Freemake Video Downloader

Freemake Video Downloader is a Windows tool that makes it easy to download videos.

Simply give Freemake Video Downloader a URL to a video, and it will download and even convert it if you choose. The program has a simple, user-friendly installation process, and it starts up and runs fast with a very small footprint on computer space and memory. The program is reliable but not the fastest downloader around, and large video files can take a while to complete.

The user interface is simple yet effective. Simply copy a video URL and paste it into the provided window. You can then choose the quality, resolution and format. Lowering quality and resolution can result in a smaller file size, and converting to the video format of your choice can make the video suitable for play on your other devices. Note that Freemake Video Downloader isn’t a fast converter either, so you may be waiting awhile if you need to download and convert a large file.

Freemake Video Downloader cannot convert audio. Audio is simply left in its original format, and if that’s a format a particular device can’t handle for some reason, there’s nothing you can do about it. The program does, however, provide the option to extract audio. That’s nice when the audio is all you really wanted. You can also extract the audio, convert it with another program and add it back to the video, but that’s an advanced operation that casual users may not want to bother with.

The program supports most major video-hosting websites, including Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube. It won’t, however, work with sites like Netflix or Hulu. The app also provides a Firefox plugin, which means you can run it from the web browser rather than as a standalone app. A downside of the browser extension is that it lacks some features and choosing quality, resolution and format isn’t as convenient.

Pros

• Fast and simple to use
• Can extract audio
• Includes a Firefox plugin

Cons

• Can’t convert audio
• Plugin lacks some app features