Is there a best free YouTube video downloader for mac?

Take a look at what they discuss here：

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/download-youtube-videos-on-mac-for-offline-viewing

It's Airy. Long time user, no issues

yt-dlp doesn't work on my macOS sequoia 15.3, I don't know why. But finally I installed AllClipDown app, and it can run stably on my macOS. I recommend you try it!

See AllClipdown allows me to batch download videos from youtube.

You can see that my macOS is up to date, but yt-dlp didn't work for me!

If you want to download YouTube videos stably on Mac, many graphical software either have ads, charge fees, or are slow. Therefore, the most reliable method is actually command line tools, such as yt-dlp, which is completely free and open source!

How to install yt-dlp on Mac

1. Install Homebrew (if not already installed):

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install yt-dlp:

brew install yt-dlp

3. Download YouTube videos (1080P):

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio' -o '~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s' "Video link"

4. Download 4K videos:

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[height=2160]+bestaudio' -o '~/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s' "Video link"

5. Batch download the entire playlist:

yt-dlp -f best -o '~/Downloads/%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s' "playlist link"

If you want to find the most stable YouTube video download for Mac tool, yt-dlp is definitely the first choice. It is faster, more stable, and more free than those interface tools. It supports high-quality downloads and is not afraid of YouTube speed limits. The command line looks complicated? In fact, you can easily download YouTube videos on Mac by just copying and pasting the command.

Blaskowitz wrote:

It's Airy. Long time user, no issues

Is it free to use?

For free downloading YouTube videos on mac, it is recommended to use yt-dlp (open source command line tool). I've used it for 2 years and works fine, but compared with other professional Youtube video downloader for mac, it may appear to be more complicated and troublesome! It's up to you!

Alisonzil wrote:

dialabrain wrote:

MediaHuman YouTube Downloader and 4K Video Downloader seem to work.

I have tried MediaHuman YouTube Downloader, but it failed to download youtube videos every time. Whether I copied and pasted the link or used smart paste, the download progress was always stuck or an error message was given. I tried different videos and different network environments, but it still didn't work. Has anyone encountered similar problems? Or is there any more stable youtube video downloader tool you can recommend?

It is mostly parsing error. The developer should update the app frequently as youtube changes its streaming algorithm from time to time. You'd better try the video downloader on Mac first. Many of them worked in the past now it does not work anymore!

Alisonzil wrote:

dialabrain wrote:

MediaHuman YouTube Downloader and 4K Video Downloader seem to work.

I have tried MediaHuman YouTube Downloader, but it failed to download youtube videos every time.

FWIW, I have never had a problem downloading YouTube videos.

Rhodesily wrote:

Is it free to use?

No…

Is Airy 100% Free of Charge?

After you convince yourself of the functionality this app offers, you can purchase a full version only for $19.95 to use it without restrictions.

There is 4K Video Downloader+. The free version limits you to 10 downloads per day and gives you a choice of MKV or MP4 videos in varying resolutions depending upon available video sources. It also offers the optional choice of SRT subtitle selection to accompany the video download, though the subtitle selection is not merged into the video.

That means if you are using the MacGo Blu-ray Player Pro, you will need to first select the video, and then from the application's Features menu > Subtitle > Add Subtitle File…

I would not install homebrew and yt-dlp to download YouTube videos. This is comparable to stabbing oneself in the head with a sharp pencil to see if it hurts…

MediaHuman YouTube Downloader and 4K Video Downloader seem to work.

SysCute AllClipDown, the one that still works well on my Mac.

VikingOSX wrote:

There is 4K Video Downloader+.

I guess I forgot the +. 🤔