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.
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: MacX YouTube Downloader (Mac)
Latest version: 5.2.6 released on March 28, 2023
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 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 (Win) / 3.8.5 (Mac)
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: 4.24.3 released on May 5, 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 May 16, 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.
It's challenging to find free video downloaders for Mac and PC 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 videos, rip DVDs, 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.
Benefits of Cisdem best Mac video downloader:
Step 1. Download and install the software.
Download Cisdem Video Converter to your computer first.
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 “+”.
Step 4. Download online video.
Choose the format and quality option, and click on the “down arrow” icon 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, video downloading, DVD ripping, and video editing 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.
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.
