Best Free YouTube to MP3 Converters for Offline Listening (2026)

The safest way to turn a YouTube video into an MP3 in 2026 is a free desktop app, not a converter website full of pop-ups. 4K YouTube to MP3, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter and ClipGrab all run on Windows and Mac and save straight to MP3. Paste the video link, choose MP3, and the file lands in your Music folder, ready for your phone, your car or an MP3 player.

We first published this list in 2015, and almost everything on it has changed since. Most of the original picks, including YouTube-mp3.org, ListenToYouTube, VidToMP3, FLV2MP3 and MakeItMP3, have shut down or no longer lead to a working converter. In September 2026 we re-checked every tool, dropped the dead ones and rebuilt this guide around converters that are still maintained.

One ground rule before the list: convert only audio you are allowed to keep. That means your own uploads, Creative Commons videos, and videos whose creators allow downloads. YouTube's terms of service don't allow downloading without YouTube's authorization or permission, and copying commercial music without the rights holder's permission can infringe copyright. If what you really want is music offline, a YouTube Music Premium subscription is the fully legal route.

Below you'll find the converters worth using, a side-by-side comparison, which tool fits which job, how to put the MP3s on a phone or a dedicated MP3 player, why "320 kbps" claims are mostly marketing, and what happened to every tool from our original list.

The best free YouTube to MP3 converters in 2026

Every tool below was still maintained when we checked in September 2026. They all need an internet connection to fetch the video, but they run as ordinary programs on your computer, with no converter website involved. That is what most people mean by an "offline" YouTube to MP3 converter.

1. 4K YouTube to MP3

4K YouTube to MP3 is the simplest way to get a clean MP3 from a YouTube link. Copy the video's address, paste it into the app, and it downloads the audio and converts it in one step. Besides MP3 it can save M4A and OGG, it also works with Vimeo, SoundCloud and other video sites, and its installer doesn't bundle extra software.

The free Starter plan covers everyday single downloads. Paid licenses ($10 a year, or $15 one-time for personal use) unlock the full feature set, including bulk jobs such as whole playlists.

• Platforms: Windows 11, macOS 12 or later, Ubuntu 22.04 or later
• Price: free Starter plan; paid from $10 a year
• Official site: 4kdownload.com

2. MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter

MediaHuman's converter is the best free choice for playlists. Paste a playlist or channel link and it downloads every track, and it can keep watching that playlist or channel and fetch only the new uploads. It saves MP3 at up to 320 kbps, or keeps the original M4A/AAC audio without re-encoding it.

It is also actively maintained: version 3.9.23 shipped in August 2026.

• Platforms: Windows 7 to 11, macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Ubuntu 20.04 or later
• Price: free
• Official site: mediahuman.com

3. ClipGrab

ClipGrab is a free, open-source (GPLv3) downloader with a deliberately simple window. Copy a YouTube link and ClipGrab spots it on your clipboard and offers to grab it; choose MP3 as the format and start the download. It can also save OGG Vorbis and several video formats.

One caution: reviewers have found a partner offer for the Opera browser in ClipGrab's Windows installer, so read each setup screen and decline anything you didn't ask for.

• Platforms: Windows 8 to 11, macOS 10.12 or later, Linux
• Price: free, open source
• Official site: clipgrab.org

4. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter (DVDVideoSoft)

This is the one survivor from our original 2015 list. DVDVideoSoft's converter handles whole playlists and channels, saves MP3 at up to 320 kbps as well as AAC, M4A, OGG, FLAC and WAV, can merge several tracks into one file, and can send finished downloads straight to an iTunes playlist.

Reviewers have flagged bundled offers in its installer, so choose the custom install option and untick anything extra.

• Platforms: Windows 7 to 11, macOS
• Price: free
• Official site: dvdvideosoft.com

5. yt-dlp (for power users)

yt-dlp is a free, open-source command-line downloader, and the engine behind apps such as Seal on Android. It gets frequent updates (monthly stable releases plus nightly builds) to keep up with changes on YouTube's side. To save a video's audio as a high-quality MP3, install yt-dlp and FFmpeg, then run:

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 "VIDEO_URL"

Replace VIDEO_URL with the link you copied. The same command works with a playlist link and converts every video in it. --audio-quality 0 asks for the best variable-bitrate MP3; use --audio-quality 192K for a fixed 192 kbps file.

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Price: free, open source
• Official site: github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp (FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org)

6. Airy (paid, Mac and Windows)

Airy is one of the best YouTube to MP3 Mac converter. It allows you to download music from YouTube videos. Unlike other apps, it gives you a comprehensive conversion experience which makes it better than the rest. Using this app, you can easily extract audios from YouTube. Besides, it has many other features that make the difference. You can also download an entire playlist using Airy, YouTube converter Mac. The app also has subtitle support and can be used to download YouTube channels as well. All these features make Airy, the best YouTube to MP3 Mac converter.

Airy isn't free: the free version is limited, and a full license costs $19.95. Its developer currently notes that recent YouTube changes may limit downloads and recommends trying the app before you buy.

• Platforms: macOS 10.10 or later, Windows
• Price: from $19.95 one-time
• Official site: airy-youtube-downloader.com

Free YouTube to MP3 converters compared

Which YouTube to MP3 converter should you use?

What about online YouTube to MP3 converter sites?

Online converters are tempting because there is nothing to install and they work on a phone. The trade-off is risk. These sites live on advertising, change domains often, and are a common source of pop-ups, fake "Download" buttons, notification spam and malware. Even the good ones come and go: cobalt, a popular ad-free, open-source downloader, can't currently download from YouTube on its public site because YouTube blocks it.

If you do use a converter website, follow these rules:

• Never install an extension, "codec", app or "download manager" the site offers you.
• Check the file name before opening it. It should end in .mp3, never .exe, .dmg, .apk or .zip.
• Block the site when it asks to show notifications.
• Close any tab that claims your computer or phone is infected. That's an ad, not a warning.
• Keep your browser and antivirus up to date, and consider an ad blocker.

For anything more than the occasional file, a desktop app from the list above is faster and far safer. Our guide to downloading YouTube videos covers the same safety rules for video.

How to put YouTube audio on an MP3 player

Most dedicated MP3 players, especially simple clip-on and budget models, can't stream from YouTube, so the music has to be converted on a computer and then copied across. Here's the whole process:

1. Convert to MP3. Use one of the desktop apps above and choose MP3 rather than M4A, OGG or Opus. Every MP3 player supports MP3; many can't play the others.
2. Pick a sensible quality. 192 kbps, or the app's "high" or "best" setting, is plenty. The quality section below explains why.
3. Tidy the tags. Players sort music by the title and artist tags stored inside each file. Converted files often inherit the video title, such as "Artist - Song (Official Video)", so fix the tags in the converter or a free tag editor before copying.
4. Connect the player. Plug it in with its USB cable. On Windows it appears in File Explorer. On a Mac, most players appear in Finder; players that use the MTP protocol need a free app such as OpenMTP.
5. Copy the files. Drag the MP3s into the player's Music folder.
6. Eject, then unplug. Ejecting first means no file is left half-written. The player rebuilds its music library when it restarts.

How to convert YouTube to MP3 on Android and iPhone

Android: Google Play doesn't allow YouTube downloaders, so the best Android option, Seal, is installed from its GitHub releases page or from F-Droid instead. Seal is free and open source, and it is built on yt-dlp. Paste or share a YouTube link into Seal, choose Audio, and set its audio conversion option to "Convert to mp3". For more choices, see our list of the best YouTube downloader apps for Android.

iPhone and iPad: The App Store doesn't carry YouTube converters, and websites that promise MP3 downloads on iOS are among the riskiest. The practical options are YouTube Music Premium, whose downloads play offline inside the app, or converting on a Mac or PC and syncing the MP3 to your iPhone with Finder on a Mac, or iTunes or the Apple Devices app on Windows.

Does "320 kbps" matter? YouTube audio quality explained

Many converter sites advertise "320 kbps MP3" as if it were studio quality. It isn't, because an MP3 can never sound better than its source. For most videos, the best audio stream YouTube serves is roughly 128 to 160 kbps (AAC or Opus). YouTube Music Premium subscribers can stream at up to 256 kbps, but only inside the YouTube Music app. Turning a 128 kbps stream into a 320 kbps MP3 makes the file two and a half times bigger without adding any detail.

Converting from one lossy format to another also costs a little quality each time, so pick your converter's highest setting or 192 kbps as a sensible default. If your player supports it, you can keep the original M4A or Opus file instead.

Is it legal to convert YouTube to MP3?

The converters themselves are legal software; what matters is what you convert. YouTube's terms of service forbid downloading any content unless YouTube expressly authorizes it (its own Download button, for example) or you have prior written permission from YouTube and, where it applies, the rights holder. Separately, copyright law protects most commercial music, and copying it without permission can infringe it, in the US and in most other countries.

Stream-ripping sites have paid for ignoring that. YouTube-mp3.org, once the biggest YouTube ripping site and part of our original list, was sued by major record labels in 2016. It settled in September 2017, shut down for good and handed its domain to the RIAA.

What you can convert without worrying:

• Your own videos. In YouTube Studio, open Content, pick a video and choose Download to get an MP4 of anything you uploaded, then convert that file to MP3.
• Creative Commons videos. Search YouTube, open Filters and choose Creative Commons, then credit the creator as the license requires.
• Music for your own videos from the YouTube Audio Library in YouTube Studio, which you can download directly.
• Talks, lessons and podcasts whose creators explicitly allow downloads.

What happened to the converters in our 2015 list?

If you came here looking for one of the tools from the original version of this article, here is where each one stands as of September 2026.

For any of the dead ones, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter or 4K YouTube to MP3 does the same job more safely.

More YouTube download guides

• How to download YouTube videos: the complete guide
• Best YouTube downloader apps for Android
• YouTube video downloader tools compared: features, speed and formats
• 5 reasons to convert YouTube videos to MP3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free YouTube to MP3 converter?

For most people it's 4K YouTube to MP3: paste a link and get an MP3, with no bundled software, on Windows, Mac and Linux. If you want whole playlists for free, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter is the better pick. ClipGrab and yt-dlp are the best open-source options.

Is it legal to convert YouTube videos to MP3?

It depends on what you convert. YouTube's terms only allow downloads that YouTube authorizes or that you have permission for, and copying copyrighted music without permission can infringe copyright. Converting your own uploads, Creative Commons videos or content whose creator allows downloads is fine.

Are YouTube to MP3 converter websites safe?

Many aren't. Converter sites are funded by aggressive advertising and are a common source of fake download buttons, notification spam and malware. A desktop app from its official site is safer. If you do use a website, never install anything it offers and make sure the file you get ends in .mp3.

Is there a YouTube to MP3 converter that works offline?

Yes, in the sense most people mean. Desktop apps such as 4K YouTube to MP3, MediaHuman, ClipGrab and DVDVideoSoft's converter run on your computer instead of a website. They still need an internet connection to download the video, but the conversion happens on your machine and the MP3s play offline for good.

How do I put YouTube music on an MP3 player?

Convert the video to MP3 with a desktop app, connect the player to your computer with its USB cable, drag the MP3 files into its Music folder, then eject it before unplugging. Choose MP3 rather than M4A or OGG, because every player supports MP3.

What bitrate should I choose for YouTube to MP3?

192 kbps, or your converter's highest setting. YouTube's own audio is usually around 128 to 160 kbps, so a 320 kbps MP3 is bigger without sounding better.

Can I convert YouTube to MP3 on an iPhone?

Not reliably. The App Store doesn't carry YouTube converters, and converter websites are risky on any device. Use YouTube Music Premium for offline listening, or convert on a computer and sync the MP3 to your iPhone.

How do I convert a whole YouTube playlist to MP3?

Paste the playlist link into MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter or DVDVideoSoft's Free YouTube to MP3 Converter, which are both free, or run yt-dlp with the playlist link. 4K YouTube to MP3 handles bulk playlist downloads with a paid license.

Does YouTube Premium let you download MP3s?

No. YouTube Premium ($15.99 a month in the US) and YouTube Music Premium ($11.99) let you download videos and songs for offline playback, but only inside the YouTube and YouTube Music apps, and YouTube Music asks you to go online at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads. You don't get MP3 files you can copy to other devices.

What happened to YouTube-mp3.org?

It shut down in September 2017. Major record labels, backed by the RIAA, IFPI and BPI, sued the site in 2016, and it settled by closing permanently and handing its domain to the RIAA.