Although downloading raw videos from the internet is at the heart of all the software in this article, most have some bells and whistles that are worth considering. Here are some of what you can expect to find in the best online video downloaders.

While features such as format converters, browser plug-ins, and device optimizers are great, they’re not strictly necessary for most people. If all you’re looking for is a way to get that YouTube video on your computer, 4K Video Downloader may be what you need. It’s safe, free, and offers most of the download tools you’re likely to use regularly.

4K Video Downloader’s interface is about as simple as it gets. It’s just a list of currently downloading videos and finished downloads. To grab an online video, copy its URL into your clipboard and click “Paste Link” in 4K Video Downloader. The program will immediately parse the link and present your download options. You can choose to download a video in its original resolution and quality (up to 8K) or a downgraded version for faster downloads and smaller files. You can also extract just the audio portion of a video.

The file formats you can download are MP4, MKV, and MP3. While these options are limited in scope, they’re universal enough to play videos on whatever device or player you own. You can also extract subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and more.

The free version of the software allows you to download 30 videos daily. If you need more, upgrading to one of the paid plans gives you unlimited downloads, more simultaneous downloads, the ability to download private YouTube videos, and the elimination of in-app ads.

AllMyTube contains every tool you need in an online video downloader. There are several ways to download videos with this app. The simplest is copying the URL of the video you want to download, opening the app, and clicking “Paste URL.” The app will fetch the video and give you options to download it in various resolutions or even download just the video’s audio track.

Other download options include the built-in web browser, which allows you to surf through any website and use the one-click download button when you find a video you want to snag. The software also offers a browser plug-in for Chrome and Firefox, so you can download videos as you find them on the web. And since AllMyTube is compatible with more than 10,000 video sites and services, it’s unlikely you’ll find a video you can’t download. If you come across a non-downloadable video, you can use the integrated screen recorder to capture it as it plays on your computer.

This video downloader also has a plethora of conversion and optimization tools. While AllMyTube downloads all videos in the MP4 format, the converter can change that to MOV, WMV, AVI, MKV, 3GP, or MPEG. Available audio formats include MP3, M4A, WAV, and MKA. AllMyTube includes dozens of device optimization profiles for devices ranging from smartphones to gaming consoles and set-top boxes.

Unfortunately, this software is woefully out-of-date. For example, the most recent iPhone optimization profile is for the the iPhone X, which was released several years ago and isn’t even sold by Apple anymore. Additionally, the software isn’t compatible with Windows 11, which is a big problem even if you haven’t upgraded yet (because someday you will, and the software will be useless). If it weren’t for these drawbacks, AllMyTube would have taken the top spot in our analysis.

CleverGet is a video downloader app that’s an internet browser with the ability to download videos from more than 1,000 sites across the web. It’s fantastic for browsing the internet and searching for the videos you need to download. When you find the video you want, click the download button in the bottom right corner of the browser to start the process. It’s about as simple as possible to obtain the online videos you want. You can even use the program for ultra-high-resolution videos up to 8K.

But there are some drawbacks. Chief among them is that you only download videos in three file formats: MP4, MKV, and WebM. Additionally, the program lacks a stand-alone format converter and device optimization tools. And while the browser-based program is convenient, there will be times that you’ll find videos in external browsers that you want to download. But since CleverGet doesn’t offer a browser plug-in, you’ll have to manually copy the address of the video you want and paste it into the URL bar in the app. One other annoying thing about the program is that you can’t resize the interface or put it into full screen mode.

AnyUTube is a video downloader program that has something no other product featured in this article does: in-app video search. All other video downloaders require you to find the video you want in a browser (built-in or external). When you click on the “search” tab, you can scan the web for any video you want and get results without ever opening a browser.