February 13, 2023
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It appears that an increasing number of users would like to download video clips and movies from YouTube, Google Video, Veoh, Break, Vimeo, or DailyMotion, etc. and convert them to portable devices such as iPhone, iPad, etc., so that we can enjoy the videos anytime anywhere.
There are tons of free video downloaders for Mac and Windows PC. Some are for desktops while others are web apps. No matter which one you pick, each has its pros and cons. Here I would introduce the top 10 best free video downloader for Mac or PC to you. All of them are able to help you grab videos on your computer with the URLs.
Cisdem Video Converter
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Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later
Latest version: 8.3.0 released on September 30, 2022
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.
Compatibility: Windows 10 or later/ macOS 10.14 or later
Latest version: 5.0.4191 released on October 10, 2022
VDownloader is an intuitive app that focuses on video downloading. It’s fully compatible with major video hosting sites, like Dailymotion, Break, Twitch, Vimeo, and more. Within VDownloader, you can perform an internal search, so you don't need to open multiple web pages and search externally.
However, you are only allowed to bulk download unlimited videos 10 times and convert local videos 3 times. If you like this best free video downloader, you can fetch their commercial version at the price of $24.99/yearly or $49.99/lifetime.
Compatibility: Various types of devices, including Windows and 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 video from websites to MP4 and MP3 on Mac or PC.
Users from non-English-speaking countries can switch to 17 additional languages on the page. Aside from the online version, browser extensions are available for Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome that assist you in downloading videos.
Compatibility: Desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.
KeepVid is one of the best free video downloader for Mac/PC 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.
Compatibility: Microsoft Windows All Versions
Latest version: 3.8.9991 released on October 10, 2022
aTube Catcher is a desktop free video downloader for PC system which can perform lots of video tasks. It lets you download videos from social websites, and export them to PC or some portable devices, like iPad, iPod, PSP, MP4 player, and DVD. Besides video downloading, it also includes features for video conversion, screen recording, resizing videos, and creating DVD/Blu-Ray VCDs.
The app offers donations access for users to help them in the budget and maintain the best free video downloader app updated and running.
Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, 7, Vista / macOS 10.15 or later
Latest version: 4.1.14 released on December 06, 2022
Freemake provides a popular video downloader for free that works on Mac and Windows. 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.
Compatibility: Windows 7 or later / macOS 10.13 or later / Ubuntu 64-bit
Latest version: 4.23.1 released on Feb 7, 2023
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/PC 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.
Compatibility: Windows 10, 8, 7/ macOS 10.12 or newer
Latest version: 3.9.7 released on December 1, 2021
ClipGrab is an acclaimed best free video downloader working on Windows and 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.
Although ClipGrab's source code is free for inspection, modification, and redistribution, it expects you to donate 10, 20, 30 euros for further development.
Compatibility: macOS X 10.7 or later
Latest version: 7.5.1 released on February 3, 2022
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.
Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP SP3/macOS 12 or above
Latest version: 4.3 released on February 8, 2023
Free YouTube Download, powered by dvdvideosoft.com, is a handy free video downloader for Mac/PC. 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.
For a movie lover, you may want to download online videos while at the same time ripping DVD movies to digital formats. Or you need to do simple editing to the downloaded videos you have. Then we recommend you get Cisdem Video Converter. It is a one-stop and professional toolbox for Mac or Windows users to download & convert & edit videos, rip DVDs, etc. With this all-in-one tool, you can grab TV episodes, movies, music videos, news, sports, and other online video clips at the fastest speed.
Upon launching the free trial, a small box will appear. Click “Evaluate”, and download the online video for free. By purchasing its pro version, you will be able to enjoy video conversion, video downloading, DVD ripping, and video editing functions in one application.
Benefits of Cisdem best Mac video downloader:
Download Cisdem Video Converter to your computer first, then run it and click the download section at the top.
Go to the video streaming sites that the software supports. Find the video you desire to download and copy its URL.
Return to the best video downloader for Mac/PC, and paste the URL to the download bar.
Click on the “down arrow” icon to start the video download.
Besides, if you need to download more online videos, you can click "File > Input URLs..." at the top bar to add multiple URLs.
Cisdem Video Converter provides you with a free trial version for taking a test. But the free version of this best video downloader Mac/PC merely converts 5 minutes per file and merely downloads 3 videos. Come to download its commercial version which is priced at $49.99. You can enjoy YouTube videos on any portable device.
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.
Rosa has worked in Mac software industry for more than eight years. She believes that the purpose of software is to make life better and work more productively. In addition to writing, Rosa is also an avid runner.