Short answer: For general use, Video Downloader Plus — the extension we make — is where we'd start, especially for HLS streams and if you'd rather have captures saved to a cloud library than a Downloads folder. Video Downloader Professional and Video DownloadHelper are the two strongest alternatives, both with 5M+ users and 2026 updates. For HLS and m3u8 streams specifically, FetchV and Stream Recorder are purpose-built and beat any general-purpose pick at that single job.
A year ago, we wrote a top-five list for 2024. Since then, the Chrome Web Store has pulled a pile of video downloaders (SaveFrom.net Helper is the big one), Manifest V3 migration killed a second batch, and the remaining field shook out into two distinct categories. This post replaces the 2024 piece with a 2026-current read.
The YouTube restriction no Chrome extension can work around
The first thing worth saying: none of the extensions below download YouTube. Not because they're technically incapable — because the Chrome Web Store's policy explicitly forbids it. Any extension that ships YouTube-download features to the store gets pulled within a review cycle. This is true for every extension in this list, including ours.
If your only goal is to save a YouTube video, this post isn't for you. Use a desktop tool like yt-dlp or a web-based service — both live outside Chrome's policy surface. Everything below is for everything else: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, Dailymotion, news sites, live-streaming platforms, and anything serving HLS or DASH.
How we picked
Four filters, applied to every extension we considered:
- Still live on the Chrome Web Store as of April 2026. Surprisingly restrictive after the 2025 purge.
- Received an update in roughly the last 12 months. Chrome's Manifest V3 transition broke many extensions; receiving updates in 2026 means the team is still shipping.
- Around 100,000 users or more. Below that number, the lack of community feedback makes quality hard to verify.
- Handles real streaming formats. Direct MP4 is table stakes; HLS/m3u8 support is where half the field falls off.
Anything missing one of these failed the cut.
Best for general video downloading
These four cover most non-YouTube, non-DRM sites you'll run into. Pick whichever fits your ergonomic preference; they're close in capability.
Video Downloader Plus (our extension)
Roughly 1M+ users · 4.5 stars · updated October 2025
We built this extension, so listing it first is a judgment call we can defend — not a claim that it beats every alternative on every axis. Two specific things distinguish it from Professional and DownloadHelper.
First, HLS handling is designed into the detection flow rather than bolted on. When a site serves a master manifest with multiple quality variants, Video Downloader Plus surfaces the whole quality ladder in one dropdown instead of making you inspect network requests yourself. The full HLS download guide walks through the capture flow in detail. Chrome's Manifest V3 removed webRequestBlocking — detection has to happen passively, by reading headers after each response arrives, which made HLS capture more finicky for every extension in this category. We rebuilt our detection model around it.
Second, we save the capture to a cloud library by default instead of an immediate download-to-disk. That's the model we prefer — reopen an old capture on a different device, or share it with a teammate, without keeping a downloads folder in order. Some users hate this and want the plain download behavior; there's a setting for it.
Weakness: we don't support YouTube (Chrome Web Store policy — same as everyone), and our user base is smaller than Professional's and DownloadHelper's, which means fewer edge-case site reports in our bug tracker.
Video Downloader Professional (Link64)
Roughly 5M+ users · 4.5 stars · updated March 2026
The most-installed extension on this list by a wide margin. One-click detection, clean pop-up, straightforward downloads. Handles MP4/WebM directly, DASH, and HLS through an integrated fetcher.
The weakness is a block list: Professional explicitly refuses to download from YouTube, Instagram, Dailymotion, VK, and TikTok — their support docs confirm this, citing Chrome Web Store restrictions. If any of those are on your list, it won't help. On the sites it does cover, it's as stable as anything in this category.
Video DownloadHelper
Roughly 5M+ users · 4.4 stars · updated April 2026
The veteran. The Firefox version has been around since 2006 — the Chrome port is newer, but the same team ships both, and the Chrome version was updated about three weeks ago as of this writing. Supports around a thousand sites, DASH and HLS and MPD manifests, MP4/MKV/WebM outputs, and MP3 audio extraction.
Honest tradeoff: the free tier nags visibly. Converted output gets a subtle watermark on some formats, and the pop-up pushes for the paid "companion app" that handles things the browser alone can't. If you don't want the upsell, it's not the right pick. If you don't mind, coverage is arguably the widest of any extension here.
CocoCut
Around 800K+ users · 4.8 stars · updated February 2026
Quietly high ratings, consistent updates. Strong HLS and m3u8 support, including live broadcast capture, .ts → MP4 merging handled locally, 30-language UI. If you watch a lot of regional streaming sites where the others' site lists feel Euro-centric, CocoCut tends to pick up what they miss.
The thing to watch: the listicle ecosystem is littered with posts claiming CocoCut was removed from the Chrome Web Store in 2024. The main listing is currently live and actively updated — those removal claims appear to reference an older extension ID, not the current one. Still worth checking the store yourself before installing.
Best for HLS / m3u8 streams
If you're downloading from streaming sites specifically — IPTV, HLS-only players, live broadcasts — a purpose-built HLS tool beats a general-purpose one. HLS fragments video into segments (.ts or .m4s files) and writes a manifest that lists them in playback order. There are typically two flavors: a master manifest listing multiple quality variants, and a variant manifest listing the actual segment URLs for one quality. The tools below are designed around that structure. If you want the full format-conversion docs, we keep them up to date separately.
FetchV
Around 600K+ users · 4.9 stars · updated September 2025
The highest-rated extension in this entire post. Pure-play HLS and m3u8 capture: detects the manifest, merges the segments, writes an MP4 locally in one step. Multi-threaded download, resolution switching from the primary manifest, and a blob-recording mode for trickier streams that don't expose a plain manifest.
No social-media support. No generic "click any video" flow. If the site doesn't serve HLS, FetchV doesn't help. If it does, this is the best dedicated tool on the store.
Stream Recorder
Around 1M+ users · 4.3 stars · updated August 2025
The HLS alternative to FetchV. Same core job — capture an m3u8 stream, write an MP4 — slightly different philosophy: Stream Recorder is quieter in the UI and runs purely as a background worker. No quality dropdown at capture time; it records what's playing. Good for live streams where you just want to hit record and walk away.
Slightly older last-update date than FetchV (August 2025 vs. September). Still shipping, still MV3-compliant.
What we removed from the 2024 list
Two categories of extensions earned spots in our 2024 roundup that don't belong here in 2026:
SaveFrom.net Helper was removed from the Chrome Web Store in late 2025 after policy violations. This has happened to SaveFrom multiple times; they tend to reappear under new extension IDs, get flagged again, and cycle through the process. If you see a "SaveFrom Helper" on the store today, check the publisher carefully — the legitimate one has been pulled more than once.
A cluster of low-install generic downloaders quietly disappeared during the Manifest V3 transition throughout 2025. Chrome disabled MV2 extensions by default on March 31, 2025, removed the override on July 24, 2025, and dropped MV2 entirely around Chrome 139. Teams that didn't ship MV3-compliant updates in time lost their listings. The survivors on this list all rebuilt their detection for the MV3 constraint.
The durable signal: if an extension hasn't shipped an update since early 2025, assume it's not actively maintained.
How to pick for your use case
- Facebook, Instagram, news sites: Video Downloader Professional. Broadest site list, most stable.
- Widest possible coverage and you don't mind paying: Video DownloadHelper. Free works; paid companion app unlocks edge cases.
- HLS / m3u8 streams specifically: FetchV first, Stream Recorder second.
- Cloud-saved library instead of files landing in Downloads: Video Downloader Plus.
- Live IPTV or long broadcasts: Stream Recorder or CocoCut; both handle the long-session case better than the general-purpose options.
- A saved m3u8 file already on disk: drop it into the HLS Player tool and convert from there.
If you're on the fence between general-purpose picks, install two and keep them both — they're free, they don't conflict, and different sites expose different capture surfaces. The "one extension to rule them all" doesn't exist in this category.
FAQ
Why doesn't any Chrome extension download YouTube?
Chrome Web Store policy forbids it. Extensions that ship YouTube-download features get pulled. The tools that do YouTube (yt-dlp, 4K Video Downloader, various web services) all live outside the Chrome Web Store for exactly this reason.
Are HLS / m3u8 downloads the same as regular video downloads?
No. HLS serves video as fragmented segments with a playlist manifest, not a single file. A general-purpose downloader might miss the manifest entirely; an HLS-specific tool fetches the manifest, pulls every segment, and merges them into an MP4 locally. If you've run into "only a piece of the video downloaded," that's usually this mismatch. Our walkthrough on converting m3u8 to MP4 in your browser covers this in depth.
Do any of these work with DRM-protected streams (Netflix, Disney+)?
No. DRM video is encrypted between the CDN and the screen; no browser extension sees the decrypted bytes. Anything claiming to download DRM-protected services is either lying or breaking the law somewhere. The extensions above all refuse DRM streams as a design choice.
Free or paid?
Every extension above has a free tier that covers most use cases. Paid tiers show up for DownloadHelper and a few others, usually unlocking batch downloads or specific format conversions. None requires paying to install.
That's the 2026 field. The 2024 list got shorter because the purge and MV3 transition shrank the honest roster. Ours is one of six extensions we'd actually install — and we led the general-purpose tier with it because that's where we think it fits best. FetchV and Stream Recorder remain the sharper pick if HLS capture is your only job.