Free YouTube Downloader for Mac in 2024 (Apps & Online)

Macworld

When you want to watch videos offline when the Internet connection is not so stable, this is the time you should look for a great YouTube video downloader for Mac to download videos on your Mac computers in advance for offline watching. However, most video downloaders on the market serve for Windows systems only, and some even have file formats that are not compatible with Mac systems. This post is written to help you out.

How do we evaluate and rate the best YouTube Downloader for Mac

To write this post, our testing team has tried 29 video downloaders in 4 days and selected the top 11 video downloaders at last. The following table is an overall performance score for you to understand better.

RatingOverall performance4.5 – 5.0 (Your best choice)The downloader performs very well in all aspects with a clean interface.4.0 – 4.4 (Recommended by the editor)The download process is smooth, and no extra downloads, while the pro version costs a little high.3.0 – 3.9  (Worth trying)You can successfully download videos with extra payment, and there are pop-out ads occasionally.Below 3.0 (Do not expect too much)The downloader may be equipped with malware, and errors occur when downloading.Rating downloaders

Disclaimer:

Before reading detailed reviews for each product, you should know that you can only download videos with the software for your own use. Downloading YouTube videos on a Mac for commercial or other use is against the video’s copyright.

1. EaseUS Video Downloader for Mac

Reasons to choose: free trial; high quality and fast download; user-friendly interface.

Overall rating: 4.7/5

EaseUS Video Downloader for Mac is multimedia software based on EaseUS, a well-known brand in data backup and recovery. Putting users’ needs first, EaseUS developed this free video downloader for Mac to help more Mac users download high-quality videos from streaming sites with ease. From its main interface, you can easily get access to its customer service. It’s a reliable and trustworthy video downloader to help you download videos on Mac computers.

EaseUS

Editors’ review:

EaseUS Video Downloader for Mac provides a free trial, which means you can download and try it without any charge. Its brand is rated by more than eighteen thousand users on Trustpilot and gains 4.7 points out of 5. It supports video download from more than 1,000 streaming sites with quality up to 4K/HD. You can even choose to download subtitles and thumbnails altogether for effort saving.

EaseUS

2. Airy YouTube Downloader

Reasons to choose: free trial; provide browser extension version; download playlists with ease.

Overall rating: 4.6/5

Airy YouTube Downloader distinguishes itself from other Safari video downloaders by providing more download formats, including MP3, MP4, FLV, and 3GP. Except for multiple file formats, another unique feature is that this downloader provides the browser extension version as well, which means you can download videos on Mac computers without extra software.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

Airy YouTube Downloader is one of the best YouTube video downloaders among Mac users to help them download YouTube videos on Safari. The quality you can choose varies from 144p to 1080p. It can process more than 40 videos at the same time and download them all together with one click.

3. 4K Video Downloader for Mac

Reasons to choose: no pop-out ads; variable video formats; support playlist download.

Overall rating: 4.4/5

As the name shows, 4K Video Downloader is a reliable software to help you download videos, playlists, channels, and subtitles from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, etc. You can  manually set the output formats such as MP4, FLV, MKV, MP3, OGG, and M4A. You will find ease and convenience by saving high-quality videos directly to the Finder on your Mac.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

According to Trustpilot, 1,481 users have rated 4K Video Downloader for Mac as 4.1 points out of 5. The official customer service tracks the reviews and answers users’ questions with fast responses, which shows its reliability and its aim of putting the users first. Another unique feature of it is that this downloader can even help download videos 360 degrees.

EaseUS

4. YTD Video Downloader for Mac

Reasons to choose: 8K video download; sync downloaded videos among multi-forms.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

YTD Video Downloader for Mac is a download tool trusted by more than 10 million users around the world. It has gone a long way on the road of video download since 2007. The download quality is one of its highlights: it helps you maintain videos from crisp to great 8K videos.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

When testing the YTD Video Downloader on my Mac computer, it’s surprising to see its quick download speed and the connection between PC, phone, and even tablet. However, one weakness of this downloader is that you can only download one video at a time. So, if you need to download many videos from multiple platforms simultaneously, this one is not your best choice.

5. VLC Media Player

Reasons to choose: open source software; preview while downloading; simple and easy interface.

Overall rating: 4.1/5

VLC Media Player is a platform for playing and downloading videos from YouTube and other streaming sites. According to Softonic, more than 84 thousand users have given their comments to it.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

VLC Media Player even supports MPEG and DivX streaming. Another great thing about VLC is that ZIP files don’t need to be separately unpacked to be played, which saves quite time and effort. Although VLC is totally free, its team still keeps upgrading to make better products for users. This open-source software is not so hard to operate. You can successfully use it even though you are a computer novice.

6. MacX YouTube Downloader

Reasons to choose: bulk download available; regular update.

Overall rating: 4.1/5

MacX YouTube Downloader is an intuitive video downloader that focuses on video downloading. It is compatible with 1,000+ major video hosting sites, like YouTube, Dailymotion, Break, Twitch, Vimeo, and more. Its development team keeps regular upgrades so users seldom encounter malware when using it.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

MacX YouTube Downloader has had two updates in the last six months. It keeps regular updates for bug fixes, so no lags occur when testing this software for video download. You can trust this video downloader if you need to download videos from YouTube without any quality loss.

7. Freemake YouTube Video Downloader

Reasons to choose: free trial; easy access to customer service.

Overall rating: 4.0/5

Freemake YouTube Video Downloader has been an efficient download tool for 10 years. It is widely used by more than 90 million users, and the number keeps increasing.  You can follow its Facebook and Twitter accounts for update tracking and customer service.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

In the most recent version, users cannot download videos longer than three minutes if they don’t have a premium pack key, which is really a drawback. If you want to download high-quality videos using trustworthy software without worrying about its cost, you can give Freemake Video Downloader a try.

8. ClipGrab

Reasons to choose: extract audio file from a video; easy-to-use interface for computer novices.

Overall rating: 3.6/5

ClipGrab is a free-for-all download manager that allows users to download YouTube videos from various platforms and websites. It offers downloads in high definition, extraction of the original audio provided by YouTube, multi-threaded downloads, and integrated search.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

When installing ClipGrab to my own computer, the security software warned that it may be malware because it contains InstallCore. You need to keep alert to avoid accidentally downloading software or programs you don’t want. As for video download, it works well, and no extra files are downloaded. If you only need to download the video for one time, this free software will be a good choice.

9. MediaHuman YouTube Downloader

Reasons to choose: easy integration with iTunes; provide a free trial.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

MediaHuman YouTube Downloader supports 4K and 8K videos and easy integration with iTunes, which allows you to watch any clip offline. The most recent version is updated on January 6, 2024, and will keep a regular update.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

It is simple to download all at once with this free YouTube video downloader for PC. This software will help you to accomplish video downloads quickly and without hangups. The option to extract MP3 audio files is helpful when you only need the music, not the complete footage. You can watch the whole playlist or YouTube channel whenever and wherever you want.

10. ATube Catcher

Reasons to choose: variable functions including download, record, and covert.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

ATube Catcher is a full-suite video downloader with a free trial that can convert, create, download, record, and resize media files. You should ensure that the files are certified safe before downloading them. ATube Catcher can also help you pull data from the provided link to transfer that directly to a specified folder on the PC.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

However, a popup asking you to download free software from a third party will arise after you agree to the license terms during the installation procedure. You need to be careful because if you click through the pages too quickly, then you may accidentally install other apps during the process.

11. Vdownloader

Reasons to choose: no pop-out ads;

Overall rating: 3.4/5

VDownloader allows you to download videos from websites like YouTube and other 200+ websites within seconds. Utilize this software to download videos and instantly convert them to one of the supported file types. You can choose the free version as long as it meets your needs.

EaseUS

Editor’s review:

This downloader has no pop-up ads or messages at all. Its clear interface really enhances my experience of video downloading. Actually, in our testing, it was found that you can use VDownloader to download YouTube audio and video files with up to 320 Kbps for audio and up to 8K for video quality. If you aim to download high-quality audio and video, this software will be the best choice for you.

Final pick: what is the best YouTube video downloader for Mac for you

The 11 best YouTube video downloaders for Mac to you in the content above. If you still have questions about the most suitable video downloader for you, the following list will help you narrow down your choices according to your actual needs.

For users who want reliable and trustworthy after-sale service: EaseUS Video Downloader for Mac is your best choice because you can always get easy access to its customer service, and it will help you solve all questions.

For users who need to download 360-degree videos: 4K Video Downloader for Mac can help you manage this goal without losing any quality.

For users who want to download videos without software: Airy YouTube Downloader will help you download videos with multiple formats and really high definition by embedded in the browser you use.

Final words

In this post, the editor has guided you on detailed information for the top 11 YouTube video downloaders for Mac computers. All of the software is free to download and provide free trials. Some software requires extra payment if you want to enjoy unlimited features. Whether the payment is worth it is up to you.

This post is expected to help you choose the best YouTube video downloader for your Mac computer. Enjoy your journey of video downloading.

FAQs

1. How to download YouTube videos for free on my Mac?

Downloading YouTube videos on a Mac can be pretty straightforward. First,  download and install one of the downloaders listed above. Then, copy and paste the URL of the video you’d like to download. Choose the file quality and click the ”Download” option. The last step differs from different software.

2. Can YouTube downloader work on Mac?

Yes, YouTube video downloaders can work well on your Mac computers as long as you have downloaded the correct version. The video download software listed above has been tested by us, and you can choose the one according to your consideration.

3. Why can’t I download YouTube videos for free?

According to YouTube, some videos can only be downloaded after buying a Premium subscription. You can download videos for free with third-party software, an online download site, or a browser extension. Remember that the downloaded files are for personal use only.

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