Downie

Downie is what you buy instead of keeping a yt-dlp install current. You paste a URL, or hit the browser extension, and the file lands in a folder with a sensible name; the queue handles a whole conference playlist while you do something else. It can strip the audio out on the way past, hand the file to Permute for conversion, and file the result automatically. The people who get the most out of it are archiving lectures, talks and their own uploads rather than hoarding films.

The $19.99 is a licence you keep, bought straight from the developer and quoted before tax. What you are really paying for is upkeep: a site redesigns its player, the extractor breaks, and an update fixes it. That is also the honest limit of the product — when a site changes, there can be a gap, and no one can promise how long. Downie 4 needs macOS 13 or later, with 15 or newer recommended.

Don't buy it if you are already comfortable in a terminal, because yt-dlp does the same job for free and you will resent paying for a nicer window. Don't buy it if you save a video twice a year either. And whatever you pull down, the terms of the site and your local copyright law still apply.