Sometimes it’s helpful to be able to download an online video to watch offline, extract just the audio, or share previously streamed, private content on another platform.

There is a built-in command line tool on the Mac called youtube-dl as well as a number of third party applications available that can do this, too. One newcomer is VIDL. However, the app I like best is Downie, from Charlie Monroe Software.

Easy Download

You can copy a webpage address and paste it in Downie to download the one video on the page or choose among all those present. The app has build-in support for over 1,000 websites.

For one-click download from a given page, Downie comes with a browser extension for Safari and extensions are also available for Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers. Links to the extensions are available in Downie Preferences.

Extract Audio Only

Suppose you want only the audio of a video so you can save a song or a talk to listen on the go. You can tell Downie to extract only the audio.

It’s as easy as that and then you can do what you wish with it. You can also download audio from websites that deliver it.

Not Enough?

Downie also offers user-guided extraction so you can load a webpage in its built-in browser, log into a website, and direct it to exactly the video you want to capture. If subtitles come with a video, Downie can download them, too. The app can also queue up all videos in a playlist.

For videos provided in various formats, the app can convert to MPEG-4 (MP4). Or, Charlie Monroe also develops Permute for more extensive conversion options that might be required for specific devices. You can automatically send content from Downie to Permute for processing.

Downie isn’t free, but for its elegant design and ease of use, I find it worth the $20 license fee. A free trial is available so you can make up your mind.

I know I’ve wasted a lot of time searching for a lower cost utility that works as beautifully. Is Downie the perfect tool for your use case? How will it benefit you?