Fetchii vs Permute: do you need a separate converter?
Short answer
They do different jobs. Permute converts video, audio, images and PDFs that are already on your Mac; it doesn't download from websites. Fetchii downloads from 1,000+ sites and converts inside the same app: audio-only downloads are saved straight as MP3, M4A, Opus or FLAC, and finished downloads can be transcoded, re-wrapped or turned into audio. If you mostly convert files from elsewhere, Permute is built for that.
Choose Fetchii if
- Most of what you convert is what you download
- You want audio-only downloads saved straight as MP3, M4A, Opus or FLAC
- You're on macOS 14.6 to 15, or on an Intel Mac
- You also want livestream recording, SponsorBlock, or on-device subtitles and search
Permute may suit you if
- You convert files you already have, not just downloads: Permute handles 100+ formats, including images, PDFs and text.
- You need editing tools: trim, crop, resize, merge, split by time or EDL/CUE, or extract tracks without re-encoding.
- You work with ProRes: Permute offers hardware-accelerated ProRes encoding.
- You prefer the Mac App Store or Setapp: Permute is available on both.
Side by side
| Feature | Fetchii | Permute |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Downloads from 1,000+ sites and converts its downloads in the same app | Converts media files on your Mac; downloading isn't one of its features (its developer sells Downie for that) |
| Price | $19.99 once (1 Mac) or $29.99 (up to 3 Macs) | $14.99 once, also on the Mac App Store ($14.99) and Setapp |
| Free trial | 14 days, every feature (up to 2 downloads at a time) | Free trial of the full version (length not stated on its website) |
| Requires | macOS 14.6 or later, Apple Silicon or Intel | Permute 4: macOS 26 and Apple Silicon. Permute 3 is still sold for macOS 11–15 and Intel Macs |
| Formats | Downloads: MP4, MKV, WebM; audio as MP3, M4A, Opus or FLAC. Converting downloads: H.264, H.265 or VP9; MP4, MKV, WebM or MOV; audio as M4A, Opus, FLAC or WAV | 100+ formats across video, audio, images, PDF and text, including AVI, WMV, MP4, HEVC, ProRes, WebM, AV1, MP3, AAC, FLAC, HEIC, AVIF and WebP |
| Convert files already on your Mac | No, only videos downloaded with Fetchii | Yes, that's its main job |
| Hardware acceleration | H.264 and H.265 use the Mac's hardware encoder | Hardware-accelerated ProRes, HEVC and MP4 |
| Editing | Quality and resolution when converting; no trimming or merging | Trim, crop, resize, rotate, merge, split, change speed and volume |
| Transcription | Subtitles from speech (SRT) for downloaded videos, on Apple Silicon | Transcribe preset turns audio into text or SRT on your Mac |
| Record livestreams | Records while live; stops and saves when the broadcast ends or at a time limit you set | No (not a downloader) |
Permute details come from its official website, checked on 17 Oct 2026:
Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Questions
- Can Fetchii replace Downie and Permute together?
- For downloads, yes: Fetchii downloads, saves audio as MP3, M4A, Opus or FLAC, and converts finished downloads. It doesn't convert files you got elsewhere, edit video, or handle images and PDFs, which Permute does.
- Can I try Fetchii before buying?
- Yes. Every feature is free for 14 days, and there's a 14-day money-back guarantee after you buy.
- Does Fetchii need macOS 26?
- No. Fetchii needs macOS 14.6 or later and runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The on-device transcripts, summaries and search need Apple Silicon.
Try it with your next video
Free for 14 days · macOS 14.6 or later