Sure, Apple Music is big. And yes, Spotify is pretty popular too.
But, you know what’s bigger? YouTube. And no, I’m not talking about internet videos. Rather, I’m comparing them based sorely on music streaming.
With over 1 billion music listeners a month, YouTube is undeniably the leading music streaming platform in the world. And in terms of market share, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) analyzed and established that YouTube alone boasts 47% of global music consumption.
But, that’s not all. It gets even bigger when it comes to Millennials and Generation Z’ers. 12-34 year-olds are using YouTube at an astronomical rate- In the US, for instance, 70% of this age group principally relies on YouTube for music.
That said, it’s not hard to imagine why music heads are always hanging out on YouTube. Not only is it free, intuitive, and incredibly fast, it happens to host pretty much all the music creators on the planet. YouTube is now the official channel where everybody has to drop their track before distributing to other platforms.
The Best Option For Downloading Music From YouTube – Enter The YouTube Music App
Now, with such popularity comes a lot of service demand. So, in November 2015, the platform came up with a dedicated music streaming service, YouTube Music. More or less the same old YouTube, but specifically optimized for music listeners.
Hence, if you want a convenient way of playing audio tracks on YouTube, I suggest you check out the YouTube Music app. It is, by far, the best option for streaming and downloading music from YouTube.
But, there’s just one caveat.
The Problem With YouTube Music
You see, just like its mother platform, YouTube Music comes in two forms. There’s a free ad-supported edition plus a premium ad-free version. And sadly enough, only the latter allows you to download and listen to music offline.
Now, where does that leave music lovers who don’t have premium memberships?
How To Download Music From YouTube Without YouTube Music Subscription
Well, turns out you could bypass YouTube Music and listen to your favorite music tracks offline without any subscription or membership. The trick is to simply convert and download them as MP3.
But how does that work?
As you’ve probably noticed by now, there’s a wide range of YouTube to MP3 converters on the web. These are specialized tools that have been engineered to rip audio from YouTube videos and subsequently regenerate them as downloadable MP3 files. From there, you can go ahead and permanently save the MP3 tracks in your local PC or phone storage for offline listening.
The only problem is, finding a legit YouTube to MP3 converter is not that easy. This space is saturated with malware programs that are carefully masked as YouTube to MP3 converters.
Luckily for you though, we’ll save you the risk. After thoroughly testing out a vast array of options on the web, we’ve finally compiled a list of the 5 ultimate best YouTube to MP3 converters.
The 5 Hall-of-Famers are:
- 4K YouTube To MP3
- 4K Video Downloader
- Y2Mate
- Any Video Converter
- YouTube to MP3 Converter
This article takes an in-depth look into each of these top YouTube to MP3 converters. It reveals not only their main features but also the corresponding pricing options, as well as their respective drawbacks. Then get this- you even get to discover the best free YouTube to MP3 converters.
Before proceeding though, here’s a word of caution. Generating downloadable audio files via YouTube to Mp3 converters is a breach of YouTube’s terms of use. Plus, it’s considered a form of copyright infringement. That means it could potentially attract legal trouble.
But, if you choose to move forward, here are the best YouTube to MP3 converters you could try out today:
Top 5 Best YouTube To MP3 Converters In 2020
1. Best YouTube To Mp3 Converters #1: 4K YouTube To MP3
Best Free YouTube To Mp3 Converter
As the name suggests, 4K YouTube To MP3 is a specialized application that rips MP3 tracks directly from YouTube videos.
But then again, if that’s the case, what the heck does the “4K” bit stand for?
Well, the truth is, the “4K” has a lot to do with the company’s branding strategy. You see, as it turns out, 4K YouTube To MP3 comes from the same group of developers who own 4K Video Downloader. And, to be specific, 4K Download is the name of their brand.
The two are not the same though, as 4K YouTube To MP3 is specially built for converting YouTube videos to downloadable MP3 audio files.
The app itself comes as an installable version, which you can proceed to deploy in your Windows, Mac, or Ubuntu OS. This, as a matter of fact, won’t cost you anything as 4K YouTube To MP3 is a free YouTube to MP3 converter.
In essence, it allows you to add your favorite YouTube videos through URL links. From there, it goes ahead and extracts the soundtracks in the form of MP3, M4A, or OGG formats. You can choose the download version you prefer from the three file options.
Another thing you’ll like about the 4K YouTube To MP3 app is its fast conversion and download speeds. It only takes a couple of seconds to convert a standard YouTube music video to MP3, while the download process can accommodate several streams at a go.
4K YouTube To MP3 is also one of the best YouTube to MP3 converters when it comes to quality. If you’re the type that obsesses about the clarity of your MP3 soundtracks, you’ll certainly appreciate the fact that 4K YouTube To MP3 offers each new conversion in several bitrate options.
So, if the original quality happens not to be clear enough, you can have the system generate your own custom version- with a bitrate that maintains an ideal balance between track speed and quality.
And while you’re at it, you could also proceed to download an entire YouTube playlist in just one click. But, here’s the kicker- this feature is only available to premium users. The free version, on the other hand, supports single YouTube to MP3 conversions.
Thankfully though, at least you should be able to acquire MP3 files from not just YouTube, but also other popular music sites. 4K YouTube To MP3 stretches beyond YouTube to cover even SoundCloud, Vimeo, VEVO, Facebook, Flickr, and many other video hosting platforms.
You just need to copy-paste their videos’ URLs and voila, 4K YouTube To MP3 will then prove to you why it deserves the top position in the list of the best YouTube to MP3 converters.
4K YouTube To MP3 Pricing
4K YouTube To MP3 is available in three different license types; Free, Personal, and Business.
- Free: This version is permanently free of charge, and offers basic capabilities such as high-resolution video, audio, playlist, subtitle, and channel downloads. What’s more, it can effectively process content from not only YouTube, but also Dailymotion, Twitch, Tumblr, Flickr, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Facebook, and many other websites. In the long run, though, you’ll be forced to put up with ads.
- Personal: For a one-time fee of $15, you can purchase the personal 4K YouTube To Mp3 license for 3 PCs. This eliminates ads and gives you unlimited download privileges on audiobooks, channels, and playlists.
- Business: Business then takes things up a notch by granting you 5 PC licenses for a one-time fee of $75. Other perks include additional control and support.
4K YouTube To MP3 Pros and Cons
| Pros of 4K YouTube To MP3 | Cons of 4K YouTube To MP3 |
| Free YouTube to MP3 Converter. | Does not support video downloads. |
| Simple and Ease to use. | The Free version displays ads. |
| Offers MP3s in different bitrate options. | |
| Can download even playlists and channels. |
2. Best YouTube To MP3 Converters #2: 4K Video Downloader
Best YouTube To Mp3 Converter For Audio and Video
Second in our list of the top YouTube to MP3 converters is 4K Video Downloader, which- as we’ve stated already- comes from the same company behind 4K YouTube To MP3. And just like its sibling, 4K Video Downloader is capable of seamlessly converting YouTube videos into downloadable MP3 files.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Although 4K Video Downloader is a great YouTube to MP3 converter, its primary focus is video downloads. In essence, it was built to rip videos in the highest possible resolution from not only YouTube, but also Vine, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Facebook, plus many other popular video sharing platforms.
You can convert and download the videos in their original 4K and 8K Ultra HD formats, as well as 720p HD, 1080p Full HD, 2K Quad HD, and 3D. The files will then come in the form of, among other types, WEBM, VOB, TS, OGV, MPG, MKV, M4V, AVI, ASF, MOV, WMV, FLV, or MP4. The choice is all yours.
As far as audio conversions are concerned, you can bet 4K Video Downloader doesn’t limit itself to YouTube to MP3. It can also automatically convert the soundtracks to FLAC, M4A, OGG, AAC, AC3, WMA, WAV, plus many other audio formats.
And the best thing is, all these features are free of charge. 4K Video Downloader is yet another installable YouTube to MP3 converter that offers free versions for Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu.
Then once you install the app, it proceeds to integrate with your web browser, allowing you to run and download YouTube to MP3 conversions in one click. You don’t even have to paste the links. 4K Video Downloader is capable of automatically reading all your copied links from the clipboard.
It also gives you the power to convert an entire YouTube playlist or channel into several MP3 files. And when it comes to that, you’ll appreciate the fact that 4K Video Downloader facilitates multiple download instances at a go. What’s more, you get an advanced download acceleration feature that can boost your speeds by up to 5 times.
4K Video Downloader Pricing
Just like 4K YouTube To Mp3, the 4K Video Downloader is available in three separate editions; Free, Personal, and Business.
- Free: As the base edition, 4K Video Downloader Free packs the essentials. It’s capable of converting and downloading audios and videos in different formats (including 4K and 8K clips. Such content is ripped from YouTube, as well as Dailymotion, Twitch, Tumblr, Flickr, SoundCloud, Vimeo, Facebook, and many other platforms. However, you can expect regular ads on the tool.
- Personal: The Personal license has a one-time fee of $15, which caters for 3 PCs. As such, it removes ads plus download restrictions, consequently facilitating unlimited subtitles, channels, and playlists.
- Business: Business is almost identical to the Personal package, but with more control and support privileges. Plus, for a one-time fee of $75, you get the license to deploy the application on 5 PCs.
4K Video Downloader Pros and Cons
| Pros of 4K Video Downloader | Cons of 4K Video Downloader |
| Free YouTube to Mp3 converter. | Restricts playlist downloads. |
| Comes with an advanced download accelerator. | The Free version displays ads o a regular basis. |
| Can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux. | Can’t run directly from the web. |
| Can run multiple conversions and downloads at a go. | Can only be accessed by Windows, macOS, and Linux-based systems. |
3. Best YouTube To MP3 Converters #3: Y2Mate
Best Free Web-Based YouTube To MP3 Converter
Unlike 4K YouTube To Mp3 and 4K Video Downloader, Y2Mate is not really an installable YouTube to MP3 converter. Rather, it’s a web-based service that runs entirely from its website.
There’s no registration here though. The Y2Mate YouTube to MP3 converter is directly accessible from any web-connected device. Plus, it grants you an unlimited number of file conversions and downloads without charging anything.
For convenience though, you might want to download and integrate Y2Mate’s browser extension. It saves you the trouble of going to the main site every time you need to convert a YouTube video. Instead, you get to run YouTube to MP3 conversions straight from the browser.
That said, it’s worth noting that Y2Mate comes in two different versions. You could either use the Y2Mate Youtube Downloader or the Y2Mate YouTube to MP3 Converter. While the former prioritizes YouTube video conversions, both happen to offer free YouTube to MP3 conversion.
Nevertheless, if you choose to give Y2Mate a try, you’ll find a very basic and straightforward interface. Smack in the middle of its webpage is a simple self-explanatory paste-and-go tool. So, converting your favorite music videos is only a matter of pasting their YouTube URL and then hitting “Start”.
Y2Mate will instantly generate a list of various file formats to choose from. If you prefer to get the audio tracks in MP3 format, for instance, Y2Mate allows you to specify its bitrate. You can pick between 64 kbps, 96 kbps, 128 kbps, 192 kbps, 256 kbps, and 320 kbps.
Otherwise, if MP3 doesn’t cut it, you could proceed with M4A audio format, or alternatively, go for video downloads. You’ll find that Y2Mate supports MP4, WEBM, MO, FLV, WMA, WMV, 3GP, and M4V, among other video formats- in different display resolutions.
All in all, it’s only after you’ve chosen your preferred file version that Y2Mate proceeds to convert and provide a download button. A standard YouTube to MP3 conversion, for example, should only take a couple of seconds, after which you can go ahead and download the soundtrack.
Alternatively, you could upload the MP3 tracks straight to your cloud storage and sync the corresponding files accordingly. Y2Mate has this handy cloud integration, which allows you to send the converted files to storage locations like Google Drive and