Ade Malsasa Akbar contact
Senior author, Open Source enthusiast.
Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 16:46

This is a simple tutorial to download YouTube videos for everyone, in every computer and phone device at no cost. This is good for your software freedom as well as privacy. Now let's download some!

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Benefits

  • Everyone can download videos they want for free without limits.
  • Teachers & students can quickly get video materials they need. 
  • Downloaded videos can be edited and shared with friends.
  • Fast & no redundant works. 
  • Save internet quota.
  • Save battery life (for laptop and phone).
  • Instances (youtube.com doesn't have it).
  • Ability to search (savefrom.net doesn't have it).
  • Ability to read comments (idem).
  • Suggested videos (idem).
  • Ability to create custom playlists (idem).
  • No ads.
  • No DRM.
  • No Google account.
  • No online tracking against users.

 

Easiest Method

Invidious is the easiest method you can do on computer, laptop as well as phone:

1. Run web browser.

2. Visit https://invidio.us.

3. Feel free to select one choice on the list.

4. Invidious page will open. 

5. Search for video you want at the top.

6. Click video to play it. 

7. Click Download at the button at the bottom. 

8. Video downloaded. 

9. Repeat step 5-8 for another videos.

If you're used to this, it's pretty easy and straightforward, so you will find no need anymore to go to youtube.com to download videos.

  (Invidious web, viewing a YouTube video of DistroTube)


Desktop App Method

If you do not want to use Invidious, FreeTube is a free/libre application for PC and laptop that allows you to search, watch, download YouTube videos. It's available for Windows and MacOS aside from Ubuntu.

1. Run FreeTube. 

2. Search for a video you want. 

3. Click Download. 

4. Video downloaded. 

5. Repeat step 2-4 for other videos. 

If you don't have FreeTube yet, you can install it first. We hope FreeTube soon to get distributed officially by Debian and Ubuntu.

 (FreeTube playing a Canonical video by Mark Shuttleworth)


Phone Method 

NewPipe is the best free/libre software alternative to (in our opinion, it's better than) YouTube App for Android phone. Try it yourself:

1. Run NewPipe. 

2. Search for video you want. 

3. Tap Download then OK.

4. Video downloaded. 

5. Repeat step 2-4 to download other videos. 

If you do not have NewPipe, download it from the official website.

 (NewPipe, a glimpse of how it works for you | Source: F-Droid)

Command Line Method

youtube-dl is the world most popular YouTube downloader software with additional support for hundreds of other video sharing websites too. It also supports Windows and MacOS aside from Ubuntu operating system.

1. Run Terminal. 

2. Type command line below:

$ youtube-dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PZ65s2qLTE

Replace the URL address with the video you want.

If you do not have the command yet, install it by $ sudo apt-get install youtube-dl.

3. Video downloaded.


More Alternatives

PeerTube, is the future competitor to YouTube.

Privacy Redirects, if you want all youtube.com automatically goes to the alternatives instead.

Awesome Alternatives, a list of a lot of free software alternatives for our good life.


That's all. 



This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.