After downloading and converting YouTube videos into playable digital formats (e.g. MP4, MKV, MP3, etc.), you can watch them locally offline.
However, even if you are a YouTube Premium user, you can only convert YouTube videos to encrypted BLOB files and store them on your hard drive.
So how to do it? The easiest and most flexible way is to use an online YouTube video converter. Do they work well or not? Check out my review.
Cisdem Video Converter
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
Part 1: No time? No patience? Read this part to get the top 3 converters.
Part 2: A review of 8 best YouTube converter websites. Wrote about my experience with them, along with the pros and cons. In addition, I used safeweb.norton.com to check their security ratings.
Part 3: Compare 8 tools in a table, also show my final thoughts.
Part 4: Bonus part. Free YT online converters support limited output formats/resolutions/video hosting platforms , are not safe enough, can’t download the entire YouTube playlist, etc. Thus, I believe some people may need a perfect solution. This part recommends a video converter app.
It's the best one to save YouTube videos in multiple resolutions. You can simply choose WEBM 4K to download YouTube videos encoded with AV01 and OPUS. It may not retain the original quality but is still exceptional. The one downside that causes me anxiety is the output video format and encoder are limited, resulting in poor video compatibility.
The website has been in existence for over a decade. It has a good reputation amongst YouTube online converters. Meanwhile, safeweb.norton.com has confirmed its safety. Now that it's double-guaranteed, it should be fine. Note: Not available in the US.
Almost all YT online converter websites contain ads. That's super annoying. But Catchvideo.net allows users to disable pop-ups, thus prevents accidentally clicking on ads and inadvertently downloads of spyware or malware.
A free YouTube online converter is a web-based tool that helps you convert videos from YouTube to MP4, MP3 or other digital media files without installing software. There are too many options on the Internet. Which one to pick? Let us take a look at the 8 best online YouTube converters.
How many languages it supports: 41
Norton rating: Safe
First on the list is Downloaderto.com, a website established only in 2024. It aims at providing a service for individuals and organizations to convert online YouTube videos to different video and audio formats.
You can choose output formats such as MP4, MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OPUS, OGG and WAV. Although it offers WEBM (4K) option, YouTube videos are still saved in MP4 format. But, to be honest, the ability to download 4K video with audio is a rarity among free YouTube video converters.
Note that YouTube 4K videos downloaded using this website will be encoded in AV01, OPUS, and videos below 1440p will be encoded in AV01, AAC. The Windows Media Player and QuickTime player do not support AV01 videos. You need install an addition media player or transcode the video.
How many languages it supports: 15
Norton rating: Safe
Another YouTube online converter with over 10 years' experience is SSyoutube.com. It grabs YouTube videos in stunning 8K quality, along with content from TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. There are regrets, too. While it can convert a YouTube video online in 1080p and higher resolutions, the sound doesn't get preserved. This means that only 720p or lower videos are complete.
The site says users can add "ss" before the link, like https://www.ssyoutube.com/watch?v=tLRCS48Ens4 to enter the download page. As I tested it, I found the link didn't redirect to SSyoutube.com, but SaveFrom.net instead. SaveFrom.net can also convert YouTube video to mpeg4/mpeg2 MP4 online free. Currently, both sites can only be used outside of the United States.
How many languages it supports: 2
Norton rating: Safe
What makes Catchvideo.net such a standout YouTube link converter is that it’s ideal for people who don't like ads. There is an option on the page to disable download pop-ups. It lets you download videos from YouTube, Facebook, DailyMotion, and Vimeo.
The website is capable of converting YouTube online videos up to 720P with audio. If you want videos with higher resolution, your option is to download them in MP4 or WebM format without audio. Also, you can download video to audio only either in M4A or WebM OPUS format.
How many languages it supports: 21
Norton rating: Warning
YT1s.works has established itself as a major free online YouTube converter in a short period. The website has a clean design. It only allows you to download videos from YouTube. There are 3 formats to choose from: MP3, MP4, and WebM. You can choose the audio bitrate from 64kbps to 320kbps.
It's dedicated to delivering high-quality video downloads in up to 1080p. But when you convert online YouTube videos to MP4 files at 1440p or above, they will use AV01 encoding.
How many languages it supports: 24
Norton rating: Safe
OnlineVideoConverter.vip, without a doubt, is one of the best free YouTube video converters on the internet. It’s safe and lets you download videos from TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, too.
The website claims to offer the ability to convert online YouTube videos into MP3 audio. I have found, however, that it can only successfully download YouTube audio as WebM. Even if it also detects M4A audio, when you download the file, it still appears as MP4 video.
Note: There is a website called OnlineVideoConverter.pro which is very similar to OnlineVideoConverter.vip in name and design, but they are different websites!
How many languages it supports: 21
Norton rating: Safe
With an impressive interface design, y2mate.com ensures that you can capture your favorite YouTube videos correctly and gives you a good user experience. It allows downloads from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well.
This online YouTube video converter supports the highest resolution of 720P. By switching to "YouTube to MP3" page, you can upscale the audio bitrate to 320kbps. But it doesn't make sense, which won't improve the sound quality.
To quickly convert video from YouTube online via y2mate.com, you can add "pp" directly after the word "youtube" in the video's URL, e.g., https://www.youtubepp.com/watch?v=tLRCS48Ens4. Then, you will be taken to the Y2Mate website.
How many languages it supports: 30
Norton rating: Caution
Next up is Convert2MP3.club, which strives to make YouTube conversion easy. It helps you download music for free and convert your favorite videos from YouTube to MP3 and MP4. Even, you can get 4K MP4 videos. There is no registration needed.
Mac users should be aware that the saved MP4s are encoded with VP09, which can’t be played by QuickTime. Additionally, while this best online YouTube video converter offers multiple output formats, actually only MP3 and MP4 work. The other formats are useless.
How many languages it supports: 7
Norton rating: Safe
Ummy.net is user-friendly and minimalist. It doesn’t have a malicious banner or redundant video display. It also excels in its lightning-fast download speeds, enabling you to convert online videos from YouTube to MP4 files efficiently. Yet, the output format is pretty limited. It doesn't support MP3 or other formats for YouTube conversion. If you wish to download Facebook, Instagram, and VK videos, it permits you to do so.
| Max resolution | Output format | Supported site | Built-in search | Security | Copyright restriction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downloaderto.com | 4K | 8 | 9 | No | Good | No |
| SSyoutube.com | 1080p without audio | 2 | 5 | No | Good | No |
| Catchvideo.net | 1080p without audio | 3 | 4+ | Yes | Good | Can't fetch music videos |
| YT1s.works | 1080p | 3 | YouTube only | Yes | Bad | No |
| OnlineVideoConverter.vip | 720p | 2 | 3+ | Yes | Good | No |
| Y2Mate.com | 720p | 4 | 5 | Yes | Good | No |
| Convert2MP3.club | 1080p | 2 | 3 | No | Average | No |
| Ummy.net | 720p | MP4 only | 4 | No | Good | No |
From part 2 and the table above, we can conclude that there is no perfect online YouTube video converter. While they are free, easy to use, and require no installation, they also come with a plethora of drawbacks. You can pick one from the top 3 to use. YT1s.works is doing well, but it doesn't make it to the top 3 because it's a dangerous new site. Convert2MP3.club lags behind because it has too many ads. The user experience is extremely unpleasant. If you want to convert videos from YouTube on a long-term, stable basis, there is actually a better alternative. Be sure to read on!
Cisdem Video Converter is a feature-packed yet simple app that can satisfy all your needs for converting YouTube videos on Windows and Mac. See the comparison between Cisdem Video Converter and YouTube converters online.
Cisdem Video Converter | Online YouTube converters | |
|---|---|---|
Supported resolution | Up to 8K | Most of them download up to 720p or to 8K without sound |
Supported format | 300+ output formats | MP4 only, MP3 only, or few output formats |
Supported website | 1000+ video streaming sites | YouTube only, or few popular sites |
YouTube playlist support | Yes | They mostly just fetch the first video in the playlist |
Safety | 100% safe | May reveal personal information or download harmful content |
| Batch conversion | Yes | No |
| Video editing | Yes | No |
| Convert local video, DVD, or Blu-ray | Yes | No |
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7Free Download macOS 10.13 or later
Run the YouTube converter software on your computer. You will be taken to the "convert" tab. The first thing you need to do is switch to the "download" tab.
Copy YouTube video link and paste it to the text bar at the bottom. Then, analyze the input link and click the downward arrow to start downloading YouTube video. You can add multiple links and download them in bulk.
Move downloaded YouTube videos to the "convert" tab. Pick your preferred output video/audio formats freely. Then convert videos to your desired formats. Before converting online YouTube videos, you can customize them with editing tools.
Note: The output format profile is well categorized by the device type, it is easier for you to convert video for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, PSP, Samsung, etc.
Emily is a girl who loves to review various multimedia software. She enjoys exploring cutting edge technology and writing how-to guides. Hopefully her articles will help you solve your audio, video, DVD and Blu-ray issues.
Matthew
ClipConverter.cc asks to log in to make sure I'm not a bot. But when I switch to “MY ACCOUNT”, it then says “This feature is currently not available “. I think there’s something off with the site at the moment.
Jerrware Hersh
Fantastic - this post provides exactly what I was looking for. I need a program to convert my YouTube video to Flac. In your recommendations, I found several of them can finish this task.