Last Reviewed: Summer of 2019
Audio/Video Downloader Products

Audio and video files are two of the most used commodities on the WWW. Both play prominent roles in providing entertainment, whether for watching your favorite funny youtube video or listening to music. Video files also play a prominent role in education. They help us learn how to do something, whether it is repairing a carburetor on a small engine, learning to play a song or instrument, or learning how to cook a favorite dish. The uses for both auiod and video are limited only by one's imagination.

It is easy to understand therefore why people want to download audio and video files – and as you would expect there is an entire software segment dedicated to downloading A/V files from the WWW.

Admittedly there are differences of opinion as to what is the most important factor when evaluating such software. For us the MOST important factor is coverage. While Youtube is clearly one of the most important sites and most people use it, there are many small and obscure websites that may contain your favorite video or audio that you’d like to grab – and to us this ability to download from any website is the most important factor. Other factors of importance are listed below in descending order of importance.

As we mentioned previously, there are dozens of software programs that can do some of these things. Most don’t do them all or do them well - or they don’t have a significant customer service component. We did not attempt to review all of these programs -- and would steer you away from buying most of them. What we have done is, selected the top handful of these programs and reviewed them in details. The results of our investigation and review are found below.

Disclosure: We are a professional review site. We do not receive payments for the review of these products though, in some cases, we do receive commission payments when they are purchased.

Internet Download Manager
Download Surgeon
VDownloader
YTD Video Downloader
4K Video Downloader
Softwares
Rating Factors
Broad Coverage of Sites
Download from YouTube
Download from YouTube Music
Downloads YT Playlists
Downloads YT Channels
Converts Video Files to Audio
Choice of multiple Video formats
Choice of multiple Audio formats
Free Demo
Support for Mobile Devices
Money Back Guarantee
1-time purchase
Full Service Help Desk
email only
email only
email only
email only
Cost
11.95/yr
59.95
29.95
$47.88/yr
$15
Download Surgeon
Based in th U.S.

Download Surgeon is one of the up and coming programs in this software segment. It is focused on downloading both audio and video files. It is not a download management software, like some of its competitor products.

Download Surgeon offers three built-in download modules with one focused exclusively upon YouTube. This YouTube module can download from both Youtube and YouTube music. It can also download PART or ALL of the videos found in Youtube playlists which means that you can start it working and walk away - and it will grab all of the videos in the playlist and download them for you without any interaction from you.

For sites that its 3 download modules cannot download from it offers a digital recorder option. The combination of downloading modules plus its digital recorder allows you to grab virtually any audio or any video from any website.

Download Surgeon's digital recorder can also be used to record events in real time on your computer, and can also be setup and used as a screen narration tool. Download Surgeon contains no ads, browser plugins and co-installation of other unwanted programs. In addition to the paid version it offers a free online service for the downloading of audio or video from YouTube.

Pros: 1-Year free support, Full service help desk with ticketing system and remote assistance when needed, 1-time purchase, Ability to download YT Playlists, Digital Recorder expands functionality beyond downloading. Allows conversion to choice of A/V formats. Demo version available

Cons: A little costly

Go To Download Surgeon Website
internet download manager
Based in th U.S.

Internet Download Manager or IDM is one of the oldest and most popular download managers out there. It works with most common browsers and installs as a browser extension. It is a broad-based downloader manager that is designed to manage and download all types of files from a website including graphic, zip, audio, video and even entire html pages. The A/V download portion works by simply showing a semi-transparent Download button overtop each video on a web page, which when clicked allows you to download that file. It also has a built in download accelerator that increases download speeds by up to 5X.

Pros: It allows you to download multiple files at once. It works consistently. Works on almost all websites. Demo version available

Cons: Annual subscription, not 1-time cost. No Money-Back Guarantee, Limited Support. No file conversion functionality. Cannot download a group of videos (i.e. YouTube Playlists)

Go To Internet Download Manager Website
VDownloader
Based in th U.S.

VDownloader states on their website that they download from 10,000 + video hosting sites. The program has a number of very useful features including the ability to download YT playlists or channels. It can do file conversion, including conversion of video files to mp3 or audio formats. It has a DVD burner facility built into it. It can schedule the downloads for a time when your computer is idle and it contains proxy support for videos not available in your geographical area. The product is provided in a free and paid version. The free version has limited capabilities and contains advertisements.

Pros: YT playlist and channel downloading, file conversion, DVD burning, proxy support, download scheduling.

Cons: Limited to 10,000+ sites.

Go To VDownloader Website
YTD Video Downloader
Based in Romania

YTD Video Downloader can download videos from sites including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and many more video hosting sites. The free version of the software is supported by ads, but these are inconspicuous and won’t get in the way of your downloading. You can also convert downloaded files to multiple different output formats, and can also choose to download only the audio track of a file in certain situations.

Pros: Has a mobile platform, Has a free version

Cons: For more advanced options, you do have to buy the PRO version

Go To YTD Video Downloader Website
4k Video Downloader
Based in Russia

A solid video downloader that can download entire YouTube channels and also convert and save files into your selected format. The program is focused upon a limited number of sites. The list of supported sites include: YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, SoundCloud, Flickr, Instagram, Dailymotion, MetaCafe and Twitch.

The program is provided in two versions. The basic version is free. There is an annual fee or cost for the Pro version that has the more advanced functionality.

Pros: Basic program is free, User friendly

Cons: Covers very limited number of sites. Some important functionality not contained in a single product but split among several products

Go To YTD 4K Video Downloader Website