The best free YouTube to MP3 converters in 2024

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You can use the best free YouTube to MP3 converters to enjoy your favorite YouTube content without pulling up the site.
Bästa gratis YouTube till MP3-konverterare (Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Monkey Business Images)

The best free YouTube to MP3 converters are a great way to enjoy your favorite audio content from YouTube whenever and wherever you want - at no cost. It's the best solution for listening to music, podcasts, and other audio-based YouTube content when you don't have internet access.

Instead of downloading videos like the best free YouTube downloader apps, these tools convert videos to the MP3 audio file format, perfect for listening on the go with your iPhone or Android device. This can be ideal for long flights or trips to the great outdoors, when you won't reliably be able to access YouTube itself.

We've tested many of these tools ourselves and compiled this list of the best picks, including only those that meet our high standards. Not to be confused with the best free music downloader apps, these converters will let you convert YouTube content into MP3s with ease.

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 - so make sure you have permission from the uploader (or copyright holder) to download their content for personal use.

The best free YouTube to MP3 converters for 2023

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Any Video Converter, a free YouTube to MP3 converter app, on a Windows 11 laptop

(Image credit: Anvsoft Inc; Shutterstock)
The best YouTube to MP3 converter – just copy, paste and go

Specifications

Operating system: Windows

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent format options
+
Extra filters and effects
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Profiles for different devices

Reasons to avoid

-
Bundled extra software

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 tool on a Windows 11 laptop

(Image credit: OpenMedia LLC; Shutterstock)

2. 4K YouTube to MP3

Most versatile and easiest to use

Specifications

Operating system: Windows

Reasons to buy

+
No extra bundled software
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Choice of audio formats
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Supports many video sites

Reasons to avoid

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Only one download at a time

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.

4K Video Downloader being used on a Windows 11 laptop in an office

(Image credit: OpenMedia LLC; Shutterstock)
Best for M4A or OGG formats

Specifications

Operating system: Windows

Reasons to buy

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No ads or bundled software
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Can download playlists

Reasons to avoid

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Only available for Windows
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Long playlists require license

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

The aptly-named Free YouTube to MP3 Converter being used on a Windows 11 laptop in an office

(Image credit: DVDVideoSoft; Shutterstock)

4. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter

Best for converting music, complete with album artwork

Specifications

Operating system: Windows, macOS

Reasons to buy

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Very simple to use
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Well designed interface
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Can merge videos

Reasons to avoid

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Bundled software

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.

ClipGrab being used on a Windows 11 laptop in an office

(Image credit: ClipGrab; Shutterstock)
Best for beginners: all you need is the YouTube video URL

Specifications

Operating system: Windows

Reasons to buy

+
One-click downloads
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Integrated video search
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Supports many video sites

Reasons to avoid

-
Bundled extra software

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

Free YouTube to MP3 converter FAQs


How to choose the best free YouTube to MP3 converter 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 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. 

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.

Christian Guyton
Editor, Computing

Christian is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing Editor. He came to us from Maximum PC magazine, where he fell in love with computer hardware and building PCs. He was a regular fixture amongst our freelance review team before making the jump to TechRadar, and can usually be found drooling over the latest high-end graphics card or gaming laptop before looking at his bank account balance and crying.


Christian is a keen campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and the owner of a charming rescue dog named Lucy, having adopted her after he beat cancer in 2021. She keeps him fit and healthy through a combination of face-licking and long walks, and only occasionally barks at him to demand treats when he’s trying to work from home.

With contributions from