What Is Video Downloadhelper Companion App 1.0.11

Video DownloadHelper

Developer(s)

Michel Gutierrez (mig)

Stable release(s) [±]

Firefox	7.4.0 / December 16, 2020; 11 months ago (2020-12-16) ^[1]
Chrome	7.5.0.3 / March 4, 2021; 8 months ago (2021-03-04) ^[2]
Edge	7.3.8.0 / March 13, 2020; 20 months ago (2020-03-13) ^[3]

Operating system

Cross-platform

Type

Chrome extension
Mozilla extension

License

Crippleware

Website

www.downloadhelper.net

Video DownloadHelper is an extension for the Firefox web browser and Chrome web browser. It allows the user to download videos from sites that stream videos through HTTP. The extension was developed by Michel Gutierrez.

History [edit]

As of December 2019^[update], Video DownloadHelper is the third most popular extension for Firefox^[4] (after Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin) and the second most popular Mozilla-recommended extension^[5] with 2,848,968 users.

In the second quarter of 2015, version 5 of the extension for Firefox was rebased using Mozilla's Add-ons SDK (previous versions used XUL).

Firefox Quantum ceased support for extensions that use XUL or the Add-ons SDK^[6] so the extension was rebased using WebExtensions APIs. As a result of Mozilla's changes, reliance upon the companion application increased. Firefox 57.0 and Video DownloadHelper 7.0.0 were released on the same day (14 November 2017). The most recent release (7.3.7, 26 Jun 2019) addresses problems that were caused by changes to YouTube.^[7]

Where aggregation (ADP)^[8] or conversion is required by the end user, or by a site from which download is required: if the companion app is unlicensed, the end result will include a watermark (a QR code). Since 2019 user reviews complain of slow conversion and unfinished downloads.^[9]

The software is financed through ads on the developer's website, donations, and associated software sales.^[10]

Reception [edit]

Eric Griffith of PC Magazine named it one of the best Firefox extensions of 2012.^[11] Erez Zukerman of PC World rated it 4/5 stars and called it "a valuable tool".^[12] TechRadar rated it 5/5 stars and wrote, "Anyone who wants to watch videos, not only online, but also on the train, in the car or on the plane, is very well served with Video DownloadHelper."^[13]

References [edit]

^ Video DownloadHelper (2020-12-16). "Video DownloadHelperby mig". Mozilla. Retrieved 2021-05-29 .
^ Video DownloadHelper (2021-03-04). "Video DownloadHelper - Chrome Web Store". Google. Retrieved 2021-05-29 .
^ Video DownloadHelper (2020-03-13). "Install on Edge". Retrieved 2021-05-29 .
^ "Popular extensions – Add-ons for Firefox". Mozilla. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ "Recommended extensions – Add-ons for Firefox". Add-ons for Firefox. Mozilla. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ "Upcoming Changes in Compatibility Features". Mozilla Add-ons Blog . Retrieved 2017-10-24 .
^ von Michael, Humpa. "YouTube-Downloader für Firefox gibt Gas". CHIP (in German). Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ Graham, Perrin. "que es ADP". Google Groups . Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ https://addons.mozilla.org/cs/firefox/addon/video-downloadhelper/reviews/
^ Gobry, Pascal-Emmanuel (2011-03-30). "This One Man Startup's App Has 85 Million Downloads And Is Wildly Profitable". Business Insider . Retrieved 2014-05-21 .
^ Griffith, Eric (2012-10-16). "The Best Firefox Extensions and Add-Ons of 2012". PC Magazine . Retrieved 2014-05-21 .
^ Zukerman, Erez (2012-01-31). "Buffering Too Slow? Watch Videos When They're Complete With Video DownloadHelper". PC World . Retrieved 2014-05-21 .
^ "Video DownloadHelper". TechRadar . Retrieved 2014-05-21 .