While there is a handful of free YouTube to MP3 converters available, they fall into the double-edged-sword category. More than 90% of the free converters are web-based where users paste a video link and they get an audio file. However, these converters usually stick you with certain costs such as malware installation or poor quality/privacy issues. TechRadar shared many of the free converters that surfaced were riddled with ads and possibly viruses. A lot of this went away after Google shut down some due to copyright infringement, but despite countless cease and desist orders most keep popping up under a different domain itself.
Using these converters is legally a grey area. Even though those tools are freely available, the RIAA has labeled use of them as a copyright violation. Furthermore, the sound quality will be diminished using them as most converts very poorly compressing files. The typical MP3 bitrate is 320kbps, but numerous free converters convert down to anywhere as low at like128 kbps or lower which can result in muffled audio.
Over half (56%) of the free services contain or distribute malware — a privacy and security problem as this malicious software hijacks users' personal data. Between then and 2023, they were the root of increased phishing attacks on individual looking for media tools to download without paying, according to Malwarebytes. This has us wondering if the “free” part is really worth it in which reads of running oneself to failure.
In the end, if you need a working tool – just use something licensed that does not affect your computer in unwanted ways and works fine or go with paid options to have assurance of quality/safety. Services that are well taken care of such as YouTube to MP3 provide a cleaner and safer environment in contrast to sketchy ad-ridden ones.