TechRadar Verdict
It's not the most powerful free video downloader around, but for grabbing the occasional clip, this little program is a great choice. Its file converter and cutting tools are welcome additions.
Pros
- +
Includes video converter and player
- +
Simple editing tools
Cons
- -
Can only download or convert one video at a time
- -
Downloads are quite slow
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YTD Video Downloader can grab clips from sites including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and many more video hosting sites (provided you have the copyright holder’s permission, of course). The free version of the software is supported by ads, but these are unobtrusive and won’t get in the way of your downloading.
Download here: https://www.ytddownloader.com/
Type: Video downloader
Developer: GreenTree Applications
Operating system: Windows, Mac
Version: 3.1
At first glance it looks like most other free video downloaders – paste in a video’s URL and click the button – but delving a little deeper reveals lots of other features that will help you get just the footage you want, in exactly the right format for your device.
It’s a shame that half the options visible on YTD Video Downloader's home screen aren’t available in the free version, but exploring the Convert, Activity and Play tabs reveals an excellent set of tools available gratis.
User experience
When it comes to grabbing files, YTD Video Downloader works like most other tools of its kind: just copy the URL of the video you want to save, then paste it into the text box provided. Pick a quality setting and a destination for the saved file, then click Download and let the software do its work. It’s not lightning fast (the premium version offers accelerated downloads), but it’s fine for grabbing the occasional video here and there, and definitely more convenient than web-based YouTube downloaders.
YTD Video Downloader also includes a converter that can save video files in a variety of formats (there are ready-made profiles for popular smartphones and other devices, or you can create a custom one. You can also make some basic edits. If you already know what you want to cut a few seconds off the beginning and/or end of the video, enter times for the start and end points and the rest will be trimmed away before it’s converted. It’s a shame there’s way to scrub through the video to make this easier, but it’s a welcome addition all the same.
YTD Video Downloader’s final tool is a simple player. It’s nothing flashy, but saves you opening a separate program if you want to see how your saved clips look and decide whether they need trimming.
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