Many Internet users want to download Youtube videos. Downloading the videos can be beneficial in several ways including the option to play the video at any time without having to access the Youtube website on the Internet. It can also save bandwidth and be used to transfer the Youtube videos to devices like cell phones, media players or gaming systems that are usually not connected to the Internet or that do not offer the speed needed to enjoy the videos.

Many Internet users want to download Youtube videos. Downloading the videos can be beneficial in several ways including the option to play the video at any time without having to access the Youtube website on the Internet. It can also save bandwidth and be used to transfer the Youtube videos to devices like cell phones, media players or gaming systems that are usually not connected to the Internet or that do not offer the speed needed to enjoy the videos.There are basically three ways of downloading Youtube videos: Using a web service, a web browser add-on or a standalone software program. All methods have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Web services for example are usually independent of operating systems and can be used instantly without having to install software.They do usually lack the ability to download multiple Youtube videos at once.

Web browser plugins require installation. They have the advantage that they work directly on the site which is very comfortable for the user. They also usually do not provide the means to add multiple videos at once to a download queue.
Software programs that download videos from Youtube usually come with the option to add multiple video links to the queue before starting the download. They do need to be installed on the other hand and lack a solid Youtube browser sometimes.

Online services to download Youtube videos:

Web services are websites that provide the means to download videos from Youtube to a local computer system. Some offer advanced features like converting the video to another format. The list has been limited to ten free services that provide options to download Youtube videos.
1. Keepvid: A straightforward service. The user needs to paste the url of the Youtube video in the form provided on the website. Keepvid will then offer low quality and high quality downloads of the video. Works with other video portals like MySpace video or Dailymotion as well. Offers a bookmarklet which works more comfortably than copying pasting Youtube urls.
keepvid
2. Zamzar: A file conversion service that can not only download Youtube videos but also convert the videos into different formats. Great for users who need the video in a different format and do not want to convert them on their computer system.
Zamzar
3. KCoolOnline: Currently supports 231 video portals including Youtube. It has a basic interface. All that needs to be done is to paste a video url in the form to download the Youtube video. Users who like to download videos from many different video portals might like this as it supports a lot of them.
KCoolOnline
4. Video Downloader: Another basic web interface that allows users to download and convert videos from sites like Youtube, Dailymotion or MySpace. Nothing much to say about this service except that it offers downloads in the original flv format but also in mp4 out of the box.
Video Downloader
5. SaveVid: Offers Youtube videos in original flv or mp4 format. Displays a live list of videos that get downloaded by users on the website which can be a great source of videos as download links are displayed directly. Offers top 10 lists, archives and categories as well.
SaveVid

6. Vidgrab: Vidgrab offers a web form that can be used to paste Youtube videos into it. These videos can then be downloaded in their original format. One interesting aspect of Vidgrab is the list of popular videos that are displayed on the website. These can also be downloaded directly to the computer system.
Vidgrab
7. Vixy: Vixy is a video converter that supports Youtube videos. It does not offer the means to download Youtube videos in their original format. Videos can be converted into various formats including avi, 3gp, mov or mp4.
Vixy
8. KeepTube: Online service to download Youtube videos with preview and options to download the video in various formats including normal and high quality flv, 3gp and mp4. Offers additional ways of downloading the videos including a bookmarklet and a very ingenious way by adding keep- after the www. of the youtube url.
KeepTube
9. KissYoutube: Offers a similar service as Keeptube by allowing users to add the word kiss after the www. of the youtube url to download videos directly without having to visit the KissYoutube website manually. Comes with the usual form to download videos from Youtube as well.
10. Video Getting: Another service that combines video downloading and conversion in one interface. Users can paste Youtube videos in the form and download them in eight different formats.
Video Getting

Web Browser Add-ons to download videos from Youtube

The following list contains ten web browser add-ons and plugins for popular web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer that allow users to directly download videos from video portals like Youtube. These add-ons have the advantage that the videos can be downloaded directly without having to visit another website to do so.
1. Video Download Helper (Firefox): One of the most popular Firefox add-ons. It supports many different video portals including Youtube. The add-on will change its icon in the status bar whenever a website with media links is visited.
Video Download Helper
2. NetVideoHunter (Firefox):
NetVideoHunter: Will recognize Youtube videos and add them to its queue with the possibility to download the videos immediately or at a later time. Videos can also be played in the interface as well.

3. Viloader (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera): A plugin that installs itself in three different web browsers. It offers a download video right-click context menu option that can be used to download the videos from Youtube and other video portals.
Viloader
4. IE7Pro: IE7Pro supports Internet Explorer 8 as well despite its name. It comes with a userscript engine and a script pre-installed that can download Youtube videos. The browser plugin will display a download video link in the video description on Youtube.
IE7Pro

5. Flash Video Downloader (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera): Flash Video Downloader operates a web service to download videos and an add-on that can be installed in Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera. The Opera is one of the few Youtube video download widgets that currently work with Opera 10.
6. Google Chrome Bookmarklet: Users can use a bookmarklet to download videos in the Google browser. All they need to do is to create a new bookmark in the web browser and add the following JavaScript code as the url:
javascript:window.location.href = 'http://youtube.com/get_video?video_id=' + swfArgs['video_id']+ "&fmt=18" + "&l=" + swfArgs['l'] + "&sk=" + swfArgs['sk'] + '&fmt_map' + swfArgs['fmt_map'] + '&t=' + swfArgs['t'];
A click on the bookmark on any Youtube video page will download that video in the Google Chrome web browser.

Software Programs to download Youtube videos

The following list contains software programs for all popular operating systems that allow a user to download videos from Youtube.
1. TubeQueue (Windows):
TubeQueue: A program for the Windows operating system that can queue, convert and download multiple Youtube videos. The program comes with its own search interface making it completely independent from the Youtube website.

Update: TubeQueue is no longer available. I have uploaded the latest version to the Ghacks servers. You can download the program from this link: TubeQueue (152)
2. Free FLV Converter (Windows):
Free FLV Converter: A software program that can search for, download and convert Youtube videos and videos from other web services. It’s biggest strength is the search that can easily handle thousands of results providing comfortable options to download multiple videos at once from Youtube.

3. Orbit Downloader (Windows) : Orbit is a very popular download manager that supports a variety of popular media sites out of the box including Youtube, MySpace or Pandora. It integrates with web browsers and comes with the Grab++ module that can be used to catch and download media files.
Orbit Downloader
4. Youtube-DL (Linux, Windows): A command line program to download videos from Youtube
Youtube-DL
5. Abby and CCLive (Linux): Abby is a frontend for CCLive that can be used to download videos from various popular video hosting websites including Youtube.
Abby and CClive
6. GetTube (Mac): An application for Apple Mac computers that can be used to download Youtube videos.
There are literally dozens of other applications, web services and browser plugins that can be used to download videos from Youtube. Please leave a comment if you think we should add another free services, plugin or software to the list.