Are you looking for a reliable YouTube to M4A converter to enjoy your favorite tracks on your iPhone or iPad? You are not alone. While MP3 is the universal standard, M4A (AAC) offers better sound quality at a smaller size, especially within the Apple ecosystem.

Whether you want to save a music video, a podcast, or a live performance from a YouTube link to M4A, finding the right tool is essential. However, if you have been searching for a YouTube to m4a converter online, you may have noticed a frustrating trend in 2025: the tools that rank at the top of Google often don't work.

In this guide, we go beyond the standard listicles. We performed a real-world test of the top online converters and present the most stable solution to download YouTube and YouTube Music to M4A efficiently: MusicFab. Read on to find out more.

6 Free Online YouTube to M4A Converters: Do They Actually Work?

We know that free and online sounds appealing, so we tested the top-ranking YouTube to M4A websites appearing on the first page of Google by using a standard YouTube video URL (Testing Date: Dec 2025).

Interested in safe YouTube to MP3 websites? Check out our latest review.

Key Takeaways
  • • Our personal 2025 test reveals that 6 of top-ranking free online converters are currently broken due to YouTube's latest algorithm updates. 
  • • These free web-based tools often come with redirects and low-quality audio compression.

1. Tuberipper 

  • Website: https://tuberipper.cc/64/save/m4a
  • Tested results: Failed

Tuberipper is a free online converter that allows you to paste or drag your video link URL from YouTube or other popular websites, saving audio as M4A. It is ad-free and easy to use but failed to get the tested URL info.

tuberipper-youtube-to-m4a-converter-results

2. AM4A

  • Website: https://am4a.cc/
  • Tested results: Failed

AM4A is an advanced online YouTube to M4A converter. Unlike many other online free tools, it allows you to choose the sound quality, paste a playlist URL and even trim the video before you convert,. But during our test, their website broke down and couldn't work.

AM4A-youtube-to-m4a

AM4A-youtube-to-m4a-results

3. ytb.rip

  • Website: https://ytb.rip/en7/youtube-to-m4a
  • Tested results: Failed

If the above converters have issues due to YouTube's algorithm update, ytb.rip simply fails to display whether it could convert a YouTube link to M4A at all. As shown below, it successfully parsed the video URL, but the displayed results did not include the M4A option at all. This directly contradicts the description on its webpage.

ytbrip-youtube-to-m4a

4. Dubs.io

  • Website: https://dubs.io/youtube-to-m4a
  • Tested results: Failed

Dubs.io, as a free YouTube to M4A converter, emphasizes privacy, speed, and mobile compatibility compared with others. It supports not only converting YouTube to M4A, but also MP3, AAC, and Opus.

In our test, it successfully parsed the video; I chose M4A, and it provided download options. But when I clicked download, it directed me to another irrelevant website, and the downloaded file is MP4, not M4A.

Dubsio-youtube-to-m4a

5. AudioCleaner.ai

  • Website: https://audiocleaner.ai/youtube-to-m4a
  • Tested results: No Support

AudioCleaner is the only tool among these converters that genuinely cannot convert M4A files. It simply doesn't support this feature. It is deceptive because it claims to convert YouTube videos to M4A format, but when you click “Convert,” it redirects you to another page as below. In reality, it only supports MP3 and MP4 formats.

6. Evano

  • Website: https://evano.com/youtube-to-m4a
  • Tested results: Failed

Evano supports you to extract M4A audio from YouTube videos, including music videos, tutorials, podcasts, and live streams. Its download process is extremely straightforward. In my latest test, when I hit the Download button, it directs to an extra window and shows "Something went wrong," so it is not working right now.

Out of the 6 tools tested, all failed to deliver a usable M4A file. Maybe this is because YouTube frequently updates its algorithm. Online free converters struggle to keep up, often remaining broken for months. If you care about audio quality and library organization, you need stable and reliable professional software.

Note: some of the tools mentioned above also claim to convert YouTube to FLAC format. I tested them as well; you can check out the results.

Best YouTube & YouTube Music to M4A Converter: MusicFab 

MusicFab All-in-One is designed for people who download music regularly and want to back up their music in M4A or other formats, building their own music library. 

  • Supported platforms: YouTube & YouTube Music and other popular services like Spotify, Amazon Music etc.
  • Operating Systems: Windows and macOS

Tips: If you only want to convert YouTube video to M4A, choose MusicFab Audio Converter. If you only need to convert YouTube Music to M4A, choose MusicFab YouTube Music Converter. If you need both and more services, pick MusicFab All-in-One.

Why Choose MusicFab?

MusicFab YouTube to M4A Converter
  •   Batch download songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts from YouTube video links & YouTube Music
  •   Export YouTube to M4A, MP3,FLAC and other formats in its orignal quality
  •   Preserve ID3 tags and cover art (track, artist, album, artwork) so your library stays organized
  •   Keep lyrics as separate files for supported platforms

MusicFab features a built-in browser with automatic detection and analysis, making the download process extremely convenient. It supports both free and premium accounts.

I will show you how to use the latest MusicFab version 1.0.6.3 to convert a YouTube video link and YouTube Music playlist using MusicFab. Stay tuned!

How to convert YouTube to M4A using MusicFab

  • Launch MusicFab, copy your YouTube video link url and paste it into the tab, or simply scroll down to find YouTube among the supported websites.

MusicFab-locate-youtube

  • Log in to your YouTube account and find the video you want to convert. Then click the download button.

musicfab-download-youtube

  • In the pop-up window, choose M4A as the format, and then tap Download Now to start.

musicfab-youtube-to-M4A-download

How to convert YouTube Music playlists to M4A using MusicFab

  • Choose YouTube Music icon in its main interface

Choose YouTube Music icon MusicFab

  • Log in to your account, locate the playlists, and then click the arrow button in the bottom-right corner.

 locate the playlists

click the arrow button in the bottom-right corner

  • Select the songs you want to download, choose the download options (music, Music video or Music & Music Video), format and quality. Then click Download Now.

MusicFab download M4A files

  • View Downloading and Completed Tasks in the task manager. Once it finished, you can open the saved folder.

MusicFab Downloading tasksMusicFab downloaded tasksMusicFab saved files

FAQs

Is It Legal and Safe to Convert YouTube to M4A?

Please make sure the tools should only be used for personal, non-commercial use where legally allowed.

Can I convert a whole YouTube playlist to M4A?

Many simple online converters don’t support playlists well or limit video length. Some more advanced tools, including desktop software like MusicFab, focus on batch downloading playlists and albums so you don’t have to paste every link manually.

What’s the difference between converting YouTube to M4A vs. YouTube Music to M4A?

  • YouTube: general videos—music, vlogs, tutorials, etc.
  • YouTube Music: a dedicated music streaming service with proper tracks, albums, and playlists. Tools like MusicFab specifically support YouTube Music for building clean, high-quality audio libraries in formats like M4A, MP3, FLAC, and more.