“YouTube isn’t the only video service, but I think it’s the biggest, and it probably makes more sense to compare Facebook video to YouTube rather than Netflix because that’s a completely different kind of content.” — Mark Zuckerberg

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Here are the top 8 ways to download YouTube videos and playlist online, and on Windows/Mac/Android. Creativity Productivity. Here is a list of 2021 top YouTube MP3 downloaders for macOS. Free download the best YouTube MP3 for macOS and save MP3 audio to local Mac easily.

Free YouTube Downloader. This is a highly recommended tool to download YouTube videos on.

Even the CEO of Facebook does not hesitate when saying how big YouTube is, you know.

Youtube Downloader Online Mac

No doubt, YouTube has become the center of entertainment for most people. From funny, short clips to full-length documentaries, you can find almost everything there. The service has been active for more than one decade now, as you have seen.

And, it’s still a bummer that YouTube does not allow you to download videos.

The case for YouTube offline

While it’s true that most of us have a internet connection nowadays, imagine these:

You have a slow internet connection. This can be a nightmare, you know, especially while you try to watch full-HD and 4K videos. If the internet connection drops, so does the fun. 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.

You need Offline Access. So, you don’t want to spend all your time on the Internet, alright? So, when you come across a really good YouTube video, you want to keep it offline. That way, you will be able to watch it whenever you want. If you are on an airplane, for instance.

You need Backup. You are an artist or a content creator. You need to use some YouTube video for a project of yours. This time, quality is important for you and you need the maximum you can get. There is also the danger that videos will be taken offline in the future and you won’t be able to access them at all.

There could be more reasons, but these make the mark. If you can relate to these situation, you probably need a YouTube downloader.

But, is downloading YouTube videos legal?

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. Unless you are downloading the video and publishing it elsewhere, there’s nothing to worry.

Practically speaking, you can download YouTube videos and watch them later.

As long as you don’t use the videos for commercial purposes, YouTube downloading is legal.

Now, the question is about the best ways and tools to download YouTube videos.

YouTube Premium: the official method

Apparently, YouTube allows saving videos for offline viewing. Only if you are ready to pay.

• What Is It?

YouTube Premium(formerly known as YouTube Red) is a subscription service from YouTube. It 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.

But it doesn’t come free. YouTube Premium is priced at $11.99 per month. So, you have to pay more than $120 a year for watching YouTube videos without ads and offline playback. On the bright side, you will have access to YouTube original content and background playback options.

• 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. And YouTube has brought 1080p downloads to the official iOS and Android apps..many phones have now gone past that; the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max have resolutions that exceed 1080p, for instance.

Considering all these points, it makes more sense to download YouTube videos using a dedicated tool, there are thankfully other solutions.

SYC 2: a safe tool for YouTube to Mac/PC/iPhone/iPad

Softorino YouTube Converter 2, also known as SYC 2, is one of the most popular YouTube downloaders. The best part about SYC 2 is that you can safely download Youtube videos and audios to watch them or listen offline on your iPhone, iPad or computer.

Download and convert YouTube video: 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 videos and tracks from SoundCloud, Vimeo, BandCamp, VEVO, BREAK, CNN, DailyMotion, Facebook, Instagram, and many more.

You can use this program for not just downloading YouTube videos but also converting the content to many other formats. If you opt for video output, 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 output, you can choose from MP3, AAC, and “original” audio.

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.

Ringtone Maker: SYC 2 is an awesome way to create ringtones at your convenience. While trying to download a video/song from the internet, you can select the Ringtone option as well. This can bring you one full-length ringtone, or something trimmed down to 30 seconds, but sadly there’s no way to trim a specific section. Either way, you don’t have to use any other tool for converting a song to ringtone.

aWi-Fi Data Transfer: You can transfer downloaded media to other devices such as iPhone, iPad or iTunes directly. According to the destination, SYC 2 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 aWi-Fi. It also supports other transfer protocols like UCB and ACR.

Impressive Performance: Being the latest version, SYC 2 is pretty fast in terms of performance. The download speeds are quite impressive. Also, it is worth noting that SYC 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. It also lets you store the downloaded content to iTunes/TV app accordingly. This is an awesome feature if you’d like to have a well-organized media library.

Overall, SYC 2 is an awesome choice if you need a quick as well as versatile way to safely download YouTube videos to Mac and iOS devices.

The app is available for Mac and Windows. However, you get the best experience on Mac, due to the ecosystem integration. A single license of SYC 2 would cost you $19.95 and this unlocks all features including 4K UHD support and transfer-based features.

Downie: a decent, easy-to-use option to dive in

Downie is yet another popular YouTube video downloader 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.

Minimal UI: As you can see, Downie has a minimal User Interface offering. Everything has been kept simple. You have a minimal list of the running and completed YouTube video downloads. It’s up to you to clear it. In addition to the fully-fledged window, Downie has a menu-bar interface as well. Clicking on it would show you the current progress of the download.
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.

4K video support and compatibility: Downie lets you download YouTube videos at the highest possible quality. You can get videos that perform well in your 4K displays. Regardless the quality, Downie ensures the best set of speeds, for downloading as well as format conversion. Downie supports a wide variety of websites, from where you can download videos. The best part is that the team offers frequent updates, adding support for more sites.
Customization options: Downie allows you to download videos at different qualities, up to 4K. You can also automate the process. That is, you can set up Downie to choose the best possible Quality every time you download something. On the other hand, if you need more control, you can limit the quality as well. Along with video, this YouTube downloader can download the corresponding subtitle as well. You can even choose subtitles. There are also some Parental Control and Proxy customization options available in the Downie package.

To sum up, Downie is a great choice if you need a simple-yet-powerful YouTube video downloader for Mac. The app is pretty minimal, but the features are quite useful at times.

Downie is currently available for macOS only. You need a device running macOS 10.11+ to run the program, you can now run natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon machines. A single license of Downie is priced at $19.99. It’s also available on Setapp, a subscription service provides access to over 200 premium Mac apps for just $9.99/mo.

AllMyTube: has a lot of benefits with all-in-one solution

Have you ever thought of an all-in-one YouTube downloader? Something that can help you download, edit, convert and transfer the content from YouTube and other websites? Well, Wondershare AllMyTube is right that thing. That’s why we’ve chosen it as the best all-in-one YouTube downloader out there.
You should be considering Wondershare AllMyTube if you want to ignore using multiple tools at once. It gets the job done without much fuss. Awesome, huh?

Wondershare AllMyTube just rocks the stage when it comes to additional features. We’ll keep it short.

Built-in Converter: Unlike the other YouTube video downloaders we checked out, Wondershare AllMyTube has a dedicated and well-built option for converting videos. You will be able to convert not only downloaded videos but also the other videos you have on your device. You can simply drag and drop the file to start the conversion process. It even comes with device profiles for easy conversion.

Content Transfer: Although not as good as SYC 2, Wondershare AllMyTube allows you to transfer content to your smartphone devices as well. Here, however, you can connect either your iOS or Android device for data transfer. The full process takes some time, but you have some convenience. You would have to install some apps on the device for easy transfer, though.

Recording and Browser: Wondershare AllMyTube packs a built-in Recorder utility along with other features. You can use it to record content from your screen. Browser, on the other hand, is an awesome way to explore popular sites without leaving the program. You can check out the content and will then be able to download everything with ease and control.

On any day, you can’t go wrong with Wondershare AllMyTube. It packs so many features that will help you in downloading and managing videos from YouTube and other platforms.

The software is available for both macOS and Windows. If you have a Mac that runs on 10.10 or later versions, you can install this program. You can also try the free version of Wondershare AllMyTube with some limited features. However, for complete features, you will have to pay $19 per year or $29 for the Lifetime license.

Other YouTube video grabbers

PullTube — online video and playlist downloader

PullTube is different from the other YouTube downloaders we have listed above. It is a complete suite that helps you download online videos and playlists with ease. Compared to other tools in the list, PullTube has a versatile feature list as well.

Comprehensive Interface: The UI of PullTube may not be the simplest in the first look. That is because the media downloader packs an amazing set of features inside. However, if you just want to fetch details and download a YouTube video, it would take just a few seconds. The fact that you can use this single tool to download variety of videos from multiple websites is just amazing indeed.

Video Trimming: A new challenger in the game, PullTube, can trim down videos. It has a scissor-like button in the app which lets you trim the video to your desired length — either by feeding the timestamps or dragging through the video timeline for a preferred part of the video.
Built-in Conversion Engine: When you have PullTube, you don’t need another conversion utility. This tool is so great when you’d like to get an audio/video file converted into another format. There is also an option to stitch multiple video parts together so that you have a single file. You will also be able to use the built-in editing features for making a few changes.

The Miscellaneous: There are a few seemingly simple but really useful features in the PullTube package. For instance, you would be able to download auto-generated subtitles when you download a YouTube video. A point worth mentioning is that the app supports playlist downloading as well. If PullTube detects that the video is part of a playlist, it will offer to download the entire collection. Similarly, the app also has a wonderful level of browser integration. It works well with Chrome, Safari and Firefox. PullTube also lets you using shortcuts and gestures, and set up custom proxy/socket choices for easy control. Altogether, the video downloading experience is unparalleled.

At the end of the day, we would recommend PullTube as the ultimate YouTube downloader if you need some extra points when it comes to additional features.

It is currently available for macOS devices only. If you have a Mac running 10.11 or higher, you should try it. Although it offers a free version, PullTube is actually a paid program. You can either purchase it from official website for $14.99 or get it as a part of the Setapp subscription.

VideoDuke — video downloader with advanced control

You should consider going for VideoDuke if you need a YouTube downloader with advanced options. First things first, VideoDuke is not a dedicated YouTube downloader. You can use this intuitive tool to download videos/audio from more than 1000 websites.

Excellent Download Speeds: VideoDuke provides some of the best download speeds we have seen with the majority of YouTube and video downloaders out there. Even when you download multiple videos or playlists at once, you don’t have to compromise speed. Because the app integrates well with macOS, you get native-like performance as well.

Broad Compatibility: Just like another tool in the list, VideoDuke supports an immense variety of platforms, including but not limited to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, DailyMotion, etc. You get to choose the desired format — both audio and video — while downloading from these sites. Long story short, getting any kind of audio or video playlist is an easy task with this app.

8K Download: Now, this is an exceptional feature if you ask us. Regardless of how basic your Mac is, you get to download YouTube videos at 8K quality using VideoDuke. What’s more, you can even choose an appropriate video format while doing so. The extra speed comes in handy in this sector. Even if you want to get a file that weighs several GBs, the entire task would be done in seconds.

Simple and Advanced Modes: VideoDuke comes with a simple mode and an advanced mode. The first mode makes it easy to paste the URL and directly download the video. In the Advanced Mode, you can use the in-built browser to explore multiple websites and download a variety of contents. You can even download an entire site using this app.

VideoDuke from Eltima Software is available for macOS only. It’s a freemium tool and offers a demo version that allows you to download up to 2 videos. You can use all the excellent features like 8K downloads while in the demo mode. If you want fully-fledged access, a single license of VideoDuke would cost you $19.95 — or $39.95 if you get three licenses.

Summing up, we believe VideoDuke is a fantastic choice for those who want more than YouTube downloads. The built-in browser, incredible speeds, and the intuitive UI are worthy features indeed.

Airy — dedicated YouTube downloader for everyone

Airy is a popular, minimalist tool for downloading videos from YouTube. It works for YouTube videos, and not for other video platforms. Starting from the User Interface, Airy is just simple. You will be able to start everything in seconds. It comes with a straightforward YouTube download process as well.

Dedicated MP3 Download: Just like many other tools in the list, Airy helps you download just the MP3 file of a YouTube video. You can do this by simply selecting MP3 from the available formats. In a few seconds, it will download the YouTube video and convert it into the audio format. You can use the same feature to get an entire music playlist off of YouTube.

Browser Integration: Despite having a minimal software footprint, Airy integrates very well with browsers on Mac. You can place a bookmarklet that allows you to download any YouTube video in a single click. It can be a lifesaver when you want to download different videos one by one. All it takes is a few clicks on the bookmarks bar of Chrome or Mozilla.

8K Support: Airy surprises us again by letting you download YouTube videos at the maximum quality, which is 8K. So, if you have an 8K TV and want some content offline, Airy will help you get that. It’s just awesome that even some advanced apps don’t allow you to download 8K content. With Airy, though, you don’t have to worry about this aspect.

Advanced Features: Being a dedicated YouTube video downloader, Airy also brings a few advanced options to the panel. For instance, if you want to download age-restricted videos from YouTube, you can provide your basic login data to go ahead and download the content. Similarly, you get to download contents from channels and playlists with ease.

Airy YouTube Downloader is available for macOS. You can download up to three videos using the free version. While downloading, you can use all the features like 8K downloads as well. However, an unlimited license of the app costs $19.95.

Summing up, you cannot go wrong with Airy. Given that you are looking forward to downloading videos from YouTube alone, Airy brings an impressive interface and powerful features to the table.

The free alternatives

Although they did not make it to the list of top tools, these are the other best YouTube downloaders you can consider on any day. The best part? All of these tools are completely free to use. You need not worry about licenses or subscriptions.

4K Video Downloader

As the name says, 4K Video Downloader is a tool that allows you to download YouTube videos in 4K quality. Of course, almost all the tools we have listed above can do this. However, 4K Video Downloader does a great job since we are talking about a dedicated tool. Once again, the process is straightforward, and the download tool can pick up the YouTube URL from the clipboard.

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 available for Mac and is free to use. You can upgrade to premium for extra features.

MacX YouTube Downloader

This is your best shot if you are looking for the practically free YouTube downloader out there. MacX YouTube Downloader does get the job done and the speeds are also pretty great. Of course, you can expect standard features from the package but that’s it. Although the name says so, MacX YouTube Downloader allows you to download videos from more than 300 websites.

One thing we thought is that MacX YouTube Downloader could be faster in terms of UI. It takes a while for the program to analyze videos and process them for download. Regardless of all these, you can use the tool to download YouTube videos at 4K quality, given that you choose the right format. We think that’s great if you consider the utility of all.

MacX YouTube Downloader is available for Mac and is free cost.

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. 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.

Bend YouTube to your willl

While choosing the best YouTube downloader, focus on your priorities. If you are looking for something that offers the best speed and iOS-based features, Softorino YouTube Converter 2 seems to be the right shot, any given day. Nevertheless, there are times when you need something like AllMyTube, especially if you want to do more than directly downloading the video. However, if you want a simple way to download videos from not just YouTube but also other apps, we recommend going for Downie, a setapp option.

Except for the four tools we mentioned last, every YouTube downloader here indeed packs some additional features. And, these features would come in handy if you are a content creator or someone who compiles different types of media from YouTube.

After reading this article, you will know five easy and fast ways to download YouTube videos on Mac. Apply one of them to save YouTube videos to your Mac and then you can watch offline without an Internet connection.

As the biggest video site in the world, YouTube has a wide range of users who search, view and upload videos every day. However, unlike you can freely view and upload videos on YouTube, you can't download YouTube videos directly on the site. That's why so many users are looking for a way to download YouTube videos to iPhone/iPad, save videos from YouTube to PC, download YouTube videos on Mac, and more.

Given that, here we provide five proven ways to download videos from YouTube to Mac, including using desktop software, online service, and other workable ways. Read on to learn how to download YouTube videos on Mac in different ways and carry out the one best suited to your needs.

How to Download YouTube Videos on Mac in 5 Ways

Some of the ways below need you to download and install the desktop software, while others may not. Learn them in detail and you will know which one is the best YouTube downloader for you.

Method 1. How to Download YouTube Videos on Mac for Free

100% free, no ads, and no plugins, EaseUS MobiMover is a YouTube downloader that you can use at no cost and without any worries about bothering ads or add-ons. With it, you can download videos from many other websites. You can also transfer the downloaded videos from Mac to iPhone. Refer to the article on how to transfer file between iPhone and Mac for details.

To download YouTube Videos on Mac for Free:

Step 1.Run EaseUS MobiMover > Go to choose the 'Video Downloader' option on the left side > Choose a location to house the videos you download.

Step 2. Copy the URL/link of the YouTube video you wish to download, paste it into the download bar of EaseUS MobiMover, then tap 'Download.'

Step 3. Wait for MobiMover to download YouTube videos to your Mac. When it has finished, you can go to your selected location to check the downloaded item.

In addition to video download, MobiMover also has other features that will help you transfer files between two iOS devices or between an iOS device and computer, which will do a great help if you are an iPhone or iPad user. It's a versatile tool that can work as an iOS content manager and free YouTube downloader at the same time. Don't miss it and make it your good helper.

The newly EaseUS MobiMover for Windows makes it possible for you to rip audio from YouTube.

Method 2. How to Save YouTube Videos on Mac Online

Don't want to install any software? If so, you may prefer online YouTube video downloaders compared with desktop software. Honestly speaking, although much convenient, an online YouTube downloader may cause more troubles than a desktop program. According to my own experience, there are some issues that may occur while using an online tool to save YouTube videos on a computer, including:

• Ads keep popping up
• The users are redirected to another shopping site
• The tool can't find the video according to the link

And more. Luckily, not all the online YouTube downloaders are that troubling. Here is Keepvid that works well to get videos from YouTube onto your Mac.

Keepvid is one of the most popular online video downloader that allows you to download YouTube videos on a computer by inserting the video link into the address bar. You will like it if downloading YouTube videos in different formats and quality is what you need. Besides, it also serves the function of an audio converter that will extract music or other audio files from a YouTube video for you.

To download a YouTube video on Mac with Keepvid:

Step 1. Go to YouTube and copy the URL of the video you want to download.

Step 2. Visit https://keepv.id/ on your Mac and click the 'Download' button.

Step 3. After an analyzing process, you will see the download options available, including videos in different quality and audio in varying formats. Choose the format and click 'Download' to start downloading YouTube videos to your Mac.

Method 3. Download YouTube Videos for Mac with Chrome/Firefox

Want to download a YouTube video with the browser? If that's exactly what you want, you can't miss the helpful browser extensions shown below, which allow you to save YouTube videos on Mac using Chrome or Firefox for free.

To download videos from YouTube with Chrome:

Step 1. Go to visit YouTube Video and MP3 Downloader.

Step 2. The webpage will detect your browser automatically. Confirm your browser and click 'INSTALL VIA CROSSPILOT'.

Step 3. Download and install the extension. Afterward, restart the browser.

Step 4. Go to YouTube and play the video you want to download.

Step 5. Now you should see there is a Download button under the video. Click the Download button to save the YouTube video to your laptop directly or click the three dots next to it to choose other qualities available. (If you don't see the download button, click the icon of the YouTube Video and MP3 Downloader from the menu bar of the browser to download the video.)

To save a YouTube video on Mac with Firefox:

Step 1. Go to add the extension - Easy Youtube Video Downloader Express to Firefox.

Step 2. Restart Firefox.

Step 3. Go to YouTube and play the video you intend to download.

Step 4. Under the video, click the 'Download' button and choose one of the versions (MP4 360p, MP4 720p, MP4 1080p, MP3...) to download.

Of course, there are video download tools for Safari. You can search on the Internet and choose the one you like.

Method 4. Save YouTube Videos to Mac with VLC Media Player

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. It also enables you to download a YouTube video on your computer, be it Mac, PC, or laptop.

Step 1. Download and install VLC media player on your Mac and launch the program.

Step 2. Go to YouTube and copy the link of the video you attempt to download.

Step 3. In VLC, choose 'File' > 'Open Network'. In the 'Open Source' window, paste the video URL in the address bar and click 'Open'.

Step 4. Right-click the video and select 'Media Information'.

Step 5. Copy the content in the 'Location' bar and paste the copied URL into the address bar. Then press 'return' to begin to play on your browser.

Step 7. Right-click the video and select 'Save Video as..' to start downloading videos from YouTube to your Mac.

Method 5. Grab Videos from YouTube to Mac with Screen Recording Features

Other than downloading videos from YouTube, you can choose to record the video and save it on your Mac. This method works best when you can't download a YouTube video due to copyright issues or other problems.

To capture the screen, you can either use the built-in screen recording feature in macOS or QuickTime Player.

• To use the built-in screen recording feature: Press Command + Shift + 5.
• To use QuickTime: Choose 'File' in QuickTime and select 'New Screen Recording'.

Youtube Video Downloader Mac Online

Common Issues Related to YouTube Video Download

There are some frequently asked questions from users about YouTube video download:

'How do I download YouTube videos to my Mac for free?'

If you have read this article, you know now that all the five methods detailed in this guide enable you to save YouTube videos to Mac for free.

'Can I download a video from YouTube with YouTube Premium?'

The YouTube Premium subscription allows you to download videos from YouTube, but only to mobile devices like phones and tablets. Thus, if you attempt to save a YouTube video to Mac, it won't help.

'Why can't I download YouTube videos?'

Youtube Downloader Mac Torrent

If you are going to download a private video or a video containing music, you may fail since these videos may give rise to copyright issues.

Youtube Downloader Mac Sierra

The Bottom Line

Among all the video download apps, which is the best YouTube downloader for you? Choose the one that fits your needs best to apply.