The all-time complimentary YouTube downloader apps to use in 2022

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If you lot've ever wanted to sentry your favorite online videos when offline, then the best YouTube downloaders for Mac and Windows are for you. In fact, information technology's pretty hard saving a video from a video-hosting site without the employ of one of these programs. Thankfully, y'all can apply one of these downloaders to your benefit regardless of what platform you're using, whether it's a smartphone, Mac, or Windows PC.

In that location are a few dissimilar reasons why you might demand to download a video. Information technology'southward possible you demand information technology for a presentation. Or, maybe there'southward something you uploaded in the past and don't accept access to the original file anymore. No affair the reason, using a YouTube downloader volition make your life much simpler. All you need to exercise is get the video's URL that you want, plug information technology into one of these downloaders, and let them do the rest. It's a much easier process than attempting to capture a video with a screen recording app.

Our current meridian choice is the 4K Video Downloader, a program that will remove watermarks when downloading videos and save them in an advertisement-free format. You tin fifty-fifty download a whole playlist at a time if y'all want. It offers a few paid-for options that come with some actress features as well.

Even so, at that place are a few different apps that you lot can check out. So, no matter your needs, there's something here that will assist. Read on to see our top picks.

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Laptop on a desk displaying the 4K Video Downloader

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one. 4K Video Downloader

Fast, free and flexible – the most versatile YouTube downloader

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS, Linux

Reasons to buy

+

Great selection of formats

+

Downloads playlists

+

Supports 3D and 360-degree videos

+

No bundled extra software

Reasons to avoid

-

Limits on playlist downloads

4K Video Downloader is the best free YouTube downloader effectually for quick, fuss-gratis YouTube downloads. It's unproblematic to use, highly customizable, ad-free, and doesn't include any arranged extra software.

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

At that place's a not bad choice of formats – both video and audio – including MP4 and MP3. You can download captions for private videos, and in that location's support for 3D and 360-caste videos likewise.

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

Ownership a key will let you lot download longer playlists and playlists with captions, and at £7.95 (almost US$10, AU$15) for a lifetime license for iii PCs, it's a bargain, but the free edition has everything else yous 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 close runner-upward

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

+

Supports over 30 video sites

+

Can download 4K video

+

Downloads multiple videos at one time

Reasons to avoid

-

No 360-degree video support

Running a very shut 2nd, WinX YouTube Downloader can download videos from all the about pop sites, including Facebook, Vimeo and DailyMotion. It's very like shooting fish in a barrel to employ. Just paste in a URL, select an output format and quality setting, and it will be added to the current batch.

Once you've added all the videos yous want to download, but click the 'Download' button and they'll all be candy at once, and saved to the destination folder of your choice.

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

Read our full 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 Gratuitous

Download and catechumen videos, and add special effects

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

+

Excellent format back up

+

Built-in video editor

Reasons to avoid

-

No batch downloads

-

Arranged extra software

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

At that place are lots of video formats to choose from, and there's even a bones video editor built into this YouTube downloader. This can exist used to crop a video y'all download, add together unproblematic effects such as colour adjustment, and add overlay text.

The whole process is quick and like shooting fish in a barrel. Any Video Converter's interface may non exist to everyone'south liking, but that's really nitpicking; this is a fantastic free YouTube downloader all other respects. Sentry out for the arranged ByteFence and Yahoo software during installation, and you lot'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. Complimentary YouTube Download

Catch videos without clicking a unmarried button

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

+

Auto download selection

+

Batch downloading

+

Can shut down PC when finished

Reasons to avert

-

Three-minute fourth dimension limit

There are no prizes for guessing what Costless YouTube Download does. This is a very simple, tightly focused complimentary YouTube downloader that does abroad with distractions to go the job washed well. Paste in a URL from YouTube and you can download the video in but a couple of clicks – or no clicks at all if you enable the Auto Download option.

You can download several videos at once if you need to, and you can convert to several different formats on the fly. Simply which formats are available to you will depend on the quality of the original video, but AVI, MP4, iPhone/iPod and MKV should exist bachelor in virtually cases. Information technology's likewise possible to convert to audio-only MP3 if y'all don't need the footage also.

In that location'south merely 1 real drawback, only it's a biggie – you can only use Costless YouTube Download to grab clips that are less than three minutes long. That rules out most music videos for a start, and is a real shame.

Read our full 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 equally they're playing

Specifications

Operating organization: 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 just a YouTube downloader, aTube Catcher can actually save videos from well-nigh of the large video hosting sites.

First, however, a discussion of warning: sneaky adware abounds during the installation. When you're offered the offset app, make sure to hitting Cancel, and for the 2nd one click Decline – then you'll be free to enjoy aTube Catcher without any unwanted surprises.

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

This free YouTube downloader offers plenty of added extras also, such every bit the ability to tape whatever on-screen video, video merging, and disc burning.

Read our full review: aTube Catcher

Is it legal to downloaded YouTube videos?

Before you use a costless YouTube downloader, behave in mind that using third-political party apps to download videos is confronting YouTube'south terms of service, which say yous can only stream videos directly from its servers.

Downloading videos is besides potentially a copyright infringement unless you own the video yourself, have permission from the copyright holder, or information technology'due south in the public domain.

What's the divergence between Online YouTube downloaders and desktop apps?

There are many sites that you tin can employ to download YouTube videos, but we don't recommend them due to their disadvantages over desktop software. First of all, they're slower due to the limitations of the remote server and your data connectedness. Many such sites also feature ads of a NSFW variety, or display thumbnails of recently downloaded videos, which may non be appropriate.

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

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Daryl Baxter

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, at present reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time he's written a volume, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', aslope podcasting and usually found playing games old and new on his PC and MacBook Pro. If you lot have a story about an updated app or 1 that's nigh to launch, drop him a line.

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