Best Music Apps For Mac Free
Multimedia • Updated on Jan 9, 2020
Playlist is a free music app for iPhone that lets you access over 40 million songs in the form of handmade playlists. You can create shared playlists that others can listen to or you can find pre-made playlists. All the music here is completely free. Just search for songs or browse the popular, featured. Jul 29, 2018.Related Post. The Best Free Online Music Maker Software and Apps Garageband It is the best in-the-box music studio offered for free on Mac/Apple devices, and the perfect way for songwriters to learn arranging and recording songs. Jan 25, 2020 The best free music players for MacOS. Elmedia Video Player. This MacOS media player has an incredibly smooth, stylish interface that offers something very different from Apple Music. IINA embraces the latest features of MacOS, including an interface theme designed for Dark Mode. 30 free macOS apps every Mac user should have From useful utilities to handy archivers and transcoders, here are 30 free yet powerful macOS apps you can download today.
There are quite a few free music downloader for Mac (MacOS 10.12 Sierra and 10.13 High Sierra included) that are available in the market for free download. Download and install the best free apps for Music Management Software on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android from CNET Download.com, your trusted source for the top software picks. May 28, 2019 These are 4 Free Best Video and Music Player Apps for Mac computers for 2019. Descriptions & Download links of all the 4 apps: 1. 5kPlayer—5KPlayer, a mixture of free.
No doubt, YouTube has become the center of entertainment for most people. From funny, short clips to full-length documentaries, you can find almost everything there. The service has been active for more than one decade now, as you know. And, it’s still a bummer that YouTube does not allow you to download videos.
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The case for YouTube offline
While it’s true that most of us have a internet connection nowadays, imagine this:
You have a slow internet connection. This can be a nightmare, you know, especially while you try to watch full-HD and 4K videos. If the internet connection drops, so does the fun.
You need Offline Access. So, you don’t want to spend all your time on the Internet, alright? So, when you come across a really good YouTube video, you want to keep it offline. That way, you will be able to watch it whenever you want. If you are on an airplane, for instance.
You need Backup. You are an artist or a content creator. You need to use some YouTube video for a project of yours. This time, quality is important for you and you need the maximum you can get. There is also the danger that videos will be taken offline in the future and you won’t be able to access them at all.
This is why it doesn’t surprise us that you want to know how to download and save YouTube videos. So did we, and luckily, third-party YouTube downloader software will help.
By saving your favorite YouTube videos for later, you’re ensuring you can watch YouTube videos start-to-finish anywhere without any pesky obstacles like wifi or restricted data plans.
There are some online downloaders as well, but they are limited in features and function. In this article, we are going to talk about desktop tools for macOS.
How we choose
In order to choose the best YouTube downloader for Mac, we analysed more than 20 apps from the market, and we’d followed some criteria.
- Does the app offer the ability to download YouTube video to watch offline?
- Does the app enable you to download, convert and save videos with a single click?
- Does the app provide bulk downloading?
- Does the app extract the audio from YouTube music videos to MP3 format?
- Does it work with the speed of light?
- Does the app help you select your best quality of download (4K or 1080p, 720p or 360p, etc)
- Is the app beautifully designed with an easy to understand interface?
- Does it help you keep up-to-date, allowing you to quickly get the latest version?
Our favorite top picks
Based on our testing sessions, here we’ve come down to these four.
Full disclosure: We earn a commission if you end up purchasing any of the Mac YouTube Downloader apps listed on this page through our referral links. This helps us to keep TheSweetBits up-to-date. Thanks for your support.
Softorino YouTube Converter 2 — best overall for iPhone and Mac
Softorino YouTube Converter 2, also known as SYC 2, is one of the most popular YouTube downloaders. The best part about SYC 2 is that you can download Youtube videos & audio to watch them or listen offline on your iPhone, iPad, iPod or computer.
What makes SYC 2 great?
Download and convert YouTube video: While its name mentions strictly YouTube, we should point out that the program is much more capable than it lets see. Besides YouTube, the application can download videos and tracks from SoundCloud, Vimeo, BandCamp, VEVO, BREAK, CNN, DailyMotion, Facebook, Instagram, and many more.
You can use this program for not just downloading YouTube videos but also converting the content to many other formats. If you opt for video output, indicating the video quality that best suits your needs is possible, with 360p, 720p HD, 1080p HD, and 2160p 4K resolution being your alternatives. As for audio output, you can choose from MP3, AAC, and “original” audio.
From our test, converting an hour-long YouTube video into an MP3 took fewer than two minutes. We also tried to pull a 249-track playlist from a video game soundtrack. That took under 15 minutes to convert them all to MP3 files and add them to iTunes and my iPhone X.
Ringtone Maker: SYC 2 is an awesome way to create ringtones at your convenience. While trying to download a video/song from the internet, you can select the Ringtone option as well. This can bring you one full-length ringtone, or something trimmed down to 30 seconds, but sadly there’s no way to trim a specific section. Either way, you don’t have to use any other tool for converting a song to ringtone.
aWi-Fi Data Transfer: You can transfer downloaded media to other devices such as iPhone, iPad or iTunes. According to the destination, SYC 2 will optimize the final file. At the end of the day, you don’t need other tools to transfer downloaded videos, music or ringtones to your other Apple devices — all thanks to aWi-Fi. It also supports other transfer protocols like UCB and ACR.
Impressive Performance: Being the latest version, SYC 2 is pretty fast in terms of performance. The download speeds are quite impressive. Also, it is worth noting that SYC 2 automatically recognizes content you download. Thanks to Automatic Content Recognition technology, it will fill in all the needed meta data, genre, and even proper artwork. It also lets you store the downloaded content to iTunes/TV app accordingly. This is an awesome feature if you’d like to have a well-organized media library.
Overall, Softorino YouTube Converter 2 is an awesome choice if you need a quick as well as versatile way to download YouTube videos to Mac and iOS devices.
The app is available for Mac and Windows. However, you get the best experience on Mac, due to the ecosystem integration. A single license of SYC 2 would cost you $19.95 and this unlocks all features including 4K UHD support and transfer-based features.
Downie — easiest to dive in
Downie is yet another popular YouTube video downloader for macOS. But, the best part is that it allows you to download videos from more than 1000 websites. For now, however, we will be focusing on YouTube video downloading capability of this tool.
How to download from YouTubeWhether to capture a few movies for an upcoming flight or save favorite clips to rewatch, Mac owners love to save content. The most basic tool should teach you how to download YouTube videos directly from URL. Download free videos from youtube for mac.
What makes Downie great?
Minimal UI: As you can see, Downie has a minimal User Interface offering. Everything has been kept simple. You have a minimal list of the running and completed YouTube video downloads. It’s up to you to clear it. In addition to the fully-fledged window, Downie has a menu-bar interface as well. Clicking on it would show you the current progress of the download.
Browser integration: Downie offers top-notch integration with popular browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Chromium and Opera. Downie integrates so well that you can download your favorite YouTube videos in a single click. Or, if you want something further, you can check out the Contextual Menu as well. Downie Contextual Menu allows you to select the Post-processing mode as well.
4K video support and compatibility: Downie lets you download YouTube videos at the highest possible quality. You can get videos that perform well in your 4K displays. Regardless the quality, Downie ensures the best set of speeds, for downloading as well as format conversion. Downie supports a wide variety of websites, from where you can download videos. The best part is that the team offers frequent updates, adding support for more sites.
Customization options: Downie allows you to download videos at different qualities, up to 4K. You can also automate the process. That is, you can set up Downie to choose the best possible Quality every time you download something. On the other hand, if you need more control, you can limit the quality as well. Along with video, this YouTube downloader can download the corresponding subtitle as well. You can even choose subtitles. There are also some Parental Control and Proxy customization options available in the Downie package.
To sum up, Downie is a great choice if you need a simple-yet-powerful YouTube video downloader for Mac. The app is pretty minimal, but the features are quite useful at times.
Downie is currently available for macOS only. You need a device running macOS 10.11+ to run the program. A single license of Downie is priced at $19.99, the developer offers TheSweetBits readers an exclusive 25% discount here, only $14.99. It’s also available on Setapp.
PullTube — online video and playlist downloader
PullTube is different from the other YouTube downloaders we have listed above. It is a complete suite that helps you download online videos and playlists with ease. Compared to other tools in the list, PullTube has a versatile feature list as well.
What makes PullTube great?
Comprehensive Interface: The UI of PullTube may not be the simplest in the first look. That is because the media downloader packs an amazing set of features inside. However, if you just want to fetch details and download a YouTube video, it would take just a few seconds. The fact that you can use this single tool to download variety of videos from multiple websites is just amazing indeed.
Video Trimming: A new challenger in the game, PullTube has the ability to trim down videos. There’s a scissor-like button in the app which lets you trim the video to your desired length — either by feeding inputting the time stamps, or dragging through the video timeline for a preferred part of the video.
Built-in Conversion Engine: When you have PullTube, you don’t need another conversion utility. This tool is so great when you’d like to get an audio/video file converted into another format. There is also an option to stitch multiple video parts together so that you have a single file. You will also be able to use the built-in editing features for making a few changes.
The Miscellaneous: There are a few seemingly simple but really useful features in the PullTube package. For instance, you would be able to download auto-generated subtitles when you download a YouTube video. A point worth mentioning is that the app supports playlist downloading as well. If PullTube detects that the video is part of a playlist, it will offer to download the entire collection. Similarly, the app also has a wonderful level of browser integration. It works well with Chrome, Safari and Firefox. PullTube also lets you using shortcuts and gestures, and set up custom proxy/socket choices for easy control. Altogether, the video downloading experience is unparalleled.
At the end of the day, we would recommend PullTube as the ultimate YouTube downloader if you need some extra points when it comes to additional features.
It is currently available for macOS devices only. If you have a Mac running 10.11 or higher, you should try it. Although it offers a free version, PullTube is actually a paid program. You can either purchase it from official website for $14.99 or get it as a part of the Setapp subscription.
Wondershare AllMyTube — the all-in-one solution
Have you ever thought of an all-in-one YouTube downloader? Something that can help you download, edit, convert and transfer the content from YouTube and other websites? Well, Wondershare AllMyTube is right that thing. That’s why we’ve chosen it as the best all-in-one YouTube downloader out there.
You should be considering Wondershare AllMyTube if you want to ignore using multiple tools at once. It gets the job done without much fuss. Awesome, huh?
What we loved in Wondershare AllMyTube?
Wondershare AllMyTube just rocks the stage when it comes to additional features. We’ll keep it short.
Built-in Converter: Unlike the other YouTube video downloaders we checked out, Wondershare AllMyTube has a dedicated and well-built option for converting videos. You will be able to convert not only downloaded videos but also the other videos you have on your device. You can simply drag and drop the file to start the conversion process. It even comes with device profiles for easy conversion.
Content Transfer: Although not as good as SYC 2, Wondershare AllMyTube allows you to transfer content to your smartphone devices as well. Here, however, you can connect either your iOS or Android device for data transfer. The full process takes some time, but you have some convenience. You would have to install some apps on the device for easy transfer, though.
Recording and Browser: Wondershare AllMyTube packs a built-in Recorder utility along with other features. You can use it to record content from your screen. Browser, on the other hand, is an awesome way to explore popular sites without leaving the program. You can check out the content and will then be able to download everything with ease and control.
On any day, you can’t go wrong with Wondershare AllMyTube. It packs so many features that will help you in downloading and managing videos from YouTube and other platforms.
The software is available for both macOS and Windows. If you have a Mac that runs on 10.10 or later versions, you can install this program. You can also try the free version of Wondershare AllMyTube with some limited features. However, for complete features, you will have to pay $19 per year or $29 for the Lifetime license.
Other YouTube video grabbers we considered
Although they did not make it to the top four list, these are the other best YouTube downloaders you can be considering on any day. We will do a brief overview of all.
Airy YouTube Downloader

Airy is definitely a popular, minimalist tool for downloading videos from YouTube. It works for YouTube videos, and not for other video platforms. Starting from the User Interface, Airy is just simple. You will be able to start everything in seconds. Once you have pasted the URL, you can select the desired quality and Airy would start the download ASAP.
There aren’t many added features in the package, and we think Airy can be too minimalistic at times. The point is that you may miss some features that you actually need in the long run. That having said, we would be recommending Airy if you need something so simple and straightforward for downloading YouTube videos.
Airy YouTube Downloader is available for macOS and it costs $19.95. You can download up to three videos using the free version.
4K Video Downloader
As the name says, 4K Video Downloader is a tool that allows you to download YouTube videos in 4K quality. Of course, almost all the tools we have listed above can do this. However, 4K Video Downloader does a great job since we are talking about a dedicated tool. Once again, the process is straightforward, and the download tool can pick up the YouTube URL from the clipboard.
There are some cool features, though. For instance, the Smart Mode allows you to download videos in just a single click. Subscriptions feature, on the other hand, will download newly-uploaded videos from channels you have subscribed.
4K Video Downloader is available for Mac and is free to use. You can upgrade to premium for extra features.
MacX YouTube Downloader
This is your best shot if you are looking for the practically free YouTube downloader out there. MacX YouTube Downloader does get the job done and the speeds are also pretty great. Of course, you can expect standard features from the package but that’s it. Although the name says so, MacX YouTube Downloader allows you to download videos from more than 300 websites.
One thing we thought is that MacX YouTube Downloader could be faster in terms of UI. It takes a while for the program to analyze videos and process them for download. Regardless of all these, you can use the tool to download YouTube videos at 4K quality, given that you choose the right format. We think that’s great if you consider the utility of all.
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MacX YouTube Downloader is available for Mac and is free cost.
ClipGrab for Mac
ClipGrab for Mac is one of the very few free YouTube downloaders for Mac. Of course, being a free tool, it’s some downsides, but they don’t matter much. You can use ClipGrab for Mac for downloading videos at up to full HD quality. An integrated Search feature makes it really easy to find and download videos. You can simply enter some search terms and appropriate YouTube results would appear.
Once that is done, ClipGrab for Mac would let you download the file into MPEG4 or MP3. There aren’t many fancy features to talk about in ClipGrab for Mac. However, you can control the download and conversion process to the maximum. You can even manage the Metadata of the file. Considering that it has some advanced features, this free YouTube video downloader is worth it.
ClipGrab for Mac is completely free to use. It’s available for Windows and Linux as well.
What about YouTube Premium? Can it save video to computer?
YouTube Premium(formerly known as YouTube Red) is a subscription service from YouTube. It packs a number of features such as downloading videos, ad-free playback and background playback. Currently, the package contains access to YouTube Music as well.
But it doesn’t come free. YouTube Premium is priced at $11.99 per month. So, you have to pay more than $120 a year for watching YouTube videos without ads and offline playback. On the bright side, you will have access to YouTube original content and background playback options.
Can YouTube Premium save videos to computer?
NO.
YouTube Premium lets you save YouTube videos only to Android/iOS devices. So, you cannot save videos to your Mac or Windows PC.
And, you know the worst part? All the downloaded videos are automatically deleted after 30 days. And YouTube has brought 1080p downloads to the official iOS and Android apps.many phones have now gone past that; the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have resolutions that exceed 1080p, for instance.
Considering all these points, it makes more sense to download YouTube videos using a dedicated YouTube downloader for Mac above.
Last but not least, is it illegal to download YouTube videos?
Technically, it’s illegal to download YouTube videos. The official Terms and Conditions page of YouTube says:
“You shall not download any Content unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.You shall not copy, reproduce, make available online or electronically transmit, publish, adapt, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content. YouTube and its licensors reserve all rights not expressly granted in and to the Service and the Content.”
Going by definition, you cannot download YouTube videos for offline watching, but that’s just a definition. Unless you are downloading the video and publishing it elsewhere, there’s nothing to worry.
Practically speaking, you can download YouTube videos and watch them later. As long as you don’t use the videos for commercial purposes, YouTube downloading is legal.
Bottom line
So, which YouTube Downloader is your best bet? Depending on your needs.
If you are looking for something that offers the best speed and iOS-based features, Softorino YouTube Converter 2 seems to be the right shot, any given day. Nevertheless, there are times when you need something like Wondershare AllMyTube, especially if you want to do more than simply downloading the video.
Except for the four tools we mentioned last, it’s true that every YouTube downloader here packs some additional features. And, these features would come in handy if you are a content creator or someone who compiles different types of media from YouTube.
While iTunes itself is a next to complete Mac music player, there are plenty of good options out there that are far superior then default iTunes. If you are not a big fan of iTunes interface and UI design, then you are in luck as we’ve done tons of research for the best music players for Mac. Despite of being an inbuilt media player, iTunes lacks essential features. Of course, it is inevitable as it helps in syncing your iOS devices to cloud and PC, but is it a good Mac music player? iTunes player interface is pretty dull, features are limited, options are confusing. In case if you are tired of default iTunes player, then there are plentiful handy options available available for you. Perfectionist Apple developers have always outed superlative products– Mac Books, iPhone and iPad are living breathing examples of it.
It would be exaggerating to say that there are no comparable music player for Mac OS available. iTunes is so acutely integrated into the system that it handles most of the music related errands – music, vide0, podcasts, ringtones, apps etc. If you own Apple mobile device, then you’re likely to prefer iTunes more. However, all these reasons shouldn’t stop us from exploring other top Mac music player which requires our due attention. Moreover, iTunes is far from the best music player, if we strictly restrict ourselves to music related features only. Like, VLC player, it doesn’t support almost all the formats available on the earth.
Best Mac Music Player [Free]
Considering certain functions like music sync, supported formats and other, we’re providing an extensive list of best Mac music player in 2019.

Note: The original article was posted back in 2012 and it has been updated to cover few more players. We also welcome Mac developers and enthusiastic readers to suggest their favorite music player. We’d be more than happy to add them in our extensive list of Mac music player.
Contents
- 1 Best Mac Music Player [Free]
- 2 Best Mac Music Player [Paid]
Elmedia Player
Elmedia Player is a media player for macOS that can serve you as a free music player for Mac with the highest standards of playback. It works with iTunes content smoothly no matter the format: MP3, MP4, or audio CDs. This app can go well as a music downloader and audio receiver in PRO version (paid version). It can stream the music to a computer with larger speakers connected. The PRO version has a variety of settings for playing your music files: headphone virtualization feature makes the sound realistic and dimensional, graphic equalizer, music collection storage with search through playlists option etc. Also, you can bookmark any spot of the file and resume it, especially for audiobooks, podcasts, extended DJ mixes, etc.
Clementine
Clementine comes at the top due to sheer amount features it has to offer. It’s just not only letting you enjoy the ecstasy of music, but also offers a handful of features which are not available in other free best Mac music player. The prominent feature it boasts is support for synchronization of Apple and non-Apple music device. While UI or appearance might be put off for some of us, but beneath it there is a rock solid application with many features. It nicely integrates with an existing iTunes library and supports facility of listening various radio stations. Integration of Spotify, Grooveshark, Last.fm, SomaFM, Jamendo, Icecast and Magnatune can be turned on for many of us. Nonetheless, features like organizing the music library and other basic tasks are already available this next to the perfect music player for Mac. It does have an ability to transcoding music in any format like Mp3, FLAC, Ogg, AAC.
The other notable features are tabbed playlist, dynamic playlist, CUE sheet, edit tags, desktop notification, remote control using Wii remote. It is available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS system.
Wouldn’t it be great if you can download Chinese music and listen to them on your favorite music player?
VLC Player
VLC is an open source music player touted to be the only player on the earth that plays virtually anything. VLC is a multi platform supported music player also available on the Mac platform. It offers abundance features including music streaming, remote control, WiFi operation, music controllers and more. It is one stop solution for your every music related needs. This free music player for Mac is being updated regularly, so is the best bet. Unlike, Clementine, it’s interface is more appealing and has been done more perfectly. There are several themes or skins made available by the community members to give VLC a makeover. Sound equalizer, effect, hotkeys, video options make you want to crave for more features. You can even use your iPhone and other iOS device to remotely control the playlist on VLC. A nice but geeky addition that not all users may find enticing. You could add more extensions from the library to add more control.
Miro
Miro has got a facelift as far as UI concerns. The sleek and dark music player works smoothly on any Mac OS version. Being a free music player, it does justify its worthiness as a top contender of Clementine and iTunes altogether. It seamlessly integrates with iTunes library. You can manage music library or export to an external device to use it on another device. It offers streams of options to control the music and videos being played on. Socially inclined people can even send it to Digg, Delicious, Reddit and Video Bomb (follow our list of twitter clients for Mac here and Windows 8 here).
Seamless BitTorrent integrations bring an easy option to download individual files and listen to them. Miro player is available on Mac, Windows and Linux platform. It is seemingly one of the sleekest music player for Mac users. Miro also offers a free video converter which you can utilize to perform various tasks.
Also read Notepad++ alternative for Mac
Best Mac Music Player [Paid]
Believe me, deciding the best Mac music player for in paid section is much difficult task. There are a handful of options available, and most of them are offered in the same price range. We’ve tried to skip costlier affair as much as we could do. The comparison is not just merely on price factor but also a fair number of features they have to offer.
Sonora
Sonora‘s interface of the application closely resembles to iTunes. But don’t let the simplicity fool you, beneath there is a one of the most featured rich music player available to date. Apple and its developers believe in providing simple and clutter free interface and Sonora is the beautiful example of it. The interface is although simple, but offers visually immersive browsing experience. You can make a quick search anywhere from the app. It supports a plethora of other formats to give you seamless music experience. You no longer need to look for a separate converter to convert your music to a compatible format. The auto sync feature syncs iTunes library for you. The social element will let you enjoy streaming music from last.fm radio. Sonora has received rave reviews from leading blogs of the industry, which itself speaks for the commendable job performed by the developer.
Enqueue
Music App On Mac
Enqueue has earned a good name within a short period of span. This lightweight paid music player for Mac is all about mesmerizing features and number of options to enjoy the music to the fullest. The app is design cleverly, so it doesn’t take a toll on the resource. Extensive file support makes it another wannabe flac player on your Mac. Its extensive support also includes popular music formats. The drag-drop song feature will allow you to quickly build your playlist. Even dragging out works smoothly, which makes it tad easy to remove redundant entry from the playlist. The player is so smart to detect changes made in folder- add file or rename files and it will automatically detect it. iTunes library sync, last.fm support are few more features which will entice you to buy this app immediately. Growl notification will give you notification on your Mac. IT is available for $9.99 in the iTunes store.
Decibel
Decibel is yet another powerful music player for Mac users. Unlike, previous two paid music players, Decibel costs more. Its price has been set at whopping $33 mark, which may force users to look for free or cheaper alternative. It supports FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Musepack, WavPack, Monkey’s Audio, Apple Lossless and many other popular formats. Since the audio is processed at 64-bit floating point precision, it tends to give the best music quality. It offers minimal interface, but plethoras of options.
Best Music Apps For Mac Free Online
There are many other applications out there. Android users can take a look at the video player for Android list as well. According to you, which one is your top Mac music player? It could be free or paid app. Have your say, we are here to hear your opinion.