Review of youtube-dl powered by the Slant community.
A command-line program for video downloading. Works on multiple sites, not just YouTube.
SpecsUpdate
PlatformsWin, Mac, Unix
LicenseThe Unlicense
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Open-source
It's released to the public domain. Modify at will.
Pro Cross-platform
Works on Windows, Mac OS X and other Unix systems like Linux for example.
Pro Ability to download different formats and meta-info
Pro Frequently updated
The developers keep up with YouTube-s meta changes. If the download of a video fails, just update to a new version and it should work.
Pro Works in other places too
Can download from different sources, not just YouTube. Link for supported sites can be found here.
Pro Command-line, and light weight
Cons
Con No GUI
Command Line driven only. That's what makes it powerful, but less accessible.
Con Was taken down from Github
The RIAA sent a DMCA takedown notice to Github to remove youtube-dl., stating that this is illegal software. Takedown notice has been dissolved since.
Con Slow on Windows
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