We’ve all been there – you are out and about, waiting or travelling, and you’re bound to have way too much time on your hands. Fortunately, we live in the 21st century and all sources of entertainment are readily available in your pocket.
However, even with handy gadgets like smartphones, there’s always a catch – say, you’re nearing the data plan limit, or you’re going to a place with unreliable WiFi service. Before you go out, you want to make sure that your favorite songs or videos are safely stored in your phone. What are your options? We’re going to guide you through several possibilities on your hands and explain what each of them offers.
Just Because You Can, Should You?
In its early days, the Internet was nothing short of Wild Wild West – it was fairly easy to do what you want, be whomever you want and sell what you want. By 2018, several key players (Google, we’re looking at you) have managed to assume the role of the sheriff – which doesn’t mean that shady business has disappeared. It merely means that the sheriff knows who you are and maintains some order on his turf.
This leads us to the first thing we should set clear – should you download YouTube videos? After all, you found this article alongside several offers to have these videos converted and saved to your computer, so what’s the big deal? There really isn’t any big deal, but the fact remains, in most cases, downloading YouTube videos is illegal.
The most popular video platform in the world is owned by Google. Since it is free, it makes money from those pesky ads that usually pop up in the middle of the playlist assembled especially for a romantic occasion. Tough luck, but the only way for YouTube to deliver that ad and remain free, is to have you watch videos or listen to the music online, even if it means your romantic night will be interrupted by YouTube blasting the Pampers diapers commercial in your ears.
You’re probably rolling your eyes now, thinking – well what are they going to do about some random person who decided to download YouTube videos? Storm my house and arrest me for saving the greatest hits of Barry White? Though it’s been known to happen (here’s the cautionary tale of Minnesota woman), most industry giants gave up on chasing downloaders. So, true, you’re safe.
But things get more complicated with content published by individuals who are using YouTube as a platform for earning. If you download YouTube videos that contain someone’s hairstyle tutorial or short movie and watch it at home, you’re probably good.
Many content creators don’t really mind when this happens. But if you take this video and re-upload it to your YouTube channel or similar video platform for your financial gain, or try to use it for commercial purposes like advertising your own hair product or local project, you are setting yourself for a very concrete copyright lawsuit.
Now that we got this out of the way, let’s focus on your possibilities.
1. Doing it by the Rule Book
Some YouTube content is actually downloadable under Creative Common Licence – you can find these videos by typing search query and then selecting Creative Commons under the Features menu in Filters.
There are several types of Creative Commons license – in the picture above, you can see the example of CC Attribution license, which means that you should still credit the author of the video. For more details about different kinds of CC license, check out the list below.
Types of CC license. (Source: Wikipedia)
The problem with this type of content is that most of YouTube content is not licensed under Creative Commons – an overwhelming majority of the videos is under Standard license. This means that if you want to download YouTube videos for either commercial or non-profit use – you should seek permission or may even have to pay for the right to use them.
If you are looking for access to your selected playlist when you have a spotty Internet connection or don’t want to spend your monthly data in a few days, you have a YouTube mobile app which enables you to download YouTube videos to play them in offline mode. Keep in mind that this option is not available on every channel. Also, free offline streaming will still serve you advertisements, unless you pay $10 and subscribe to YouTube premium service.
In the end, if you need to download a particular video that is not available through YouTube premium service, you will find plenty of websites dedicated to this mission. Their quality varies depending on the options they offer and the number of hemorrhoid ads and mildly embarrassing pop-ups they will throw at you. You can go with downloader apps or online downloaders – although the former may prove to be more effective and less distracting in the long run.
2. Desktop Downloader Apps
This downloader is fairly easy and straightforward – once you download and install it, it captures videos in maximum 4K quality and saves them and converts them to a palette of video and audio formats. Its services don’t stop with YouTube – you can also save videos from other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, Soundcloud, Flickr and other sites. The app is easy to use, and there is a possibility of upgrading to lifetime premium version for $15. With 4K Video Downloader, you can download YouTube videos on macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu. For users who are seeking something more straightforward, it has a complementary 4K YouTube Video to MP3.
This downloader offers you a palette of services such as choosing the video quality, downloading multiple videos at the same time and converting them into various video format. It is easy to use, free and available for macOS and Windows.
3. Browser Extensions
If you don’t feel like bothering with downloading apps, opening them each time you need a video and copying and pasting links, you have an option to use browser extensions that enable you to download YouTube videos directly to your hard disk with a simple click, without ever leaving YouTube page.
After you install the extension, you will notice a download button appearing under all the YouTube videos you’re watching. This extension is compatible with most browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera and others. The extension allows you to download YouTube videos in various audio and video formats and select different quality.
However, if you are looking for extra quality, things get a bit complicated, as you may need to download video and audio files separately and then merge them to be sure they are synchronized. FastestTube also addresses this challenge on its website.
YouTube Video Downloader works similarly as FastestTube. It allows you to download a whole spectrum of high-quality videos, from 2160p (4k) to 144p, and they are supported for all available video formats (MP4, FLV, WEBM, 3GP). This extension is not without its faults though – sometimes it reportedly doesn’t keep up with YouTube’s interface changes. Other than that, it is relatively simple and reliable tool.
4. Online Downloaders
Online video downloaders/converters don’t offer the comfortable experience of downloadable apps or extensions, and they are probably the best option for one-time or occasional users who seek to download or convert a video or two. Given that they come with no strings attached, you can expect irritating ads and pop-ups, but that is the price you’ll have to pay for otherwise free and quick experience.
Download YouTube videos, but don’t stop there – you can also save stuff from other similar sites, including LiveLeak and TED. You also have the option to shorten the browsing time by having access to a digest of the hottest videos and downloading them directly from the website. Video Grabber also offers you the ability to convert videos to the standard formats like MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, as well as formats that work well with your device.
Simple, efficient and sleek – not too ridden with ads, it offers you download options in video MP4, WEBM or 3GP format, as well as audio WEB and M4A format, with a selection of various resolutions.
5. Smartphone Apps
If you want to download YouTube videos to your mobile phone, all this hassle may prove to be too much. In that case, you can use classic online downloaders in your mobile version of a browser, or you can download an app.
-
My Video Manager (iPhone)
This application downloads videos from the local network and transfers them to file manager, where you can access them offline. You can run it in the background while you’re doing other tasks. Another great thing about My Video Manager is the option of multiple downloads at the same time, as well as good speed.
- Videoder (Android)
Videoder is everything you may need from a video downloader app – it has a sleek design, it offers a batch download option and speed. It supports numerous video platforms and enables you to download Youtube videos in various audio and video formats and to adjust video quality. You don’t have to switch between tabs, because you can search directly from the app, and the whole experience is ad-free.
We got you covered on all fronts. Ultimately, the best advice we can offer is to stick to YouTube and other video platforms that can provide you with the best user experience with zero hassle. However, the zero-hassle option is often not available. As we established earlier, it is highly unlikely that special units are going to storm your house and arrest you for downloading a few videos. In spite of that, keep in mind that you should use these services in good faith.
Build Your Email List By 100K This Year Using Quizzes
