There are multiple ways to download YouTube videos, but the only official method is paying for YouTube Premium. If you're not inclined to do that, you're not out of luck. Instead, you can use one of many YouTube download hacks to watch videos offline, download video transcripts, or even extract audio from YouTube videos. Be aware, however, that YouTube constantly changes its website and apps, so these methods may not always work, but I've tested all of them and confirmed they are working at the time of writing.
It's also important to note that downloading YouTube videos outside of the app's official channels is against the company's terms of service. That said, if you're only downloading videos for personal use, you'll likely be fine, but if you plan to reupload that content to your own YouTube channels, or attempt to monetize the content you've downloaded, that's another story. Please download responsibly.
Downloading YouTube videos without Premium is a fairly complex task on the iPhone, but thanks to the power of automation and scripting apps on the App Store, it can be done. I recommend using the YouTube Download shortcut to save videos for offline viewing on your iPhone.
During this process, the automation routine will frequently present you with permission prompts. This is normal because iOS doesn't allow apps to access data from various sources without confirmation. While YouTube Download is one of the most popular shortcuts for iOS, make sure you install it from the RoutineHub link above. This ensures that you always have the latest version of the shortcut, which is important for two reasons: Apple's iCloud links don't always automatically update, and YouTube's code changes frequently. Follow these steps to download YouTube videos on your iPhone:
You'll need three apps: a-Shell mini, Scriptable, and Apple's Shortcuts (this one's installed by default).
Go to the YouTube Download page, and tap Get Shortcut. You can skip the registration prompt, and tap Add Shortcut to add it to your library.
Once the shortcut is installed, open any YouTube video (in Safari or the YouTube app), and tap the Share button.
If you're on the YouTube app, tap the More button in the share sheet. Skip this step if you're using YouTube via Safari.
Scroll down the share sheet until you see a list of shortcuts. Select YouTube Download. This is where the automation kicks in, and starts throwing a bunch of prompts your way. Permit it to access various YouTube URLs, a-Shell mini, and Scriptable, all of which are necessary for the shortcut to do its job.
Once the permission prompts are done, the shortcut will ask you which video quality you want, where you'd like to save the video (Files or Photos), and if you'd like to download subtitles, thumbnails, and so on. Pick the options you desire, and the shortcut will start downloading the video.
Once the download is complete, you'll find the video saved in the location you specified.
Use "Downie" to download YouTube videos on a Mac
Credit: Pranay ParabDownie ($20) is the Swiss Army knife of video downloaders, since it supports saving videos from a lot of sites, including YouTube. Once you install the app, copy a YouTube video URL, and click the + button in the bottom-left corner of Downie's home page. The app may take a minute to start downloading the video, but it gets the job done. Downie is also available as part of the Setapp subscription, which offers a way to get the app (along with many others) at a lower price.
It's safe to say that yt-dlp is the gold standard for YouTube downloaders on desktop. As good as it is, installing and running it is a bit complex since it's a command-line utility. That's where apps like Stacher come in, since they provide a user-friendly frontend for yt-dlp. You can install Stacher on Windows or Linux, paste the YouTube URL, and the app will handle the rest for you. I should warn you that antivirus software often falsely flags trusted YouTube downloaders, which means that even if you download the setup file from the official website, your Windows PC probably won't let you run the installer.
Instead, you can get the app from Winget, a hidden package manager for Windows. Open the Start menu on your PC, search for "Terminal," and open the app. Paste the following command to install Stacher:
winget install -e --id Stacher.Stacher
Alternatively, you can go to Stacher's page on Winstall, and install the app from there. When you're ready, run Stacher, and accept its prompts to install yt-dlp and ffmpeg. Now you can paste any YouTube video URL in the app, and click the "Highes" button. Use the "Download Format" drop-down menu to select your preferred video quality, and then click the Download button to get started. The default download location is the Downloads folder on your PC, but you can change it using the folder path button in Stacher.
Sideload NewPipe to download YouTube videos on your Android phone
If you want an app that will download YouTube videos on your Android phone, you probably won't find good options on the Play Store. Most people are better off using web-based YouTube video downloaders, but if you absolutely want to use an app, try NewPipe. You will have to sideload this onto your phone, which is becoming increasingly difficult as Google continues to lock down the Android ecosystem.
Once you download the apk file from NewPipe's website, run it on your phone to install the app. You may have to dismiss some warning prompts before you can complete the installation. When you have NewPipe running, the app shows a download button below each YouTube video. Tap it to complete the task. If you want a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to NewPipe, you can check out LibreTube.
A simple website that downloads YouTube videos is probably the best option for most people. If that's what you need, you can visit Cobalt to save videos for offline viewing. The website periodically goes down or disables downloading due to rising costs or changes from YouTube's end. If you face these troubles, you can look for mirrors such as this one. When you find a working mirror, just paste the YouTube video URL, and click the download button. The website will show a download progress bar, and save the file to your device when it's done.
Try NeoDLP to download YouTube videos without sponsored segments
NeoDLP is another useful frontend for yt-dlp, which has a few tricks up its sleeve. It supports downloading YouTube playlists, embedding chapters and other metadata, and most importantly, removing sponsored segments from downloaded videos. You can install the app either via its Winstall page, or use the following winget command:
winget install -e --id neosubhamoy.neodlp
When you have NeoDLP running, click the Settings button in the bottom-left corner, and go to Sponsorblock to set up sponsor removal. You can choose which categories to remove, such as sponsored segments, subscription reminders, hooks, fillers, etc. Once done, click the Downloader button in the left pane, paste the YouTube video URL, and click Search. The app takes a short while to find the video. Once it does, select the Combine button next to "Download Options." You can now select if you want subtitles, the correct audio stream, and the video quality you wish to download. Then, click Start Download.
Use this website to download YouTube video transcripts for free
Credit: Pranay ParabIf all you want is a searchable video transcript of a YouTube video, then you don't need a video downloader. Instead, head over to this YouTube Transcript website, paste the video URL, and click Extract transcript. You can either copy the transcript or download it in formats such as pdf, txt, srt, etc.
You may discover that a downloaded video doesn't have the best audio quality, and that you'll need subtitles to follow what the host is saying. In these cases, you don't need to redownload the video with subtitles. You can just use Downsub to extract subtitles from the video. Just paste the video URL in the text box on Downsub's homepage, and click Download. You'll see that you can download subtitles in srt, txt, vtt, and other formats. The site also allows you to choose subtitles in different languages. Be aware that this feature doesn't work reliably when trying to download YouTube's auto-generated subtitles.
Use 4K YouTube to MP3 to extract audio from your favorite videos
For those who want an app just to extract audio files from YouTube videos, 4K YouTube to MP3 is a decent app for the job. It's simple enough: You can copy a YouTube video URL, click the Paste Link button in 4K YouTube to MP3, and the app handles the rest. It'll extract audio from the video, convert it to the mp3 format, and save it to your computer's Downloads folder. The free tier limits you to five downloads per day, which is good enough for casual use. If you want to get more audio files for free, you may consider using other YouTube downloaders mentioned in this guide.
Use "ClipsCutter" to download short clips from YouTube videos
If you want a short clip from a YouTube video, you don't have to download the entire video and then trim it using an editing app. Instead, you can use ClipsCutter, an online video trimming service. You can paste the YouTube link on the site, select the start and end times for your clip, select the format and resolution, and click Create. The site will create your clip and allow you to download it quickly. The free tier allows you to download clips up to 10 minutes long and restricts the resolution to 360p, but you can pay $6 per month to remove those restrictions.
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