With a safe and reliable YouTube audio downloader, you can download all kinds of clips from YouTube in just a few clicks. Whether you want to listen to music offline anytime and anywhere without ads, or extract audio from video to save traffic and space, you will need a powerful third-party downloader. However, if you search for YouTube audio downloader for Mac on a search engine, hundreds of results will pop up, making it difficult to distinguish which ones best suit your needs.
This article provides a detailed review and comparison of the best and latest YouTube audio downloaders for Mac with features, prices and pros & cons, etc., to help you choose the best one to download audio from YouTube on Mac.
Best for any audio download from YouTube on Mac with fast speed and high quality
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
Latest Version: v9.0.0
iFunia YouTube Downloader for Mac is a handy multimedia downloader that lets you download any audio and video from YouTube in different formats and quality you like. By Only 3 simple steps, you can download YouTube audio, channels, and playlists in few clicks. Copy and paste the URL into the box, select your desired format and resolution, then click the Download button.
This app offers Mac users a one-stop solution to download and convert YouTube audios and videos to the most popular formats, including M4A, MP4, WebM, and more. Whether you want to download playlists, audiobooks, or other audios, iFunia will grab and download them for you. Its simple and intuitive user interface not only makes it very easy to use, but also saves installation space. Also, the batch download feature allows you to download multiple clips at once, quickly and safely.
Price: free trial available; $49.99/lifetime license, discount for multiple Macs; 30-days money back guarantee.
Free Download macOS 10.11 or later
Best for the 3-in-1 functionality.
Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
Latest Version: v2.1.2
EaseUS Video Downloader for Mac is a paid downloader that lets you download YouTube audio on Mac with no quality loss. There are 2 ways available to download audios from YouTube on Mac. The users can download through searching in the built browser, or copy-n-paste the URL. It is also a video to MP3 converter to extract audio from video files.
However, if you are a free user, you can only download 2 clips from YouTube. Also, you need to upgrade to the Pro version to unlock playlist and channel downloading.
Price: free trial available; 1 month-$29.99; 1 year-$49.99; lifetime upgrades - $69.99
Best for online search and the easy-to-use YouTube cutter.
Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later
Latest Version: v6.4.1
iTubeGo can grab and download audio from YouTube and other 10,000+ sites. The user can download YouTube videos and convert and save them in popular formats such as MP3. But it is quite inconvenient to choose the output quality for each file before downloading, as you have to change in the Settings.
The built YouTube Cutter allows the user to cut videos and audios from YouTube online easily. You can cut your preferred length of a YouTube clip by setting the start and end time.
It is a useful YouTube audio downloader for Mac if you want make changes on the audio clips easily.
Price: free trial available; $12.95 for 1-Month Plan; $25.95 for 1-Year Plan; $35.95 for Lifetime Plan; $45.95 for Family lifetime plan
Best for free and basic audio download from YouTube.
Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or later
Latest Version: v3.9.7
ClipGrab is a completely free YouTube audio downloader for Mac. It is a good choice to download YouTube audio or convert video automatically. The interface is very user-friendly. It can grab the clip and download it in several formats. Besides YouTube, it also supports downloads from Vimeo, Facebook and Dailymotion.
But ClipGrab cannot detect and download the whole playlist from YouTube with a URL. Also, there is also no quality option for audio downloading.
Price: free
Best for easy audio extraction.
Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
Latest Version: v4.6.11
Downie is a handy YouTube audio downloader for Mac with basic functions and features. The user can drag a link from the browser onto Downie's window or the icon in the Dock to start parsing and downloading. It provides auto postprocessing to extract audio only. It also supports downloading from over 1000 sites and the number is still growing. For those who need a simple but powerful audio downloader for Mac, Downie is one of the best choices.
However, it can't download the whole playlist or set the output quality for audio files.
Price: free trial for 7 days; $19.99 for a license
Best as a full-featured toolbox.
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
Latest version: v14.2.4
Wondershare UniConverter for MAC is a full-featured toolbox for downloading, converting, compressing and editing any multimedia file. You can download YouTube audios, videos and playlists and save them on your Mac in any format and quality you want. More than just a YouTube audio downloader, it is also a converter, compressor, editor and merger, allowing you to make personalized changes easily. It is a top YouTube audio downloader for those who have higher demands in audio downloading and editing.
Price: free version available; $49.99/Year; $69.99/2-Year; $79.99/Perpetual plan
iFunia | EaseUS | iTubeGo | ClipGrab | Downie | Wondershare | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price for perpetual plan | $49.99 | $69.99 | $35.95 | Free | $19.99 | $79.99 |
Compatibility (macOS) |
10.11 or later |
10.13 or later |
10.10 or later |
10.12 or later |
10.13 or later |
10.11 or later |
Audio quality options | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | × | × | ✔ |
Whole playlist download | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | × | × | ✔ |
Audio output formats |
M4A, MP3 |
MP3, WAV | Most popular formats |
MP3, OGG |
MP3 | Most popular formats |
Free to download |
3 clips | 2 clips | 3 clips | Unlimited |
Available for 7 days |
1 clip |
Supported websites |
1000+ | 1000+ | 10,000+ | 4 major sites | 1000+ | 10,000+ |
User friendliness |
Excellent | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good |
30-day money back guarantee | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Free | × | ✔ |
Total rating |
5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
Comparing these 6 audio downloaders for Mac in terms of price, versatility, download speed and quality, supported websites, stability and ease of use, we are convinced that iFunia YouTube Downloader is one of the best YouTube audio downloaders for Mac. You can download the free version to try it before purchasing a lifetime license.
You can follow steps below to download any YouTube audio with ease:
Free Download macOS 10.11 or later
Step 1: Download and install the app
Get the latest version of iFunia YouTube Downloader on your Mac. Run it, and it displays a simple interface.
Step 2: Copy the URL of any YouTube clip
Visit YouTube on your computer, find any clip you want and right-click on it to copy the URL by selecting "Copy video URL".
Step 3: Paste the URL
Paste the copied URL into the address box and tap on the "+" to start parsing. If the URL belongs to a whole playlist, iFunia will detect it and show you all the clips for download.
Step 4: Choose an output format and quality to download
Click the drop-down icon of the "Format" box to choose any format with different qualities. For example, you can select "m4a" to download audio only. Then, you can start downloading audio from YouTube by clicking the "Download" icon.
After the download, you can hit the "Checkmark" icon to find the just downloaded YouTube audios on Mac.
There are a number of websites where you can download audio from YouTube on Mac without having to install a desktop app. If you do not have high demands on the quality and speed of the download, you can try the following sites to download audio from YouTube:
However, we still highly recommend that you use a desktop downloader designed for Mac such as iFunia YouTube Downloader, instead of using online websites which have limited functionality and can pose potential security risks. These website downloaders do not offer batch download or multiple output formats and quality options. Also, there are always annoying pop-up ads each time you download. Try the above recommended YouTube audio downloaders on Mac for free to get rid of all these problems and enjoy a clean and fast downloading experience.
Instead of spending $11.99 per month for the YouTube Premium to download audio, you can try the 6 best YouTube audio downloaders for Mac listed above to download and enjoy offline listening without any ads.
Different needs, different choices. We have tested many popular YouTube downloaders for Mac users. Though they differ in price, features, versatility, etc., they are all clean, safe and easy to use. I hope this article can help you to choose the best YouTube audio downloader for Mac.
Cheryl has been writing tutorials, reviews, and how-to articles on consumer apps since 2016. She specializes in multimedia products and is always testing on Mac, PC, and various devices.