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If you are a Windows user, choosing a YouTube video downloader is easy, but it is a different story for Mac users. And therefore, we will present 15 best YouTube video downloader for Mac that are compatible with all Mac platforms, such as Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, EI Capitan & Yosemite etc., and there are more than 15 of them in the market.
Part 1: 15 Best YouTube Video Downloader for Mac in 2019
Here is the list of 15 best YouTube video downloader that work on all Mac platforms (Mac OS X / OS X / macOS) and all Mac devices (MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac & Mac mini). Click a section below to be taken right to one of the apps.
4K Video Downloader for Mac allows to download and save video, audio and subtitles from Internet in high quality.Download all videos from the Internet with one click. Save video in MP4, MKV, 3GP formats or extract audio videos in MP3, M4A or OGG. Mac Video Downloader can download pretty much any video that can be downloaded, and from any video hosting site. It can help you downloading videos with just.
- 1. Gihosoft TubeGet for Mac
- 2. MacX YouTube Downloader
- 3. Airy
- 4. ClipGrab
- 5. MediaHuman YouTube Downloader
- 6. 5KPlayer
- 7. Apowersoft
- 8. Wondershare AllMyTube
- 9. iTube Studio for Mac
- 10. Total Video Downloader
- 11. YTD
- 12. Downie
- 13. SConverter.com
- 14. Softorino YouTube Converter 2
- 15. 4K Video Downloader for Mac
1. Gihosoft TubeGet for Mac
How many Youtube videos do you watch a day? A lot, right? There are hundreds and hundreds of YouTube videos we want to repeatedly watch. But the sad news is that most companies just won’t create software and applications which are compatible with Mac. So if you are looking the best way to download YouTube videos on a MacBook, then you can resort to Gihosoft TubeGet, a YouTube video downloader for Mac & Windows.
Gihosoft TubeGet is one of the safest YouTube video downloader for Apple computer out there and provides robust YouTube downloading features. It allows users to download multiple videos or a whole playlist from YouTube at once even if the clips are lengthy. The tool has no trouble saving HD & UHD quality videos and it doesn’t hog much system resources. The usage is quite simple, all it requires is the video’s URL, and from there on out, you can download the video with only a single click if you toggle on the one-click mode.
To satisfy the needs of all kinds of people, especially those from restricted regions where YouTube are blocked, Gihosoft TubeGet provides the feature of proxy server, and it covers the HTTP, HTTPS & SOCKS5 modes. And it also offers the capability to download 48/60fps videos from YouTube, which is a boon for the game and sports lover. Well, to the language learner, Gihosoft TubeGet develops the feature to grab the closed caption, local subtitle, auto-generated subtitle & auto-translated subtitle are all supported.
2. MacX YouTube Downloader
If you are a Mac user, no matter MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, no matter Mac OS X, OS X, macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, and have a strong desire to download YouTube videos, MacX YouTube downloader for Mac is a nice choice. MacX helps to save videos from Facebook, Dailymotion, Vevo, Vimeo and multiple popular video hosting websites.
One thing that might be a challenge is that this app may take longer download time if your Internet connection is slow. Which is pretty much understandable because you are downloading a video, and it’s big in size. Besides, this MacX free full version also supports to download YouTube videos in whatever resolution that YouTube provides, such as 720P, 1080P, 2K, 4K & 8K etc., and keep them in MP4 or WebM format. Integrated with an easy-to-use interface and advanced technology, MacX YouTube Downloader makes it the ultimate choice for you to download popular videos & musics at a fast speed with minimal quality loss.
3. Airy
Do you have a hard time choosing the best YouTube downloader on your Mac computer? Airy YouTube downloader for Mac can help you. Unlike other video downloader that listed in this article, Airy only works with YouTube, perhaps the developers know that concentration is the key to success. Another part which catches my eyes is the simplicity, as you can see from its main interface. It only has the buttons a software needs without any bells and whistles you don’t want.
Airy offers the feature to download full HD 1080P, 4K & 8K Ultra HD videos from YouTube conveniently. You also get options on video formats, e.g. MP4, WebM, FLV, OGG & 3GP etc. If you want to save soundtracks in MP3 format, and not keep the whole music video, Airy can perfectly finish this work, and it can even download the album art for you. Airy also has the capability to save the entire playlist or channel from YouTube.
Another big advantage about Airy is that it even lets you pause a download, and resume download the YouTube video right from where you suspended it, which is a perfect design if you are not on your computer all the time.
4. ClipGrab
Another Mac version YouTube video downloader added to this list is ClipGrab. ClipGrab is a completely free software which makes a living by donations, free as it’s, its video downloading feature doesn’t lose out to any competitor. This tool provides 2 version, ClipGrab for Mac & ClipGrab Legacy for Mac. ClipGrab for Mac requires at least macOS 10.10, including Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, EI Capitan & Yosemite; while The legacy version supports for older systems and 32-bit or PPC processors, such as Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion and Snow Leopard etc.
When you open this software, you will see a Search section, yes, this Mac software allows you to search your videos directly through the address bar by keywords without opening YouTube. But it only shows 4 videos that match the keywords, which makes this wonderful feature become a little useless. When it comes to downloading YouTube videos, ClipGrab provides a super easy way to do that. Just copy and paste the link into the address box, it will show all the possible resolutions. You just click the “Grab this clip!” button, it will save the videos offline on the desktop of your MacBook or iMac.
The disadvantage of this software is that it doesn’t support download videos of 2K, 4K & 8K, which means that even if you put a 8K video link in this tool, it will only download a 1080P video. And it doesn’t support download YouTube subtitle also. It’s a freeware, and it does good as a freeware, we can’t expect more.
5. MediaHuman YouTube Downloader
This Mac software can help you download videos from YouTube and many other similar video sharing websites like VKontakte, SoundCloud & Vevo etc. What we love about this YouTube download app for Mac desktop is that it has so many practical features, such as simultaneous download, downloading HD & UHD videos such as 1080P, 2K, 4K & 8K, and the ability to download entire YouTube playlist & channel at a time. It can also monitor the clipboard, whenever you copy a link from its supported sites, it will detect it and then add it to the download queue. When it finishes downloading, you will get notification even if you are doing other things.
Just like other YouTube downloader for Mac, MediaHuman also gives you options if you want to download the video or extract the audio track alone. This is a boon for people who enjoy music, it also can provide the original audio without quality loss. MediaHuman has many advanced features, you can find it in the preference setting, such as preventing from sleep while downloading, ignoring 30+ fps videos, using format priority list etc.
6. 5KPlayer
How can we download YouTube videos on MacBook in resolution up to 1080P, 2K, 4K or even 8K? Well, desktop packages can help you with that. Although these desktop software are not cross-platform, but they are more powerful in functions than online downloader on Safari. Downloading HD & UDH videos for those tools is just easy as pie. The best part of these software is that they can batch download all the videos on a playlist at one time, and grab the subtitles as well.
For YouTube download software on Mac, 5KPlayer is one of the best. 5KPlayer is free, we repeat, this app is for free. And we can vouch that this app is one of the few apps that you would not regret downloading. This app works flawlessly on Mac system to download videos and movies in MP4, WebM, MKV, 3GP depending on your preferences. It also supports video resolutions from 360P, 720P, 1080P to 4K & 8K, which means it will allow you to download really high-resolution videos. This is perfect for those who want to download clear long videos, such as full feature films and documentaries.
7. Apowersoft
Perhaps what is great about this app is that it lets you convert videos to other file formats suitable for devices like iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, PSP, Kindle Fire, and other mobile devices. This Mac video downloader understands that some of us do not just watch videos on our computers, but also on other portable devices. But not just that, it also helps you download high-resolution videos outside of YouTube. You can also use this app to download videos from Twitter, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook.
As a bonus feature, this easy-to-use app will even allow you to download YouTube playlist to your Mac. Not satisfied with the only downloading function, Apowersoft also integrates itself with screen record and video conversion section, now it becomes an one-stop tool. 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. All aspects considered, Apowersoft is a Mac YouTube video downloader with intuitive settings, speedy operations and clean interface.
8. Wondershare AllMyTube
Wondershare AllMyTube is a pretty popular app, probably one of the most used YouTube video downloader for Mac. Supporting many popular sites, AllMyTube can also convert videos to other formats or to music files, grab whole playlists and handle batch downloads all at once. It’s a shareware so you get limited functions, the free version can only allow users to download 2 videos, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The design of AllMyTube is very intuitive, it has 4 parts: downloading, downloaded, converted & WiFi transfer. When you finish downloading your YouTube videos, you can convert them to other formats which are compatible with Android & iPhone smartphones, and send them to your phones directly by scanning the QR code. As a senior specialist for YouTube, AllMyTube supports download age-restricted YouTube videos, just input the login password, you can unblock the restriction. It is also one of the most simple YouTube downloader out there, so if you are looking for an effective yet easy-to-use software, this one is a good choice.
9.iTube Studio for Mac
Playing YouTube videos offline could not be discussed without mentioning YouTube Red. Youtube, now has a paid subscription plan. The greatest feature of YouTube Red is that it allows you to save videos on your own devices so you can watch them offline. You can select the quality of video you want to download, and YouTube Red allows you to watch it without the Internet connection. But not forever, it limits the availability of the video to 30 days. Downloading is not the only advantage, it also includes other features like original shows, high-quality music streaming and ad-less viewing. Currently, this offer is available only in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Korea and Mexico. Has it reached your country yet? If no, we have another alternative for you – iTube Studio for Mac.
The best thing about this app is that it’s integrated with many useful functions, such as video downloading, recording, converting & transferring, totally an all-in-one tool. Equipped with a private mode, now you can use it to download videos in secret. As a professional video recorder, iTube allows you to record videos from Netflix, Hulu, iTunes & BBC iPlayer etc. So if a video site is prohibited from downloading, you can just record them, nice design. We tried to download a hot video on YouTube, and it worked fast.
10. Total Video Downloader
Some geniuses got tired of watching YouTube video with ads, and wanted to have peace of mind by having their favorite videos sit on their hard drive waiting to be replayed anytime, so they created YouTube downloaders. Luckily, there are multiple applications which you can utilize to save YouTube videos on your MacBook Air or Pro successfully, and Total Video Downloader is one of the best and fastest.
This app is designed to download any video uploaded on the Internet, and it works exactly well for what it’s designed for. This app offers an interface that looks like a web browser, so users can have easy access to many hot videos on YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo and Lynda. However, if this app is in running for one of the top apps to use when downloading videos, it will fall behind when it comes to format conversion. But that’s not a big deal, you can use other apps to convert videos instead. However, when it comes to downloading videos, this app is highly recommended.
11. YTD
When you are searching for the best YouTube video downloader for Mac on Google, YouTube, Quora, Reddit or other related sites, you many often hear the name – youtube-dl. According to its official site, youtube-dl is a command-line program to download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, YouKu, Twitter and many more sites. It requires the Python interpreter (2.6, 2.7, or 3.2+), and it is not platform specific, which means you can use it on any operating system, such as Unix box, Linux, Windows or Mac.
Frankly speaking, youtube-dl is absolutely the best video downloader on the world. However, it’s very nice to a computer savvy, but not that friendly to people with little computer skills. Compared with youtube-dl, desktop package is relatively more suitable for a novice. Although we have talked about many desktop software that work smoothly on MacBook, I’d like to add another one to this list – YTD.
YTD is also a popular app which we hear a lot. Users can easily navigate through this app and get on with their download without the challenge of getting familiar with the interface. This Mac YouTube downloader has only three buttons with the main features! YTD also lets you download videos just like other YouTube downloaders, but with an added bonus feature of allowing you to convert videos to different formats & cut the videos to your preferred length. What we love about this downloader is that it’s one of the most handy apps. It is very simple, and thus very easy to use.
12. Downie
Sure, we are living in an Internet age where almost everything has an Internet connection, and we can stream any video in a matter of seconds. However, there are still occasions that we have to go offline. For people who like to watch YouTube videos to entertain themselves, downloading videos offline on their phones and computers have always been a reliable option. If you have an Apple computer, and want to keep a YouTube video offline, you can rely on Downie.
Downie is video downloader for YouTube & many other video sites that works only on Mac operating system, and it requires macOS 10.11+, including Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, EI Capitan. Like many other competitors, Downie supports many video hosting sites, including YouTube, Youku, Bilibili, Vimeo & SoundCloud etc., and the number is rapidly growing. It can grab HD videos up to 4K, and convert videos into MP4 or MP3 so you can play them on your iTunes.
Downie is multilingual, and it updates about once a week with new features, bug fixes, and new sites supported. What it attracts me is that the software can group the video file by site and playlist, so that all the downloads can be sorted into folders based on where you downloaded them from or from which playlist they are.
13. SConverter.com
When the topic of downloading YouTube videos on a MacBook comes up, usually there are 2 ways to do this. One is to install a full version program, just like the software I have mentioned above, or you can use an online video downloader. The upside of these sites is that you don’t have to install any app, only a Safari browser can get your work done. These tools all live on the browser, so they are compatible with all Mac platforms, such as Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, EI Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion and Snow Leopard etc.
SConverter.com is a good recommendation for Mac that can finish the downloading task at a fast speed for free, and it supports downloading videos with all formats without limitations 24/7. To make downloading YouTube videos as simple as possible, SConverter.com requires you to do nothing more than paste a link and hit ‘Download’ button. Once the video has been identified, choose the video/audio format you want to download, then click “Download” button, the video will soon be saved on your computer.
The downside of these sites is that they can only download videos from YouTube with the resolution up to 720P, while can’t do anything for the 1080P & higher resolution videos, such as 2K, 4K & 8K, let alone 60fps videos. But if you just want to download a single clip & save time, then an online YouTube downloader is ideal. More online YouTube video downloader sites, just refer to this article: 12 Best Online YouTube Downloader–Download HD Video Online.
14. Softorino YouTube Converter 2
YouTube itself has no passage in downloading videos directly, on both desktop and mobile. However, sometimes you have your reasons to do this, especially when you are on trains, subways, buses, or trips to places without reliable 4G or WiFi. That being said, with a right YouTube video downloader in hand, grabbing videos from YouTube is a surprisingly easy thing, and it doesn’t require a high configuration laptop.
Softorino YouTube Converter 2 is a fast video download for Mac which can fully satisfy your needs without any complications. This tool allows you to download video from YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, BandCamp, VK, LiveLeak, and many more. Apart from that, you can also download the content as video, audio, or even create them as ringtone. Integrated with an automatic Wi-Fi feature, now you can transfer downloaded media to other devices such as iPhone, iPod or iTunes at a fast speed without USB cable.
15. 4K Video Downloader for Mac
YouTube is full of important contents that we want to hit the replay button, and so do other video sharing sites. Usually we can watch them on the Internet, and simply do not need to download them offline most of the time. But there are still occasions where online viewing is difficult, such as go traveling, bad Internet speed, need to watch a tutorial second by second or you will have problems in understanding the key point…… For those who want to download & keep videos from YouTube on their Apple computer, 4K Video Downloader for Mac has always been a good and reliable option.
This desktop app for Mac covers many popular sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion and Metacafe, and it doesn’t have any snag in saving videos offline. The developers of this tool pay great attention to simplicity and usability, you can download your favorite videos in the precise format or resolution you need, and has no hassle in downloading multiple videos in batch simultaneously. All in all, 4K Video Downloader for Mac is a good video downloading solution and it does what is promises without any complications.
Part 2: How to Download YouTube Videos on Mac
Whichever YouTube video downloader you have used on Mac, you can download most of the valuable contents from YouTube, because they are worth watching over and over. No software is prefect, they all have their own disadvantages, but there are always some tools that can make you ignore their downsides. As all these top 15 YouTube downloader for Mac work in the same way, here I will describe how to use them on your MacBook using Gihosoft TubeGet as an example.
4 Simple Steps to Download YouTube Videos a MacBook Pro/Air
- Navigate to YouTube, search for the video you’d like to save, then copy the URL of the video in the address line.
- Fire up Gihosoft TubeGet and then click “+Paste URL” button, the link will be pasted immediately, and be identified by the software.
- You’ll then have a new dialogue box, where you can set video download quality and saving directory.
- Finally, hit “Download” button and grab the video offline on your MacBook.
Tips: If a video is in a playlist, when you click the “+ Paste URL” button, it will show you two options, to download the single video or download the whole playlist.
In Conclusion
When you finish reading this article, you will have clear thought about how to download YouTube videos on a Mac computer. The tools in this list include the ability to choose the desired format, download individual video/audio & playlist in bulk. Most of these Mac software work not just for YouTube, but also for other video sharing websites. For Windows YouTube downloader, you can refer to this article: 15 Best YouTube Video Downloader for PC 2019.
Now It’s Your Turn
And now I’d like to hear from you: What’s your #1 YouTube video downloader for MacBook? If you have personally been using any app that is powerful, don’t be shy and type in your suggestions. Or maybe you have a question. As always, you can leave your tips, recommendations, and opinions in the comments section below.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Multimedia • Updated on Aug 1, 2019
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.
- Does the app offer the ability to download YouTube video to watch offline?
- Does the app enable you to download, convert and save videos with a single click?
- Does the app provide bulk downloading?
- Does the app extract the audio from YouTube music videos to MP3 format?
- Does it work with the speed of light?
- Does the app help you select your best quality of download (4K or 1080p, 720p or 360p, etc)
- Is the app beautifully designed with an easy to understand interface?
- Does it help you keep up-to-date, allowing you to quickly get the latest version?
Based on our testing sessions, we’ve found the best Mac YouTube Downloaders of your dreams.
- Downie – Easiest to dive in
- Softorino YouTube Converter 2 (SYC 2) – Best YouTube downloader for Mac/iPhone/iPad
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:
- You can simply drag the YouTube video thumbnail to Downie interface. It will process link and start the download.
- If you want to download multiple videos, you can press Command+O and paste all the links you want to download.
- Or, even better, Downie has an in-built Search feature. This will allow you to find top downloads and search for videos on your own. Further, you can add as many links as you want and download them.
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. Screen recording software for mac. So, let’s have a look.
- 4K video support
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.
- Advanced post-processing
Post-Processing refers to what happens after the video has been downloaded. Even while the video is being downloaded, you can select the output format — None, MP4, Extract Audio and Send to Permute. MP4 is the default choice. - Custom quality
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. - Subtitle support
Along with video, this YouTube downloader can download the corresponding subtitle as well. If more than one subtitle is available, Downie will ask you to choose. This is a great feature if you download YouTube videos in other languages. - Unparalleled compatibility
Downie supports a wide variety of websites, from where you can download videos. The best part is that the team offers frequent updates, allowing you to get videos from more and more websites. Moreover, Downie is optimized for international and local websites.
Free Ummy Video Downloader For Mac
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
- Simple and Intuitive Interface
- Better Control over Downloading process
- Customizable functionality
- 4K support
Cons
- Limited file conversion options
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.
Free Video Download For Mac
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
Free Video Downloader For Mac Os X
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.
Free Video Downloader For Mac Safari
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.
Iskysoft Free Video Downloader For Mac
So, we believe you can have the best YouTube download experience.