TV-replacement, podcasting platform, music streaming, Youtube seems to do it all.
I mean, who doesn’t love YouTube?
But when it comes to listening to music on YouTube, there’s one big problem:
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Streaming videos whenever you want to listen to some jams are going to use a lot of data.
Even if you listen to music on the lowest quality, it’s still going to add up. And if you’re caught without data, that means there’s no music for you.
There’s an easy fix for this, though, which is downloading the music yourself so you can listen offline using an online youtube to mp3 converter.
Let’s dive into your best options for listening to music offline.
Youtube Premium (and friends)
Youtube Premium is a solid choice for listening to your favorite tunes offline; it’s got quite a few things going for it:
- First, when you use Youtube Premium, you’re not just limited to music. You’ve got access to any of the videos available on the platform.
- Youtube Premium is ad-free, which makes for a much less frustrating experience than listening to the free version of Youtube and having ads cut you off at the best part of a song.
- Using Youtube as your primary music streaming service is convenient. You’re probably already on the platform frequently, and all you have to do is click the “download” button to get offline access.
But Youtube Premium still has its drawbacks.
For one, while Youtube Premium has its fair share of features to make music-streaming a smooth experience, at the end of the day, it’s not a dedicated music streaming service.
And since it’s all integrated into the Youtube app, you won’t be able to take your offline videos and stream them from a more music-friendly app.
While they do have Youtube Music, it’s not quite as strong as some of the other players in the same space.
And the reason that many of us aren’t already using the service is that it isn’t free.
For some of us, another monthly subscription just doesn’t fit in the budget. So using a service like Youtube Premium for offline music streaming isn’t an option.
We could cover some of the alternatives like:
- Spotify
- Google Play
- Or Apple Music
These are all solid contenders, but they’re not the free option we’re looking for.
When it comes to free music streaming, there’s one excellent option that comes to mind:
Youtube to MP3 Converters
Youtube To Mp3 converters are one of the best streaming alternatives out there.
While they might not have all the bells and whistles that an app like Spotify has, they get the job done, and they do it for free.
How to convert a Youtube video to MP3
The nice thing about Youtube to MP3 converters is that they’re pretty simple to use.
Even though each one has its nuances, they all largely work in the same way.
First, you go to Youtube to find the video you want to download.
After that, just plug the link into the converter and wait for it to prep.
It’s usually as simple(or simpler) than that.
Some Youtube to MP3 services will even let you download whole playlists at a time.
One important thing you should keep in mind, though, is that it’s against Youtube’s guidelines to download copyrighted videos without permission from the owner.
So before you go downloading a whole playlist, make sure you’re allowed to download the music first.
Desktop apps vs. Online Youtube to MP3 converters
When you want to convert some videos from Youtube to Mp3, you’ve got two options:
Browser-based websites or desktop apps.
Each one has its own things going for it, but to keep things simple, here are the main differences:
Browser-based Youtube to MP3 converters are usually going to be slower, have more ads, and fewer features.
But that doesn’t discount them by any means. Fewer features and the ability to use them from the browser makes them a bit more accessible and convenient.
As a rule of thumb, if you’re going to be converting Youtube videos to MP3(or any other format) often, then you’ll probably want to go with an app instead of a browser-based converter.
If converting videos is only going to be a one-time ordeal, or you’ll only do it once in a blue moon, then browser-based options work just fine.
So let’s cover some of the best choices from both categories:
The 5 best online Youtube to MP3 converters
1) Keepvid
What I like about Keepvid
- Not limited to Youtube
One of the nicest things about KeepVid is that you’re not just limited to downloading Youtube videos.
With Keepvid, you can convert videos from Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and according to their website, over 1000 more video-hosting sites.
- Playlist Support
Keepvid allows you to upload a full Youtube playlist instead of doing each conversion one by one.
When you’re trying to convert large quantities of videos, adding each link can get pretty tedious, so it’s nice to have the option to upload an entire playlist at once.
What I don’t like
- Lots of ads & pop-ups
One of the main drawbacks of using most online converters is that they have quite a bit of ads.
When you use Keepvid, you can expect to have a pop-up ad with almost every button click.
- Relatively slow
Another one of Keepvid’s drawbacks is that it’s far from the fastest converter.
While, again, this is a common problem amongst online Youtube to MP3 converters, it still makes using Keepvid that much less convenient. However, the ability to upload a whole playlist at once remedies this to an extent since you can put the playlist in and let it do its thing.
2) BigConverter
What I like about BigConverter
- Simple
BigConverter is super simple to use. No bells, no whistles, just a field to put your link in. As far as Youtube to MP3 converters goes, it’s as simple as things get.
- It’s also a video converter
While MP3 may what you’re looking for, BigConverter’s MP4 video converter works beautifully.
While BigConverter isn’t ad-free, it does have a clean home screen that doesn’t look too spammy.
- Fast (as far as online converters go)
BigConverter is a pretty fast service considering that it’s browser-based. It didn’t take too long to convert 40+ minute videos into MP3s, which is a refreshing change compared to its competitors.
What I don’t like
- Pop-up ad when converting
Like I mentioned before, BigConverter isn’t devoid of ads. When you initially convert your video, you might be greeted with the above pop-up ad.
Fortunately, this isn’t nearly as invasive as some other converters, so I’ll give it a pass this time.
- No playlist support
The only other downside to BigConverter is the lack of playlist support.
This shouldn’t be a dealbreaker if you’re only looking to download a few videos. But if you have plans to revamp your whole music selection, you might be better off with another service.
3) YoutubeToMp3
What I like about YoutubeToMp3
- Very straightforward
The main thing going for YoutubeToMp3 is that it’s one of the more convenient options out there.
It’s got a clean interface that’s simple to use, and the most useful thing about it is you can use it straight from Youtube itself.
Instead of taking the link from Youtube and plugging it into YoutubeToMp3, you can just add the phrase “bit” in the Youtube URL. (right before the “Youtube” part of the link)
- MP4 options
Another nice feature that YoutubeToMp3 brings to the table is MP4 support. If you want to download the video and not just audio from Youtube, you’ve got the option.
What I don’t like
- Trick pop-ups
Typically, pop-ups are annoying but easily managed. With YoutubeToMp3, the pop-up is a bit misleading, though.
It always gives you a pop-up that says something along the lines of “download ready” every time. If you know to expect it, it’s not hard to avoid, but if you’re not aware beforehand, it might trick you into downloading something you don’t want to.
- No playlist support
Again, if you need to download videos in bulk, YoutubeToMp3 probably isn’t the site for you since there’s no playlist support.
4) Mp3 Cyborg
What I like about Mp3 Cyborg
- No ads or pop-ups
Mp3 Cyborg really stands out when it comes to browser-based converters. For one, there are no ads or pop-ups.
Instead of relying on ads for website upkeep, Mp3 Cyborg is a donation-based operation. This makes for a much more seamless user experience.
- Speedy downloads
While still not as fast as its desktop-based counterparts, Mp3 Cyborg converts videos quicker than your average browser converter.
- Simple to use
Mp3 Cyborg is also a super easy-to-use MP3 converter, which only further helps the user experience stand out. It’s got a clean, satisfying interface without any unnecessary extras to convolute things.
- Plenty of other functions
Converting social media posts to images, online timers, and more.
Mp3 Cyborg doesn’t just offer an Mp3 converting service, they’ve got a whole suite of useful apps, all for free.
What I don’t like
- No playlists
Unfortunately, you can’t have it all. And Mp3 Cyborg’s biggest downfall is its lack of playlist support.
- No options for file formats
Unfortunately, Mp3 Cyborg doesn’t offer any options for formats like MP4.
5) ListenToYoutube
What I like about ListenToYoutube
- Search function
One awesome feature that comes with ListenToYoutube is its search function. Rather than having to use the link for every video you want to convert, you can just search directly through the site.
What I don’t like
- MP4 downloads don’t work
While ListenToYoutube gives you the option to download videos as MP4 files, the feature didn’t seem to work for me when I tried to use it.
- Lots of ads & pop-ups
Expect to have a fair amount of pop-up ads and redirects when using ListenToYoutube.
- Clunky interface
When you compare ListenToYoutube with its alternatives, it’s noticeably less polished than the rest. It’d be nice if they gave the interface a bit of an upgrade to improve user experience.
The top 2 Youtube to MP3 desktop apps
Like I mentioned before, browser-based Youtube to Mp3 sites are great if you don’t need that kind of app often. But if you find yourself converting Youtube videos a lot, you’re probably better off with a desktop application.
Desktop converters are usually faster, have fewer ads, and come with a few more bells and whistles to make the whole experience smoother.
If you’re looking for a desktop application to convert Youtube videos, here are a couple of the best options out there:
6) 4K Youtube To Mp3
What I like about 4K Youtube To Mp3
- Playlist support
Playlist downloading is seamless, speedy, and easy with 4K Youtube To Mp3.
- Advanced user preferences
The great thing about desktop converters is that they usually offer advanced user preferences that you can save between sessions.
- Fast
Even with long videos, I was able to convert and download mp3 files quickly and easily.
- Different options for formats & video quality
You’ll also get the option to download files in various qualities, as well as M4A, OGG, and MP3 formats.
- Minimalistic interface
4K Youtube To Mp3’s interface is extremely clean and simple to use. It even has a button to take links directly from your clipboard to make things even more convenient.
What I don’t like
- Needs to be installed
Not much of a downside, but it’s the only one that comes to mind with 4K Youtube To Mp3.
7) ClipGrab
What I like about ClipGrab
- No ads
Again, a huge reason to go with desktop apps is the lack of ads.
While these ads might not be a big deal if you’re just downloading a file or two, when you’re converting multiple videos in one go, the ads can quickly become a huge frustration.
- Completely free
ClipGrab doesn’t come with a premium version or any cost. It’s another donation-based app, so paying for the service is entirely optional.
- Super functional
ClipGrab has tons of quality-of-life additions that make it an excellent option for converting your files.
First is its clipboard detection feature, which takes YouTube links that you’ve copied and converts them automatically. (if you enable it)
But the most significant feature ClipGrab brings to the table is its search function.
Similarly to ListenToYoutube’s search feature, you can do all of your video searches directly through ClipGrab instead of getting your links through YouTube.
- Supports other websites
With ClipGrab, you’re able to convert videos from other websites, too, not just YouTube.
What I don’t like
- No playlist support
While the search function more than makes up for the lack of playlist support, it’d still be nice to plug in a link to a YouTube playlist.
- Download required
Just like with 4K YouTube To Mp3, you’ll have to download and install Clipgrab.
The final verdict
The best online YouTube to MP3 converter: Mp3 Cyborg
Mp3 Cyborg was a big surprise. Going donation-based and ad-free helps Mp3 Cyborg stand out against the rest of the online converters.
The only issue with Mp3 Cyborg is if you’re trying to bulk download videos since there’s no playlist support.
The best YouTube to MP3 app: ClipGrab
The big differentiator with ClipGrab is its search feature.
While a lack of playlist support isn’t ideal, bulk downloading videos is easy enough when you can search directly through the app.
That paired with its easy-to-use interface helps ClipGrab take the cake.
Which YouTube to MP3 converter is your favorite?
These are some of my favorites when it comes to MP3 converters, but there are plenty more options out there.
