Last updated on 2023-04-25, by Vinho

10 Best Online Video Downloaders for Free [2023 Updated]

Ever so often, you need to download online videos for different reasons. Be it for saving your favorite TV shows for future playback or capture the live streaming videos before it’s gone forever. So which online video downloader is the best to use? To save your time and effort, this article will introduce the 10 best online video downloaders free to use. Just keep reading.

Part 1: Is It Legal or Safe to Use Online Video Downloaders?

When it comes to video downloaders online, one frequent question often gets asked is: is it legal or safe to use online video downloaders to download videos? It depends on the context. For instance, which online video downloader do you use? What video do you want to download? What are the specific copyright laws in your country? And most importantly, what you are going to use the video for.

Technically speaking, it’s not illegal to download videos with an online video downloader for self-use. Today you can see many people like to download YouTube videos for personal use offline. On the copyright front, as long as you are not distributing videos for financial benefits, then it shouldn’t be a problem if you download videos with an online video downloader.

In terms of the online safety issues, you might want to look at the online downloader you use. Do you find frequent pop-ups on the site? Do you see sexually explicit ads running? Please mind that some online video downloaders could become suspicious when it is sold out to make cash off your visit. If you find annoying ads and download glitches, then the site is probably not safe in any sense.

Part 2: 10 Best Online Video Downloaders for Free

Whether you want to save your favorite movies for offline viewing or download occasional clips from YouTube, an online video downloader can help you out. Here we’ve picked the 10 best online video downloaders free to use. Just check them out.

1.SaveFrom

SaveFrom is the leading online downloader that can help you download online videos with ease. Simply copy and paste the video link to the website and that’s it. With SaveFrom, you can successfully download online videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook, and many more. It’s the simplest tool if you want to download YouTube to MP4.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Fast download

Cons:

• The highest resolution 720p only
• No video to audio conversion
• Banned in the US

2.FastestTube

FastestTube is a free YouTube video downloader. You can use it on browsers like Chrome, Opera, Edge, Firefox, etc. Once you install the extension, you will find a physical download button in the bottom right corner of the online video. If you don’t like those annoying ads on YouTube, then FastestTube can help you download and watch YouTube videos without ads.

Pros:

• Easy download feature
• Download YouTube video on Chrome

Cons:

• A bit complicated to install the extension on Chrome

3.Instagram Downloader

Judging by its name, the online video downloader specializes in downloading videos from Instagram. You can also download Instagram posts, mainly photos with the downloader. Simply enter the video link or post link to the website and you are good to go.

Pros:

• Download Instagram videos easily

Cons:

• Supports Instagram videos download only
• MP4 format only

4.Y2Mate

Y2Mate is a free online video downloader that allows you to download videos of all sorts. With Y2Mate, you can download YouTube videos to audio easily. Y2Mate supports 1080p resolution, which is a big plus as it’s not often seen in most video downloaders.

Pros:

• Easy download
• Download video & music
• 1080p resolution

Cons:

• Inconsistent download speed

5.KeepVid

KeepVid is a popular online video downloader that can help you download online videos from 28 websites, including educational resources like Lynda, news outlets like ABC and NBC, and more. KeepVid is easy to use, just copy and paste the video link, and you can choose to save your video in more than 150 different formats.

Pros:

• Supports 28 websites
• Subtitles download
• Supports HD resolutions

Cons:

• Highest resolution 720p

6.ClipConverter

Clip Converter is a free online video downloader/converter that allows you to record, cover and download any video or audio with a URL. You can download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and more with HD resolutions 720p, 1080p, and 4K available. Clip Converter also lets you download and convert videos to many major formats.

Pros:

• Support HD 1080P and 4K resolutions
• Browser extension available
• Download video and audio

Cons:

• Doesn’t support streaming sites
• Pop-ups are running

7. YooDownload

YooDownload is a free online video downloader that allows you to download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, and many more. You can choose to download videos directly by pasting the link to the website or using its Chrome extension. In addition, YooDownload is a useful converter that can help you convert YouTube videos to MP3.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Fast download

Cons:

• Supports limited websites
• Highest resolution 720p only

8.VLC Media Player

The most adaptive media player, VLC, is also the best online video downloader that can help you download videos of all sorts. The media player has a streaming feature that allows you to watch and download videos at the same time. You can even record and download YouTube live stream videos with VLC.

Pros:

• Supports many websites
• Multifunctional video downloader
• Cross-platform software
• Free and open source

Cons:

• Not user-friendly for beginners
• Software installation
• Supports 1080p resolution only

9.Video Grabber

Downloading online videos, converting videos to different formats, and recording your screen are the three key features of Video Grabber. You can either copy and paste the link to the website to download online videos or install its desktop software to unlock more features.

Pros:

• Supports a lot of websites

Cons:

• Full features are available on desktop software
• Sometimes glitches

10. Freemake

Recommended by 93 million users, Freemake can help download videos from more than 10,000 sites, including YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, twitch, and many more. You can choose from 15 video qualities including 4K and full HD. In addition, the app allows you to save videos, playlists, and channels in MP4, MP3, AVI, 3GP, and FLV formats.

Pros:

• Supports 10,000 websites
• Supports major video and audio formats
• Compatible with Windows and macOS

Cons:

• Doesn’t support the downloading of videos from YouTube music
• Install desktop app

Part 3: Best Alternatives to Online Video Downloaders

Now you know the 10 best online videos downloaders on the market, so which one is the best online video downloader? It depends on your needs. If you just want to download videos occasionally, then the web video downloaders can be quite convenient. However, if you want to have finer control of the video quality you are going to download, then desktop software is more suitable.

Why is that? Unlike web video downloaders, desktop software is designed to download videos with high quality. What’s more, you can make adjustments to resolutions and formats based on your needs. Desktop software supports way more websites than web downloaders, which allows you to download any video as you want. Want to download your favorite videos with premium quality? Check out these two best alternatives to online video downloaders.

CleverGet – 8K Online Video Downloader

Supporting 1000+ websites, including YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, Instagram, and many more, CleverGet is a professional 8K video downloader that allows you to download any video from any website. With CleverGet, you can download YouTube videos, trendy TV shows, and fresh cinema releases from online streaming websites with the best video quality. Want to learn more? You can check out the best 123Movies alternative sites and download movies with CleverGet!

• 

• CleverGet Video Downloader

  1. Download Video & Music from 1000+ Sites
  2. Download Live Stream Videos from YouTube Live and Others
  3. Up to 8K UHD Video Downloading with 320 kbps Audio Quality
  4. Smarter Downloading Settings
  5. 1-Click to Play Downloaded Videos
  6. Provide Precise Video Info
  Download WinDownload Mac

That’s not just it. CleverGet can help you download live streaming videos with a single link, or allows you to convert the M3U8 link to MP4 automatically. If you want to download live streams videos with the best video quality, CleverGet is precisely what you need. Offering resolutions from 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K, and up to 8K UHD with 320 Kbps audio quality, CleverGet simply gives you more significant advantages than most online video downloaders can not offer.

Part 4: How to Download Online Video with Online Video Downloader Alternative?

Now you have learned about the main features of CleverGet, it’s time to see how it works. Just check out the steps below to see how to download online videos with CleverGet.

△Step 1. Download & Launch CleverGet

Free download and install CleverGet on your computer. Launch CleverGet.

△Step 2. Set Output Directory

Click on the Settings icon to enter the setting panel and set the output directory.

△Step 3. Locate Source Video

Copy & paste the video link to the address bar, and CleverGet will detect the video immediately.

△Step 4. Download YouTube Video

Choose a preferred quality and format. Click on the “Download” button to
download videos.

That’s it. If you are going to download videos other than YouTube or twitch, for instance, Netflix, Hulu, etc., you can just copy and paste the video link to the address bar. CleverGet will analyze the streaming sites and capture videos available for download.