YouTube DownloaderSave any YouTube video to MP4 in HD up to 4K, or extract MP3 audio at 320 kbps. No signup. No ads. No watermark. Just paste and download.
✓ Pre-configured for YouTube
From URL to saved file in under 15 seconds. No account, no install.
Open YouTube, find the video, and copy the link from the address bar or the Share button. Works for regular videos, Shorts, and live stream replays.
Paste the URL into the input field at the top of this page. MediaFetcher auto-detects that it's a YouTube URL and unlocks the Download button.
Choose MP4 (4K, 1080p, 720p) or MP3 (320 kbps, 128 kbps). The file downloads directly to your device — no intermediate cloud, no re-encoding.
Download in whichever format fits your purpose. Approximate file sizes are for a 3-minute video — longer videos scale linearly.
| Format | Quality | ~ Size (3 min) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | 4K · 2160p | ~350 MB | Archival copies, editing source |
| MP4Pick | Full HD · 1080p | ~90 MB | Offline viewing, most people |
| MP4 | HD · 720p | ~55 MB | Smaller files, phones |
| MP4 | SD · 480p / 360p | ~20 MB | Slow connections, embeds |
| MP3Pick | 320 kbps | ~7 MB | Music, podcasts, studio quality |
| MP3 | 128 kbps | ~3 MB | Lectures, spoken-word audio |
MediaFetcher streams directly from YouTube's CDN at the highest available variant. No re-encoding step, no added watermark, bit-for-bit original quality.
Y2Mate, SaveFrom and TubeMate promise free, fast and safe. None deliver on all three. Here is the short version of what MediaFetcher does differently.
No banner ads, no fake Download buttons, no interstitials. The page weighs under 80 KB of JS because there are no ad scripts to load.
No analytics, no cookies, no third-party pixels. We do not log your IP, your URLs, or anything you paste into the tool.
MediaFetcher asks YouTube directly for the highest variant and saves it bit-for-bit. No re-encoding, no watermark, no metadata injection.
No premium tier, no daily limit, no "sign up to unlock HD" friction. Phase 1 is committed to a 100% free experience.
“If you're used to fighting ad popups on every other downloader, the silence here can be disorienting at first. Good.
Not pirates. Mostly people with perfectly ordinary reasons for wanting their videos offline.
Save reference clips, competitor analyses, and inspiration videos into a local library. MediaFetcher preserves original quality so you can study framing, pacing, and audio decisions frame by frame — essential for thumbnail studies and supercut editing.
Also great for TikTok →Download lectures, documentaries, and educational channels for offline study on long commutes or flights. MP3 extraction makes it trivial to listen to history, science, and language content without screen time.
Extract audio from live performances, music videos, and rare covers in 320 kbps MP3. For dedicated music workflows, pair this with our SoundCloud downloader — the only 320 kbps audio downloaders in the catalogue.
SoundCloud downloader →YouTube videos get removed constantly — channels go private, labels issue takedowns, creators delete old uploads. Download the videos you care about before they disappear. Pair with our Vimeo downloader for film-school archival.
Vimeo downloader →Honest comparison of the four tools most people land on when they search "YouTube downloader". Numbers, not opinions.
| Feature | MediaFetcher | Y2Mate | TubeMate | SaveFrom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero ads, zero popups | ||||
| No signup | ||||
| No watermark on file | ||||
| 4K / 2160p support | Paid | Paid | ||
| MP3 at 320 kbps | ||||
| Works without app install | ||||
| Zero third-party trackers | ||||
| Runs on iPhone Safari | Partial | Partial | ||
| 13-platform support | Limited | |||
| Fake download buttons |
Comparison reflects the free tier of each tool as observed in early 2026. Paid tiers of Y2Mate and SaveFrom remove some limitations. MediaFetcher has no paid tier.
Short answer: usually yes, for personal use. The longer answer is broken into three parts below.
Copyright law in most Western jurisdictions recognises fair use (US) or fair dealing (UK, Canada, Australia). Making a personal, non-commercial copy — for time-shifting, format-shifting, study or research — is generally lawful. The 1984 Sony Betamax decision established time-shifting as fair use, a precedent cited for every home-recording technology since — from VHS to DVR to YouTube downloaders.
YouTube's ToS prohibits downloading through means other than YouTube Premium. But a ToS is a private contract between you and Google, not criminal law — breaking it can suspend your account, it cannot get you arrested. The Electronic Frontier Foundation defended this position in 2020 when the RIAA tried (and failed) to take down youtube-dl from GitHub.
Redistributing copyrighted content you do not own is never legal. Two quick examples of each side of the line:
Downloading a music video to your phone to listen on a flight.
Re-uploading that video to your own channel for ad revenue.
Downloading a lecture to study for an upcoming exam.
Selling a compiled DVD of that lecture series without permission.
Many CC licences allow commercial reuse, remixing and redistribution with attribution. YouTube marks CC videos in the description — check before you assume.
This is general information, not legal advice. For a specific commercial use case, talk to a lawyer in your jurisdiction.
YouTube is not one format — it's five. Here's how MediaFetcher handles each.
Shorts URLs (youtube.com/shorts/...) work identically to standard videos. MediaFetcher preserves the vertical aspect ratio and the original framing.
Any public video from a channel you can view in an incognito window works. Embedded, unlisted (with direct link), and age-un-restricted.
Once a live stream has finished and YouTube has processed the VOD, the URL works like any other video. Usually available within 30 minutes of the stream ending.
Currently you download one video at a time. Playlist mode is on the roadmap. For now, paste each video URL individually — it is faster than it sounds.
Paste a YouTube Music track URL and pick MP3 320 kbps. You get an audio-only file without the redundant static video layer.
Age-restricted videos require authentication with a Google account, which MediaFetcher does not implement. Use a different tool if you need this.
Sixteen honest answers to the questions people ask before they paste the first URL.
Same clean, ad-free experience for every major video and audio platform you use.
