FastestTube is a Chrome extension that lets you grab YouTube videos. Its big feature is built-in conversion. Most YouTube downloaders on the market can only save videos in FLV format, but FastestTube can save MP4 as well as FLV. You can send the MP4 straight to your phone or iPad and watch it there, without an extra conversion step.

FastestTube also works in other browsers, such as Firefox and IE, which is very convenient for people who don’t use Chrome. Still… if you use IE, I suggest switching to Chrome or Firefox, XD. It’s a shame that FastestTube doesn’t offer a direct MP3 download. If you like grabbing songs from YouTube, you’ll have to download the MP4 first and then convert it to MP3 with another program.

FastestTube Info

How to Use FastestTube

1. Installation is simple. Go to the FastestTube official website and click the big "Install" button. It detects your browser automatically.

  1. After you install FastestTube, open the YouTube video page you want to download. A white dialog box will appear. Check “Do not show this dialog again,” then close the dialog.

  1. Click the “Download” button, choose the format you want, and the download starts!

My thoughts: Personally, I think FastestTube is quite useful. Its interface blends right into YouTube, so you can download a video you like on the spot. It also offers MP4, so you don’t have to convert it yourself. However, I kept saying that FastestTube converts the files for you, and that is not quite accurate. What it actually does is fetch the MP4 download URL. YouTube itself offers MP4 files; they are just hidden. If FastestTube really did the conversion on its server, the download would not be this fast, because the server would need time to process the file before you could download it. I think this is also why FastestTube doesn’t offer an MP3 download!