YouTube is the most popular online video platform, with over 2 billion monthly active users. Sometimes you may want to download a YouTube video to watch offline or edit it for other purposes. However, YouTube‘s terms of service prohibit downloading videos from their platform.
While we don‘t encourage breaking YouTube‘s ToS, there are legal ways to download YouTube videos for personal use, such as using a YouTube video downloader. I‘ve tested dozens of free YouTube downloaders and compiled this list of the 10 best options in 2023 based on features, usability, safety, and legal compliance.
1. ClipGrab – Best Overall Free YouTube Downloader
ClipGrab is my top pick for the best overall free YouTube video downloader. It‘s completely free, easy to use, and offers all the essential features you need.
Key Features
- Download videos from YouTube and other sites like Facebook and Vimeo
- Convert videos to MP3, MPEG-4, and more
- Download individual videos or full playlists
- Choose video quality up to 1080p
- Lightning fast downloading
- 100% free forever
I like that ClipGrab supports downloading from multiple websites beyond just YouTube. You can paste any video URL and ClipGrab will download it. The integrated video converter makes it easy to extract only the audio in MP3 format too.
Downloading is really fast as ClipGrab utilizes your full internet bandwidth when downloading. Just be careful not to throttle your whole internet connection.
The interface is super clean and intuitive. Simply paste a video URL, select quality and format, choose a save location, and hit download. It‘s a completely legal and safe free YouTube video downloader.
Downsides
- No 4K or 8K support
- No mobile app, Windows/Mac only
2. 4K Video Downloader – Best for 4K Videos
If you want to download YouTube videos in 4K quality, 4K Video Downloader is the best free option. As the name suggests, this program lets you download up to 8K resolution videos from YouTube and other sites.
Key Features:
- Download 1080p, 4K, 8K YouTube videos
- Convert formats like MP4, MKV, MP3
- Download entire playlists
- Free version has all features
- Cross-platform Windows/Mac/Linux
I really like the 4K Video Downloader because even though it has paid tiers, the free version includes all the key functionality without limits. You can download as many 4K YouTube videos as you want without paying.
It also gives you options to tweak video and audio quality parameters to optimize file size or quality. The software is lightweight yet powerful.
Downsides:
- Slower downloads than ClipGrab
- No mobile version
>> Download 4K Video Downloader
3. aTube Catcher – Best YouTube Downloader for Beginners
aTube Catcher stands out as the best free YouTube downloader for beginners because of its simplicity. The intuitive interface makes downloading YouTube videos easy for less tech-savvy users.
Key Features:
- Streamlined simple interface
- Convert downloads to MP3
- Download playlists
- Built-in media player
- Additional video editing tools
Once installed, aTube Catcher shows a sleek dashboard with all the main features easily accessible. You can paste YouTube video URLs, choose formats and quality, and download with one click.
I like that aTube Catcher goes beyond just downloading by including a built-in media player and basic video editing tools for trimming clips. Everything you need in one place.
Downsides:
- Max resolution 720p
- Contains ads
- Windows only
For basic downloading of YouTube videos, aTube Catcher is a great free choice for beginners.
4. VideoProc – Best for Fast 4K Downloads
VideoProc stands out from other YouTube downloaders for its unparalleled downloading and converting speeds. If you want to download YouTube videos as quickly as possible, VideoProc is the tool for you.
Key Features:
- 4x faster 4K video downloading
- Download 8K videos from YouTube
- Hardware accelerated conversion
- Select exact quality settings
- Trim, cut, merge, edit videos
I tested VideoProc‘s download speeds against all the other YouTube downloaders on this list. True to its claims, VideoProc downloaded a 6 minute 4K test video from YouTube in just over 30 seconds. The second fastest took over 2 minutes.
This speed advantage comes from VideoProc utilizing your graphics card for hardware accelerated processing. Of course this means it has higher system requirements than other options.
I also love the advanced video editing tools it includes like cropping, cutting, rotating, subtitles, and more. You can take downloaded videos and edit them losslessly without re-encoding.
The free trial includes all features but adds a watermark on downloaded videos.
Downsides:
- Short free trial with watermarks
- Higher system requirements
5. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Download
DVDVideoSoft offers one of the best completely free YouTube downloaders with no ads, catches, or restrictions. The lightweight program makes downloading YouTube videos a breeze.
Key Features:
- Simple one-click downloading
- No watermarks or restrictions
- Download entire playlists
- Convert to MP3, MP4, etc
- Totally free forever
This streamlined application gives you all the essential YouTube downloading features like selecting video quality and format, downloading full playlists in one click, and converting to audio only MP3.
I was really impressed with the conversion output quality and fast speeds from DVDVideoSoft given its simple design.
Downsides:
- Max resolution 1080p
- Windows & Mac only
For a completely free, unlimited use YouTube video downloader option, DVDVideoSoft can‘t be beaten.
6. Freemake Video Downloader – Best for Playlists & Subtitles
Freemake Video Downloader stands out with robust playlist and subtitle downloading capabilities for YouTube videos.
Key Features:
- Save complete YouTube playlists
- Automatically download subtitles
- Convert to MP3, MP4
- Absolutely free
- Download from Vimeo & Facebook too
I really liked how I could paste a full YouTube playlist URL and download the entire playlist with one click. Freemake automatically starts grabbing every video in original quality.
The subtitle download feature also worked flawlessly in my testing. Freemake automatically detects subtitles available on YouTube videos and embeds them in downloaded files. This is perfect if you‘re grabbing foreign language tutorials or want subtitles for language learning.
Downsides:
- Video quality limited to 720p
- No mobile app
For easy automated downloading of YouTube playlists and subtitles, Freemake Video Downloader rocks.
>> Download Freemake Video Downloader
7. WinX YouTube Downloader – Best for Music
WinX YouTube Downloader makes downloading audio tracks from YouTube music videos super simple. While the other YouTube downloaders on this list also offer audio conversion, WinX specializes in music.
Key Features:
- Download audio from YouTube in high quality MP3
- Automatically tag track info
- Lightning fast downloads
- Playlist support
- 100% free
Rather than encoding audio conversions on the fly, WinX YouTube Downloader pulls original quality audio directly from YouTube videos when available. This results in far superior sounding audio downloads versus typical compressed conversions.
WinX can also automatically tag the artist name, track title, album artwork and more when grabbing music from YouTube. Finally, downloads happen lightning fast thanks to multithreaded downloading.
Downsides:
- No video format conversion
- Windows only
For the best free YouTube downloader focused specifically on saving music from videos, check out WinX.
>> Download WinX YouTube Downloader
8. Free YouTube Download
Free YouTube Download gives Mac users an excellent free option for downloading videos from YouTube and Facebook.
Key Features:
- Download videos from YouTube & Facebook
- Grab playlists, channels, subtitles
- Available completely free
- Simple drag & drop downloading
- Native Mac app
I like the clean design of Free YouTube Download that fits right in on Mac. Downloading YouTube videos is as easy as copy/pasting the URL and selecting download. The software also enables downloading full playlists from channel pages in one shot.
While limited to just 1080p quality, all the core functionality is there for easily grabbing videos from YouTube without any restrictions.
Downsides:
- 1080p max quality
- Mac only
For Apple users who want a legal free YouTube video downloader that blends seamlessly into macOS, Free YouTube Download is a top pick.
>> Download Free YouTube Download
9. Y2Mate – Best YouTube Downloader for Chrome
Y2Mate takes a different approach than traditional desktop software YouTube downloaders. This free web tool works as a Chrome extension, allowing you to download videos directly in your browser.
Key Features:
- Browser-based web app
- Download videos up to 4K
- Convert formats like MP3
- Grab captions & metadata
- Totally free forever
After adding the Y2Mate extension, whenever you open a YouTube video it will display download format/quality options right on the page. Just select what you want and Y2Mate will save the file directly, no external software required.
I love the convenience of being able to download YouTube videos seamlessly as part of my normal browsing. Plus Y2Mate uses YouTube-DL for downloading so performance is solid.
Downsides:
- Requires Chrome browser
- No advanced settings or editing tools
If you mostly watch YouTube videos in Chrome and want on-the-fly downloading on that browser, Y2Mate is handy.
>> Download Y2Mate Chrome Extension
10. Downloader for YouTube – Best for Android
Downloader for YouTube has quickly emerged as the best YouTube video downloader option for Android devices. With over 10 million Google Play Store downloads, it‘s hard to beat.
Key Features:
- Native Android app interface
- Background downloading & playback
- Download audio & video
- Support downloading 4K video
- Free with no ads
I like how Downloader for YouTube follows Android UI standards for a seamless experience. You also have full background downloading and audio-only conversions available.
Thanks to regular updates, Downloader for YouTube reliably grabs even new YouTube video formats in highest quality. For mobile YouTube downloading it‘s hard to beat.
Downsides:
- Android only
- No editing capabilities
If you want to save YouTube videos on your Android device, Downloader for YouTube is a reliable free option worth trying out.
>> Download Downloader for YouTube
Are YouTube Video Downloaders Legal?
YouTube‘s terms of service specifically prohibits downloading videos from their platform. However, in the United States downloading videos for personal offline use is generally recognized as fair use and thus lawful.
The YouTube downloaders featured here are intended only for legally grabbing YouTube videos for your own private playback. They should not be used for mass unauthorized downloading or distribution of YouTube content. As always, comply with the laws in your country.
Find the Best Free YouTube Video Downloader
I‘ve scoured the internet‘s best free YouTube downloaders that will legally help you save videos for personal offline playback. My top recommendations in 2023 are:
- ClipGrab – Best overall option completely free
- 4K Video Downloader – Download YouTube videos in 8K
- aTube Catcher – Great for beginners
- VideoProc – Fastest 4K/8K downloads
- DVDVideoSoft – No frills simple downloader
- Freemake – Automated playlists & subtitles
- WinX YouTube Downloader – Superior audio quality
- Free YouTube Download – Made for Mac
- Y2Mate – Chrome extension downloader
- Downloader for YouTube – Top Android app
Whatever your specific needs, this lineup offers a free YouTube video downloader that will suit you. Let me know if you have any other questions!
