Introduction

As a movie buff, I think Tubi is a hidden gem: tons of classic films and shows, all for free. But there's a catch, right? You need an internet connection. Have you ever been on a long flight, ready to binge-watch that obscure 80s horror flick you found, only to realize you can't access it offline? Or maybe you're just tired of your internet buffering mid-movie and the infinite interruption from the ads. This must be frustrating, right?

the best tubi downloaders review

You've probably searched for a solution and found a confusing mess of options, wondering, "Is this software safe? Is downloading even legal? Will it actually work?" 

Don't worry. You've come to the right place. I've spent over 12 hours personally testing the most popular Tubi tools people use for offline viewing scenarios. I've waded through the risks so you don't have to. In this little guide, I’ll just be straight with you: the ups, the downs, exactly how I poked at each option, plus a no-nonsense look at what’s safe and what fits Tubi’s actual rules. Alright, let’s get started.

Is It Legal and Safe to Watch Tubi Offline or Time-Shift?

Legal?

Let's get this out of the way, because it's the most important question. Watching content on Tubi is 100% legal and safe. Tubi is a legitimate American company owned by Fox Corporation, and it partners with major studios like Paramount and Warner Bros. It's not some shady, ad-riddled piracy site.

is it legal and safe to download from Tubi
Now, offline saving is a bit more complex. Whether personal offline viewing (like for that flight) is allowed depends on the specific title, the rights holder, and Tubi’s terms in your region. What’s always a bad idea is downloading titles for selling them, or trying to share them all over the internet—don’t do that. If you do keep anything locally, keep it strictly for private, personal viewing, and stay within platform rules and local copyright laws.

Safe?

The real danger isn't just the legal trouble; it's the risk of malware from untrustworthy tools. Many "free Tubi downloader" sites are packed with viruses. That's why sticking to reputable, well-tested software is crucial. And this's what I'm talking about. The tools I'm recommending here are from established developers, and I've personally vetted them for safety.

The Best Tubi Downloaders of 2025: A Head-to-Head Comparison

To give you a truly reliable review, I don't just read marketing pages. I get my hands dirty. I ran these tests on two machines to cover both bases: a Windows 11 PC and my trusty M1 MacBook Pro.

I didn't just download one video. Furthermore, I tested each tool with:

  • A popular movie (The Wolf of Wall Street).
  • An entire season of a TV show (Hell's Kitchen) to test batch downloading.
  • A title known (based on community reports) to have stricter playback or availability restrictions.

After all my testing, I've narrowed it down to the top contenders. Each has its place, depending on your needs and budget.

#1 Pick (Best for Ease of Use & Reliability): StreamFab Tubi Downloader

When my friends ask for a “just works” solution to download from Tubi, what they usually mean is saving a title for a spotty-Internet situation. StreamFab is a polished, all-in-one tool that focuses on helping you keep a local copy of content you’re legally allowed to watch for personal offline viewing. It uses a built-in browser workflow, so the process feels familiar—just make sure your use stays within Tubi’s terms and local copyright rules.

the best tubi downloader: streamfab

Save videos you’re authorized to access from Tubi in device-compatible MP4/MKV formats for personal offline viewing on most devices (availability may vary by title and region).

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Important note
These tools are intended only for personal offline viewing of content you’re legally authorized to access. Please follow Tubi’s terms and your local copyright laws, and never re-upload or redistribute saved videos.
WHAT WE LIKE
  • Incredibly Easy to Use: The user interface is clean and intuitive. If you can use a web browser, you can use this
  • Reliable Batch Mode: When I actually tried it, I queued up an entire 10-episode season, and it downloaded them all sequentially without a hitch.
  • Cut-off Ads: The downloaded files are completely ad-free, which is a huge plus
  • Official Support: It's a paid product, which means you get customer support if you run into trouble
WHAT WE DON'T LIKE
  • It's Not Free: This is its biggest drawback. It's either a subscription or forking over for a lifetime license.

#2 Pick (Best Free & Powerful Alternative): yt-dlp

So for any fellow tech geeks who get a little thrill from discovering free, open-source stuff, let me rave about yt-dlp for a sec. This isn't a typical application with buttons and menus; it's a command-line program. You’ll often see people describe this as "rip from Tubi," but practically speaking it’s a command-line tool that can help save certain videos in a device-friendly format—provided you’re authorized to access and save that content under the platform’s rules.

the best tubi downloader: yt-dlp

WHAT WE LIKE
  • Completely Free: No subscriptions, no ads, ever
  • Extremely Powerful: It's highly customizable and can download from hundreds of websites, not just Tubi
  • Strong Community Support: There's a massive and active community (like the r/youtubedl subreddit) to help if you get stuck
WHAT WE DON'T LIKE
  • Steep Learning Curve: This is not for beginners. If you’re allergic to command lines, you’ll be annoyed.
  • No Fancy Clicks: Just text commands.
  • Some Videos are Stubborn: It can struggle with certain videos that have stricter playback or availability limitations.

#3 Pick (Best for Screen Recording): RecordFab / PlayOn Cloud

Sometimes, certain titles have stricter playback limitations, and saving a clean local copy may not be possible. That’s when some people consider screen recording as a time-shift option to watch Tubi offline. It doesn’t grab the original source file—it simply records what plays on your screen—so it’s slower, and quality is usually lower than the source. Also, depending on the title and device, screen recording may fail or show a black screen. Use it only for personal viewing where it’s permitted.

alternative way to the best tubi downloaders: streaming recorder like RecordFab

WHAT WE LIKE
  • Universal Compatibility: If you can play it, you can record it.
  • Simple to Operate: Most have a simple "record" and "stop" button interface
  • Queue management for episodes (where offline viewing is allowed), so you can line up what you plan to watch without babysitting the process.
WHAT WE DON'T LIKE
  • Lower Video Quality: Because it's re-recording the screen, the quality is never as good as the original source file. There will be some compression
  • Must Record in Real-Time: A 2-hour movie will take 2 hours to record. You can't just queue it and walk away
  • Potential for Black Screens: Record only black screens when encountering those playback-level restricted ones.

#4 & #5: Other Contenders (Allavsoft & KeepVid)

These are two other tools mentioned in the space. After trying them, I found they work, but have specific limitations compared to my top picks.

  • Allavsoft: A decent, multi-purpose downloader that supports many sites. It's user-friendly but feels less specialized for Tubi than StreamFab.
  • KeepVid: A free option that works for single videos, but it's riddled with ads and doesn't support downloading a whole season at once, which was a deal-breaker for me.

Competitor Feature Comparison Matrix of The 5 Best Tubi Downloaders

overall comparison of the best tubi downloaders
To make it even clearer, here's a side-by-side look at how my top picks stack up.
, and hope that this information could provide some help for you.
Feature StreamFab yt-dlp RecordFab
Price Paid (Subscription/Lifetime)
Free
Paid (Subscription/Lifetime)
Ease of Use ★★★★★ (GUI)
 
★☆☆☆☆ (CLI) ★★★★☆ (GUI)
Max Quality 720p/1080p (Source) 720p/1080p (Source) 1080p (Recorded)
Batch Download
*Restricted-title compatibility

High

Low

High

Platform Win/Mac Win/Mac/Linux Win
Support Official & Community Community Official

 *Note: the cestricted-title compatibility varies by title/region; please always follow platform rules

best tubi downloaders review and comparison

Step-by-Step Guide: A Typical Workflow for Personal Offline Viewing (StreamFab)

Step 1

Get the tool ready

Set up StreamFab on your device. Before you save anything locally, make sure the title is something you’re legally allowed to access and keep for private, personal viewing.

Step 2

Open Tubi inside the tool

Use the built-in browser to access Tubi, then sign in or browse as needed (availability may vary by region and title).

tubi downloader: download tubi tv

 

Step 3

Choose your preferred output settings

Once the video is detected, select the available audio/subtitle options and pick a device-friendly format like converting Tubi to MP4 for personal playback on your devices.

tubi downloader: download tubi tv

Step 4

Start a save task (or queue it)

After you’ve set your options, start the task immediately or add it to a queue—only for private, personal viewing within allowed use.

tubi downloader: download tubi tv

FAQs

I've gathered the most common questions I see online to give you quick, straight answers.

1. How can I save and watch Tubi on my phone offline (Android/iPhone)?

Great question! Tubi itself is primarily designed for online streaming, so options can be limited. If you’re trying to prep for a flight, one approach is using a PC/Mac workflow to keep a device-compatible file for private viewing—only when the specific title and your local rules allow it. If you go this route, treat it as personal time-shift viewing, not something to share or re-upload.

2. Can I queue multiple episodes to watch later?

If you’re trying to plan a binge session, the useful feature to look for is queue management—so you can line up episodes in a sensible order without manually starting each one. Just keep in mind: what you can save (if anything) may vary by title/region, and your use should stay strictly private and within Tubi’s terms and local laws.

3. Do downloaded Tubi videos include ads?

It honestly depends on both the title and whatever method you end up using. Sometimes a certain workflow can actually make the video play a lot smoother than just watching on the ad-filled stream, though your mileage might seriously vary. Either way, just remember: if you download something, keep it to yourself and use it for your own viewing—don’t go sharing it around.

Conclusion

So, let's wrap this up. Looking through all these Tubi downloaders can honestly feel exhausting—like standing in front of a dessert table where everything looks great but you can only pick one. The good news? Once you figure out what matters most to you—speed, quality, or simplicity—the right choice becomes obvious.But here’s the thing: the best downloader isn't the flashiest one; it's the one that actually fits what you need and how you watch.

If you're looking for a simple experience that's "ready to use with just a few clicks" and comes with official support, then StreamFab is undoubtedly a reliable investment. That said, if you’ve got a bit of technical confidence and enjoy tinkering, learning yt-dlp is totally worth it. It’s free, powerful, and gives you that satisfying sense of control.

My goal is to test all these tools firsthand so you can avoid the pitfalls. Hopefully, this rundown will help clear up the confusion and give you a nudge toward the right setup for occasional stuff like flights, long subway rides, or those times when your Wi-Fi just totally flakes out. If you have any questions about these tools or different experiences to share, feel free to leave a comment below! I’ll read every one. Happy watching!

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Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. Stick to using these tools only for your own personal stuff, and only for things you’re allowed to watch, in compliance with Tubi’s terms and applicable local copyright laws. Please don’t go re-uploading or selling or whatever.