Key Points
- YouTube was launched in 2005 by three entrepreneurs who had previously launched Paypal.
- Savefrom.net was a digital platform that allowed users to input the link of any YouTube video, click “download,” and automatically download the video for free.
- Savefrom.net closed down its website and discontinued its services in April 2020.
Less than 20 years ago, people had to be in one place at a time to watch viewing entertainment on a TV. No one was downloading videos on smart devices then.
With the advent of the internet and WiFI, people are now free to travel and watch entertainment on the go. The 21st-century viewer is likelier to watch entertainment on a smart device, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
And the modern viewer is more likely to watch online videos and streaming entertainment on a digital computer device than on a TV. And they are likely watching YouTube videos.
Did you know that there are numerous ways to download YouTube and other social media videos for free or at a fee? But there is a reason the corporate media sites don’t want to know.
We are going to tell you about the best alternatives to Savefrom.net, formerly the premier website for downloading social media videos for free.
But firstly, you should understand why the social media corporate giants don’t want you to know how to download social media videos for free.
Social Media Business Plans
YouTube was launched in 2005 by three entrepreneurs who had previously launched Paypal. Google bought YouTube the next year for $1.65 billion. Google has a market capitalization value of over $1 trillion. But if YouTube was an independent company, it would probably be worth $300 billion.
YouTube is the second most visited website on the internet. Only Google or Facebook gets more site visitors, depending on who you ask.
Over 2.6 billion people visit YouTube monthly, but they are collectively viewing YouTube content over 22 billion times monthly.
About 62% of people globally who visit the internet visit YouTube regularly. However, many would like to download YouTube videos for later viewing, which is a task easier said than done for many,
©VideoBCN/Shutterstock.com
Rise and Fall of Savefrom.net
The point of all of this information is to point out that while we take free entertainment for granted when it comes to YouTube, YouTube is a business trying to make money. YouTube makes money from advertising dollars – it’s the reason why your favorite videos are constantly interrupted by advertising commercial videos.
Youtube’s business plan is also the reason why you can’t easily download its content.
To watch YouTube videos ad-free and even download them, you can use the YouTube Premium service. But you can only save them onto a smart device mobile phone or tablet, not a laptop or computer.
But there are many ways to download videos from YouTube, even on a desktop, for free or a fee if you know where to look.
And not many did until Savefrom.net. It used to be the preferred method for online viewers to download YouTube videos for free.
Savefrom.net was a digital platform that allowed users to input the link of any YouTube video, click “download,” and automatically download the video for free. The site was extremely user-friendly and again, free to use. Users could also download videos from other sites like Facebook, Vimeo, and SoundCloud.
Copyright Infringement Issues
Social Media Apps Displayed on a Smart Phone
©iStock.com/hapabapa
You may have noticed that we have been referring to Savefrom.net in the past tense. The website was launched in 2008 and once averaged over 100 million visitors per month. However, the site was served with multiple cease and desist orders and infringement of copyright notices from social media companies and independent video creators.
Savefrom.net closed down its website and discontinued its services in April 2020. And that is a bummer if you just learned about the service. (Be careful trying to access the existing site. We tried to access it for review but our antivirus detection programs wouldn’t allow access.)
But don’t worry, we got you covered. Here is a list of the best alternatives to Savefrom.net for downloading videos from social media.
The Top 6 Best Alternatives to Savefrom.net for Downloading Videos
We have compiled the best and safest list of alternatives to Savefrom.net for downloading videos.
However, any of these sites could meet the same end as Savefrom.net at any moment, so check them out while you can.
The number of sites from which you can download from each site varies, so check such details before attempting to download.
All of these sites are free. But nothing in life is free. These sites may be data mining your traffic data when you visit them and then selling it to third-party vendors.
Most online reviews have noted that these sites are relatively safe for use. However, make sure that you have the latest antivirus programs installed on your devices before visiting these sites for your own protection.
Super Parse
Super Parse is a free website that lets you download videos from social media sites for free.
It was difficult finding information on the founders of the site. The site was launched in 2020. And most online reviews have been favorable.
To download social media videos from Super Parse:
- Copy the URL address of the video and input it into the Super Parse search bar
- Wait a few moments as Super Parse’s servers process the video link
- Download links for the desired video will then be generated
- Click on the download link, click the right mouse button, and save the video
- You can only save videos with a viewing quality of 720p
Super Parse allows you to download from social media sites like:
- Tumblr
- YouTube
- IMDB
- Vimeo
- Twitch
- TED
- TikTok
- Imgur
You can also save content from porn sites at Super Parse. But be wary: such sites are notorious for infecting computers with viruses.
PasteDownload
PasteDownload is a United States-based company that facilitates downloading social media videos from popular websites like Facebook, Daily Motion, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Vimeo, TED, and many others.
And PasteDownload offers these services for free.
You can also download photographs and audio music from these sites. The maximum quality for any video you download must be at least 720p.
To begin downloading videos from PasteDownload you must:
- Copy the URL of the desired video
- Paste the URL address in the input bar at PasteDownload.com
- Click the “Download” icon
- Your video will launch in a new tab
- Click on the three-dot menu icon on the bottom right of the screen
- Select “Download” and click to start your download
Free Video Downloader
Free Video Downloader is a free site for downloading social media videos that are managed by an India-based technology company called The Tech Learn.
The Tech Learn is dedicated to helping Indians and all online visitors become more educated about the benefits of the online world and tech literate.
You can download videos and music from social media sites like:
- YouTube
- Bandcamp
- Likee
- Soundcloud
- Tumblr
- TikTok
- Vimeo
- Daily Motion
- BilliBilli
- Imgur
The social media videos that you download can’t have a video quality higher than 1080p.
©Chubo – my masterpiece/Shutterstock.com
Fileconverto
Fileconverto is a free online platform for downloading social media videos that were launched in 2017.
The website was originally launched as an online project for converting multimedia files to other file formats. Fileconverto then began experimenting with various kinds of open-source programs and technology that specialize in converting and downloading media files more efficiently.
The website for Fileconverto is very plain and bare bones. It doesn’t even have a list of the social media sites from which you can download videos. So, get ready for some hit-and-miss experimentation if you are unsure which social media videos can be downloaded at the site.
To begin, just input the copied URL in the Fileconverto input bar and then click “Submit Now.”
After a download link appears, use the right-click function of your mousepad to “Save link As,” on your computer.
FDown.net
Fdown.net is a free online platform for downloading social media videos from just one website, Facebook.
To download videos from FDown.net:
- Copy the URL address of the Facebook video
- Paste the URL address in the FDown.net input bar
- You will be prompted with a link and asked to choose between downloading videos with “Normal Quality” or “HD Quality”
Right-click the download link as “Save As” if the video does not automatically begin downloading.
SaveTweetVid
Are you interested only in videos from Twitter?
SaveTweetVid allows users to save content that was posted on Twitter and no other social media site.
To download from SaveTweeVid:
- Copy the URL address of the Twitter video you want to download
- Paste the URL address in the input bar
- Click the “download” button
- Select “MP4” or “MP3” video file format
- Click on the download link
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The image featured at the top of this post is ©metamorworks/Shutterstock.com.
