It appears that a growing number of users would like to download video clips and movies from YouTube, Google Video, Veoh, Break, Vimeo, DailyMotion, etc. and convert them to portable devices such as iPhone and iPad, so that they can be viewed anytime anywhere or shared.
There are tons of free video downloaders for Mac and Windows PC. Some apps are desktop-based while others are web-based. Do they use intelligent video parsing algorithms and multi-threaded download technology? Here I will introduce the top 10 best free video downloaders for Mac or PC to you. Regardless of which you pick, each has its pros and cons.
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Below are software and web tools that were tested on a Mac computer, and all results relate to Macs. Most of them can also run on PC. In case you are looking for tools specifically for Windows, read the article: 8 Best Video Downloaders for PC.
Test version: 9.2.0 released on December 19, 2023
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
iFunia YouTube Downloader is a free video downloader for Mac that helps you download online 1080p FHD, 4k UHD videos to Mac in batches. It's not just for video downloads from YouTube but from Dailymotion, Vimeo, Blip TV, Liveleak, Lynda, Break, Vube, Ustream, Ted, and other websites.
Copy the video URL and it will be auto-pasted into the URL field. Or you can drag-n-drop all of the videos' thumbnails into the program, and start to download your favorite videos for several minutes. You can also add the URL of a video playlist and it will start downloading videos in that playlist in batches.
Test version: 5.2.8 released on January 19, 2024
Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher
MacX YouTube Downloader is an intuitive app that focuses on video downloading. It’s fully compatible with 300+ major video hosting sites, like YouTube, Dailymotion, Break, Twitch, Vimeo, and more. It empowers you to download unlimited videos simultaneously in MP4, WebM, and M4A formats. Despite having the option to set FLV or 3GP as the default format, it is not actually possible to save videos as such.
This best free video downloader can only get videos of 1080p or lower, not up to 4k resolution. I have tested the download of 4k videos several times. When downloading a 2.17GB 4k video, the progress bar stopped automatically at 10.6%. I thought the video might be too big, so I tried another 4k video that was just 477.9MB. It was finally downloaded properly, but when it was played, black screens kept coming up.
Compatibility: Various types of devices, including Mac
QDownloader.cc is a free online video downloader & converter with the ability to grab videos from a handful of video hosting sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It can directly convert videos from websites to MP4 and MP3 on Mac.
Users from non-English-speaking countries can switch to 18 additional languages on the page. Aside from the online version, it delivers a browser extension, which lets you drag and drop the "Download video" button into your browser as a bookmark.
Compatibility: Desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.
KeepVid is one of the best free video downloader for Mac that allows you to download all types of videos online from YouTube, Facebook, Twitch.tv, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and many more. The downloaded videos will be saved in MP4, MP3, M4A, or WebM format. Without superfluous interfaces, novices can get started by copying & pasting the URL into the textbox.
It confidently lists hundreds of other online video downloaders, claiming that it is the safer and more powerful alternative. But the truth is that online video downloaders are not 100% safe. They may be banned or pop up harmful ads.
Moreover, I used Keepv.id and QDownloader.cc to download the same video on my Mac, and I noticed that the former had significantly lower volume.
Compatibility: All Mac operating systems
GETOF.NET is a free online video downloader for Mac computer that downloads your favorite videos and music from around 50+ social networks or streaming websites. It's straightforward, no ads and registration required. Simply parse the URL and scroll down to find all the available download options.
It excels at processing YouTube videos and offers various quality levels. It is possible to save audio as M4A, MP3, and WebM (Opus), and to save videos as MP4 and WebM (HTML5 video). On the other hand, if your YouTube video goes beyond 1080p and you prefer to download it at its native resolution, you will have to exclude the audio. If not, the highest video quality you can download is 720p.
Test version: 3.8.6, release date not mentioned
Compatibility: macOS 10.15 or later
Freemake provides a popular video downloader for free that works on Mac. It supports downloading videos, playlists, and channels in HD, MP4, MP3, AVI, 3GP, FLV, etc. An extensive list of sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Vevo, Hulu, Dailymotion, Vimeo, and Vkontakte are supported. The software has a self-explanatory UI. Any first-time user can quickly figure out how to use it.
The free package comes with a few restrictions, such as only being able to download up to 50 videos, 3 minutes as the maximum length for each video, no conversion to MP3, putting Freemake logo on your video, failing to catch 4k videos, etc.
Test version: 4.29.0 released on January 22, 2024
Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
4K Video Downloader is a reliable freeware that downloads videos, playlists, channels, and subtitles from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. This best free video downloader for Mac lets you manually set the output formats as MP4, FLV, MKV, MP3, OGG, M4A.
You just copy the URLs of the target movies and, click the button “Paste Links”. But if you want to download more than 25 YouTube playlist videos or download the channel, you have to buy the serial number and get perpetual permissions.
Test version: 3.9.7 released on December 1, 2021
Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or newer
ClipGrab is an acclaimed best free video downloader working MacBook. It allows the download of video files in MPEG4, WMV, OGG, and MP3 with the quality preserved. Plus, it supports certain media sites, like Youtube, MyVideo, Metacafe, Sevenload, CollegeHumor, MySpass, Clipfish, etc. Whenever you copy a video URL or complete a video download, it will present you with a prompt.
ClipGrab uses yt-dlp to download videos on Mac, but it may fail to install on recent Macs. As a donationware, its source code is free for inspection, modification, and redistribution. It includes InstallCore, a Potentially Unwanted Program, yet so far I have not found any harm from it.
Test version: 7.5.1 released on February 3, 2022
Compatibility: macOS X 10.7 or later
Get Tube, created by Simon VREL, is a lightweight Mac OS X video downloader app. It enables you to download videos and view them at any time you like, directly from your computer. But it can only save videos in MP4 and MP3 format from YouTube. Just like a browser, you simply need to search for the video in the software, and then click "Download" to get the featured video in a matter of minutes.
With compatibility with macOS 10.12 or above, Get Tube starts to charge, and you need to pay 5 euros to unlock the download function.
Test version: 4.3.75 released on October 25, 2023
Compatibility: macOS 12 or above
Free YouTube Download, powered by dvdvideosoft.com, is a handy free video downloader for Mac. Named after its primary purpose, it provides a simple method for grabbing YouTube videos. You can download YouTube shorts, playlists, and other videos as MP4, MOV, AVI, or MP3. It supports V9 and AVC encoding, delivering high-resolution video streams.
DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Download, however, does not support bulk downloads. Merely one video can be downloaded at a time. And the free version can only save videos in MP4 format.
It's challenging to find free video downloaders for Mac that really work. My test of 10 of them met my basic requirements while also revealing the free ones have certain restriction, such as:
Cisdem Video Converter is a one-stop and professional toolbox for Mac or Windows users to download & convert & edit & compress videos, rip discs, etc. With this all-in-one app, you can grab TV episodes, movies, music videos, CNN news, NBA videos, and other online video clips at the fastest speed. It supports batch video downloads up to 8k. Additionally, it lets you convert downloaded media files to MKV, WMV, MOV, FLAC, MP3, or any format, and do simple editing to them.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Benefits of Cisdem best Mac video downloader:
Step 1. Download and install the software.
Download Cisdem Video Converter to your computer first.
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Then run it and click the "Download" section at the top.
Step 2. Copy the URL.
Go to the video streaming sites that the software supports. Find the video you desire to download and copy its URL.
Step 3. Paste the Link.
Return to the best video downloader for Mac/PC, and paste the URL to the download bar. Click “+” to analyze the link.
Step 4. Download online video.
Choose the format and quality option, and click on the 
button to start the video download.
Tip: If you need to add several video URLs at once to the download list, you can navigate to "File > Input URLs..." at the top bar, copy-n-paste URLs and click "OK".
Cisdem Video Converter provides you with a free trial version for taking a test. Upon launching the free trial, a small box will appear. Click “Evaluate”, and download the online video for free. But the free version of this best video downloader Mac/PC merely converts 5 minutes per file and merely downloads 3 videos.
Come to activate its commercial version which is priced at $49.99. After purchase, you will be able to enjoy video conversion, downloading, compression, editing, and disc ripping functions in one application.
After getting acquainted with the various options of the best free video downloaders for Mac/PC as well as the paid ones, we can easily distinguish their benefits and drawbacks. With our overview, you should have a clearer picture of which best video downloader suits most of your needs. It is evident from the article that there are many video downloader apps, such as 4K Video Downloader, that claim to be free, but in fact, they require a fee to access many valuable features.
Emily is a girl who loves to review various multimedia software. She enjoys exploring cutting edge technology and writing how-to guides. Hopefully her articles will help you solve your audio, video, DVD and Blu-ray issues.
Abel
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skidson
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Rene
I like the Pro and Con feature of your article. That helps me make a decision quickly.
Stevestito
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