YouTube Playlist Downloader: Pick Videos, Save MP4 or MP3
Paste a playlist link and the playlist downloader lists every video with its length, ready to tick or untick. Choose 1080p, 720p or 480p MP4, or MP3 at 320 kbps, then queue them all at once. It runs in your browser, with nothing to install.
Download only videos you made or have permission to use. Tube Snip shows each video's license so you can check before you reuse it.
Understand any video without watching all of it
Each tool runs on the video you fetched. Costs are in credits; guests get a few free runs every day, and every account starts with free credits.
Fixes for the things that annoy you on other downloaders
We tested the popular sites and wrote down what went wrong. Each row below is something Tube Snip handles for you.
| What you need | Tube Snip | Typical downloader |
|---|---|---|
| Paste a bare video IDLike PdQ4n7wXy0s with no link around it | Works | "Something went wrong" |
| Share straight from the YouTube appInstall Tube Snip, then Share → Tube Snip | One tap | Copy, switch apps, paste |
| Sound in HD and 4K filesYouTube stores picture and sound separately in HD | Always merged | Silent files, unlabeled |
| An actual MP3Not an M4A renamed in the menu | MP3 128–320 kbps | M4A / WebA only |
| Just one part of a videoCut by time or by chapter, as MP4, GIF or MP3 | Built in | Download it all, edit later |
| AI transcript, summary and notesOn the same video, in the same window | 10 AI tools | Separate paid sites |
| Whole playlist at once | Pick videos, one queue | One by one |
| Error messages you can read | Says what to fix | Generic, wrong language |
Most people download a video to make something with it
So the next step sits in the same window. Run it on the video you already fetched.
Turn a long video into Shorts
Hook finder spots the best moments, then Snip a clip cuts them as 9:16.
Learn from a video without rewatching
Get the transcript, a timestamped summary, or study notes in seconds.
Ship your own uploads faster
Titles, tags, description and chapters from your own video, ready to paste.
Downloading is free. AI runs on credits.
Every download tool is free for everyone. Pay only when you want AI to read the video for you.
Need more credits? Add a pack any time.
Pack credits never expire and stack on any plan.How many credits each AI tool usesBest quality uses 2×
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Updated
YouTube playlist download in 3 steps
- Copy the playlist link. On a computer, open the playlist and copy the address: it contains "list=". In the YouTube app, open the playlist, tap Share → Copy link. A watch link that includes "&list=" works too.
- Paste it above. Tube Snip reads the playlist and shows every video with its title and length. Untick anything you don't want, or use the tick box at the top to select all.
- Pick a format and tap Queue. Choose 1080p MP4, 720p MP4, 480p MP4 or MP3 320 kbps. The total size and running time show before you start. Videos download three at a time and each one saves as its own file.
Playlists up to 500 videos are read in full. Private and deleted videos are marked in the list and skipped automatically.
Who can download whole playlists?
| Plan | Playlist downloads |
|---|---|
| Free | See the full list, then download videos one at a time |
| Creator | Queue up to 200 videos from a playlist in one go |
| Studio | Queue up to 500 videos in one go |
Single videos are always free: paste any video link and download it in any quality, up to 20 an hour without an account.
Which format should you pick for a playlist?
A playlist adds up fast, so the size shown before you start is worth a look.
| Choice | Roughly per hour of video | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p MP4 | about 1.6 GB | Courses with on-screen code or slides, big screens |
| 720p MP4 | about 850 MB | Laptops and tablets, the best balance |
| 480p MP4 | about 450 MB | Phones and long lecture series |
| MP3 320 kbps | about 140 MB | Music playlists, podcasts, talks you only listen to |
Sizes are estimates for typical videos; the real total shows in the playlist summary before you queue. Every MP4 uses H.264 video and AAC sound, so it plays on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and smart TVs, and the sound is joined to the picture in every quality.
Where the files go
iPhone and iPad
Safari saves each file to the Files app, in Downloads. For a long course, make a folder in Files first and move the videos into it, so the lessons stay in order.
Android
Chrome saves every file to the Downloads folder, where your gallery and video player find them. For music playlists, most music apps pick up the MP3s from Downloads by themselves.
Windows, Mac and Chromebook
All files land in Downloads, named after each video's title. Sort by name or date to keep the playlist order, or drag them into a folder for the course.
Playlists that work well
- Online courses and lecture series you want to watch on a train or plane, with no buffering.
- Your own channel's playlists, as a backup of everything you've published.
- Workout or yoga series, saved once and played offline from the gym.
- Podcast playlists and audiobooks as MP3, for phones with little storage.
- Creative Commons music collections, where reuse is allowed with credit.
More than a playlist downloader
- Just one video from the list: the YouTube video downloader saves any quality from 144p to 4K.
- Just the audio of one video: YouTube to MP3 with cover art and even loudness.
- Notes from a whole lecture: YouTube to notes writes headings, bullets and key quotes for each lesson.
- Subtitles for each lesson: the subtitle downloader saves SRT, VTT or plain text.
- One part of a long lesson: the clip cutter saves just that section.
YouTube playlist downloaders: Tube Snip vs other tools
When we asked Google's AI Overview and Perplexity for the best YouTube playlist downloader in October 2026, yt-dlp, Stacher and 4K Video Downloader Plus were among the tools they named. Each tool's facts below were checked on its own website on 19 October 2026.
| Tool | What it is | Price | Install | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tube Snip | Web app | Creator $9/month (up to 200 videos a playlist), Studio $29/month (up to 500) | Nothing | Ticking the videos you want and queueing MP4 or MP3 from any browser | Whole-playlist downloads need a paid plan |
| yt-dlp | Open-source command-line program | Free | The program plus ffmpeg | Whole playlists and channels from one command, with full control | No buttons: everything is typed as a command |
| Stacher | Desktop app for yt-dlp (Windows, macOS, Linux) | Free; optional Premium | Desktop install, plus yt-dlp and ffmpeg (it installs them for you) | yt-dlp's power with buttons, plus subscriptions that fetch new uploads | Desktop only |
| 4K Video Downloader Plus | Desktop app for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu | Free Starter version; paid licences from €18.75/year | Desktop install | One-click playlists and channels, up to 8K | The free Starter version has basic features only |
Pick by situation. For one playlist on any device without installing anything, Tube Snip. For free, unlimited playlist downloads on your own computer, yt-dlp, or Stacher if you want buttons. For a polished desktop app, 4K Video Downloader Plus.
Why a playlist download fails, and the fix
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "We could not open that playlist" | The playlist is private, or the link has no list= part | Make it Unlisted or Public, and copy the link from the playlist page |
| Some videos are marked and skipped | They are private or deleted | Nothing to save; the rest of the playlist still downloads |
| "Playlist downloads are part of Creator" | Free accounts download one video at a time | Download videos one by one, or upgrade |
| The queue stopped partway | The hourly download limit was reached | Wait a little; it resets within the hour |
| The playlist shows fewer videos than YouTube | Very long playlists are read up to 500 videos | Split the download, or save the rest one by one |
Safe to use, and the rules
Tube Snip runs in your browser, so there's no desktop program, no extension and nothing to update. There are no pop-ups or redirects; free users see clearly labelled ad slots, paid plans see none.
Download your own playlists, Creative Commons videos and videos you have permission to use. To watch a playlist offline inside the YouTube app instead, the official way is YouTube Premium downloads. Course platforms and music labels often don't allow downloading, and the rules depend on your country, so check before you share the files.
Questions about this tool
Can I download a whole YouTube playlist at once?
Yes, on the Creator plan (up to 200 videos) or Studio plan (up to 500). Free users can see the full playlist and download its videos one at a time.
Can I download a YouTube playlist as MP3?
Yes. Choose MP3 320 kbps in the playlist list and every selected video is saved as its own MP3.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The playlist downloader runs in your browser on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and Chromebook.
What happens to private or deleted videos in a playlist?
They are marked in the list and skipped. The other videos download normally.
Can I pick only some videos from a playlist?
Yes. Untick the videos you don't want before you queue the download.
Can I download a private playlist?
No. Set the playlist to Unlisted or Public first. Only public and unlisted videos can be saved.
Is it legal to download YouTube playlists?
Download your own playlists, Creative Commons videos and videos you have permission to use. The rules depend on the content and your country.
Before you download
Why do some downloaders give me HD video with no sound?
In HD, YouTube serves picture and sound as two separate streams. Tube Snip downloads both and joins them, so every file in the Video tab plays with audio.
Can I paste just the video ID?
Yes. Paste the 11 characters after v= and it works the same as a full link. Shorts links, youtu.be links, embed links and links with a start time all work too.
How do I share a video from the YouTube app?
Install Tube Snip from your browser menu ("Add to Home screen" or "Install app"). Then in the YouTube app tap Share and pick Tube Snip; the video opens here, ready to download or summarise.
What are credits?
Credits pay for AI work. A transcript costs a few credits and a script blueprint costs more; the table above shows each tool. Downloading never uses credits. Unused monthly credits do not roll over; credit packs never expire.
Is downloading YouTube videos allowed?
Download your own videos and videos you have permission to use. Each result shows the video's license. Creative Commons videos can be reused with credit; standard-license videos need the creator's permission. We remove videos after valid copyright requests.
Which AI models do you use?
We route each tool to the model that does it best, from providers like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Best quality uses a stronger model and costs twice the credits.