It appears that an increasing number of users would like to download video clips and movies from YouTube, Google Video, Veoh, Break, or DailyMotion, etc. and convert them to portable devices such as iPhone, iPad, etc., so that you can enjoy the videos anytime anywhere.
- Kigo Video Downloader is not only a Web Video Downloader, it is also a web video converter for Mac users, which supports more than 1000 video sharing websites.
- Key features: The program has a professional-looking interface. It is perfect for downloading videos from YouTube and other sites such as Facebook, Vevo, Dailymotion, and Vimeo.
There are tons of free video downloaders for Mac and Windows PC. Some are for desktop while others are web apps. No matter which one you pick, each has its pros and cons. Here I would introduce the top 10 best free video downloader for Mac or PC to you. All of them are able to help you grab videos to your computer with the URLs.
Best Video Downloader for Mac
The best free YouTube downloader for Mac makes it easy to download YouTube content in any format to save important video or watch it later without Internet access.
Cisdem Video Converter (All-in-one Solution)
- Download clips from more than 1000 popular sites
- Cope with 720p, 1080p, 4k and 8k videos
- Ensure video conversion between over 500 formats without losing quality
- Support batch processing multiple videos
- Built-in media editor allows to trim, combine, crop, add subtitles or effects, etc.
- Rip personal & commercial DVD to digital formats
- Supported OS: OS X 10.10 or later
Reviews on Best Free Video Downloader for Mac/PC
1. iFunia YouTube Downloader (Mac)
iFunia YouTube Downloader is a free video downloader for Mac that helps you download online 1080p FHD, 4k UHD videos to Mac in batch. It's not just for video downloads from YouTube but from Dailymotion, Vimeo, Blip TV, Liveleak, Lynda, Break, Vube, Ustream, Ted, and other websites.
Copy the video URL and it will be auto pasted into the URL field. Or you can drag-n-drop all of the videos' thumbnails into the program, and start to download favorite videos for several minutes.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use, intuitive
- Support to download YouTube playlist
2. VDownloader (Windows, macOS)
VDownloader is an intuitive app that focuses on video downloading. It’s fully compatible with major video hosting sites, like Dailymotion, Break, Twitch, Vimeo, and more.
However, you are only allowed to bulk download unlimited videos 10 times and convert local videos 3 times. If you like this best free video downloader, you can fetch their commercial version at the price of $17.99/yearly or $59/lifetime.
Pros:
- Integrated with a search feature to add video content to your follow tab
- Convert video to custom format
Cons:
- The speed of installation is pretty slow
- Not work well on Mac computer and merely available on macOS Mojave or later
3. QDownloader.io (web tool)
QDownloader.io is a free online video downloader & converter with the ability to grab videos from a handful of video hosting sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
It can directly convert video from websites to MP4 and MP3 on Mac or PC. There are browser extension versions on Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome, assisting you in downloading.
Pros:
- User-friendly
- Quickly catch video by adding io before 'youtube.com'
Cons:
- Save up to 720p video, even it's a 1080p or 4k video
- Download up to 128kbps audio only
4. Keepv.id (web tool)
KeepVid is one of the best free video downloader for Mac/PC that allows you to download all types of videos online from YouTube, Facebook, Twitch.Tv, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and many more. The downloaded videos will be saved in MP4, MP3, M4A, or WebM format.
Without superfluous interfaces, novices can get started via copying & pasting the URL in the textbox.
Pros:
- Preserve video metadata like name, song title, album, etc. in MP3
- Keep subtitles in various languages
Cons:
- Only 100 videos in the YouTube playlist can be detected at most
- Can't download the playlist all at once and no batch download
- The output definition is limited no exceed 1280p
5. aTube Catcher (Windows)
aTube Catcher is a desktop free video downloader for PC system which can perform lots of video tasks. It lets you download videos from social websites, and export them to PC or some portable devices, like iPad, iPod, PSP, MP4 player, and DVD.
It offers donations access for users to help them in the budget and maintain the best free video downloader app updated and running.
Pros:
- A host of video formats are supported
- Record screen, create DVDs/CDs
Best Mac Video Downloader
- No risk of ads, buffering, virus attack to your Mac.
- Support the download from all popular sites, like YouTube, Tumblr, DailyMotion, Blip, Veoh, AOL, Vimeo, etc.
- Batch download
- Preview the downloaded videos
- Snapshot and save your favorite screen picture.
- Convert and transfer videos to any kind of digital device including iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone, PSP, etc.
6. Freemake (Windows, macOS)
Freemake is a popular video downloader for free works on Mac and Windows. It supports downloading videos, playlists, channels in HD, MP4, MP3, AVI, 3GP, FLV, etc. Lots of sites are supported, like Youtube, Facebook, Vevo, Hulu, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Vkontakte.
The software has a self-explanatory UI. Any new users can easily know how to use it.
Cons (limits of the free version):
- Download up to 50 videos
- Each video can’t longer than 3 minutes
- Unable to convert video to MP3
- Add Freemake logo to your video
- Fail to fetch 4k videos
7. ClipGrab (Windows, Mac)
ClipGrab is an acclaimed best free video downloader working on Windows. It supports downloading videos, playlists, channels in MP4, MP3, AVI, 3GP, FLV, etc. with quality retained.
Plus, it supports certain media sites, like Youtube, Facebook, Vevo, Hulu, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Vkontakte.
Note: It expects you to donate 10, 20, 30 euros for further development.
Pros:
- Automatically catch URL from clipboard
- Support a built-in search option
8. GetTube (Mac)
In old days, GetTube is a lightweight Mac OS X app that enables you to download videos and playback the media any time you like, directly from your computer. Get Tube works well with Safari and Firefox. Once you install it, you'll see a new button in the browser while you surf on YouTube. Click it and you'll be able to download the featured video in a matter of seconds.
With compatibility with macOS 10.12 or above, GetTube starts to charge, and you need to pay 5 euros to unlock the download function.
Pros:
- Download videos in high quality
- Search videos within the software
Cons:
- Inconvenient UI
- Only save video as MP4 and MP3 format
9. 4K Video Downloader (Windows, Mac)
4K Video Downloader is a reliable freeware that downloads videos, playlists, channels, and subtitles from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. This best free video downloader for Mac/PC lets you manually set the output formats as MP4, FLV, MKV, MP3, OGG, M4A.
You just copy the URLs of the target movies and, click the button “Paste Links”. But if you want to download more than 25 YouTube playlist videos or download the channel, you have to buy the serial number and get the perpetual permissions.
Pros:
- Support to download 4k & 360-degree videos
- Download the whole playlists
10. MacTubes (Mac)
Update: 1. The developer stopped releasing the app; 2. Not work anymore since Google changed YouTube API.
MacTubes is a handy free video downloader for Mac that you don’t have to visit the site itself. It allows you to create playlists based on what you've downloaded or what you've searched on. And it will list the downloaded and played files for you to create playlists.
Pros:
- Work without having to open the YouTube website
Cons:
- Offer no compatibility with other major video sites
- Only save videos in one format
Bonus: Best Video Downloader Mac for Paid
Cisdem Video Converter is a one-stop and professional toolbox for Mac users to download & convert & edit videos, rip DVDs, etc. It should be the best video downloader for Mac to help you grab TV episodes, movies, music videos, news, sports, and other online video clips with the fastest speed.
Once you launch the free trial version, it would pop up a small box. Click “Evaluate”, and download the online video for free. If you buy its pro version, you would get the registration code to enjoy video conversion, video downloading, DVD ripping, and sharing functions within one.
Quick Steps to Download Video from Website Mac Using Cisdem Video Converter:
Download Cisdem Video Converter to your Mac first, then run it and click the download section at the top.
Go to the video streaming sites that the software supports. Find the video you desire to download and copy its URL.
Return to the best video downloader for Mac, and paste the URL to the download bar.
Click on the “down arrow” icon to start the video download. You can add multiple URLs to the download list.
It provides you with a free trial version for taking a test. But the free version of this best video downloader Mac merely converts 5 minutes per file and merely downloads 3 videos. Come to download its commercial version which priced at $49.99. You can enjoy YouTube videos on any portable devices.
Conclusion
After being familiar with a vast assortment of options for the best free video downloaders for Mac/ PC as well as the paid one, we can easily distinguish their benefits and drawbacks. With our overview, you should have a clearer picture of which best video downloader suits most of your needs.
YouTube covers various types of videos such as funny, sports, movies, music, etc. It is a platform that all of us like to spend time on. When you are browsing videos on YouTube, you can never understand how time flies. However, watching videos online requires a lot of data. If your network environment is unstable, videos may get stuck or buffered, which is crazy.
At this point, you may consider downloading YouTube videos to your computer for offline viewing. This is a good choice, but requires a third-party downloader and converter. There are many such software on the market, and if you don’t know which software is the best, we will share with you the ten best YouTube downloaders for Mac for you to choose from.
1. Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader
A popular YouTube downloader for Mac, 4K Video Downloader will allow you to overcome the artificial restrictions imposed by certain online services. You will be able to download any content that you desire from YouTube and store it for your own future usage. This software allows you to save complete YouTube playlists in various formats (such as MP4, MP3, FLV, MKV, M4A, etc.). It also has a unique feature that lets you subscribe to YouTube Channels from the app. All their latest videos will get downloaded automatically.
More importantly, it supports 720P HD, 1080P FHD, 4K and 8K UHD resolutions, which means that all the videos you download from YouTube will be of high quality. In addition, the software provides the ability to download system-translated and automatically generated subtitles. After downloading YouTube videos to your Mac computer, you can merge videos with subtitles for easy viewing with its built-in conversion function. As for how to use it, you may check the following simple steps:
- Step 1. Download and install Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader for Mac on your computer.
- Step 2. Go to YouTube, find the video that you’re ready to download then copy its link address.
- Step 3. Run the 4k downloader and paste the link into the program, select your desired resolution from the pop-up box, then tap Download.
- Step 4. Wait for the program to automatically download the YouTube video. After downloading, you will be able to enjoy it offline or share it wherever you like.
2. MacX YouTube Downloader
If you are looking for a YouTube video downloader that will not only get the job done but also perform it efficiently, the MacX YouTube Downloader is perfect for you. This software will enable you to download audio and video without spending a penny. The videos that you download from YouTube will be compatible with your Mac OS, which means that you will be able to revisit them later on.
The MacX software is extremely powerful, and the downloader feature will allow you to download YouTube videos to Mac in different formats and resolutions depending on your requirements. You can save your videos in formats like MP4, FLV, WebM and more.
The software is integrated with a user-friendly interface, and it will not be long before you know how to operate it. The advanced technology gives excellent speed and restricts quality loss.
3. ClipGrab for Mac
One of the best YouTube video downloaders for Mac, ClipGrab offers its services for free. You will be able to download and convert videos that are available on YouTube. You will no longer be restricted to online usage of YouTube. The software will allow you to convert these videos into a variety of formats like MPEG4, MP3, and more with just a few clicks.
ClipGrab works very smoothly with Mac, and you will be able to master it without any difficulty. There are two versions of ClipGrab available for Mac. While the default version is compatible with macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) and above, the legacy version works with older systems making it somewhat more flexible. Once you’ve downloaded YouTube videos to Mac, you will be able to transfer them to your phone for easy viewing.
4.Gihosoft TubeGet
With the help of Gihosoft TubeGet, you can save YouTube videos to Mac easily. The software enables you to download an entire YouTube playlist along with the subtitles so that you can use them offline as well. Moreover, it also allows you to convert online YouTube videos into MP3 audio with precision. You can also use the Pro version if you want advanced features.
However, the basic version itself will allow you to download videos with resolutions up to 1080P, 4K and 8K for free without any difficulty. One of the main advantages of using this YouTube Video Downloader for Mac is that you don’t need a separate YouTube video converter as it can perform multiple tasks.
After downloading, you can transfer the all videos to your mobile devices at once. You can also back up your data to avoid losing any media content.
5. YTD for Mac
YTD is a well-known YouTube video downloader for Windows and Mac operating systems. With it, you can quickly download your favorite YouTube videos to your computer for offline viewing anytime, anywhere. YTD for Mac is very easy to use and has a friendly interface. All you have to do is copy and paste the video link into the software and it will do the rest for you automatically.
YTD supports downloading 720P and 1080P HD videos. If you encounter space problems, you can also opt for lower quality. The software also allows you to track the download status and then instantly convert it to the desired format. There are many preset modes compatible with iPod and iPad. If you want to download and convert simultaneously to save time, you need the Pro version. The YTD video downloader also supports batch downloading.
6. Airy YouTube downloader
If you are wondering how to download YouTube videos to Mac, then this is the software that you need in your life. It will allow you to download and save all your favorite videos without any hassle. The software can run multiple downloads at the same time. Moreover, you have the flexibility of choosing the format and resolution of the downloaded video.
With the help of this YouTube video downloader for Mac you will be able to download YouTube playlists and create your own offline playlists that can be played even in the absence of an Internet connection. Airy offers customization settings which will allow you to tweak the final video so that it meets your quality standards.
There are no videos out of your reach when you are using Airy. Moreover, you will be able to download the accompanying subtitles of the videos in SRT format.
7. MediaHuman
MediaHuman is the most efficient video downloader and converter on the market. This software lets you download all videos that may be of interest on YouTube so you can save them offline. The program will quickly complete the process, after which there will be no restrictions on your YouTube viewing. Moreover, it allows simultaneous downloads, which means that you will be able to save a significant amount of time.
The free YouTube downloader for Mac is compatible with ultra-high-resolution videos such as 4K and 8K.With MediaHuman, you can save complete playlists and even channels on your device. It also allows you to extract audio from the video and store it as a separate MP3 file. If you can configure the software properly, it will automatically transfer the downloaded videos to your iTunes library.
8. 5KPlayer – Download & Play
If you want to save a Youtube video to Mac, then you do not have to work hard as long as you have this software. The 5KPlayer will allow you to download as many online YouTube videos as you want for free. It can also capture streaming media in real time, capturing the moments that you might want to revisit later.
You can expect the software to run smoothly on your Mac, and there will be no unnecessary crashes. You will be able to download the videos in different formats and resolutions according to what you are looking for.
Along with conversion, you can edit the videos without losing the quality of the video. All the videos will run smoothly on your iPhone and iPad once the transfer is complete. You have nothing to worry about!
9. Total Video Downloader
The hunt for the perfect downloader ends today with the Total Video Downloader. Not only is it easy to use, but it also offers high-speed downloads, which means that you will save both time and effort. With this free YouTube video downloader for Mac, you will be able to download your favorite YouTube videos to the Mac computer in different resolutions and formats. You should not underestimate the speed offered by this software. All your videos will be downloaded and stored at 4x speed.
In order to use the YouTube downloader for Mac, you just have to copy the link to the video and then paste it into the program so that the software can start the download process. You will have the freedom to pause and cancel current downloads, which would make it easier to manage time. Preserve the original quality of the videos with Total Video Downloader.
In order to use the YouTube Downloader for Mac, you just need to copy the link to the video and then paste it into the program so that the software can start the download process. You are free to pause and cancel the current download, which will make it easier to manage time. Use Total Video Downloader to preserve the original quality of the video.
10. AllMyTube for Mac
If you want to download your favorite videos from YouTube and watch them offline in your free time, then nothing should stand in your way. With AllMyTube video downloader Mac, you will be able to download and store any video that you like without any trouble. The software works perfectly with the Mac OS. You will be able to enjoy beautiful 4K videos even after you complete the download.
With just one click, you can download entire playlists and channels. All you have to do is copy the URL of the video that you are aiming to download. You can also record YouTube live streams in real time. With AllMyTube, you will also be able to convert videos directly. You can extract the audio and convert them into audio files, or you can experiment with over a hundred video formats.
Conclusion
No ads, buffers, and data consumption! Download a free YouTube video downloader from our list to watch your favorite videos offline smoothly on Mac, Android, iPhone or other devices. If you are not sure which one to choose, you can try Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader first. It covers almost all the functions you need. With one software, you can experience all the features such as downloading videos, playlists, channels, subtitles, covers, and converting videos to MP3, etc. If you find this article useful, please share it with your friends; if you find a better YouTube video downloader for Mac than mentioned in our list, please leave a message in the comment area, we will be glad to add it to the list.