Top 5 Free YouTube Downloaders for Mac
With so many free YouTube downloaders for Mac, it’s quite difficult to choose the right one for your downloads. I have done my own research on this issue and came up with the best free YouTube downloaders for Mac. These downloaders will help you to save your favorite YouTube videos in different formats including MP3/MP3, HDR, 4K, HD, among others.
But it’s important to mention that you shouldn’t heavily rely on online Mac YouTube downloaders because they are fading choices and often belong to unscrupulous sites with malicious malware. Their resolutions and output formats are also quite limited.
[Warning] You should never download any copyrighted YouTube content.
Table of Contents
Top Free YouTube Downloaders for Mac
MacX Video Converter Pro
This 4K UHD video converter is universal and can be used to convert, download, edit, and resize videos at very high speed. MacX Video Converter Pro enables you to download both MP3 and MP4 YouTube files with their original quality and at GPU Hardware Accelerated 5X speed. Also, it allows you to convert your files to any format so that you can use them on different devices including iPad, iPhone, Huawei, Xiaomi, PS4, Xbox One, among others.
Pros
- Downloads all YouTube files in 4K, Full HD 1080p/720p or so
- Supports all input/output video formats: AV1, HEVC, MP4, MOV, HEVC, H.264, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, MTS, M2TS, TS, AVCHD, MOD, etc.
- Downloads files from over 1000 video sharing sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, Vevo, Myspace, among others
Cons
- Can’t batch download YouTube on Mac
- You have to keep updating your YouTube URL analysis engine for successful video downloads
5KPlayer
5KPlayer was initially designed to be a 4K video player. It allows you to paste your YouTube URL directly and click download. This tool combines YouTube, audio downloads, media playback, and streams into a single unit.
Pros
- Downloads videos from 300+ sites
- Supports many formats including 3D/4K/HDR/HD/360°3GPP, AVI, FLV, MOV, MPEG4, MPEG-PS, WebM, and WMV
- Directly plays downloaded files on Mac in any format
- AirPlay YouTube from iPhone or iPad to Mac, and cast YouTube videos from Mac to smart TV
Cons
- Doesn’t convert downloaded YouTube videos to other formats
- Need frequent updates
- Currently not compatible with macOS Big Sur
ClipGrab
This free open-source software helps to download and convert YouTube videos. It automatically grabs and downloads videos through URLs. Its user interface is friendly and attractive.
Pros
- Provides an integrated search function
- Supports MPEG4, WMV, OGG Vorbis, OGG Theora, or original formats
- Downloads videos from many sites
- Downloads HD standard definition, and low definition versions
Cons
- Flagged as malware by some antivirus programs
- Limited output formats
- Decreased 4K/8K output quality
- Comes with additional tools
DVDVideosoft YouTube Download
This program helps you to download and convert YouTube videos. It also delivers videos at 1.5-2x speed. DVDVideosoft YouTube Download has been around for over ten years with over 158 million downloads.
Pros
- Can batch download videos in original quality
- Customizes output names easily
- Saves operation history
- Transfers downloaded videos to iTunes automatically
Cons
- Only supports MP4, MKV, and WebM
- Interface lags at times
- Toolbar has bloatware
- Unable to choose the output video quality
MacX YouTube Downloader
This program mainly downloads all YouTube videos for mac. Its hyper-threading technology allows you to save online videos instantly. Doesn’t have adware or any other harmful tools.
Pros
- It supports 8K 4320p, 4K 2160p, 2K, 1080p or 720p HD, 360-degree, VR180, 3D and HDR.
- It allows you to either retain the original codec or format, or just download to MP4, WebM, FLV, 3GP, and any other format
- Downloaded files can be saved on iPhone, PS4, Xbox One S, etc.
- It is compatible with macOS big Sur, and iMac Pro, iMac 5K/4K, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air or Mac Pro/mini.
Cons
- Can’t convert downloaded YouTube videos
- Its built-in video player only previews videos
- No GPU hardware acceleration tech to speed up the video downloading process
How to Download YouTube Videos on Mac?
Install a YouTube downloader on your Mac.
- Click the “add URL” button to pop up the video URL parsing box
- Choose the video you want to download and copy the URL
- Return to your downloader and click on “Paste & Analyze” to input the URL
- Click on “Analyze” to start parsing the URL
- Choose your preferred video format, resolution, and file size
- Choose your preferred output folder on your Mac to save the downloaded video
- Click on “Download Now” to start downloading