Unfortunately, the internet doesn’t always travel with us. So for those who are addicted to YouTube, being able to download YouTube videos is hugely valuable. In this article I will cover 10 of the best free YouTube downloaders.
But before I dive in, here are some reasons why you might want to download a YouTube video.
- Slow internet connection: While this might seem counter intuitive, it’s a great way to get around sluggish internet connections. Instead of your video stuttering, you can download it in the background while you do other tasks. Also with some YouTube downloaders, you can opt to download a entire playlist for later viewing.
- Offline viewing: This is where YouTube downloaders work best. As I travel a lot on planes and out of service areas, being able to watch YouTube videos without a connection is lifesaver. Usually I download my selected YouTube videos I want to watch a few days before I get on the plane.
- Backing up your own content: Many time i have uploaded a video to YouTube and then deleted the original copy on my computer. Now I keep backups for all my new videos, but for the older one I uploaded I don’t have any copies. By using a YouTube downloader, you can backup the ones you don’t have a copy of.
You should only download videos when you have the permission from the copyright owner of the content. Reading YouTube’s terms of service notes that downloading content without permission is explicitly prohibited.
Disclaimer: Some of these software options contain affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you purchase a product from this list. This comes at no extra cost to you and keeps this site functioning!
Top 10 Best Free YouTube Downloaders
1. 4K Video Downloader
Looking for simple, ad- & worry-free YouTube downloads? 4K Video Downloader is one of the safest bets out there and provides comprehensive YouTube downloading capabilities. Its most decorated features include:
- Supports a wide variety of websites in addition to YouTube
- Downloads entire play lists
- Supports 4K & 360-degree videos
Pros
Simply superb, all that 4K Video Downloader requires is the video’s URL, and from there on out, you can download the video with a single click. The downloader supports multi-stream downloading that speeds up downloads while eliminating any risk of getting the IP address blocked. Easily worthy of the #1 choice!
Cons
There’s no free meal, right? Right. While the downloader is available for free, its features are limited. The most major ones of these limitations is the version’s inability to download playlists with more than 24 videos. Apart from this, the free version doesn’t put you in a tight spot with the video’s source website, the quality, or its download speed.
2. Free YouTube Download
You don’t really need to be a rocket scientist to know what this program does! The title is pretty self-explanatory. Free YouTube Downloader is a slick software that is designed for one thing only: download videos.
- Allows batch downloading
- Allows the user to select the video quality
- Converts videos into other formats if you want
Overall, this option is by far the favorite that we have used from this list. It consistently gave us the fastest download speeds, ease of use, lots of functionality and not to mention the ability to select video quality. Can’t go wrong!
Pros
The downloader is simple; all you need to do is paste the URL. If the auto-downloading option is enabled the software downloads the video on its own. Batch downloading is also available by default, and requires no premium or paid credits. It is also available for Mac and PC.
Cons
After using Free YouTube Download, it was quite hard to fault. It serviced all my needs which was great. The only thing I would prefer would be a more modern user interface. But overall a great tool.
3. VideoProc
Built-in simple yet powerful video downloading software, VideoProc can meet almost all your video downloading needs from YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, etc. It’s the optimal choice for those who need a lightweight, fast and stable video software to download, convert, edit any 4K/large-videos. Being a video downloader, it stands out with the following features:
- Download online videos, music, playlists & channels from 1000+ sites.
- Allow select quality and download 4K/1080P/720P/ latest AVI videos.
- Support batch downloading; Search and save video with Subtitles.
- Download, convert, edit video at one-stop. Record YouTube live video.
Pros:
Easy-to-use, fast speed, lightweight; enables proxy server to download videos and music anywhere; Totally free when download videos; Full GPU accelerated video toolkit to edit, convert, download, record and more. Support wide range of online sites.
Cons:
Work for Windows and Mac, but no mobile version.
4. NotMP3 Free Video Downloader
NotMP3 Free Video Downloader is one of the best free YouTube downloaders there is. It is completely free, easy to use and doesn’t come with spam, ads or bundled offers. You can download unlimited videos from 1000’s of sites, and you can do this in bulk.
- Ability to download both video & audio
- Can download entire YouTube playlists
- Unlimited downloads
Pros
The simple video downloader lets you download video & convert MP4 to MP3 files from YouTube. The software even allows you to download 8K videos with ease. The software is completely free and has a pretty decent download speed.
Cons
The downloader is only available for Windows at the moment. Mac users won’t be able to use the software.
5. FastestTube
Do you really need an entire software program installed on your computer in order to download YouTube videos? No, a web-browser extension would suffice. FastestTube is a web browser extension that downloads videos without requiring any additional software installed on your computer.
Pros
The extension works with popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome & Firefox. You may download videos in a variety of qualities as high as 1080p, while at the same time enabling/disabling additions such as annotations, auto-play and ads. This makes the interface solid, and removes all the hassle of opening up a separate software for downloading videos.
Cons
As Google doesn’t really like you to download YouTube videos for free, you’ll have to download the extension from FastestTube’s website and install it from thereon. This might be undesirable for some users who are looking for a quick-fix.
6. Freemake Video Downloader
If you look at it as an entirely free software, it really is one of the best free YouTube downloaders available. Not just for YouTube, the application grabs videos from websites such as Facebook, Dailymotion, Vimeo, etc.
- Simple copy/paste mechanism
- Convert videos into multiple formats
- Extract audio from video files
Pros
The video downloader comes with an intuitive interface, sporting a one-click mode which makes downloading videos a cake-walk. You can set-up the application’s setting once, for downloading, extracting & converting, and from thereon, rely on a single click for the whole operation to take place. You can download the video file in any of the available qualities without a glitch.
Cons
The application tends to get bogged down when multiple downloads are initiated at the same time, but for the most part, maintains its fluidity.
