Since the launch of YouTube, plenty of unofficial downloaders have been released. Its hard to keep track of which service to use as people usually end up googling and looking at a thousand search results. Lets look at some of the best websites and plugins that allows us to download YouTube videos.
Websites
KeepVid : A very minimalistic and simple website that allows you to download videos in two formats. Low quality FLV or high quality MP4. They also offer a very useful bookmark button. If you like a video you are watching on YouTube, just click on the KeepVid bookmark and it’ll cut down plenty of steps to make it easier for you to download.
Downloadyoutubevideos : A very easy to remember website which allows you to download in only one format however and has plenty of ads on their site. Visit only as your last resort.
Catchyoutube : Featuring more than half a dozen formats to choose from, catchyoutube is a very busy site indeed. At the time of this writing the website is bogged down by thousands of users. The website offers a simple interface with a wide variety of formats to choose from like WMV, MOV, MP4, MP3, FLV, DVD etc. Downside of this site is that, after you have requested for a video download it takes bit of time to ping back with a download link as the format conversion from the native flash video goes on at their server.
KeepHD : With the transition from Standard to High Definition striding at a faster pace than we can feel, it was inevitable for YouTube to implement HD format. With the help of KeepHD, you can download high definition videos as normal FLV, MP4, 720p or 1080p videos!
SaveTube : Another to-the-point website that offers very quick download service. Just paste your link in the field and download away! Beware of the horde of ads.
Downloader9 : A very plain and light weight website that allows very quick download service. Offers two formats for downloads – Low quality FLV and high quality MP4.
Plugins
Firefox
1-Click Video Download : Adds plenty of format options below your YouTube video for download. The plugin also supports downloading HQ videos at 720p and 1080p resolutions.
YouTube to MP3 : If you wish to only download audio this plugin helps to do just that. Install the plugin and it adds two options to download audio in normal MP3 and high quality MP3 formats.
Flash Video Downloader : A fully featured plugin that allows you to download flash videos from 200+ video stream capable websites with one click. The plugin adds a small download icon at the bottom of your browser. The plugin also supports different formats like MP3, MP4, FLV, AVI, etc.
Chrome
Youtube Video Downloader : Currently the only Chrome extension that allows download of YouTube videos. Provides download in FLV, 3GP, MP3, MP4, 720p, 1080p formats.
You need a flash player if you choose to download videos in FLV format. Download VLC player or if you prefer Windows Media Player, install Vista Codec Pack plugin. This plugin can play any format you throw at it just like VLC.