Solid YouTube Downloader and Converter

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on September 11, 2012

Solid YouTube Downloader differs from nearly every YouTube downloader we've tried in one significant way: you have to pay for it. Actually, two ways: almost all the others are free, and frankly it shows. Solid proved superior in performance and looks compared to the vast majority of free YouTube downloaders, which are usually little more than glorified ad pop-ups with some simple embedded code. With batch downloading and converting, including videos from your files and DVDs, Solid can make your life easier. You can try it and see for yourself for 30 days, though the free trial version limits conversions and places a watermark on videos.

Solid's interface was our first hint that this app eclipses most YouTube downloaders, free or not. With an embedded player and basic control suite, Solid is simple but not stripped down. It has lots of options, but its unique way of presenting them not only makes things easier on users but also much clearer. For instance, when we selected an output format for our converted videos, Solid presented an interactive menu of choices grouped intuitively by common video and audio types as well as by devices, with lots of choices under each item, too. We just had to click on our phone or player, choose a destination and options, and Solid did the rest. Help resources are thin, but licensing includes support, and Solid is easy to use, quickly and easily downloading and converting YouTube videos and our saved files, one by one and in batches.

Is Solid worth the cost versus the best of the freeware? Well, yes, actually, if you use YouTube a lot. You might have to go through half a dozen free YouTube downloaders before you find one almost as good as this app, and your time is worth something. Bottom line: if you spend more than a few minutes a day downloading YouTube videos, or if your job or interests can benefit from a better tool, or if you've just about had it with the freeware you're currently trying to make work for you, Solid YouTube Downloader definitely rates a tryout.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Solid Youtube Downloader and Converter 4.9.5.