You don’t need to download an app at all. Luckily there are a couple of ways that you can download YouTube video for free with software that comes with your Mac. (If you see a warning that you need to install Flash, for example, it really could be a scam, or at worse malware!) In our experience the free apps are usually more trouble than they are worth and potentially dangerous. Some of these options are free and some are paid for.

There are loads of tools that advertise their ability to save YouTube videos to your Mac. But if you don’t want to pay £143.88/$143.88 a year for the privilege, there are thankfully other solutions. This would be the most legitimate way to download YouTube video. YouTube Premium only lets subscribers download video and music on to mobile devices, and it will only be available to watch offline for 30 days. However, if you were hoping that you’d be able to download the video to your Mac you will be disappointed.

And you get to watch YouTube Originals, which include movies and series that are only available on the subscription service. That service costs $11.99/£11.99 per month and along with being able to download video you can also avoid ads, listen to YouTube Music Premium (and Google Play Music). It’s worth mentioning here that YouTube offers its own YouTube Premium service that allows you to download YouTube videos.

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