There are a lot of videos on the internet. The majority of them are on YouTube. You may want to download YouTube videos to your Mac for your own personal usage. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t offer a convenient way to download videos to your Mac. Solution? There is plenty of free software in the market that takes care of the downloading process from YouTube.
We took a look at some of those free YouTube video downloaders for Mac and came up with the best.
The best free YouTube video downloader for Mac in 2026 is 4K Video Downloader Plus.
4K Video Downloader Plus makes it incredibly easy to download your favorite YouTube videos, playlists, podcasts, and more. All you need to do is have your link copied, then press the ‘Paste Link’ button in the top left. Then, you can select if you want to download just the video, a whole playlist, or even subscribe for automatic downloads in the future.
It’s not just YouTube videos, though. 4K Video Downloader Plus also supports downloading from Vimeo, Twitch, TikTok, SoundCloud, Facebook, and more.
While easily downloading YouTube videos in any resolution (anything from 720p HD to 8K UHD) is the key feature, 4K Video Downloader Plus offers a number of features to make itself a unique app worth having on your Mac.
It has a built-in browser – which makes it easier than ever to find your favorite videos to download. On top of that, if you’re logged in, you can access protected content. Typically, you’re unable to download private YouTube videos, but with 4K Video Downloader Plus, so long as you’re authorized – you have that ability.
There’s also a feature called smart mode, which speeds up future downloads by saving your preferred preferences that are best for your device. 4K Video Downloader Plus also offers a built in proxy, so you can access YouTube on networks where it might be blocked.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, there’s a feature to subscribe to a playlist or channel and auto download future videos. This means 4K Video Downloader Plus will work in the background for you, and you can easily have the files for your favorite YouTube creator or series right after it gets uploaded.
All in all, 4K Video Downloader Plus is an incredibly nifty tool for heavy YouTube consumers. Between the ability to easily download videos, audio tracks, and playlists from any resolution from 720p to 8K, it’s a worthwhile app to check out on your Mac.
With the free version, you can download 10-15 videos per day, which is still rather generous. For unlimited downloads, paid plans start at $15/year. For multiple devices, you can pay $25 for a lifetime version, and if you need commercial usage you can purchase a lifetime license for $45.
See also: How to download YouTube app for Mac
Disclaimer: Before using 4K Video Downloader, make sure you are not using it for unethical purposes. Using third-party software to download videos from YouTube is against their terms of service. Downloading other’s videos is a potential copyright infringement so make sure you do that only if the video is yours or is free of any copyright.
See also: 10 Best Free Video Downloader For Mac
