Lynx is now an app — here’s why we left the web downloader behind
Lynx started as a website that downloaded videos for you. It’s now a desktop app that does it on your own computer — faster, more private and far more reliable.
The Lynx team 4 min read
If you used Lynx before, you used a website: paste a link, wait while our server fetched the video, then download it from us. As of today, that’s gone. Lynx is a desktop app for Mac — with Windows on the way — and the website is where you get it.
This post explains why, and what changes for you.
What was wrong with a website
A website that downloads videos has to do the downloading somewhere, and that somewhere is a server. That design has three problems that no amount of engineering fixes.
Sites block servers. When thousands of people download through the same few machines, video sites notice and block them. Every web downloader lives in that cycle: working, blocked, moved, working, blocked again. You’ve probably met the result — the “something went wrong, try again later” page.
Every download costs money. A server that fetches a 1 GB video pays for that gigabyte twice: once coming in, once going out to you. That cost is why so many downloader sites are covered in ads and pop-ups.
The server sees everything. Every link you paste into a downloader website tells that website what you watch. We didn’t want to be in that position, and we don’t think you should have to trust anyone with it.
What an app does differently
Lynx now downloads on your computer, over your own connection. The video comes straight from the site to your Mac. That means:
- It’s faster. There’s no server in the middle, and direct files are split across up to 16 connections.
- It keeps working. Your home connection isn’t a data center that sites block. And the part of Lynx that talks to sites updates itself every day, so when a site changes, Lynx catches up — usually before you notice.
- It’s private. We never see what you download. There’s no account, and nothing to log in to.
- It can do more. An app can download just a clip without fetching the whole video, keep a library, catch big downloads from your browser, and live in your Mac’s notch. None of that works in a browser tab.
What’s in Lynx today
- The download manager — video up to 8K, music as MP3 or lossless, playlists, subtitles and big files, all from one paste field.
- The Clip Download — keep just the part you need. A 35-second clip took us 11 MB instead of the 255 MB the whole film would have.
- Lynx Notch — downloads, copied links and music in the space around your MacBook’s camera.
- The browser extension — a Download button on video pages, and big downloads handed to Lynx automatically.
What it costs
Lynx is free to use, with no time limit and no ads. Pro adds 4K and 8K, unlimited clips in every shape, playlists, subtitles and all of Lynx Notch — and every new install gets Pro free for 14 days. See pricing.
If you were a Pro subscriber on the old site
Write to support@lynxdownloadmanager.com from the email you subscribed with. We’ll look after you.
Download Lynx and paste your first link. It takes about a minute.