On this page
The original y2mate site closed in October 2025. Sites using its name today are copies, so a stalled conversion or a page full of pop-ups does not mean your browser is at fault. This guide explains the closure, YouTube’s own download options, and the alternatives available in 2026.
The quick answer
- To watch offline: use YouTube's own download button, with Premium ($15.99 a month in the US) or Premium Lite ($8.99). It is the only route YouTube's terms allow.
- For a file of your own upload or Creative Commons content: use yt-dlp, a free, open-source command-line tool.
- If you prefer buttons: use a maintained desktop app such as 4K Video Downloader Plus, not whichever converter site ranks first this week.
What happened to y2mate
On October 14, 2025, IFPI announced that after enforcement action in Vietnam, the operator of Y2mate.com and 11 other stream-ripping sites had agreed to shut them down permanently. IFPI now holds most of the domains. The 12 sites drew about 620 million visits in the previous 12 months, and y2mate was already blocked in 13 countries. It is gone for everyone, not just for you.
Dozens of copycats now use the name with a different spelling or domain ending. None is run by the original operator. Some hang; others push fake Download buttons, notification prompts or “converter apps,” and pop-ups and antivirus warnings have been reported for sites of this kind. Treat any y2mate you reach today as an unknown website.
Why converter sites keep breaking
Server-side converters also fail for technical reasons that apply to every site in the category.
| Cause | What you see |
|---|---|
| Signed, expiring stream URLs tied to the requesting IP | Links fetched by the site's server go stale or are refused, and the download hangs at 0%. |
| Bot checks (PO tokens) and throttling of data-center IPs | Slow or failed conversions. Even Cobalt has had YouTube disabled on its public instance since mid-2025. |
| HD delivered as separate video and audio streams | Low resolution with sound, or high resolution with none: the “muted 720p” file. |
| Takedowns and ad pressure | Domain hopping, more redirects, more prompts to install something. |
A “verify you are human” loop is the site's own Cloudflare gate, triggered by ad blockers, VPNs and data-center IPs. It is not a YouTube change.
Official options and terms
- YouTube Premium: $15.99 a month in the US and $26.99 for a family plan, after the price increase for new subscribers in April 2026 (existing subscribers from June 2026); ¥1,280 in Japan. Includes downloads in the app and YouTube Music Premium.
- YouTube Premium Lite: $8.99 a month (¥780). Downloads and background play since February 24, 2026, but not for Shorts or music content.
- YouTube Music Premium: offline listening in the YouTube Music app. If y2mate was your MP3 tool, this is the official replacement.
- Your own uploads: free from YouTube Studio, up to five times per video per day.
Premium downloads live inside the app and stay playable while the device reconnects at least every 30 days.
The rules: YouTube's Terms of Service forbid downloading unless YouTube permits it, you have written permission, or the law allows it, so a third-party download can breach the Terms even when it is not copyright infringement. We are not lawyers; treat this as orientation, not legal advice.
Terms and law in detail
Copyright is a separate layer and varies by country. The tools below are described for legitimate cases: your own channel, a podcast you produce, CC-licensed footage, or content you have permission to use.
- Your own uploads, Creative Commons material and content whose owner permits saving are generally fine.
- Downloading copyrighted work without permission may be illegal where you live.
- In the US, the DMCA separately prohibits circumventing technical protection, so DRM-protected video is off limits whatever the tool.
Tools and their limitations
Clipmoth is our own product; weigh that as you read.
| Tool | Works on YouTube? | Watch out for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| yt-dlp | Yes: every quality, playlists, subtitles; updated within days of platform changes | Terminal only; needs ffmpeg for 1080p and above | Free |
| 4K Video Downloader Plus | Yes, including playlists and channels | Free tier is limited; old “lifetime” owners reportedly had to buy Plus again | $15/yr · $25 one-time |
| Clipmoth (our product) | App: yes (4K, playlists, MP3). Extension: no | Windows only; the extension is for HLS/DASH video on ordinary sites | Free 10/day · $9.99 one-time |
| Video DownloadHelper | Reported unavailable in the Chrome version; mixed results on Firefox (as of Oct 2026) | Built for video embedded in ordinary pages | Free (some features paid) |
| Cobalt | No on the public instance (disabled since mid-2025) | The link goes to Cobalt's server; TikTok, X, Instagram and Reddit work | Free |
| y2mate clones and other converter sites | Sometimes, at low resolution or with silent HD | Pop-ups, redirects; antivirus warnings reported | “Free” |
Here is how yt-dlp and our Windows app differ in setup and everyday use.
| yt-dlp (command line) | Clipmoth for Windows | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, unlimited | Free 10/day · $9.99 one-time |
| Setup | The binary plus a separate ffmpeg install on your PATH for HD | One installer, ffmpeg included |
| Use | Type commands and options (-f, --merge-output-format …) | Paste the URL, pick a quality. Download queue; MP3 is one switch |
| Updates | Run yt-dlp -U yourself | The engine updates itself |
| When it fails | Read the English error output | The reason is shown in plain words (unsupported, login needed, region-locked …) |
| Best for | Fine-grained options, scripts, cookies and proxies; Mac and Linux | Windows users who want to click, not type |
- Command line: install yt-dlp and ffmpeg, then run
yt-dlp "URL"; without ffmpeg you get 360p or 720p at best. - Desktop apps: 4K Video Downloader Plus or Clipmoth, our Windows app with a 14-day refund, give the same result with a queue and a quality picker.
- Browser extensions: Chrome Web Store policy does not allow YouTube downloading, so an extension is the wrong y2mate replacement.
- For audio:
yt-dlp -x "URL"keeps the original Opus or M4A track, which beats any MP3 conversion (see our YouTube to MP3 guide and YouTube download guide).
When it doesn't work
- A clone hangs: check the video plays logged out, paste a clean
watch?v=VIDEO_IDURL, and try one private window. Two failures mean the site is broken. - Install prompts: never accept a “codec,” a “converter app” or a notification permission. That is the ad trap, not the fix.
- Is it the real site? The address bar must still show the domain you typed, and a download never arrives as .exe, .apk or .dmg. If either check fails, close the tab.
- A “verify you are human” loop: pause the ad blocker or VPN for that tab, or leave the site.
- Live stream in progress: there is no finished file yet. yt-dlp can record from the current moment, not the whole stream.
- DRM: YouTube rentals and purchases, Netflix and Prime Video use Widevine or PlayReady. No tool here can save them, and none should.
- Private, members-only, age-restricted, deleted or region-blocked: if the watch page errors or needs a login, online sites fail too.
Frequently asked questions
Is y2mate coming back?
Almost certainly not as the original service: the operator agreed to a permanent shutdown, and IFPI controls y2mate.com itself. The sister sites closed in the same action included yt1s.com, utomp3.com, tomp3.cc and y2mate.gg.
Does YouTube Premium give me an MP4 file?
No. Downloads stay in YouTube's own format inside the app and stop working when the subscription ends, and Lite does not include YouTube Music Premium.
Is a “320 kbps” MP3 from a converter better quality?
No. YouTube serves audio as Opus at roughly 128 to 160 kbps (AAC 256 kbps on YouTube Music Premium), so a 320 kbps MP3 is a re-encode that cannot add back detail.
Why is my converted file silent, or stuck at 360p?
yt-dlp -F "URL" lists every format and marks each one “video only” or “audio only,” which makes the split visible. With ffmpeg installed, yt-dlp merges the best pair automatically.
Saving without a converter site
Clipmoth is our own downloader. The Windows app supports YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram and over 1,000 sites, with options for 4K video, playlists and MP3.
The Chrome extension saves video playing on websites such as news sites and online courses, including HLS and DASH streams. It does not support YouTube.
Both offer 10 free downloads a day. Premium removes the limit in both for a one-time payment of $9.99, with a 14-day refund policy.
Get the Windows app Add to Chrome (for video on regular websites)