Downie is a macOS video downloader that saves videos from over 1,200 sites including YouTube, Vimeo, and Youku with a single click.
What is Downie?
Downie is a dedicated video downloader for macOS (version 4.12.9, requires macOS 11+, with macOS 13+ strongly recommended) developed by Charlie Monroe Software. It takes a video URL from supported websites and downloads the video file to your Mac, offering options for quality selection and post-processing.
Key Features
- 1,000+ Sites Supported — Downloads from YouTube, Vimeo, Youku, Dailymotion, and over a thousand other sites, with new sites added in regular updates.
- 4K & HD Video — Fetches the highest available resolution, including full 4K, unlike many tools limited to 1080p.
- Postprocessing — Automatically converts downloads to MP4 for iOS devices or extracts audio-only tracks (e.g., podcasts).
- iCloud History Sync — Syncs download history across all your Macs via iCloud to prevent redundant downloads.
- Weekly Updates — Updated every week or two to add sites, fix broken ones, and ship new features.
- Browser Extension — Available for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox to send links directly to Downie with one click.
- User-Guided Extraction — Built-in browser lets you navigate unsupported sites and detect videos for download.
- International Support — Localized into multiple languages; free licenses offered for translations.
Who is it for?
- Content creators needing to save reference videos or clips for editing.
- Educators who want to download educational videos from YouTube for offline classroom use.
- Podcasters and musicians who extract audio tracks from videos using the audio-only postprocessing feature.
- Frequent travelers who download videos for offline viewing on planes or areas with limited connectivity.
What can you do with Downie?
- Save any supported video — Paste a YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku link and choose quality (up to 4K).
- Extract audio — Set postprocessing to "Audio Only" to download just the audio track, perfect for music or podcasts.
- Download from unsupported sites — Use User-Guided Extraction to browse in Downie’s built-in browser and manually trigger detection.
- Organize downloads — History syncs over iCloud, and you can set automatic conversion to MP4 for consistent playback.
Pricing
Downie offers a one-time purchase of a permanent license for $19.99 (USD, excluding VAT) directly from the developer. It is also available via Setapp subscription ($14.99/month) for access to Downie and 300+ other Mac apps. Bundles with Permute (media converter) are available at a discounted price of $26.99. Student discounts are offered on request.
FAQ
Can I purchase Downie on the App Store?
No — Apple does not allow apps that download videos from YouTube on the App Store. Purchase directly from this page or within the app.
Is there an iOS / iPadOS version?
Yes, but only in the EU, distributed via the Onside third-party marketplace due to Apple’s review guidelines.
Can I use Downie on multiple computers?
Yes — for personal use, you can install on all your own Macs with up to 3 activations. Deactivate before replacing a Mac.
What if a site I need isn’t supported?
Contact support in the app or on the website; requests are typically added in the next update.
I lost my license. What should I do?
Select Downie → Forgot License Code… in the menu bar or use the "Lost License Code?" button in the license prompt.
