LilYTDownloader

Unlike what Google might want you to believe, you don’t need Premium to download YouTube videos. Being resourceful on the web can get you far, and suffice to say, the market for YouTube downloader tools is filled already. There are so many solutions out there that you can afford to be choosy.

What remains is for you to find the right tool for your needs. Though LilYTDownloader’s setup process involves a few extra steps than just running a setup wizard, the software is nevertheless worth considering if simplicity is what you’re after.

Initially, users will have to execute the setup file, which is a process that we should all be familiar with by now. The installation will proceed as usual, and the tool’s interface will appear shortly thereafter.

After that, you’ll need to download the extension and unzip it, then enable your browser’s Developer Mode. Click the Load Unpacked button on your browser’s Extensions menu and select the relevant file. That’s all there is to it.

There aren’t many solutions that do this, but essentially, all you’ll have to do is navigate to a clip you wish to download, click the extension, and choose the file type you need: you can download the video normally, or just the audio stream.

Give your to-be-downloaded video a name, specify where to save it, and click Download. The app will handle it from that point.

The program is quite obviously geared toward minimalism and ease of use, yet that also seems to apply to its functionalities. As such, it’s understandable that some users may instead look to other tools that afford them more control, such as selecting the video or audio formats to save as, taking advantage of batch downloading, and so on.

As it stands, LilYTDownloader indeed has a fitting name, for better or worse. I appreciated the tool’s overall ease of use, but the lack of configurability and generally minimal feature set leave some to be desired.