Scalable Video Downloads in Any Format, Free

All Qualities

From 144p to 4K Ultra HD — download any resolution YouTube offers, including HDR and 60fps streams.

Audio Extraction

Download audio-only in M4A or WebM. Perfect for podcasts, music, and offline listening.

Fast Downloads

Our global proxy network routes traffic for maximum speed no matter where you are.

No Software Needed

Fully browser-based. No extensions, no desktop apps, no bloatware. Just paste a link.

Private & Secure

Your downloads are routed through our proxy. No data is shared or stored on our servers.

Usage Dashboard

Track your download history, bandwidth usage, and remaining quota from a clean dashboard.

No YouTube API Key Needed

Unlike the official YouTube Data API v3 which requires a Google Cloud account and quota management, our download API needs no YouTube API key at all. Sign up and get your API credentials instantly — free. No Google Console setup, no youtube api key cost, no daily quota limits.

Video Transcoding API

Our API supports optional FFmpeg post-processing. Convert YouTube videos to MP4, extract audio as MP3 via our YouTube to MP3 API, or apply custom format transformations through our video transcoding API endpoint. The API download video YouTube workflow takes just four calls.

Powered by yt-dlp

Built on yt-dlp technology — the fastest open-source video download engine. We run yt-dlp at scale on distributed infrastructure so you get all its format support without installing or maintaining it yourself. Compatible with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo, and thousands more sites.

How the YouTube Download API Works

1. Check available formats — GET endpoint retrieves every video and audio format for any YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Vimeo URL.
2. Create a download task — POST the FORMAT_ID to queue an async download task. Works with any format from the previous step.
3. Poll task status — Check the TASK_ID status until the download completes. Typically finishes in seconds.
4. Fetch the download URL — Retrieve the final download URL and stream or save the video or audio file.

YouTube to MP4 Download

Download YouTube videos as MP4 in any resolution — 144p, 360p, 480p, 720p HD, 1080p Full HD, 1440p 2K, and 2160p 4K Ultra HD. Our YouTube MP4 downloader shows all available qualities side by side so you can pick exactly what you need. Also supports WebM, MKV, and other containers including H.264, VP9, and AV1 codecs. Download YouTube MP4 files in seconds, no software required.

YouTube to MP3 API

Extract audio from any YouTube video via our YouTube to MP3 API. Supports MP3, AAC, Opus, FLAC, and M4A formats with configurable bitrates. Batch audio extraction is available through the YouTube mp3 converter API for large-scale workflows — perfect for podcasts, music libraries, and voice content pipelines. Our free YouTube MP3 downloader works entirely in your browser.

All Supported Video Formats

VideoScale.sh supports every format YouTube offers: MP4, WebM, MKV for video; MP3, AAC, Opus, FLAC, M4A for audio-only. Video resolutions from 144p to 4K (2160p), including HDR and 60fps high frame-rate streams. Use our online YouTube downloader free, or integrate via the download API.

Can I download YouTube videos for free?

Yes. VideoScale.sh is a free YouTube video downloader — sign up and get 10 GB of download bandwidth at no cost. No credit card required. You can also browse available formats on any video without an account. Use our online YouTube downloader to download YouTube videos for free instantly.

Do I need a YouTube API key?

No. Unlike the YouTube Data API v3, which requires registering on Google Cloud Console and managing API key quotas, our video download API needs no YouTube API key. There is no youtube api key cost or setup. Create a VideoScale.sh account and get your own API credentials instantly — for free.

What is the YouTube download API cost?

The API is free to start — every account includes 10 GB of download traffic. Additional bandwidth is available in pay-as-you-go packages starting from $0.80/GB with volume discounts. There are no monthly fees, subscriptions, or per-call charges. The youtube api free tier gives you 10 GB to start.

Is VideoScale.sh similar to yt-dlp?

Yes. VideoScale.sh is powered by yt-dlp technology, running it at scale on distributed infrastructure. You get all the format support and compatibility of yt-dlp — supporting YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo and thousands of other sites — delivered through a clean REST API and web interface, without installing or maintaining yt-dlp yourself.

What formats can I download YouTube videos in?

Every format YouTube provides: MP4, WebM, MKV for video; MP3, AAC, Opus, FLAC, M4A for audio-only. Video resolutions range from 144p to 4K (2160p) Ultra HD, including HDR and 60fps streams. Our YouTube to MP4 downloader and YouTube MP3 API both support the full range. Download YouTube video online in any of these formats instantly.

Can I use the API in Python or JavaScript?

Absolutely. Our REST API works with any HTTP client. The API documentation includes code examples for cURL, Python (using the requests library), and JavaScript (fetch and axios). The youtube python api and youtube javascript api integrations follow standard HTTP Basic Auth — easy to integrate in minutes. A Postman collection is also available.