Multimedia • Updated on Aug 1, 2019
Download and install the MacX YouTube Downloader on your Mac, then run it. From the main interface, find and click the “+Add URL” button, then a window will pop up. Next, visit the YouTube site and copy the link of the 4K video that you want to download, then paste the URL in the box of the program. Jun 21, 2018 Wondering how to transfer videos from iPhone to Mac, OR transfer videos from Mac to iPhone? Here’s several quick and easy ways to do both!. FREE GUIDE.
We have to admit that we watch tons of YouTube videos on a daily basis! But we were always chained to the Internet connection.
If our internet connection drops so does the fun, and there is also the danger that videos will be taken offline in the future and we won’t be able to access them at all.
Well, guess what? We are not anymore.
By saving your favorite YouTube videos for later, you’re ensuring you can watch YouTube videos start-to-finish anywhere without any pesky obstacles like wifi or restricted data plans.
In this article, we are going to talk about the YouTube downloader for Mac.
Quick Navigation
Is it legal to download YouTube videos?
Technically, it’s illegal to download YouTube videos. The official Terms and Conditions page of YouTube says:
“You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.You shall not copy, reproduce, make available online or electronically transmit, publish, adapt, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content. YouTube and its licensors reserve all rights not expressly granted in and to the Service and the Content.”
Going by definition, you cannot download YouTube videos for offline watching, but that’s just a definition.
Downloading YouTube videos or content also opens you up to when you have the direct permission from the copyright holder.
So when it comes to copyright, as long as you’re downloading a video for your own personal offline use, and not for dissemination or make money from the download, you’re probably okay.
Now, the question is about the best ways to download YouTube videos.
YouTube Premium? Can it save video to computer?
Apparently, YouTube allows saving videos for offline viewing. Only if you are ready to pay. Google’s own YouTube Premium(formerly known as YouTube Red) is a paid subscription plan that packs a number of features such as downloading videos, ad-free playback and background playback. Currently, the package contains access to YouTube Music as well.
You can download YouTube videos and pick the quality below you want to your phone or tablet and they are available for up to 30 days to watch without a connection.
So, YouTube Premium is the official way to watch YouTube videos offline. But, it doesn’t come free. YouTube Premium is priced at $11.99 per month, forcing you to spend more than $120 a year.
Yes, you have to pay more than $120 for watching YouTube videos without ads and offline playback.
Can YouTube Premium save videos to computer?
NO.
YouTube Premium lets you save YouTube videos only to Android/iOS devices. So, you cannot save videos to your Mac or Windows PC.
And, you know the worst part? All the downloaded videos are automatically deleted after 30 days. There are also constraints over the quality of download. You may not be able to download 2K or 4K videos to Android using YouTube Premium.
For these limited functionalities, you are required to pay around $120 a year. Pretty bad, right?
Considering all these points, it makes more sense to download YouTube videos using a dedicated YouTube downloader for Mac.
What is the best YouTube downloader?
A YouTube Downloader is an app that lets you download YouTube videos to your computer. There are some online downloaders as well, but we are talking about desktop tools. You can install these programs, paste a YouTube link and start downloading the videos. Some tools let you do more too.
We wanted to choose the best YouTube downloader for Mac. In order to do that, we analysed more than 20 apps from the market. And, we’ve come down to the seven best YouTube downloaders you can get now. In order to choose the best ones, we’d followed some criteria too.
Based on our testing sessions, we’ve found the best Mac YouTube Downloaders of your dreams.
The pick: Downie (easiest to dive in)
(Price at $19.99, 25% OFF exclusively for TheSweetBits readers, requires macOS 10.11+)
Downie is one of the most popular YouTube video downloaders for macOS. But, the best part is that it allows you to download videos from more than 1000 websites. For now, however, we will be focusing on YouTube video downloading capability of this tool.
Shall we see what makes Downie the top pick and the easiest-to-dive-in choice of this list? Let’s address the elephant in the room.
Downloading YouTube videos using Downie
Downloading YouTube videos using Downie is the easiest task ever. Downie lets you download a video using three methods:
In short, Downie offers one of the intuitive methods to download YouTube videos. You can paste URLs for downloading videos from other websites as well. As far as YouTube is concerned, however, everything is as simple as it gets.
Downloading YouTube videos as MP3
There are times when you want to extract audio from the YouTube video. Downie offers a handy option too. You can right-click on an ongoing download, choose Post-processing and click on Extract Audio. This would save the YouTube video in MP3 form.
So, if you have Downie, you don’t need another conversion tool. That having said, Downie offers integration with Permute, a software from the same developer. At the end of the day, Downie is the best choice when you want to get MP3 from YouTube. Browser integration
Downie offers top-notch integration with popular browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Chromium and Opera. Downie integrates so well that you can download your favorite YouTube videos in a single click. Or, if you want something further, you can check out the Contextual Menu as well.
Downie Contextual Menu allows you to select the Post-processing mode as well. That is, you can right-click and select whether you want to download the YouTube video in MP3 or MP4. This feature can be turned off if you want. Other features we loved in Downie
There are a number of useful features that we found in Downie. Most of them make it really intuitive to get what you want from YouTube. So, let’s have a look.
Apart from these, Downie also offers miscellaneous options like Parental Control and Proxy Servers. In short, there is a lot inside Downie if you are looking for productivity.
Pros
Cons
Pricing and availability
![]()
Downie is available for macOS only, and requires macOS 10.11 or later. It’s currently priced at $19.99, the developer offers TheSweetBits readers an exclusive 25% discount here, only $14.99.
Downie is also available on Setapp as well, a $9.99 per month subscription service for dozens of curated Mac applications.
Wrapping up, Downie is indeed the best YouTube downloader for Mac you can get today. It packs an impressive number of features that are really helpful. We’d recommend it for common users as well as the professionals out there.
Upgrade pick: Softorino YouTube Converter 2 (best downloader for both iPhone & Mac)
There are times when you need more than a simple YouTube downloader software. This one here is a fully-fledged YouTube converter. Softorino YouTube Converter 2, or just SYC 2,allows you to not only download videos from YouTube but also convert them to convenient formats. You can use SYC 2 for downloading videos, getting a lot of favorite music and making ringtones.
This quick promo from Softorino will showcase all its key points:
Download video from basically anywhere
While its name mentions strictly YouTube, we should point out that the program is much more capable than it lets see.
Besides YouTube, the application can download and convert videos and tracks from many other websites. This includes SoundCloud, Vimeo, BandCamp, VEVO, BREAK, CNN, DailyMotion, Facebook, Instagram, Audioboom, VK, LiveLeak, and many more.
SYC 2 can detect a YouTube video URL from your clipboard. In seconds, it would show you the basic details for downloads as well. Even before it starts downloading, you can decide the format and where the file will be saved. In this case, we are going to save the Trailer video to the Mac itself. Just hit the button and you’d see the progress along the line.
Quick download and conversions
The SYC 2 download speed is significantly faster, the developer explained it boasted a 4x improvement over the original version. In a single click, you can get music and video downloads to any computer or Apple device ever created.
This is mostly noticeable when downloading larger 4K Ultra HD videos, and YouTube Converter 2 now supports VR 360 and high frame rate videos up to 60fps as well.
Using the 1080p download option on our Mac we were able to grab YouTube videos with no difficulty. And the playback quality was quite good at 1080p.
SYC2 provides three conversion choices: video, audio, and ringtone. If you opt for video, indicating the video quality that best suits your needs is possible, with 360p, 720p HD, 1080p HD, and 2160p 4K resolution being your alternatives. As for audio, you can choose from MP3, AAC, and “original” audio. Last but not least, regarding the possibility of making a ringtone, you can either opt for full length or only the 30 seconds recordings, but sadly there’s no way to trim a specific section.
From our test, converting an hour-long YouTube video into an MP3 took fewer than two minutes. We also tried to pull a 249-track playlist from a video game soundtrack. That took under 15 minutes to convert them all to MP3 files and add them to iTunes and my iPhone X.
Besides, no matter what device you have, you can still download iPhone X default ringtone to iPhone without iTunes! You can easily put it on your phone and even prank your friends saying you got the new iPhone X (even if just for a second).
In addition to these…
You can transfer downloaded media to other devices such as iPhone, iPod or iTunes. According to the destination, Softorino YouTube Converter will optimize the final file. At the end of the day, you don’t need other tools to transfer downloaded videos, music or ringtones to your other Apple devices — all thanks to aWiFi.
Softorino YouTube Converter 2 also automatically recognizes content you download. Thanks to Automatic Content Recognition technology it will fill in all the needed meta data, genre, and even proper artwork.
Besides, speaking of handy, the app provides the user with multiple options as regards the output location. You can thus save your media to a location on your computer or push it to your iOS device via WiFi. The transfer should be smooth and quick, so you don’t need to worry at all.
To sum things up…
Considering all these, and the additional features like Subtitle Support and 4K Ultra HD support, Softorino YouTube Converter 2 is indeed an upgrade for most people. If you are a media junkie, we’d recommend this over others. It’s available for macOS and Windows, priced at $19.99.
Other YouTube video grabbers we considered
Downie and Softorino YouTube Converter weren’t the only worth-noting choices we had. Here are some of the other great YouTube downloaders for macOS.
Airy
Airy from Eltima Software is one of the simplest YouTube downloader software for Mac. There aren’t many fancy features but Airy gets the job done.
It works for YouTube videos, and not for other video platforms. You can use this tool for downloading normal YouTube videos as well as converting videos to MP3.
Airy also checks almost all the boxes for an average entertainment junkie. For instance, you can use it to get corresponding subtitles as well downloading multiple files at a time. In light of our experience, Air manages Playlist management quite effectively as well.
Browser Integration is also a strong point here. You can integrate Airy with Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Then, starting a download is a simple click away. And, did we say that Airy lets you download even 8K videos from YouTube? Well, that’s an overkill.
Airy is available for just $19.95 and you can get a Windows version as well.
Wondershare AllMyTube
Wondershare AllMyTube is yet another YouTube video grabber that matched our expectations. However, it’s a complete entertainment suite, which may be an overkill for some people. Basically, AllMyTube lets you download videos from not just YouTube but also other 10000+ websites.
You have standard control over when it comes to downloading videos from YouTube. AllMyTube can also convert the file to audio by default. And, you can download videos with quality up to 4K Ultra HD. This tool also lets you save the downloaded videos to various device-specific formats as well.
Apart from quick video downloads and browser integration, AllMyTube offers dedicated sections for video transferring to your mobile device, the app lets you do it wirelessly. In other words, AllMyTube can be the perfect solution for any media junkie out there.
AllMyTube is available for macOS and Windows, comes with a 1-year license price tag of $19.
4K Video Downloader
4K Video Downloader is yet another simple but elegant YouTube video downloader that you must consider. A problem that we found is that the downloading speeds are comparatively slower. But, don’t worry, it will help you download videos with maximum quality of 4K.
There are some cool features, though. For instance, the Smart Mode allows you to download videos in just a single click. Subscriptions feature, on the other hand, will download newly-uploaded videos from channels you have subscribed.
4K Video Downloader is also great when it comes to standard customization. The UI is somewhat ordinary, but it gets the job done. We’d recommend 4K Video Downloader only if you are looking for an ultra-simple YouTube downloader for macOS.
4K Video Downloader is available for just $15, which seems reasonable.
ClipGrab for Mac
ClipGrab for Mac is one of the very few free YouTube downloaders for Mac. Of course, being a free tool, it’s some downsides, but they don’t matter much. You can use ClipGrab for Mac for downloading videos at up to full HD quality.
An integrated Search feature makes it really easy to find and download videos. But the search function only works for YouTube videos, and not for other platforms. You can simply enter some search terms and appropriate YouTube results would appear. Once that is done, ClipGrab for Mac would let you download the file into MPEG4 or MP3.
There aren’t many fancy features to talk about in ClipGrab for Mac. However, you can control the download and conversion process to the maximum. You can even manage the Metadata of the file. Considering that it has some advanced features, this free YouTube video downloader is worth it.
ClipGrab for Mac is completely free to use. It’s available for Windows and Linux as well.
Wrapping Up
Ready to download and convert your favorite YouTube videos?
As you can see from this article — there are a lot of different YouTube video downloaders for Mac out there.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to have a dedicated piece of software for downloading YouTube videos, then Downie is the great choice.
If you want to download YouTube videos to iPhone, iPad and Mac, the Softorino YouTube Converter 2 is totally universal. SYC 2 provides compelling advantages like the ability to transfer files directly to iOS devices, Vimeo support, and higher-quality M4A encoded audio.
So, we believe you can have the best YouTube download experience.
by Brian Fisher • Jul 24,2019 • Proven solutions
- 'How can I convert YouTube to MP4?'
Having troubles in downloading YouTube videos to MP4 on Mac (macOS 10.15 Catalina, 10.14 Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion included) or Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista? Or you can't play the YouTube videos on your iPad, iPhone or other portable devices? If you do have such problems, just read this article on how to convert YouTube to MP4.
This article shares how to convert, download video from YouTube to MP4 on Mac or Windows computer. You will also fine free online YouTube to MP4 converters in ths post. Let's have a look!
To import YouTube clips to iMovie, iPad, iPhone, you need to convert YouTube video to MP4 file on Mac or Windows PC, because MP4 is widely supported by many popular portable devices like iPad, iPod, Xbox etc. A general video converter will do the tricks. Here, I humbly recommend an easy-to-use iSkysoft Video Converter Ultimate which gives you a hassle-free experience. After conversion, you can also use them on your iPad, iPhone or other devices. Moreover, you can use this tool as a YouTube video downloader to download YouTube videos.
Key Features of the Best YouTube to MP4 Video Converter:
Part 1. How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP4 on Mac or Windows PCStep 1. Import YouTube videos to the YouTube MP4 Converter
Use 'Add Files' button to import YouTube video from your Mac or Windows PC, or directly locate the YouTube video in your folder, then drag and drop them to this YouTube to MP4 converter.
Step 2. Select MP4 as output format in the format tray
From the format list, select MP4 from Video tab. Here you could also change encode settings like bitrate, frame rate, encoder, quality, etc. by clicking the Setting icon beside. This Youtube to MP4 converter also allows you to edit YouTube videos before conversion such as Trim, Crop, Rotate, Add Effects, etc. For editing need, select the corresponding editing icon under the preset window of each video.
Step 3. Hit 'Convert' button to start the YouTube MP4 conversion
When everything is ready, return to the main window and hit Convert button on the right of each video display bar. For multiple YouTube videos to MP4 conversion, click the 'Convert All' button at bottom right. Wait few minutes, you will get a pop-up window to remind the completed progress when all the conversion is done! Now you know how to rip YouTube video to MP4. It is quite easy, isn't?
Part 2. How to Download and Convert YouTube to MP4
With iSkysoft Video Converter Ultimate for Mac or Windows, you can download and convert YouTube file to MP4 format in one go. To do that, the app you need is the professional YouTube video converter software.
Step 1. Download YouTube videosHow To Download Video From Youtube Mac
Launch Safari and go to YouTube.com. Open any YouTube video you want to download and convert, and then copy the URL of the video. Return to the main interface of iSkysoft YouTube converter, and then paste the URL in the Download tab by clicking 'Paste URL' button. Apart from downloading by URL, you could also capture YouTube videos by 'Record Video' button beside.
Step 2. Convert YouTube video to MP4 on Mac
Once finished the download process, click 'Finished' tab in the upper part to view the downloaded videos. That's it!
The YouTube video will be downloaded and at the same time, converted into MP4 by default. If you want to convert to other format, you can set the output format before downloading.
Part 3. Free Online YouTube to MP4 Converter#1. Online Audio Converter & Video Converter
If you don't want to install a computer program, you can also try online video converter to convert your YouTube files to MP4, Try it below:
#2. Converto.io
Converto.io is one quick and easy way to convert YouTube videos to MP4 for free. No installation is required. You can choose between MP3 or MP4 format, and it can convert videos with 4K resolution as well.
Step 1. Just Copy the URL of your YouTube video.
Step 2. Paste the URL into the input space provided at Converto.io. Step 3. Choose MP3 for audio only and MP4 format for video, then click 'Convert'.
Once converted (within seconds), you can go to settings to set Filename, add ID3 tags, change video quality and crop the video to your liking as well. In case of audio files, Converto.io adds cover art automatically to give your collection a splendid look.
#3. Flvto
Flvto is a simple online YouTube to MP4 converter that you can use on any platform. It converts the video to a format that’s compatible with your OS version. It has a free Chrome plugin as well that makes it super user-friendly and convenient.
Step 1. Just Copy the URL of your YouTube video.
Step 2. Paste the URL in the space provided on the Flvto website. Step 3. Choose your desired format from the drop-down menu. Click 'Convert To'.
Not just YouTube videos, Flvto lets you download and convert media from many video platforms such as Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Facebook, and many more. You may also download the Flvto YouTube to MP4 converter.
#4. 2conv
You can use 2conv as an online YouTube to MP4 converter or may you download the converter much like Flvto. The interface is pretty neat and simple, and conversion is available in various formats for your advantage.
Step 1. Just Copy the URL of your YouTube video.
Step 2. Paste the URL in the input field that says 'Enter video Link' on 2conv website. Step 3. Choose the format of your choice. Click 'Convert'.
2conv is not only compatible with various web browsers, but it also has a desktop converter for your convenience. Alternatively, you can download its app. The converter also has its service available in Spanish, Turkish, and Portuguese.
Download Youtube Videos Mac Free#5. TheYouMP3
TheYouMP3 allows you to convert YouTube videos to MP4, 3GP, and WebM. It’s a simple online YouTube to MP4 converter that boasts to be the fastest converter in this space. The converter is mobile friendly, and you can access it through any browser of your choice.
This safe YouTube to MP4 converter converts your file in seconds. You can convert an unlimited number of videos of unlimited duration.
#6. ClipConverter
ClipConverter is a power packed online YouTube to MP4 converter. Apart from YouTube, it also accepts URL from various video platforms like YouTube, Myspace, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Metacafe, SoundCloud, and others.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field. ii. Click Continue.
Step 2. At this point, you may choose the format of your video. Step 3. You can also choose whether to download the whole video or a part of it. Step 4. Once you’re satisfied, click on Start.
The best part about ClipConverter is that it's very flexible. You can choose the Start point and the Endpoint for your output video. You may even choose to download videos without any conversion at all. Moreover, it has browser add-ons for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, so you get the Clip Converter button right under your YouTube video. Your converted video just a click away from you.
#7. Convert2MP3
Another good free YouTube to MP4 converter that doesn’t require you to download your video or the converter. The converter keeps your converted file for four hours on its server. The converter is compatible with videos hosted by YouTube, Vevo, Dailymotion, and more. You can choose output formats such as MP4, AVI, WMV, 3GP.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field.
Step 2. You can also search for a video through this converter. Step 3. Choose the format of the output video. Step 4. Click 'Convert/search' and convert whichever is applicable.
This converter offers more format choices, and the unique thing about it is the ability to convert videos by searching them through their titles.
#8. Break.tv
Available in a myriad of languages, Break.tv is a simple, lightweight online YouTube to MP4 and MP3 converter. It has a clean interface and not many options to confuse you. If you’re looking for a simple YouTube to MP4 converter, Break.tv is a good choice.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field.
Step 2. Alternatively, search for a video by typing its title or a keyword in the input space. Click 'Search video'. Step 3. Choose the resolution of the output video. Step 4. Click 'Download Video' or 'Download Audio' if you want only the audio.
You don’t even need to visit YouTube as it allows you to search for the required video right from its main input field.
#9. OnlineVideoConverter
OnlineVideoConverter converts YouTube videos into a lot many formats. The converter accepts the Video URL from many video portals and social media websites.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field.
Step 2. Select the format of your choice. Step 3. You may click on More Settings to choose the start and end point. Step 4. You may also choose the audio settings. Step 5. Otherwise, click on Start to convert the video. Step 6. This converter generates a link from where you can download the output file.
This converter gives you an unlimited number of conversions; however, the speed of conversion is relatively slow. You can set the resolution and aspect ratio for the output file.
#10. YouTubeMP3
It’s another simple online YouTube to MP4 video converter. It does give you the ability to choose the format and quality of your video. It also has the provision to adjust the volume of the output video.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field.
Step 2. Select the audio or video format. Step 3. Click on Convert to get your converted file.
This converter has a few options for the audio format, but you can choose a video format from MP4, WEBM, or 3GP only.
#11. 9x YouTube Download
This is an excellent and fast downloader. On top of that, it gives you a lot of format choices so that you get the output file of your choice. You can convert YouTube video to MP4, 3GP, WEBM, and more.
Step 1. Copy the YouTube URL of your video and paste it in the input field.
Step 2. As you paste the link, YouTube Download will offer you to choose the format of your choice. Step 3. Make your choices and click on Download & Convert to get your file.
This online YouTube converter has an app for your convenience. Also, another super cool way to download and convert your YouTube video through YouTube Download is to append 9x before the YouTube in the URL of your YouTube video while you’re viewing it and it will take you directly to your YouTube Download.
Tips: What is MP4 Format?
The MP4 format is a video format that is easily recognized by almost all media players today. Whatever software or app you're using on your desktop or mobile device to play videos, MP4 remains to be the ultimate format of choice. In the same way, MP4 files can also be played by Smart TV's. It is for such reason why converting video files of other formats into MP4 is a common feat. While there are other formats that are technically as popular, they are not considered industry standards. That's also why most video downloaders over the internet creates output videos in the MP4 extension.
MP4 for Mac:
MP4 is also highly playable format on a Macintosh computer. It is recognizable by the Mac's native media player, which is Quicktime. In the same way, all other Quicktime alternatives can play MP4 files as designed. The MP4 format is very similar to the MOV video file, with the latter being used as the basis by the Moving Pictures Expert Group when they developed MP4.
MP4 for Windows:
How To Download Video From Youtube Mac Free
Downloading videos in the MP4 format and then playing them on a Windows computer can be done with full ease as the following media players can work seamlessly with the extracted video file: Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player, and Media Player Classic. In many cases, all the codecs needed to process MP4 files are already present in the system. It could be that the installation of the software has added the codec or it is native with the operating system.
How To Download Music Video From Youtube To Mac
MP4 for all other Operating Systems:
How To Download Video From Youtube Magic
All the other operating systems existing today, such as Linux and Unix, including mobile operating systems like Android and iOS, recognize the MP4 format quite efficiently. Users claim to have little to no issues encountered while playing video files in this format using the media players that are compatible with their systems.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |