Best YouTube downloader software free download for Windows

Airy logo
Try also

Airy

4.7 Rank based on 780+ users, Reviews(321)
Download

YouTube is known as the largest and most popular video-sharing platform in the world. You don’t have to look far to see how much content is being published and circulated on YouTube every single day. Whether you’re watching YouTube videos for educational reasons or pure entertainment, we’re sure YouTube is your go-to website as well. And with so much of our time spent on the site, there are times when downloading videos for offline viewing is easier and more convenient. But how do you go about doing that? In this article, we highlight some of the best YouTube downloaders for PC.

In our search for the best YouTube downloaders that would give you the most enjoyable experience, we made sure our selections met certain key criteria:

  • Ability to choose the format and video quality
  • Extract audio
  • Pause/resume downloading
  • Bulk downloading
  • Downloading channels and playlists
  • User-friendly interface
  • Browser integration support
  • Private YouTube videos download

Content List:

  1. What is the best YouTube downloader
  2. Helper Websites (online websites)
  3. Official YouTube downloader
  4. What About a Private Video?
  5. How to Download YouTube Video
  6. Q&A

What is the best YouTube downloader

Airy logo

1. Airy


Requirements: OS X 10.9+. 14.17MB free space. Version 2.5.265. (1 Jun, 2020). 4.7 Rank based on 780+ users, Reviews(321)
Category: UtilitiesApplication
Download Purchase

Airy kicks off the list with the best video downloader for PC. If you’re looking for a YouTube downloader that’s simple to use and reliable, without the need for bells and whistles, Airy is your app. Airy lets you download your favorite YouTube videos straight to your PC within minutes. It’s as simple as copy-pasting the link into the app and choosing your resolution. It’s even faster with its browser integration. Also, extract the audio from the video if that’s what you want. While this app does offer a free version, we’re confident you’ll love this downloader so much you’ll want to upgrade to its pro version.

Airy Win

Airy Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Quick downloads of HD quality YouTube videos, channels, playlists and even private videos with a single click
  • MP3 audio extraction from video
  • Multiple batch downloading
  • Simple to use, very responsive and reliable

Cons:

  • Downloading is currently only limited to videos from YouTube

2. AllMyTube

AllMyTube is another powerhouse YouTube video downloader. It shares similar features as other popular video downloaders for PC but stands out by providing access to over 10,000 websites to download from. You get the option to download in any resolution you like, into many different formats as well. It comes with other awesome features like batch downloading, video converting, MP3 audio extracting, screen recording, along with many others. You might want to consider trying out this app as a trial before getting the paid version.

AllMyTube Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • HD video downloading and audio extracting
  • Browser integration
  • Screen recording
  • Multiple video downloads at once
  • Companion mobile app to manage videos on your phone

Cons:

  • No editing or re-touching options for downloaded videos
AllMyTube

3. Video Downloader Ultimate

Video Downloader Ultimate is a software that lets you download YouTube videos to your PC. With this app, you can download your favorite videos in HD, quick, and easy. It works in a way so that it detects video while you’re browsing online and can offer to download that video. It’s not too shabby of a YouTube downloader. You can download videos from multiple sources at the same time, convert videos into audio formats, and supports the latest version of Windows. While it does have great features, it lacks seemingly basic features as other apps like screen recording, video editing, and a built-in video player. Not to mention, with no free version available, this app leaves little to be desired.

Video Downloader Ultimate Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Simple to use, clean interface
  • Quick downloading from multiple sites at once
  • Support and update for latest versions of Windows

Cons:

  • Limited features
  • No true free version
Video Downloader Ultimate

4. 4K Video Downloader

Now here is a serious YouTube downloader for PC. This app comes with a host of unique features that simply aren’t found in other apps, making it a truly one of a kind experience. You get the standard quick and easy video downloading you may be familiar with. As well as options like multiple simultaneous downloading, and audio extraction. However, you get other features like smart mode which applies your preferred settings for future downloads, automatic downloads from your subscribed channels, proxy set up to bypass geo-restrictions, and 360 degrees/virtual reality videos.

4K Video Downloader Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • In-app proxy setup to bypass geo-restrictions on videos
  • Automatic downloads from your subscribed YouTube channels for on-demand viewing
  • Personalized experience with smart saved settings for future downloads
  • Multiple downloads of videos from top popular sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, TikTok, and more

Cons:

  • Free version has download limits and other powerful features are accessed only through paying for the app
4K Video Downloader

5. WinX YouTube Downloader

WinX YouTube Downloader is a simple to use free YouTube downloader for PC. Without any fancy designs and interface, this app does exactly what it says - it downloads YouTube videos. With this free app, you get your favorite videos in top HD video and audio quality. Although this app does use quite a high CPU to process videos, it downloads videos at relatively decent speeds. It’s simple to use, even for inexperienced users, which makes it a great option.

WinX YouTube Downloader Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Free app with relatively impressive features
  • Preview clips in the media player
  • Simple to use and user-friendly

Cons:

  • Can sometimes be buggy and experience inconsistent performance
  • Can’t specify video queue priority
WinX YouTube Downloader

6. aTube Catcher

This app is a completely free YouTube downloader for your PC and is maybe one of the best free YouTube downloaders you can find in 2020. It boasts quite an impressive list of features such as an HD video downloader, video converter, audio extraction and capturing, screen recording, and more. aTube Catcher lets you download videos into many different formats and also supports multiple videos downloading for ease of use.

aTube Catcher Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Powerful feature list
  • Completely free
  • Convert videos into compatible formats for DVDs, and Blu-Ray

Cons:

  • Support from help team is limited and can be hard to reach
  • App downloads other add-ons and software which can open the door for malware and viruses
aTube Catcher

7. Leawo YouTube Downloader

While this app seems to be less known than other YouTube video downloaders you find online, it deserves a bit of recognition. For a free app, it gives you quite a bit of decent options. The app is well organized and lays out your downloaded videos in a video library and lets you monitor your downloading videos as well in a neat fashion. The best part of the app is its simplicity of use. You can convert your videos into other formats, but that’s only in the paid version.

Leawo YouTube Downloader Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Free app
  • Simple to use and clean interface
  • Built-in browser for quick and easy downloading
  • Organized layouts for searching for downloads by file, category, date, and more

Cons:

  • Basic video converting feature is only accessible in the paid version of the app
Leawo YouTube Downloader

8. iTubeGo

iTubeGo is a tried and true software that lets you download YouTube videos to your PC. Like other popular apps, it has the same high quality downloading capabilities, a robust video converter, and playlist downloading and multiple batch downloading as well. It also brings with it the ability to download 4K quality videos fairly impressively and lets you choose from almost any video sharing site to download from, not just YouTube. Overall, this software is a good overall option.

iTubeGo Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Reliable and consistent performance
  • Multiple batch downloading
  • 4K quick downloading

Cons:

  • App isn’t completely free, have to pay to unlock features
  • Interface could be improved, feels a bit outdated and uninspired
iTubeGo

Helper Websites (online websites)

If - for whatever reason - you’re someone who can’t be bothered with having separate software for video downloading, there are other alternatives. One of the popular options is online helper sites. Helper sites are sites that do all the downloading for you. Simply pop in your YouTube URL and get your downloaded video, and you’re done.

1. Y2Mate.com

Y2Mate is a common helper site that lets you download videos easily with a few clicks.

Y2Mate.com Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Simple to use functions and layout
  • Options for video and audio with various resolutions
  • Compatible with all browsers
  • Unlimited, high-speed and free downloads
  • No login or registration required

Cons:

  • Pop-ups happen, sometimes inappropriate
Y2Mate.com

2. Clipconverter.cc

Another common app for video downloads. Straightforward and effective video downloader.

Clipconverter.cc Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Easy setup and quick downloading
  • Download videos and audios in different resolutions
  • Downloading options allow you to choose to download whole video or a specified time frame of video

Cons:

  • Requires ad-blocker to run without constant ads and inappropriate pop-ups
Clipconverter.cc

Official YouTube downloader

YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is the site’s monthly subscription service that promises a better viewing experience. Heavy YouTube users would love this service because it offers ad-free viewing, - which, if you’re a heavy user yourself - you know how frustrating those ads can be while watching videos. Also, you have the luxury of downloading YouTube videos for offline viewing on their mobile app. Perfect for low data or no Wifi situations. You also get access to their other features like YouTube Music Premium, their music streaming platform, as well as access to YouTube Originals from some of the most popular content creators on the platform.

YouTube Premium Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Ad-free viewing
  • Download videos on the mobile app for offline viewing
  • Background play letting you multitask without stopping your video
  • YouTube Originals and YouTube Music Premium access

Cons:

  • Considerable monthly charge of $11.99 USD, which may push most people away
  • YouTube Originals library is considerably small
YouTube Premium

What About a Private Video?

Private videos are a bit different than public videos that you find on YouTube. Owners of private videos are in control of who has access to those videos through a uniquely generated URL. So if you have that link, you can gain access to the video, but if you search for it on YouTube, you won’t be able to find it. This poses a slight problem for those who want to download private videos from their favorite content creators. But with the apps mentioned above, downloading private videos is as simple as a few clicks. In fact, it’s no different than downloading any other YouTube video.

How to Download YouTube Video

  1. Open Airy application on your PC. blank
  2. Find a YouTube video you want and copy the URL, then paste it into the type field in Airy. blank
  3. Choose your preferred format and resolution from the drop-down menu and hit ‘Download’.

    That’s it! Your video will now download and once completed, it will save to it’s designated folder on your PC.

     blank

Q&A

All the articles we talked about in this article are perfectly safe and can be used to download YouTube videos. The most popular ones from the list are Airy and 4K Video Downloader, so you can try those out. For online helper sites, your best bet is to go with Y2Mate.com.
Of all the apps listed, the best free YouTube downloader for Windows 10 might fall to either WinX YouTube Downloader or aTube Catcher. While other apps have free versions that are more than enough for most users, these apps offer a completely free platform.
With YouTube’s Premium Downloading application, some key features are ad-free viewing, background playing, download videos on YouTube mobile app for offline viewing, and access to YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Originals.

You can easily download YouTube videos by installing any one of the above-mentioned apps to your laptop. Run the app and start downloading!

Using Airy as an example, you just have 3 steps to download any video you want:

  • Open Airy application on your PC.
  • Find a YouTube video you want and copy the URL, then paste it into the type field in Airy.
  • Choose your preferred format and resolution from the drop-down menu and hit ‘Download’.

That’s it!

There are a few ways you can download YouTube videos to your Android. You can either have an app from the list above as some may allow you to convert and transfer to Android. Or you can download Android-specific apps like TubeMate YouTube Downloader and download videos directly on your Android phone.

Airy

Requirements: Windows 10 v.14393.0 or higher , 14.17MB size
Version 2.5.265 (1 Jun, 2020) Release notes
Category: UtilitiesApplication
Download
Purchase
Visit website