Shiliu Downloader is a free desktop application for downloading video, audio, subtitles, or video with subtitles. It supports YouTube, Bilibili, and other sites that yt-dlp can parse reliably. You can process one video, several links, or playlists, with shared format rules for batch tasks and individual adjustments for playlist items. A task center displays progress, speed, and estimated time remaining, and lets you cancel jobs or retry failures. Local history remains after restarting the app. Browser cookies or cookie files can provide authentication for YouTube downloads when needed. The installer includes the download engine and media-processing dependencies. Shiliu runs on macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, and Windows x64; its macOS builds are signed and notarized. Some logged-in YouTube links may fail because of YouTube challenges and upstream yt-dlp compatibility issues.
Who it is for
It suits people who want a desktop interface for single-video, batch-link, or playlist downloads. Supported desktop systems are macOS and Windows.
What is good
- Free to use at no cost
- Downloads video, audio, and subtitles
- Supports playlists and batch links
- Includes engine and media dependencies
- Keeps local task history
What to know first
- Some logged-in YouTube links may fail
- Other sites depend on yt-dlp parsing
- Users must follow rights and copyright rules
Verdict
Shiliu Downloader offers broad desktop download modes with queue management and included dependencies. Site compatibility and authenticated YouTube links can still depend on yt-dlp and platform challenges.
Shiliu Downloader plans and pricing
All plansCompared on video downloaders
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported sources
- YouTube, Bilibili, and other yt-dlp-parseable sites
- Playlist downloads
- Yes
- Subtitle downloads
- Yes
- Batch downloads
- Yes
- Device platforms
- macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, Windows x64
