A few weeks ago, I planned to watch the championship game at a buddy's place. The plan was simple: download the match from my Amazon Prime account to a USB stick and play it on his projector. Easy, right?
Wrong. So, so wrong.
I quickly slammed into the wall that is Amazon’s DRM (Digital Rights Management). The downloaded file was locked inside the Prime Video app on my laptop, refusing to be copied or played anywhere else. It was a digital prison.
After exploring, collecting, and testing, I’ve emerged with the ultimate guide on how to actually save Prime Video for true offline viewing and what tool you can use to do it easily. Let's break free from the chains.
How to Download Prime Video Shows for Offline Viewing?
To get straight to the point, let's go through the method to save Prime Video offline based on different devices.
Note: You can only use the official Prime Video app to download videos on mobile devices. On Windows PC or Mac, a safe and reliable third-party tool is necessary.
(Mobile Only) How to Download Prime Video for Offline Viewing Officially?
On your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, the process is straightforward and built right into the Prime Video app.
- Open the Prime Video app.
- Find the movie or show you want to save.
- On the details page, tap the Download icon (usually a downward-facing arrow).
- Choose your desired download quality.
- Your video will be saved in the "Downloads" tab of the app.
Just remember all the limitations we talked about—this is convenient, but not flexible. You need a paid Prime or Prime Video subscription or a promotional trial account to access the official download service.
(All Devices) How to Download Prime Video for True Offline Viewing?
Since the official method only works on Fire tablets or Android/iOS mobile devices, it's time to use a tool to help expand the download service to Mac or Windows PC.
On a Windows 10/11 PC: You can download the official Prime Video app from the Microsoft Store. The download process inside the app is similar to mobile. But again, the files are locked down. If you want an unlocked one on your laptop, a third-party tool is necessary.
On a Mac: Here’s the kicker—there is no official Prime Video app for Mac that supports downloads. You can stream through a browser, but you can't save anything for offline viewing. This makes third-party software not just a nice-to-have, but an absolute necessity for Mac users.
This is why we have to talk about the unofficial way: using dedicated software to rip the video stream.
Why Amazon's Official Offline Viewing Isn't Enough?
Look, Amazon’s official download feature isn't completely useless. It's handy for a flight or a subway commute. But for anyone who wants a little more control over the content they pay for, it’s a non-starter.
The core problem is CONTROL. Official downloads come with a bunch of strings attached:
1. Viewing Window: Downloaded titles can expire. Some expire 48 hours after you first press play. Nothing’s worse than a movie that self-destructs mid-flight.
2. Device Limits: You can’t just move the files. They’re stuck to the device you downloaded them on. Want to watch on a different laptop or a smart TV via USB? No dice.
3. Storage Issues: On PCs, the official app can be finicky about where it stores massive video files, often defaulting to your main drive, which can be a nightmare for those of us with smaller SSDs.
4. DRM Prison: This is the big one. The files are in a proprietary format, not a universal MP4. This means they will only ever play inside the Prime Video app.
For a tech-savvy guy who just wants to watch a game on a bigger screen, this felt less like a feature and more like a headache. Luckily, there are many tools that aim to solve the problem and deliver a freer offline viewing for users, as mentioned above.
A Quick Comparison: Official Downloads vs. Third-Party Freedom
To put it all in perspective, here's a simple chart that shows why so many of us turn to third-party tools.
Feature | Amazon Official App | Third-Party Downloader |
Output Format | Encrypted & Locked | Compatible MP4/MKV |
Video Quality | FHD 1080P | FHD 1080P |
Expiration |
|
*No Limit |
Total Downloads | 25 titles per account | 100 titles per day |
Subscription Required | Amazon Prime subscription | *Amazon Prime subscription |
Simultaneous Use |
|
No Limit |
Supported Device | Android/iOS/Amazon mobile devices | mobile, PC, TV, gaming consoles |
DRM-Free | ❌ | ✔️ |
Batch Download | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Seeing it laid out like this, the choice becomes pretty clear if flexibility is what you're after.
Note: Here's some extra information you should know:
- If you only want to watch the Freevee content offline, an Amazon Prime subscription is not necessary when you use KeepStreams for Prime Video.
- With a third-party tool, your downloads from Prime Video will never expire.
- Do use a safe and verified third-party tool. Online downloaders or extensions are not recommended.
The Best Amazon Video Downloader in 2025: A Head-to-Head Test
Now in the market, the third-party tools that are able to download videos from Prime Video, I mentioned above, are divided into 2 types: Downloader and Recorder.
- Downloading (Recommended): It acts like a super-browser.
- Downloaders access the video stream directly and download the data, reassembling it into a standard video file like an MP4, while preserving the original video and audio quality.
- Rording: It's essentially a screen recorder.
- Recorders capture whatever is playing on your screen. While this method can work for anything, the quality is dependent on your screen resolution. You might get cursor movements, notifications, or other on-screen distractions in your final video.
- It’s a solid backup option, but not the cleanest.
For this review, I'll focus on both of them, starting with the superior method: downloaders. To test the performance of each tool, I downloaded 3 same titles (including TV episodes and films) on my computer (macOS 15.5).
5 Best Amazon Prime Video Downloaders
I put five of the most popular Amazon video downloaders through their paces. No fluff, just the real results.
KeepStreams | Y2Mate | Kigo | TuneFab | FreeGrabApp | |
Overall Rating |
4.8/5.0 | 4.6/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 | 3.6/5.0 |
Supported Platforms |
Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win |
Price |
|
|
|
|
59.99/yr. |
Video Quality |
1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
Video Codec |
|
|
|
|
N/A |
Video Format |
MP4/MKV | MP4/MKV | MP4/MKV | MP4/MKV | MP4/MKV |
Audio Format |
EAC3 5.1/AAC 2.0 | EAC3 5.1/AAC 2.0 | 5.1 Surround Sound | 5.1 Surround Sound | N/A |
Free Trial | 3 full-length videos | 3 full-length videos | The first 5 minutes | The first 3 minutes | Only free on YouTube |
Batch Download |
✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Scheduled Download |
✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Ads Removal |
✔️ | ✔️ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1. KeepStreams for Prime Video
- Rating: 4.8/5.0 ★★★★★
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: The power user who wants the highest possible quality and is willing to pay a premium for a smooth, browser-based experience.
- Lower subscription price
- Frequent updates (twice per month)
- Trial to download 3 titles
- Simple and friendly UI
- High download speed
- Save both Prime Video and Freevee
- Auto-download function
- Multi-functional built-in browser
- Lacks a mobile version
What I like about KeepStreams is its built-in browser. I just need to log into my Prime Video account and play a video, and a download pop-up appears. The batch download feature is a lifesaver for binge-watchers; I queued up an entire season of The Boys, and it just worked in the background.
The free trial allows you to download 3 videos at high quality up to 1080p. It’s a good way to see if it works for you before committing.
2. Y2Mate Amazon Prime Video Downloader
- Rating: 4.6/5.0 ★★★★★
- Supported Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: The user who prioritizes speed and efficiency for downloading entire series.
- The best download speed
- Batch download mode
- Built-in browser
- Free trial to download 3 videos
- Slower updates
- Higher subscription price
- Lacks a mobile version
The main selling point here is speed. Its batch download mode is incredibly fast at analyzing all episodes in a season and adding them to the queue. I also appreciated that it saves subtitle files as separate SRT files, which gives you more flexibility with players like VLC.
However, the cost is a major talking point. I also found a thread on a video-making forum where users noted that customer support can be slow to respond to issues after a major DRM update from Amazon. To Learn more about this tool, read Y2Mate Video Downloader Review.
Additionally, Y2Mate goes beyond video downloads, featuring Y2Mate Video AI for enhancing video and audio quality, improving your overall viewing experience. You can also read how to solve Y2Mate not working.
3. Kigo Amazon Prime Video Downloader
- Rating: 4.4/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: Users looking for a reliable tool to save videos with subtitles and audio in various languages.
- Download shows by pasting URLs
- Simple and easy to use
- Very slow update (not good for an LFT license)
- Limits free trial to the first 5 minutes of a video
- Lacks a mobile version
Kigo takes a different approach. Instead of a built-in browser, you copy and paste the video URL from your web browser into the app. It’s a bit less integrated but very straightforward.
On Trustpilot, several users have complained about the software's update frequency. One review from early 2025 mentioned, "It broke after a Prime update and took them over a week to patch it." This can be a risk with lifetime licenses—sometimes long-term support can lag.
What's worse, the free trial is very limited. It only allows you to download the first 5 minutes of a video, which is enough to test functionality but not to save a full movie or episode.
4. TuneFab Amazon Video Downloader
- Rating: 4.4/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: The user who needs multi-language support and advanced hardware acceleration for faster downloads on capable PCs.
- Paste URLs to download videos
- Simple and easy to use
- Simple UI
- Additional services about audio & subs
- Limited free trial
- Much higher subscription
TunePat is another URL-based downloader. Its interface is clean and professional. The biggest pro here is its performance on additional services. It also has excellent support for retaining audio tracks and subtitles in multiple languages, which is a big plus for foreign film buffs.
A common gripe found in user reviews is that the initial video search within the app can be slow and clunky. Most users, including me, find it much easier to just paste the direct URL. The lifetime plan is a great offer, but it shares the same potential risk as Kigo regarding the speed of updates.
5. FreeGrabApp Free Amazon Prime Downloader
- Rating: 3.6/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows
- Best For: Budget-conscious Mac users who need a functional, affordable downloader that gets the job done.
- A user-friendly interface
- Batch download
- Supports downloading subtitles in TTML or SRT formats
- Slow download
- Lower video quality
- Limited free trial
FreeGrabApp Free Amazon Prime Downloader was particularly stable on my MacBook, which is a huge plus given the lack of official options. It has a built-in browser and delivers solid 1080p downloads with AAC 2.0 audio. It’s not fancy, but it is a reliable workhorse.
However, while it gets 1080p, it doesn't support the 5.1 surround sound audio that tools like KeepStreams can capture.
On a Quora thread discussing the best Amazon downloaders, a user noted, "MovPilot is great for the price, but you can tell the audio is just basic stereo." For audiophiles, this could be a dealbreaker.
5 Best Amazon Prime Video Recorders
If a downloader isn't working—maybe for a live event or a particularly stubborn video—a screen recorder is your plan B. Here are five solid options.
These recorders offer flexible options, allowing you to screen record Amazon Prime videos exactly the way you prefer.
Wondershare | Audials | EaseUS | iTop | AceThinker | |
Overall Rating |
4.6/5.0 | 3.8/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 | 4.2/5.0 | 4.0/5.0 |
Supported Platforms |
Win/Mac/Web | Win | Win/Mac | Win | Win/Mac |
Price |
|
$59.9/yr. |
|
|
|
Video Quality |
1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
Video Editing |
✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Batch Record |
✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ |
Scheduled Record |
✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ |
Video Compression |
✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ |
AI Supported |
✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Ads Removal |
❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Free Trial | Free with watermarks | Limited recording time and watermakrs | 1 minute with watermarks | With watermarks | Limited recording time and watermakrs |
1. Wondershare DemoCreator
- Rating: 4.6/5.0 ★★★★★
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Web
- Best For: Content creators and professionals who need a powerful recorder that's also a full-fledged video editor.
- Supports multiple platforms
- Provides an easy-to-use interface
- Records and edits captured videos
- Offers AI-driven virtual avatars
- Converts text into various voiceovers
- Enables video sharing through the cloud
- Complex functions and not easy to use
- Limited free trial
Wondershare DemoCreator is way more than a simple recorder. I used DemoCreator to not only capture the video in high quality but also to immediately trim the start and end, add annotations, and export it.
However, it's overkill if you just want to record a movie. A common sentiment in user reviews is that the sheer number of features can be overwhelming for beginners. It's also more resource-intensive than a simple downloader.
Plus, the trial version exports videos with a prominent watermark right in the middle.
2. Audials Movie
- Rating: 3.8/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows
- Best For: The "set it and forget it" user who wants a tool specifically optimized for recording from streaming services.
- Supports multiple streaming platforms
- Records high-quality Amazon Prime videos
- Records Amazon videos at lightning speed
- Removes advertisements from recorded videos
- Downloads subtitles in your preferred language
- Only supports Windows
- No monthly plan
- Slow updates
Audials is smart. It has a pre-configured profile for Amazon Prime Video. You select it, press play on the video, and Audials automatically detects the video, records it without the browser chrome, and even auto-tags the file with the movie title, genre, and year.
But it's Windows-only, which is a major bummer for Mac users. Some users on tech forums have also noted that it can struggle with 4K streams, sometimes resulting in dropped frames if the PC isn't powerful enough.
3. EaseUS RecExperts
- Rating: 4.4/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: Users who want a versatile, easy-to-use recorder that can handle more than just streaming video, like games or tutorials.
- Records streaming videos from diverse sites
- Offers a fully-featured recording
- Supports system and microphone sound recording
- Enables screenshots during Amazon video recording
- Support scheduled recording
- Less professional processing
- No AI support
EaseUS RecExpert is my go-to for quick and simple screen captures. The interface is clean and intuitive. I love the "record specific window" feature, which lets you target the browser window playing Prime Video, so you don't have to worry about desktop notifications popping up in your recording.
While it's great for 1080p, some users on its community forums have mentioned that its 4K recording can be resource-heavy, leading to large file sizes. It's a general recorder, not a specialist like Audials.
4. iTop Screen Recorder
- Rating: 4.2/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows
- Best For: The user looking for a free, functional screen recorder who can tolerate some limitations.
- Records high-quality Amazon videos without black screens
- Records webcam videos with customizable backgrounds
- Ensures noise-free audio recording without echo
- Records gameplay seamlessly without FPS drops
- Reduces video file size without compromising quality
- Supports only the Windows platform
- Higher subscription fee
The biggest feature here is the free version of iTop Screen Recorder. It’s surprisingly capable, allowing unlimited recording time, which is rare. But the free version's biggest drawback, as mentioned by many users in reviews, is the watermark.
The Pro version removes it, but at that price point, you're competing with more polished tools like EaseUS. It is also Windows-only.
5. AceThinker Screen Grabber Premium
- Rating: 4.0/5.0 ★★★★☆
- Platforms: Windows and macOS
- Best For: Users who need a lightweight, web-based recorder that doesn't require a heavy software installation.
- Features an easy-to-use interface
- Supports various output formats
- Records both videos and audio
- Allows preview and editing of recorded videos
- Lacks batch recording feature
- Requires substantial time for screen recording Amazon Prime videos
This one is different. You launch it directly from your browser. AceThinker requires a small launcher download the first time, but after that, it's very lightweight. I was impressed by how responsive it was.
You can capture any part of your screen, including system audio, and save the file directly to your hard drive or upload it to the cloud.
Because it's web-based, it's entirely dependent on your internet connection and browser performance. A user on a review site mentioned that Chrome updates have occasionally caused the launcher to stop working temporarily. It also lacks some advanced features like scheduled recording.
How to Choose the Best Amazon Video Downloader for You?
Okay, that’s a lot of info. Let’s boil it down. How do you pick the right tool?
1. For the Best Video Quality Fanatics...
If you have a home theater setup and won't settle for anything less than 1080p with 5.1 surround sound, your best bet is KeepStreams or Y2Mate. They are premium options that deliver premium quality.
2. For the Binge-Watchers (Batch Downloads)...
If your goal is to download entire seasons of a show for a long trip, you need speed and stability. KeepStreams and Y2Mate excel here with their fast analysis and queuing. TunePat is also a strong contender due to its hardware acceleration.
3. For the Budget-Conscious Users...
If you want to avoid monthly fees, look at the monthly license from KeepStreams. If you're looking for a "free Amazon Prime Video downloader," your most realistic option is a recorder like the free version of iTop Screen Recorder, but you'll have to live with a watermark.
4. For Mac Users...
Given the lack of an official app, a third-party downloader is essential. MovPilot was particularly stable and affordable in my Mac testing. KeepStreams, Y2Mate, and Kigo also offer excellent Mac versions. For recorders, EaseUS RecExperts is a great cross-platform choice.
FAQs
Q1. Is it legal to rip video from Amazon Prime Video?
A1. According to Amazon's terms of service, you are not permitted to circumvent their DRM or make copies of the content. However, laws in some countries may permit making a personal backup copy of media you have legitimate access to. This article is for informational purposes only, and you should be aware of the laws in your specific region.
Q2. How long do downloaded Amazon Prime videos last with these tools?
A2. Forever. Since these tools create a standard, DRM-free video file, it does not have an expiration date. It's just like any other video file on your computer.
Q3. Can I keep the subtitles and different audio tracks?
A3. Yes, most of the top-tier downloaders (like KeepStreams, TunePat, Kigo) allow you to select and download multiple audio tracks (e.g., English, Spanish, Japanese) and subtitles. You can either embed them in the video file or save them as separate SRT files.
Q4. Where do the downloaded files get stored on my computer?
A4. In the settings of each program, you can specify a default output folder. I recommend setting this to a secondary hard drive or an external drive if you're low on space, as 1080p movie files can be several gigabytes in size.
Conclusion
So, after all this testing, what’s my final take?
There’s no single "best" tool—it truly depends on your needs. Ultimately, the real winner is you.
Hope you won't be stuck in the same dilemma as me on that Friday night. Now you have the knowledge and the tools to watch what you want, where you want, and when you want.