Stream Recorder vs FetchV vs Live Stream Downloader: m3u8 Tool Comparison 2026
Three top m3u8 Chrome extensions compared on real Chrome Web Store review data: which is maintained, which works on modern HLS, and what to use instead.
If you searched “best m3u8 downloader Chrome extension,” you’ll find three names dominating the results: Stream Recorder, FetchV, and Live Stream Downloader. They all do roughly the same thing — detect HLS streams, download segments, produce MP4 files. The differences in maintenance, reliability, and modern-stream handling are dramatic, and most “best of” articles online don’t reflect what the actual user reviews say in 2026.
This is a comparison based on real Chrome Web Store review data collected in 2026, not on advertised feature lists. We include our own extension at the bottom for honest disclosure of how it stacks up against these three.
Methodology
Data sources:
- Chrome Web Store review pages for each extension (sorted by most recent and most helpful)
- Last update date from the official Chrome Web Store listing
- Review ratings as of 2026-05
- Spot-check of the extensions’ own product pages where they advertise features
We focus on what users actually complain about and what users actually praise, not feature checklists from the developers’ marketing material.
Stream Recorder (HLS & m3u8 Video Downloader)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Users | 1,000,000+ |
| Rating | 4.3 ★ (2,601 ratings) |
| Last update | 2025-08-01 |
| Developer | loadmonkey |
What users praise: When it worked (pre-2025-08), users called it the most reliable HLS downloader on Chrome — recording mode handled cases where other extensions failed.
What users complain about (top helpful 1-star reviews):
“Previously 5 stars but stopped working in Chrome a couple of months ago. Splits into audio and video streams and constantly opens new recordings ad infinitum.” (8/8 helpful)
“It’s not working properly anymore. It’s not recording audio and is constantly creating new recordings.” (8/8 helpful)
“Used to work well, now it’s capture feature is unstable and practically unusable.” (4/4 helpful)
“我願意付費使用 希望作者趕快更新 不然視訊和音軌都是分開的” (“I’d pay to use it — please update soon, otherwise audio and video are separated.”)
Diagnosis: Stream Recorder’s manifest parser predates the modern HLS pattern of separating audio and video into different m3u8 manifests. The extension hasn’t been updated in 9 months as of writing. It’s not coming back without a new maintainer.
Verdict: Don’t install in 2026. The ratings and install count reflect historical reputation, not current functionality.
For migration help, see Stream Recorder Not Working in 2026? Best HLS/m3u8 Alternative.
FetchV (Video Downloader for m3u8 & HLS)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Users | 600,000 |
| Rating | 4.9 ★ (8,400 ratings) |
| Last update | Active (2026 updates) |
| Developer | Independent |
What users praise: Active development, handles modern HLS audio/video separation correctly, supports blob URL videos, has a “recording mode” fallback for cases where automatic detection fails. Praise tends to be specific: “works as advertised,” “Convert live stream from a manifest very smoothly.”
What users complain about: Few negative reviews; the extension’s 4.9 rating is among the highest on Chrome Web Store. Occasional reports of:
- Doesn’t download from YouTube (correctly — Chrome Web Store policy prohibits YouTube downloaders)
- Some specific sites (game streaming platforms, certain regional services) fail; these are typically extractor-specific issues that get fixed in updates
Diagnosis: Currently the strongest pure-HLS extension on Chrome Web Store. Features explicitly cover the audio/video separation case, blob URL handling, and live HLS — the three biggest gaps in older competitors.
Verdict: Solid choice for HLS-only use cases. Worth installing if your needs are narrow (HLS / m3u8 / DASH).
Live Stream Downloader
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Users | 400,000 |
| Rating | 4.3 ★ (554 ratings on Chrome, 3.7 ★ on Firefox) |
| Last update | Active |
| Developer | Independent |
What users praise: Multi-threaded download for stability and speed. Resume after network failures. Active development with more frequent updates than Stream Recorder.
What users complain about (most helpful negative reviews):
“This thing literally injects random google search terms using your google account… It’s basically malware.” (6/9 helpful)
“It’s having issue downloading for every day more pages. Can you fix downloads for [specific site]?” (multiple variations)
“plz fix issue it wont resume same file after power failure”
Diagnosis: The malware accusation in the highest-helpful review is concerning regardless of whether it’s accurate. The extension also has a more permissive permission model than necessary, which is a privacy red flag for users who care about that. Functionality is good when it works; reliability fluctuates.
Verdict: Capable extension with a trust problem. If the privacy concern is acceptable to you, it’s a viable choice; if not, look elsewhere.
Side-by-side feature matrix
| Feature | Stream Recorder | FetchV | Live Stream Downloader | Video Downloader OFA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last update | 2025-08-01 (stale) | Active 2026 | Active 2026 | Active 2026 |
| Auto-merge separate audio/video | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| AES-128 encrypted HLS | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blob URL videos | ❌ | ✅ | ⚠️ Sometimes | ✅ |
| DASH (.mpd) support | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Live HLS recording | ✅ (broken in 2026) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| MP4 muxing without re-encode | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Sometimes (TS only) | ✅ |
| Subtitle (WebVTT) capture | ⚠️ Sometimes | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
| Recording loop bug | ❌ Affected | Not present | Not present | Not present |
| Resume after power failure | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ Reported broken | ✅ |
| Privacy permissions | Standard | Standard | ⚠️ Concerns | Minimal |
| Multi-language UI | ❌ English only | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ 13 languages |
What we built and how we compare
Video Downloader One-for-All is the extension we develop. We started building because of the Stream Recorder gap — the audio/video manifest separation case had no good alternative for users who weren’t comfortable with FFmpeg or yt-dlp. As of 2026, we cover:
- Active maintenance. We respond to broken streams within the same release cycle that broke them.
- Audio/video manifest auto-merge. Built from day one to handle modern HLS separation.
- DASH and HLS. Same workflow for both protocols; user doesn’t need to know which they’re on.
- Live recording. Handles long sessions (4+ hours) with audio/video sync correction.
- Subtitle capture. WebVTT subtitle tracks downloaded alongside the video when present.
- Privacy. No analytics on the user’s behalf, minimal permissions (no
<all_urls>host permission), no data leaves the browser. - Multi-language. Full UI in 13 languages, not just English.
We charge for premium tier (parallel batch downloads beyond a count threshold, priority support); the free tier covers everything in the comparison matrix above for HLS, DASH, blob, and live use cases.
If your use case is “I had Stream Recorder for years, it broke, now what” — install Video Downloader One-for-All. For the migration steps, Stream Recorder Not Working in 2026? Best HLS/m3u8 Alternative walks through the specific case.
Selection guide
Pick based on your priority:
| If you want… | Choose |
|---|---|
| The extension with the highest review rating | FetchV (4.9 ★) |
| Multi-language UI for non-English users | Video Downloader OFA |
| Resume after power failure / long sessions | Video Downloader OFA |
| Pure HLS, no extras | FetchV |
| Already migrated to FetchV and happy | Stay with FetchV |
| Active maintenance, modern HLS, broad protocol support | Video Downloader OFA |
| Stream Recorder migration | Video Downloader OFA |
| The most permissive feature set including risky options | Live Stream Downloader (with privacy caveats) |
What none of these do
To set expectations correctly:
- None of these download YouTube. Chrome Web Store policy explicitly prohibits YouTube downloaders. Any extension that ships YouTube download functionality gets pulled within a review cycle.
- None of these download DRM-protected content. Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and similar services use Widevine or PlayReady DRM. The decryption happens inside a closed system that doesn’t expose decrypted bytes outside the player. No extension can legally bypass this.
- None of these are perfect on every site. Streaming sites change their players, manifests, and CDNs. Even the best-maintained extensions have a steady stream of “site X stopped working” issues that get fixed in subsequent updates. Active maintenance is the difference between “fixed in 1-2 weeks” and “broken forever.”
Common questions
Should I just install all three and see which works?
No. Multiple HLS extensions compete to detect the same manifests, often producing conflicting download UI on the same page. Pick one based on the selection guide above; uninstall the others.
How do I migrate from Stream Recorder?
Remove Stream Recorder (chrome://extensions), install your chosen replacement, pin to toolbar. The workflow on the new extension is similar enough that migration takes 60 seconds. See the Stream Recorder migration article for specifics.
What about FetchV vs Video Downloader OFA specifically?
FetchV is excellent at HLS. We aim for broader coverage (DASH, blob, multi-language UI, longer-session recording) and we maintain a free tier that includes all the HLS features. Try FetchV first if HLS is all you need; switch to ours if you need anything beyond that.
Are review ratings reliable?
Roughly. Ratings are skewed by historical reputation (Stream Recorder’s 4.3 ★ is mostly from before it broke). Recent reviews and helpful-vote counts on negative reviews are more current. Filtering by “Most Recent” and “Most Helpful” gives a better picture than the headline rating.
Bottom line
Three extensions, three different states:
- Stream Recorder: Historical reputation, currently broken on modern HLS, do not install.
- FetchV: Current best-rated HLS-only extension, highly capable, English-only, narrow scope.
- Live Stream Downloader: Functional but has trust concerns from highest-helpful negative reviews.
If you need the broadest protocol support, multi-language UI, modern HLS handling, and active maintenance, install Video Downloader One-for-All. If your needs are narrower and you want a pure HLS specialist, FetchV is a fine alternative.
For the technical foundation that all of these tools sit on, see How to Download m3u8 / HLS Streams: Complete Guide 2026.