The program that I preferred before switching to 4K Downloader advertised itself as freeware (and actually was for several years) before slowly removing features to the point the program stopped functioning. It capped download speed to a snail's pace and do not get me started on how long it took the program to convert a video. For certain qualities (1080 and above) a watermark would be added to whatever you downloaded. This sucked….big time. Especially since several of the downloads/conversions would have to be restarted after taking too long. This sent me on a journey to find a program/programs that would download videos from sites like Youtube and would convert/save in the file format I needed.
Out of all of the programs I tried, 4k Downloader was the only one that not only met my requirements but exceeded them as well. There are two options for downloading videos, a manual mode, where you copy and paste the link to the video you need and then pick the settings you need and a Smart Mode where you set up what format (MP4, MKV, or 3GP) and quality (from QCIF, 240p - 4k) you want and then just copy and paste as many as you need until you need to change the settings again. While I have just been mentioning downloading videos, the program actually does much more than that. You can download entire Youtube playlists (with up to 20 videos using the free version) and if you just need to extract an audio file from the video...there’s a setting for that (M4A, MP3, or OGG format and quality in 48k - 320k). You can also download subtitles and if you upgrade, you can add subscriptions to youtube channels to have videos automatically download as soon as the channels add a new video. In the preferences, there are settings for bandwidth usage, an option to add downloaded files to iTunes, and what type of notifications you want to receive. 4K Downloader automatically updates itself, without interrupting you while you are using it (downloading any updates in the background and then installing quickly the next time you start the program). It is available in multiple languages for Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu operating systems. It does have some minor advertisements at the bottom of the program for the free version, but I have not been bothered much by them. If you want to upgrade to their premium version, it costs $15 (for three computers) or you can get a bundle that includes all of 4K's programs (4K Downloader, 4K Youtube to MP3, 4KStogram, and any updates) for $40 (They currently have a discount for 50% off on this bundle, so now is a great time to take advantage!)
Rating: 4.5/5
For more information and to download 4K Video Downloader, visit their official site.
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