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Extract Audio from YouTube with These Top Solutions

YouTube is the number one online streaming platform, ahead of Dailymotion. But it’s pretty common that users will want to rip audio from their favourite music videos, so they can enjoy it offline. We’re going to look at some of the most effective YouTube audio converter app options for ripping songs from YouTube videos, letting you take your pick of the best options out there.

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Extract Audio from YouTube

The Best Tools to Extract Audio from YouTube

We generally recommend desktop apps for anyone looking to rip audio from YouTube. Dedicated software benefits from regular updates, and also guarantees better security. On top of that, most of them have extensive features that place them well ahead of online equivalents. The following are some of our favourite options for extracting audio from YouTube videos.

1. Our Number One Audio Extractor Tool: Airy

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Airy
Requirements: OS X 10.10+. 25.32MB free space. Version 3.29.1.396. (2 Apr, 2024). 4.9 Rank based on 812+ users, Reviews(889)
Category: Utilities
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Also available on Windows

We highly recommend Airy to anyone looking for an effective tool to rip audio from YouTube videos to later enjoy on iTunes. Airy offers a huge range of features, while also being completely straightforward to use. The clean interface lets you navigate to the video you’re looking for and rip it in just a few seconds. It also lets you rip entire playlists, and even whole channels, removing the need to manually select downloads. On top of that, it can download multiple files at once, speeding up your entire download process.

download full albums from YouTube to MP3

What Makes Airy the Ideal Tool?

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Straightforward interface
  • Download entire channels and playlists
  • Can rip just the audio to MP3

Cons

  • 2 free downloads on trial version, then you need to pay for the full version

Price: $19.95 for full PRO version.

How to Extract Audio from YouTube with Airy

1.

Download Airy on your Mac or PC.

2.

Use your browser to navigate to the video, playlist or channel you’re interested in.

3.

Copy and paste the page URL to Airy.

Convert YT to MP3 with best video to mp3 converter
4.

Choose your preferred file format (MP3 is ideal for only ripping audio).

Best MP3 converter for YouTube
5.

Hit download, and the audio will be saved directly to your download folder.

Best way to convert YouTube to MP3 with Airy

2. iTube Downloader

This downloader is a straightforward tool that doesn’t offer a whole lot, but can handle basics. It lets you download just audio for playback on iPad, iPhone or another device, and also offers a range of different formats to download in. It also lets you download in batches, and download entire playlists. It’s pretty easy to use, but doesn’t have the extra usability to put it at the top of our list.

How to Download with iTube

iTube functions in a similar way to Airy. Here are the steps you need to take:

  1. Navigate to your desired video on YouTube.
  2. Copy the page URL.
  3. Open iTube, and paste the URL into the search box.
  4. Take your pick of preferred format.
  5. Download, and enjoy your content.
audio extractor youtube

Pros

  • Can record a live stream from your screen
  • Handles conversions
  • Range of formats

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Can’t auto-convert downloads to all formats

Price: $19 for a year, $29 for lifetime license.

3. 4K YouTube Downloader

4K YouTube to MP3 is another option you can consider if you’re looking for an audio downloader. It’s a basic program that lets you extract audio from YouTube videos, and download it in a range of different formats such as M4A. It also lets you take whole playlists and channels. It’s not a bad option, but you’ll be extremely limited unless you go for the paid version. The free version only allows for a single simultaneous file download each day, plus the app is packed full of ads. Possibly one to avoid.

How to Extract Audio from YouTube Videos with 4K YouTube to MP3 Downloader

  1. Copy the URL of the YouTube video/playlist you want to download.
  2. Open the 4K YouTube Downloader.
  3. Click ‘paste link’.
  4. The video will start downloading.
youtube sound extractor

4K YouTube to MP3 Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Media player built in
  • Range of different format and quality choices

Cons

  • Can’t download YouTube video
  • Very few features on free version

Price: $14 for basic license, $60 for Pro.

Extract Audio from YouTube Video with Online Tools

As we’ve already mentioned, desktop tools are generally the best option to extract audio from YouTube online. However, if you only want to get a handful of files, there are plenty of online solutions that can do this for you. There are a number of disadvantages to online downloaders. The most obvious one is the fact that they create revenue by running disruptive advertisements. On top of that, they tend to be noticeably slower than desktop options. Finally, online tools are pretty lacking when it comes to privacy and security. So as we’ve said, if you want to risk if for a couple of files, the following are our preferred online downloading tools.

4. savetomp3.com Online Converter

Savetomp3 comes across as a straightforward converter to extract audio from YouTube video. You simply copy and paste a URL into the box, hit download and it’ll download your file for you. Unfortunately, the site is littered with adverts. It’s also pretty unreliable, and you may encounter various error messages for no clear reason.

extract audio from YouTube video

Savetomp3 Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Good interface
  • Free

Cons

  • Not many extra options or features
  • Regular errors

5. FLVTO Online Conversion

As with most online converters, while FLVTO can handle conversions, the main issue comes with the huge amount of ads. On top of that, it’s not the most attractive site in the world. However, at the same time the people who make it have their own desktop app, so it’s more reliable than some of its competitors. It’s a straightforward converter with nothing special, and it’s available free.

youtube music extractor

FLVTO Service Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Professionally developed

Cons

  • Few features
  • Unattractive design
  • Incessant adverts

6. ytmp3.cc Online Service

This MP3 downloader immediately impresses with its design. It’s easy to make use of, and even gives you the option of running with a dark theme. That said, there aren’t a huge amount of different options when it comes to how you download files. There’s a choice of either MP3 or MP4, but nothing else. And obviously it’s got its fair share of advertising.

extract audio from YouTube

ytmp3.cc Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Good design

Cons

  • Regular adverts
  • Few options for format

Browser Extensions

Browser extensions are the last category we’re looking at today. Browser extensions are programs that you can attach to your browser, which allow you to extract audio from YouTube video. Unfortunately, they’re notorious for causing problems with viruses and malware. While plenty of them are useful, there are quite a few out there that are known for causing problems. Another issue is the fact that YouTube has been enforcing TOS more. This means that they’ve made it impossible for a number of extensions. However, the following are our pick of the best browser extensions for downloading YouTube content.

7. Y2Mate Browser Extension

Y2Mate is an extension that can be used with Firefox and Chrome. It’s a decent extension for downloading YouTube audio, letting you get what you’re looking for with a single click. There aren’t a huge range of different options, but it’s able to do what you need it to.

music ripper youtube

Y2Mate Pros and Cons

Pros

  • No payment
  • Easy to set up

Cons

  • Can only be used within a YouTube page

8. YouTube Video Downloader by Addoncrop

This downloader is available on a range of different browsers, including Opera. It works in pretty much the same way as Y2Mate. All you need to do is go to the page with your video and use the download button to extract audio from YouTube video. It also offers a range of different formats and resolutions such as 4K for your downloads. And on top of that, it can take video screenshots and has support for embedded videos. If you want to make use of an extension, this is probably one of the better options.

audio extractor youtube

Addoncrop Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Range of different formats to choose from
  • Chrome compatible

Cons

  • Takes a while to install

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are a few of the more likely questions you may be asking about downloading audio from YouTube videos.
We recommend Airy as the ideal tool for downloading audio from YouTube videos. As we’ve already mentioned, this is the best YouTube audio downloader out of all the options we looked at, offering a wide range of great features. Airy is the ideal tool for all your downloading requirements.
Extracting audio from YouTube, and YouTube downloading in general, is legal in terms of either converting personal videos, or converting things that are in the public domain. You can search YouTube for public domain material specifically if you’re unsure.
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Requirements: OS X 10.10+ , 25.32MB size
Version 3.29.1.396 (2 Apr, 2024) Release notes
Category: Utilities
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