yt-dlp
Free command-line downloader for thousands of sites, now needs Windows 10+
YouTube downloader for PC: what to check before you install
A YouTube downloader for PC is a small program that writes files to your disk and talks to the network, so a few checks before installing save trouble later. This guide looks at ads, installer size, update dates and licence. The catalog lists 7 tools for Windows in 2026, and every one is free.
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Size varies a lot. Open Video Downloader is 4.3 MB, while Nickvision Parabolic is 223.9 MB. Update dates matter too: yt-dlp reached version 2026.10.26 on October 26, 2026, and several tools here are built around it. Licences run from Unlicense and MIT to AGPL-3.0-only and proprietary EULAs.
Confirm ad status on each download page. This page recommends open-source tools only, which is why the picks below are all FOSS.
Apps in this category
Open Video Downloader
Free, open-source Windows GUI that wraps yt-dlp in a small 4.3 MB app
YTDownloader
Free GPL-3.0 Windows downloader with batch mode and a Windows Arm build
Stacher
Free Windows GUI for yt-dlp and youtube-dl forks, version 7.1.13
4K Video Downloader
Free Windows video and audio downloader from Open Media LLC, v4.33.5.0172
Nickvision Parabolic
Free MIT-licensed Windows front end for downloading web video and audio
MediaHuman YouTube Downloader
Free Windows tool that saves YouTube playlists and channels as video or audio
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Top 5 picks
yt-dlp
yt-dlp is a command-line downloader at 22.5 MB, version 2026.10.26, released October 26, 2026. That is the most recent update date in this list. It is released under the Unlicense and supports thousands of sites. It is a fork of youtube-dl via youtube-dlc. There is no window to click through, so expect to type commands.
Open Video Downloader
Open Video Downloader is the smallest install here at 4.3 MB. It is a cross-platform GUI for yt-dlp built with Tauri and Vue 3, version 3.2.1, last updated July 5, 2026. The licence is AGPL-3.0-only. Its update date is older than yt-dlp's own, so check the project page for newer releases.
YTDownloader
YTDownloader 4.0.1 was updated on August 26, 2026 and uses the GPL-3.0 licence. At 126.7 MB it is a mid-sized install. It downloads video and extracts audio in several formats from hundreds of sites, with YouTube, Twitch and Instagram named in its description.
Nickvision Parabolic
Nickvision Parabolic is MIT-licensed, version 2026.5.0, updated May 24, 2026. At 223.9 MB it is the largest install in the list, so it suits a PC with spare disk space. It downloads web video and audio. Read the project page for further feature detail.
Questions and answers
How much disk space do these downloaders need?
Installer sizes in the catalog range from 4.3 MB for Open Video Downloader to 223.9 MB for Nickvision Parabolic. yt-dlp is 22.5 MB and YTDownloader is 126.7 MB. Size alone says little about quality, but it helps if your drive is tight.
How can I tell whether a downloader is still maintained?
Look at the last update date. yt-dlp was updated on October 26, 2026, YTDownloader on August 26, 2026, and Open Video Downloader on July 5, 2026. A recent date is a reasonable sign of activity.
Does the catalog say which downloaders show ads?
No. Ad-free status is not confirmed for any of the 7 entries, so none is marked as ad-free here. Check the official download page and the installer screens before you accept anything extra.
Related categories
Best-of lists
Before installing, write down the version and date shown here, then compare them with the project's own download page. Open Video Downloader at 3.2.1 and YTDownloader at 4.0.1 are examples of numbers worth matching. If two tools look equal, pick the licence you are comfortable with and the update date closest to today. Rules on downloading vary by site, so read the terms of the service you use before saving anything.