The best free YouTube to MP3 converters will let you enjoy your favorite YouTube content anytime you want, wherever you want, at no cost. As long as you have secured permission to do so, downloading YouTube content for you to watch later on, especially when you don't have Internet access or you're in an area with limited YouTube access, is the best solution.
Bear in mind that viewing content on YouTube on the browser or via the app helps support YouTube creators since the more views they get, the more money they can make. Also, unauthorized downloads are against YouTube's terms of service, and TechRadar does not condone the use of these products for any copyright-infringing purposes.
However, if that creator has given you permission to download their content, a free YouTube to MP3 converter should do the trick. It should let you easily pull up those songs and other types of content on your iPhone or Android device so you can enjoy them while you’re on a flight, at the gym, or driving across the country.
We’ve tested many of these free YouTube converters ourselves, and as a result, found the ones that met our high standards and put together the following list. Not to be confused with the best free music downloader apps, these converters are somewhat similar to the best free YouTube downloader apps, except they specifically convert YouTube videos to MP3 and other formats.
While we also have a list of the best free music downloader apps, free YouTube to MP3 converters are somewhat similar to the best free YouTube downloader apps.
Instead of downloading actual videos, they convert YouTube videos to MP3 and other formats. Before using one, however, make sure that you have the creator or copyright holder’s permission to download their content.
(opens in new tab)The best free YouTube to MP3 converters for 2023
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If you're looking for a fast, flexible YouTube to MP3 converter, this is the tool for you. You would be forgiven for judging Any Video Converter Free by its name and believing it to be a tool for converting from one video format to another. While this is part of what it can do, it can also be used to download videos from YouTube and save them as MP3s – exactly what we’re looking for!
YouTube to MP3 conversion is not the sole purpose of the program, so it's rather larger than you might expect, but this should not put you off (but take care not to install the optional adware during setup). We found that everything on it is organized in a logical way so you should be able to find your way around in no time.
It seems almost overkill to use what is a powerful and versatile piece of software for just one task, but downloading MP3s is as simple as pasting in the URL of a YouTube video and waiting for the download to complete. You can then select MP3 as the output format, and hit the Convert Now button. It's a shame there's no one-click option for converting YouTube to MP3, but it's hardly a major hardship.
Read our full review: Any Video Converter Free
4K YouTube to MP3 is very similar to 4K Video Downloader (further down this page), but dedicated specifically to stripping the audio from videos. Despite its name, 4K YouTube to MP3 also allows you to save the soundtracks from videos in OGG and M4A formats, and you can take your pick from various bitrates so you can choose a suitable balance of speed and quality (though in our experience, even downloading at the highest bitrate is quick and painless).
It doesn't just support YouTube, either; you can also use it to save the sound from videos hosted on Vimeo, Flickr, Facebook, SoundCloud and others. Just copy the address from your web browser and click the green 'Paste URL' button to get started.
Perhaps best of all, unlike some YouTube to MP3 converters, 4K YouTube to MP3 comes with no bundled extra software. Upgrading to the premium version for a one-off fee will allow you to download entire playlists, but the free software is perfect for everyday use.
It might not be the most stylish software around, but like 4K YouTube to MP3 above, 4K Video Downloader is brilliant.
It works in a similar way, too, but because this app is chiefly for downloading whole videos, there are a couple of extra steps involved. Copy the URL of a video from your web browser (it supports YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Flickr and DailyMotion) and click 'Paste URL'. Select 'Extract audio' and pick MP3, OGG or M4A, then click 'Extract' and the audio will be converted and saved to the destination of your choice. Done.
The free version of 4K Video Downloader does have its limitations, but we find that it suits most people just fine. It lets you download up to 24 videos in a playlist, which is particularly useful for grabbing several songs by a particular artist. You can download and convert longer playlists to MP3 format if you buy a license key, but the software's free features are very impressive.
Read our full review: 4K Video Downloader
Free YouTube to MP3 Converter does exactly what you'd expect (converting videos from YouTube to MP3 format) and it's perfectly safe to judge it by its name.
Once installed, however, you're in for a treat. There's no need to fiddle about with options, you can just get on with downloading the music you're interested in immediately. Use a simple drop-down menu to choose the quality and format you would like to save your audio file, paste the URL, and click Download. Files are saved and converted in one fell swoop.
The beauty of Free YouTube to MP3 Converter is that there's no messing about, nothing superfluous, and nothing confusing. It has one purpose in mind, and it has been designed to do it as efficiently as possible. It's definitely worth a try – we're sure you'll love it.
An utter delight of a program, ClipGrab makes converting from YouTube to MP3 nice and simple – aside from the bundling of the Opera browser, which is easy to skip if you'd rather avoid it.
During our tests, we found that ClipGrab does an excellent job of making it all straightforward. The wonderfully simple interface gives you a pleasing hint of just how easy things are going to be, right from the word go. Copy a YouTube URL to the clipboard and ClipGrab will spring into action, offering to download the related video for you.
Even if this doesn’t happen – you might not yet have the program running, for instance – a quick paste into the relevant field is all it takes. You can then indicate that you are interested in downloading the audio as an MP3 before you click the 'Grab this clip!' button to do just that. The MP3 you seek will be yours in next to no time.
Read our full review: ClipGrab
How to choose the best free YouTube to MP3 converters for you
When you're looking for a free YouTube to MP3 converter, one of the first things to consider is how many videos you want to convert. If you're only going to be doing it once or twice, it might be worth considering an online tool. However, for anything more it's worth downloading a dedicated desktop application and perhaps even buying a paid subscription if you can afford it.
Desktop software will also be faster, because the data isn't processed on a remote server, and some applications are also capable of converting multiple YouTube videos to MP3 format at once.
It pays to be careful, though; YouTube to MP3 software is very popular, so it can be easy to stumble across malware when you're looking for one. We've thoroughly tested all the tools in this guide, and can confidently recommend them.
How to we test free YouTube to MP3 converters
Testing free YouTube to MP3 converters is more involved than you might think. Even though they are cost-free, they should be able to do more than just convert those videos. After all, different users have different needs.
So, we take a good look at its features. That includes how many formats it has on offer for conversion, whether or not it can convert in batches and what kind of customization options it offers. We also take a look at the tools available like cropping, adding a watermark and filters.
Naturally, we take a look at its interface as well. Many users just want to grab the audio and not worry about anything else, so we want to make sure that using the software is easy and effortless for most people. If we find that a converter has a more complicated interface better suited for experienced users, we make a note of it.
Finally, we check to see if a free YouTube to MP3 converter comes with bloatware. Ideally, you shouldn't have to deal with extra software that you won't use and take up space and bandwidth. But, being free, bloatware kind of comes with the territory.
Free YouTube to MP3 converter FAQs
Are free YouTube to MP3 converters safe?
There are free YouTube to MP3 converters that are safe, but there are also many that aren't. Also, there are converters out there that are safe but come with bloatware and a website riddled with popups. Some of these pop-up ads might be harmful or lead to fraudulent sites designed to steal your information or take your money.
This is why you can't just download a free YouTube to MP3 converter without checking online reviews first. Luckily, the ones that are on our list are proven to be safe -- even though some do come with their share of bloatware that takes up space in your computer's storage drive and CPU bandwidth.
