By Brodie Fogg
Jul 31, 2020
4 min read
Whether you’re making memes or sampling an obscure 90s advertisem*nt, some videos can only be found in YouTube’s enormous library of videos. Maybe you’re looking for a free way to download some deep cut recordings of your favourite band, or perhaps you simply need a short clip to spruce up your presentation, there are many reasons you might want to download YouTube videos and convert them to MP3, MP4 and more.
Thankfully, most top-quality YouTube downloaders and converters are free, but they vary in quality and ease-of-use wildly. Not every converter was created equal, so we’ve rounded up the very best for every use case.
Here are the four best YouTube converters that will deliver your downloads promptly and without too much hassle.
If you're looking for more guides on the best in video and audio, check out our list of the best streaming sites, our top picks for music streaming apps, and our latest recommendations for the best VPNs available.
Here are the best YouTube converters and downloaders available
- : 4K Video Downloader
Best 4K YouTube Converter
- : Y2mate
Best Free YouTube Converter:
- : YT Cutter
Best Converter for Clips and GIFs
- : iTubeGo
Best for Format Options
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Best 4K YouTube converter
4K Video Downloader
Pros
Free 4K downloads
Lots of customization
Cons
Requires app download
Some features locked behind premium
The 4K Video Downloader app is a robust piece of software in a comparatively simple market. Where other YouTube converters and downloaders do exactly what they say on the tin and not much more, 4K Video Downloader goes the extra mile.
Its Smart Mode skips the cutting and pasting step, preparing the last YouTube video you watched for download as soon as you open it. You can also login to YouTube via the 4K Video Downloader app, allowing you to download age-restricted content, Watch Later and Liked playlists, and even content you’ve set to Private.
It also offers a variety of customisation options in its preferences, like the ability to automatically create a subdirectory for downloaded playlists and channels, skipping duplicate videos in playlists, and embedding subtitles where possible.
4K Video Downloader’s one catch is that it locks a few advanced features behind a paywall. Nothing too important, but if you want unlimited playlist, channel, and subtitle downloads with no advertisem*nts, you’re looking at a one-time license fee of US$15 for three computers or a bundle that includes 4K Download’s other services, such as 4K Stogram (an Instagram clip downloader), for US$25.
The 4K Video Downloader app can be downloaded for free on Windows.
4K Video Downloader export formats
- Max video resolution: 4K 2160p 60fps
- Video formats: MP4 and MKV
- Music formats: MP3, M4A, and OGG
Best free YouTube converter
Y2mate
Pros
Ease of use
Superfast
Cons
Irritating ads and pop-ups
No 4K
Y2mate is the everyman YouTube to MP3 converter. It’s often the first result in Google and with good reason: it’s simple. Y2mate is a simple web-based application that allows you to copy and paste a YouTube URL and convert and download MP3, MP4, M4A, and more in two simple steps.
Y2mate has made things even easier for you with a quick shortcut you can use in the YouTube address bar. All you need to do is add ‘pp’ in the URL straight after ‘youtube’, so `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-58hQ9dLk` becomes `https://www.youtubepp.com/watch?v=-w-58hQ9dLk`.
Once you hit return, you’ll be redirected to Y2mate.com with all your conversion options at the ready.
Despite its ease-of-use, and low, low cost of nada, there are a couple of concessions you make for the free ride. Y2mate has the most annoying kind of ads and pop-ups, which opens up a new tab when you click ‘convert’ with some sort of alarmist scam.
Y2mate can be used on any browser, just head to the URL below to start converting.
Y2mate export formats
- Max video resolution: 1080p
- Video formats: MP4 and .3gp
- Music formats: MP3 and M4A
Best for clips and GIFs
YT Cutter
Pros
Fast trimming
Export video, audio or GIF
No sign-up
Cons
No MP3 or 4K
YT Cutter is a YouTube downloader and converter for a specific use case. It’s a painfully simple way to trim and cut YouTube videos if you need a short video clip or an animated GIF for some memeage.
All you need to do is copy and paste your YouTube URL into YT Cutter, select a start and endpoint for your desired clipping, then choose your output format.
If you’re looking to download full playlists, high-quality 4K, or even entire MP3 files, YT Cutter won’t be your first choice. But for super fast and flexible clipping, you can’t go past this completely free service.
YT Cutter can be used on any browser, just head to the URL below to start clipping.
Y2cutter export formats
- Max video resolution: 1080p
- Video formats: MP4, MKV, or OGG
- Music formats: M4A
Best for format options
iTubeGo
Pros
Download subtitles and entire playlists
Loads of export formats with paid version
Cons
Requires app download
Aggressive limits in free version
iTubeGo is a competitor to 4K Video Downloader. While it’s a worthy app in its own right, it plays second fiddle to 4K Video Downloader when it comes to features and ease-of-use.
iTubeGo lets you download entire YouTube playlists and subtitles and converts to a vast range of formats, including AVI, MOV, HEVC MP4, WMV, and plenty more. However, iTubeGo will only allow you to convert to MP4 or MP3 in the free version, every other format is locked behind a one-time Lifetime license of US$29.95 for one PC or US$39.95 for two to five PCs, or recurring payments of US$9.95 every month or US$19.95 every year.
That’s a good deal more expensive than 4K Video Downloader for an app that doesn’t justify the price hike. iTubeGo also pushes the paid version aggressively. Even when you’re performing basic tasks in the free version, a persistent pop-up will slow your progress, asking you to pay for premium.
iTubeGo can be used on any browser, just head to the URL below to start clipping.
iTubeGo export formats
- Max video resolution: 8K 4320p
- Video formats: MP4
- Music formats: MP3
Written by
Brodie Fogg
Brodie Fogg is the Australian editorial lead at Reviews.org. He has covered consumer tech, telecommunications, video games, streaming and entertainment for over five years at websites like WhistleOut and Finder and can be found sharing streaming recommendations at 7NEWS every month.
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