The best free YouTube downloader apps to utilise in 2022

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If y'all've always wanted to watch your favorite online videos when offline, so the all-time YouTube downloaders for Mac and Windows are for you. In fact, it's pretty hard saving a video from a video-hosting site without the use of one of these programs. Thankfully, you tin can use one of these downloaders to your benefit regardless of what platform you're using, whether information technology'due south a smartphone, Mac, or Windows PC.

There are a few different reasons why you might need to download a video. Information technology'southward possible you need it for a presentation. Or, maybe there's something y'all uploaded in the by and don't have access to the original file anymore. No matter the reason, using a YouTube downloader will make your life much simpler. All y'all need to do is become the video's URL that you want, plug it into one of these downloaders, and let them practice the residue. It'due south a much easier process than attempting to capture a video with a screen recording app.

Our current top choice is the 4K Video Downloader, a program that will remove watermarks when downloading videos and save them in an ad-free format. Yous can even download a whole playlist at a time if y'all want. It offers a few paid-for options that come with some actress features also.

Nonetheless, in that location are a few dissimilar apps that you can bank check out. So, no thing your needs, in that location'due south something here that volition help. Read on to see our elevation picks.

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Laptop on a desk displaying the 4K Video Downloader

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1. 4K Video Downloader

Fast, free and flexible – the well-nigh versatile YouTube downloader

Specifications

Operating organisation: Windows, macOS, Linux

Reasons to buy

+

Smashing choice of formats

+

Downloads playlists

+

Supports 3D and 360-degree videos

+

No arranged extra software

Reasons to avoid

-

Limits on playlist downloads

4K Video Downloader is the best free YouTube downloader around for quick, fuss-free YouTube downloads. It's elementary to utilize, highly customizable, ad-costless, and doesn't include any arranged actress software.

To grab a video (or a whole playlist, provided it's not longer than 24 videos), simply copy its URL from your web browser, click 'Paste URL' and select an output format, quality and location.

There's a keen choice of formats – both video and audio – including MP4 and MP3. You can download captions for individual videos, and there'due south support for 3D and 360-degree videos too.

Delving into the properties lets you tweak options like multi-stream downloads (increasing the number of streams will speed up downloads, but increases the risk YouTube blocking your IP address) and set up up a proxy connection.

Buying a key volition let you download longer playlists and playlists with captions, and at £seven.95 (about US$10, AU$15) for a lifetime license for three PCs, it's a bargain, but the free edition has everything else you could wish for.

Read our full review: 4K Video Downloader

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A laptop on a desk displaying the WinX YouTube Downloader

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2. WinX YouTube Downloader

Clear, powerful and well designed – a very shut runner-up

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to purchase

+

Supports over 30 video sites

+

Can download 4K video

+

Downloads multiple videos at once

Reasons to avoid

-

No 360-degree video support

Running a very close second, WinX YouTube Downloader can download videos from all the most popular sites, including Facebook, Vimeo and DailyMotion. It'southward very like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize. Only paste in a URL, select an output format and quality setting, and information technology volition be added to the current batch.

Once you've added all the videos yous want to download, simply click the 'Download' button and they'll all exist processed at in one case, and saved to the destination binder of your choice.

WinX YouTube Downloader can download 4K video when available, and only loses out to 4K Video Downloader considering it'south unable to download 3D and 360-degree videos. If this isn't a problem for yous, this free YouTube downloader comes highly recommended.

Read our total review: WinX YouTube Downloader

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A laptop on a desk displaying the Any Video Converter Free

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3. Any Video Converter Free

Download and convert videos, and add special effects

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

+

Excellent format support

+

Built-in video editor

Reasons to avoid

-

No batch downloads

-

Bundled actress software

At first glance, Any Video Converter Free is one of the best free YouTube downloaders out there. The only drawback is that this gratuitous version limits y'all to downloading a single video at a time, only if you're looking for a gratuitous solution, this is something you may decide you're happy to put up with.

There are lots of video formats to choose from, and there'southward even a basic video editor built into this YouTube downloader. This can exist used to ingather a video you download, add simple effects such equally colour aligning, and add overlay text.

The whole process is quick and easy. Any Video Converter'due south interface may not be to everyone's liking, only that'south really nitpicking; this is a fantastic free YouTube downloader all other respects. Lookout out for the bundled ByteFence and Yahoo software during installation, and yous're good to become.

Read our full review: Any Video Converter Free

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The Free YouTube Download tool being displayed on a laptop

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iv. Costless YouTube Download

Grab videos without clicking a single button

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

+

Automobile download selection

+

Batch downloading

+

Can shut downwards PC when finished

Reasons to avoid

-

Three-minute time limit

In that location are no prizes for guessing what Costless YouTube Download does. This is a very simple, tightly focused free YouTube downloader that does abroad with distractions to get the job done well. Paste in a URL from YouTube and you tin download the video in just a couple of clicks – or no clicks at all if you enable the Auto Download option.

Y'all can download several videos at in one case if you demand to, and you lot can convert to several dissimilar formats on the wing. Just which formats are bachelor to you will depend on the quality of the original video, but AVI, MP4, iPhone/iPod and MKV should be available in most cases. It'due south likewise possible to catechumen to audio-only MP3 if you lot don't need the footage as well.

There's only one real drawback, merely information technology's a biggie – you can merely use Gratis YouTube Download to catch clips that are less than iii minutes long. That rules out most music videos for a start, and is a real shame.

Read our total review: Free YouTube Download

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The aTube Catcher being displayed on a laptop sitting on a desk

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five. aTube Catcher

Download, convert and merge videos as they're playing

Specifications

Operating system: Windows

Reasons to buy

+

Batch downloading

+

Converts to popular formats

+

Automatic file conversion

Reasons to avoid

-

Adware in installer

Although the name suggests that this is simply a YouTube downloader, aTube Catcher tin can actually save videos from most of the big video hosting sites.

First, however, a word of warning: sneaky adware abounds during the installation. When you're offered the starting time app, make sure to hit Cancel, and for the second one click Refuse – then you'll exist gratuitous to relish aTube Catcher without any unwanted surprises.

Downloaded videos tin can be converted automatically to a number of popular formats, so you can tailor them for their intended use, or whatever device you intend to watch them on. If you're looking to download a large number of videos, you lot can download them all at one time, maxing out your bandwidth – something not available in all of the best gratis YouTube downloaders on this list.

This costless YouTube downloader offers plenty of added extras too, such as the ability to tape whatever on-screen video, video merging, and disc burning.

Read our total review: aTube Catcher

Is it legal to downloaded YouTube videos?

Before you lot use a gratis YouTube downloader, bear in mind that using 3rd-party apps to download videos is against YouTube's terms of service, which say you can only stream videos directly from its servers.

Downloading videos is as well potentially a copyright infringement unless yous ain the video yourself, accept permission from the copyright holder, or it's in the public domain.

What'south the deviation betwixt Online YouTube downloaders and desktop apps?

There are many sites that you can use to download YouTube videos, just we don't recommend them due to their disadvantages over desktop software. Get-go of all, they're slower due to the limitations of the remote server and your data connectedness. Many such sites besides feature ads of a NSFW multifariousness, or display thumbnails of recently downloaded videos, which may not be advisable.

Online video converters typically don't give you much (if any) choice about the video file either, in terms of quality or expert format. They only allow y'all to download a single video at a time, and you tin can forget about saving whole playlists. 3D and 360-caste videos are also out of the question, and very few can handle 4K.

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Daryl Baxter

Daryl had been freelancing for iii years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare fourth dimension he'southward written a volume, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', alongside podcasting and unremarkably found playing games sometime and new on his PC and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app or one that's about to launch, driblet him a line.

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