Many of us use YouTube to listen to our favorite music or even watch TV shows and documentaries, but using YouTube has its limitations. For one, constant adverts interrupt viewing and get in the way of the experience. Additionally, it can be impossible to enjoy music and video unless a stable internet connection is guaranteed at all times.
For these reasons, using the best YouTube converter for Mac can be a godsend. A YouTube converter can download YouTube content as either video or audio files to our local devices, letting us enjoy content ad-free wherever we are on a MacBook, PC, smartphone, or even an MP3 player.
However, there are many converters to choose from, so what factors do we need to consider to find the best YouTube downloader?
Download Limits
You don’t want to use a YouTube converter in the knowledge that there’s a limit on the number of videos you can download hanging over your head. So pick a YouTube video downloader for Mac that guarantees unlimited downloads and doesn’t restrict you to a runtime limit if you want to convert longer YouTube videos to MP4 or MP3.
Video Quality
For many users, regular HD quality will be sufficient, but if you want to download video that was uploaded in 8K, you need to make sure your YouTube downloader supports that. If you want to download YouTube videos as audio files (to listen to music, for example) then ensure the converter can download at a high-quality bit rate such as 256KBS.
Convenience
It’s likely that you’ll be wanting to download multiple YouTube videos at once, so a good YouTube converter for Mac should boast at least some of the following features to give you the most efficient experience possible:
- Capture full playlists so that you don’t need to download each individual song in an album, for example.
- Download queuing so you can easily stack downloads and convert videos as you browse.
- Browser integration to enable you to start YouTube video downloads in just a few clicks.
- Pause and resume downloads so that you don’t need to restart an entire video download if you lose connection or need to close your device.
- Subtitle support so that you can extract and encode subtitles from a YouTube video and access them in your downloaded copy.
Pricing
Costs for the best YouTube converters for Mac can vary wildly and users need to establish whether a converter offers a decent value proposition for the asking price. One must also consider whether they’d prefer making a one-off payment for a lifetime license versus using a video converter that charges on a monthly or yearly subscription model. For example, you may have found a very feature-rich YouTube converter, but if it costs $19.99 a month to use then you can find similar downloaders that cost the same for a full license.
The Verdict
We’ve seen what it takes to provide a great YouTube converter that can offer power and efficiency while representing good value for money. Consequently, we would recommend Airy as the best YouTube downloader for Mac.
Airy offers unlimited downloads at qualities of up to 8K Ultra HD 60FPS, along with download queuing and pause/ resume for a smooth experience. Browser integration makes it easy to use Airy, and you can even download playlists and entire channels in just a few clicks.
Plus, at a one-off cost of $19.95, users get great value for money without being tied up by ongoing payments. A trial version is available for free, so users can try before they buy and explore many of the great features on offer.
FAQ: YouTube Converter for Mac
Can I download YouTube videos to Mac?
Yes, you just need a good video downloader that can save files to your local hard drive.
Can I download YouTube video as MP3?
Yes, just select MP3 as the file format in your YouTube converter before initiating the download.
Can I download YouTube videos for free?
Yes, most YouTube video downloaders for Mac offer both a free and premium version, although naturally many of the most powerful features require the premium version to use.