plan users works in a similar way – simple and lightning fast. Navigate to the Torrent tab via the plus button. In the top search field, click on the three dots to select a torrent file, customize default preferences if needed, and click OK.
To accelerate the process, Folx splits downloads in up to 20 streams. The app also cleverly adjusts download speed to your online activities, so that not to hamper important programs and processes running on your Mac. To tweak the default speed settings in Folx, access Preferences > Smart Speed.
Pros:
- Torrent search right in the app
- Speed optimization
- Download scheduling and auto-resume
Cons:
- No free trial for Pro features
Price:
$19.95 Folx Pro license
$9.99 per month Folx and 150+ apps on Setapp
AnyTrans to download and transfer content
Many think of AnyTrans as an alternative to iTunes, but it’s much more than that. The app is an all-mighty file manager that works with all your devices. So whether you want to copy images from iPhone to Mac, or transfer from Android to iOS, AnyTrans has you covered.
Apart from cleverly managing your content, the app also helps you grab some new. Using an in-built Media Downloader, you can save video from 900+ websites, including Vimeo, Dailymotion, and YouTube.
Capturing and instantly sharing media is why you should pick AnyTrans over the other options. It has limited functionality in terms of download preferences, but is pretty good for capturing short videos.
Pros:
- Clean and understandable interface
- Excellent file control
- Media transferring options
Cons:
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- Limitations in terms of integration with iTunes library.
Price:
$39.99 AnyTrans Single license
$9.99 per month AnyTrans and 150+ apps on Setapp
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 with AnyTrans. With Setapp subscription, you can try every mentioned YouTube downloader for free and choose what suits your flow. Or, don’t choose. Your Mac deserves all of them.
To begin with, it supports 100+ popular video hosting websites including such giants as YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion and Instagram. There is even a quick access to those three websites in VideoDuke, just one click - and you are ready to pick and download videos. VideoDuke offers downloading in 2 modes - Simple and Advanced which is very convenient. Simple mode allows to perform fast downloading of a video from URL or extracting an audio from a video, while Advanced mode offers 4 tabs with different downloading options. It is also possible to integrate VideoDuke into a web browser and download files even faster.
Are you tired of losing your favorite video after watching it? VideoDuke has a simple and useful solution for you - bookmark any video or a webpage and access it anytime you want. Manage all your bookmarks easily by right-clicking them.
2. How to download videos on your Mac with VideoDuke
- Download and then install VideoDuke, video downloader for Mac.
- Run the application and select from YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion in the main window.
- Navigate those websites directly from the Mac video downloader interface, without needing to use a browser.
- After you’ve identified the video you want to download, it will be processed by VideoDuke. Then, open the ‘All Resources’ tab to access the list of resources that can be downloaded from the webpage. You can either select the elements you want to download or press ‘Download All’ to get everything.
- If you already have the URL for the video you wish to download, you can directly paste it to start the download process.
- Just like with other top Mac video downloaders, VideoDuke will save the file in the default folder which is Downloads -> VideoDuke. However, you can change that by accessing the preferences and then Save files to.
3. Elmedia Video Downloader PRO for Mac
Elmedia Player PRO is a superhero in video downloading for Mac. It can download and play pretty much anything. The free version will play all popular formats like FLV, SWF, AVI, MOV, MP4, MP3, DAT, M4V, MKV.
Elmedia Player PRO version will download YouTube videos on Mac as well as Facebook, DailyMotion, Vimeo, Instagram, Twitter etc. YouTube support is not limited by video downloading. Elmedia supports channels, playlists and extracts MP3 sounds from videos. The app can also download subtitles and save in .srt format.
Elmedia Player PRO can download streaming video on Mac, including videos broadcasted via RTMP and embedded via HTML5. One can use Open URL option to preview the video online.
Best Free Youtube Downloader For Mac
4. 4K Video Downloader
4K Video Downloader offers downloading video and audio files from YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Flickr, Facebook and DailyMotion. Supports YouTube subtitles, playlists and channels. 4K Video Downloader supports saving videos in various resolutions from HD 1080p, HD 720p to 4K and in multiple formats like MP4, MKV, OGG, MP3, M4A, 3G. This video downloader is free but lacks presets for special devices and doesn't offer playback.
5. JDownloader for Mac OS X
JDownloader is an open-source app that is platform-independent, written completely in Java. It allows free downloading of videos from YouTube and some other One-Click-Hosters like Rapidshare.com or Megaupload.com with the resolution you prefer. JDownloader also supports the whole YouTube playlists and channels downloading. JDownloader doesn't offer video conversion and Java 1.5 or newer, which slows down the downloading process.
6. Total Video downloader for Mac
Total Video Downloader for Mac is a very simple video downloader for Mac OS X that is actually super fast. With this Mac video downloader, you can download basically any format (.mp4, .avi, .flv, .3gp, .webm) from multiple online video sources (YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook, Metacafe). What's great about this app is that you just need to copy & paste the video link which will automatically pop up the download box.
Total Video Downloader for Mac won't convert or optimize your videos once they've been downloaded though.
7. Get Tube for Mac OS X
GetTube for Mac was specifically developed for YouTube downloading. It supports simultaneous downloading of multiple files from Internet. Once installed, it adds its option to the menu bar. This downloader doesn't have the integration with your browser, it is a standalone app. To download with Get Tube you'll just need to click the video and the download automatically begins. You have an option to save videos in different formats.
Most of the time it is a stress free app, but sometimes Get Tube pops an error message even if a video is selected.
8. YTD Video Downloader
YTD video downloader for Mac is one of the most well-known apps for YouTube video downloading in HD and HQ that can download complete playlists. It allows conversion of downloaded videos to other formats like .mp4, .mp3, .wmv, .flv, .mov, .3gp, .avi. YTD video downloader supports many other websites too. Supports multiple devices including iPad, iPhone, iPod, Samsung Galaxy, HTC, Kindle Fire, Blackberry.
9. Freemake Video Downloader for Mac OS X
Freemake Video Downloader supports downloading from YouTube, Dailymotion, Facebook, Vimeo, and others offering to choose video quality and format: 4K, HD, SD, MP4, WebM, 3GP, FLV. Freemake features 'One-click mode' that will download multiple videos with identical settings conveniently - same resolution, format, and destination folder. It can perform simple video conversion to AVI, MP4, MKV, MP3, iPhone, iPad, Android, etc. This downloader is bundled with annoying adware. If you don't want ads and annoying plugins, install Freemake Video Downloader with custom installation and carefully read all reminders.
10. MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter
MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter for Mac actually converts not just YouTube videos to MP3 format, but also supports Vevo, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Soundcloud, Bandcamp & Hype Machine videos. It allows saving audio tracks in original quality without conversion. This video downloader for Mac allows you to download the entire playlist to your computer. This app is free.
Download Videos From Youtube Mac
11. Top 3 Online Video Downloaders
Download Videos From Youtube Apple Mac
Using an online video downloader for Mac is considered by most users the best way to go. You don’t have to download any software and you’re saving time with installing or checking the system requirements on it. The best part is that these are most of the time absolutely free. Here are the top video downloaders for Mac we found.
Clipconverter.cc
With Clipconverter.cc you can be sure to download any video from a multitude of websites. Not only that this Mac video downloader will provide you with all the needed tools to get the videos you wish, but it also comes with multiple format and quality choices. As cool as it is, it could use a better user interface because, even though the instructions are simple, the website’s overall look isn’t excellent.
Videofk
We couldn’t complete our list of top video downloader for Mac without mentioning Videofk as well. This fast and efficient online tool enables you to download and save any video from the Internet. You can always count on Videofk to provide top quality results in a timely manner, however, the options when it comes to format and resolution are quite limited.
TubeOffline
As the name of this video downloader for Mac suggests, it is specialised in downloading videos from YouTube. However, that’s not the only website it can work on. There’s practically no limit when it comes to the places you can download videos from, choose the desired quality and format so that you can fit the video on any device. The thing with TubeOffline though, is you can’t download multiple videos at once, you need to go one by one.
Download 4k Video From Youtube Mac
12. Top parameters on choosing best video downloader
- • Number of supported sites - the more, the merrier in this situation. You wouldn’t want to need a different video downloader for Mac on each website category.
- • Ability to choose the format and video quality - downloading videos from websites is all about tweaking your experience to perfection. Chose the exact format to match the device you’re saving the video on and the quality so that you have an awesome experience.
- • Audio extracting - more features equals more fun! You can also build an offline library while you’re out there downloading your favorite videos.
- • Сompact and user-friendly interface - because nobody likes to read a user manual. A good interface is vital for such a software.
- • Bulk downloading - downloading videos one by one just won’t cut it. Especially when you’re downloading an entire playlist.
- • Pausing/resume downloading - no matter how well you plan, there are moments when you’ll just need to pause the download for a while and resume it at a later time.
- • YouTube Downloading Channels and playlists - if bulk downloads are possible, why not go full on and get the channels and playlists together?
- • Streaming video downloading - why wait for a live video to be saved and then download it? Get it while it’s still streaming!
- • Browser integration support - if the downloader can be integrated in your software, things are going to be easier and faster!
13. What is a video downloader?
A video downloader is the app performing a digital transfer of video files via the Internet to a computer or a device for further decoding and playing. Both legal downloads and downloads of copyrighted material are included in the term. You will top Mac video downloaders for those situations in which you are travelling to an area with limited Internet connectivity or when you’re facing a long flight. A Mac video downloader can be very useful when you’re traveling abroad and you’re not sure how much data will costs. Why spend a lot of money streaming videos from YouTube when you can save the videos on your phone? Each video downloader has its own particularities and only by going through them will you be able to find the best one for your needs!
Download Youtube Videos To Computer
Safari Video Downloader For Mac
Hopefully you enjoyed this lineup of the top 9 best video downloaders for Mac OS X and were able to make a smart choice up to your needs. After all video downloading should be fun, fast and effective.