YouTube is both the best and the most popular platform when it comes to free video content. Its library of content is unrivaled; however, YouTube users are restricted in their ability to interact with it. For a long time, it provided no way to download videos at all, and even now, this function is available only to YouTube Premium subscribers. It is this lack of functionality that prompts people to seek a YouTube to MP4 converter for Mac. After all, the ability to convert a YouTube video to a file on your computer that you can watch at any time can be quite valuable to some people. In this article, we will review a number of YouTube to MP4 converter programs and online services so that you can choose which one is the best for you.
YouTube to MP4 converter programs for Mac
Generally speaking, using dedicated converter programs is more efficient than using a website. That is because such programs have many useful features, such as batch downloading. If you plan on downloading YouTube videos regularly, using a program will save you a lot of time in the long run.
SnapDownloader
SnapDownloader is one of the best YouTube to MP4 converter programs currently available. It can download videos in any resolution, as well as download entire playlists or channels at once. You can also schedule downloads; so if you want to download many videos, you can do it overnight, without impacting your internet speed. It is also capable of bypassing YouTube’s geographic restrictions, so you can download videos not available in your country.
SnapDownloader is a paid application, but it features a free trial. The free version doesn’t have any feature restrictions, but will stop working after 48 hours. This is more than enough time to download many YouTube videos, especially if you prepare beforehand. And if you plan to do it regularly, purchasing a full version may be a worthwhile investment.
Other programs
There are other programs for converting YouTube videos to MP4 files as well, though they’re generally not as good as SnapDownloader. ClipGrab, for example, is a very simple program that lacks bulk downloading features; although it is free, there’s little reason to use it. Youtube-DL, on the other hand, is a very powerful application that can do everything SnapDownloader does and more. However, it is also extremely difficult to use.
Online YouTube to MP4 converter services
Using online services to convert YouTube to MP4 on Mac is often the inferior option for two reasons. The first one is that the websites that provide these services restrict free usage. They will only allow you to download a limited about of videos per day. They also lack any advanced features. However, if you just want to download a single video, these websites may be sufficient.
Y2Mate
Y2Mate is a fairly good YouTube to MP4 converter for Mac, as far as websites go. It allows you to download videos in many resolutions, from 144p all the way up to 1080p. Sadly, it does not support extremely high resolutions such as 1440p or 2160p (also known as 4K), but this selection is still wider than what most online converter services provide. It can also be used to download MP3 instead of MP4 when all you need is audio.
There are two ways to use this service. You can, of course, simply open Y2Mate website and download videos from there. But it also provides a shortcut feature. To use it, you need to open a YouTube video in your browser, then click on the URL bar (also known as the address bar). There, you need to replace “youtube” with “youtubepi”, then press Enter. Here’s an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuVgWGpmRlM -> https://www.youtubepi.com/watch?v=iuVgWGpmRlM
Although this might sound complicated, this really does speed up downloading videos on the spot. You can just browse YouTube, click on interesting videos, and download them right afterwards.
Savefrom
Savefrom is another website that allows you to convert YouTube to MP4. Generally, it is not as good as Y2Mate; most of the time, it only allows you to download videos in 720p or 360p. It also doesn’t let you download videos as MP3 music files. Though this doesn’t affect its usability as a YouTube to MP4 converter for Mac, it does make it a less useful website overall.
However, it also holds one advantage over Y2Mate. You see, Savefrom can also be used both from its website and by using a shortcut. The advantage is that Savefrom’s shortcut is easier to remember: you have to replace “www.” with “ss”.
Like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuVgWGpmRlM -> https://ssyoutube.com/watch?v=iuVgWGpmRlM
This is arguably more intuitive, since you can remember that “ss” stands for “save”. If you don’t need a wide selection of resolutions or the capacity to download audio, you might very well choose to use this converter, as it’s easier to commit its shortcut to memory.
Conclusion
Although SnapDownloader could be considered the best YouTube to MP4 converter for Mac for an average user, there are also reasons to choose another converter. If you’re good with computers and feel comfortable using the command line, Youtube-DL will be a better option for you. Someone who doesn’t need a powerful tool and just wants to download several videos, meanwhile, might prefer to use Y2Mate.
While you’re here, you should also explore other things you can do with your Mac. For example, it is possible to install Windows 10 on Mac. This will allow you to use Windows programs, so you will no longer be limited to programs available on Mac.
Allavsoft is also highly recommended as one of the best YouTube to MP4 Converters.
It has both Mac and Windows version.
It can download from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, Twitter, ABC iView, BBC, Crunchyroll etc many websites.