YouTube is the third most often visited site on the internet after Facebook and Google, and it is easy to see why. The site allows people of all ages and from all countries to watch, share, and upload videos of just about anything in a social format. Millions of videos are watched on a daily basis on YouTube, but a common request of users of the site is the ability to convert videos on YouTube to mp3 formats. Fortunately, there are a number of third party solutions that help with free YouTube to mp3 conversion as well as video extraction in some cases. Here are 10 online sites that can help you download videos and audio from YouTube and in some cases, just about any site on the internet.

1. Vixy is a free extractor of FLV videos, such as the ones most commonly found on the online video giant YouTube. However, FLV files are also found on sites such as Google Video, Yahoo, and Myspace, due to the high compressibility of the video format, and Vixy can be used on these sites as well to great effect. You can use the site to download either video or to record audio from most sites simply after browsing to the site. No registration is required for use, and the site is highly customisable.

2. MediaConvert is another extractor for both video and audio that describes itself as a Swiss army knife when it comes to converting media that is freely available online into just about any kind of audio. A wide range of file formats are supported by the converter, and it prides itself on allowing conversion that is free, fast, and non intrusive, since there is no need to download any software from the converter to your computer.

3. Zamzar is a site that offers conversion in four step. Just about any audio or video source can be converted, including the most popular kinds of video, such as .flv, .wmv, .avi, and.mp4 files, as well as the most popular kinds of audio, including .mp3, .wav, and .aac files.

4. ConvertDirect also allows users to convert audio or video files into other formats to allow you to play back audio and video files on the mobile device of your choice, such as the iPod, PSP, or Zune.

5. OnlineConvert is a specialised tool for converting audio files into mp3s that offers a number of customisation options including the ability to modify the audio’s bitrate, frequency, and channels.

6. VideoCacheView works by extracting media files from your browser’s cache when they are played so you can save them for personal use without redownloading.

7. ListenToYouTube allows you to convert YouTube videos into mp3 audio in standard or in high quality bitrates.

8. MediaConverter is a minimal site that lets you enter your link of an audio or video stream and convert it into any other kind of audio or video file.

9. ConvertVideoToAudio, like the name implies, allows you to convert online videos into any kind of audio format.

10. YouTube-to-mp3.com.au, finally, lets you convert YouTube to mp3 files of varying sizes and bitrates online.

This article was provided by Shon. Shon has been in the online industry for over 10 years and manages over 30 online services.