Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac: Save NHK+ and NHK On Demand Programs on Your Mac
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac, sold as CleverGet NHK Plus Downloader for Mac, is a macOS app that saves programs you can play in your NHK+ account (plus.nhk.jp, now NHK ONE) at up to 1080p, and NHK On Demand programs (nhk-ondemand.jp) at up to 720p, as MP4 or MKV files for watching offline. It runs on macOS 11 and later on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, costs $49.95 for one year or $79.95 for lifetime, and the free trial downloads 3 videos.
NHK's dramas, documentaries and news only play inside NHK's player while you're online, and catch-up programs don't stay available forever. On a flight, in a hotel abroad or on a train out of signal range, that's not much use. Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac turns those programs into ordinary files that play in QuickTime, IINA or VLC.
Quick facts
- Developer: Leawo Software Co., Ltd., as a module of its CleverGet video downloader
- Version: CleverGet for Mac 26.0.5
- Platform: macOS 11 Big Sur through macOS 27, Intel or Apple Silicon (the Windows version is a separate license)
- Supported sites: plus.nhk.jp / NHK ONE (up to 1080p) and nhk-ondemand.jp (up to 720p), with your own account
- Output: MP4 or MKV video, subtitles inside the video or as SRT/SUP files
- Price: $49.95 for one year or $79.95 for lifetime, one Mac each
- Free trial: 3 successful NHK video downloads
- Refunds: 14-day money-back guarantee, on Leawo's conditions
What we checked: the CleverGet for Mac disk image (808 MB, installer package version 26.0.5 for Apple Silicon and Intel) from Leawo's Mac download link on October 22, 2026, and the one-year Mac license at $49.95 on the order page on October 23, 2026, with the lifetime option at $30 more and a renewal price of $29.97 after the first year. Leawo's product status page listed NHK ONE as "Working" at 1080p and 720p on October 23, 2026. We didn't download an NHK program ourselves, since that needs an NHK account.
Before you buy
- NHK+ is now NHK ONE. NHK replaced NHK+ with its NHK ONE service on October 1, 2025. Leawo's product page still says plus.nhk.jp, but its product status page lists NHK ONE as working.
- You need your own NHK account. Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac only saves programs you can already play while logged in to NHK ONE or NHK On Demand.
- Mac and Windows are licensed separately. This is the Mac license. A Windows PC needs Leawo NHK+ Downloader for Windows.
- The one-year plan renews. The order page sets the one-year license to renew after 12 months, at $29.97 when we checked. Lifetime is a one-time payment.
- Personal use only. Leawo's fair use policy allows downloads of videos you legally own, for your own needs. Sharing downloads or using them for business is forbidden.
Download Free TrialBuy Now
Overview
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac runs inside CleverGet for Mac, Leawo's all-in-one video downloader. CleverGet has a built-in browser: you open NHK's site in it, sign in, and play a program as usual. While it plays, you click the blue download button, and CleverGet reads the stream and opens a Download window with each quality NHK offers, plus your choice of format, audio track and subtitles.
The NHK module is one of several dozen CleverGet modules, next to Japanese services such as U-NEXT, TVer, ABEMA and DMM TV, and international ones like Netflix and Hulu. You install one app, activate the modules you pay for, and each module comes with 3 free downloads.
Features
NHK+ at up to 1080p, NHK On Demand at up to 720p
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac saves dramas, documentaries, news and other on-demand programs from plus.nhk.jp at up to 1080p, and from nhk-ondemand.jp at up to 720p. The Download window lists each stream with its bit rate and size, so you can pick the sharpest for a TV or a smaller one for an iPad.
The Download window over a plus.nhk.jp program, shown in Leawo's guide on Windows: four streams with bit rates from 256,000 to 1,564,000, then Output MP4, Audio HEAAC Japanese, Subtitle "ja srt" and "Remux into file" above the Download button.
Whole seasons in one go
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac detects the other episodes of the series you're playing on plus.nhk.jp, and its related seasons, and lets you tick several episodes, a full season or every season for one batch download.
Japanese subtitles you can keep as text
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac keeps the subtitles and audio tracks NHK provides. Subtitles can be packed into the video or saved as separate SRT or SUP files, so a Japanese learner can open the SRT in a text editor and study the lines.
Downloads that survive a dropped connection
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac restarts an interrupted download without parsing the program again, keeps the program's metadata in the file, and can shut the Mac down when the queue is finished, so you can leave a series downloading overnight.
An NHK+ program open in CleverGet's browser, with its download at 2% under the Downloading tab of the Library sidebar on the right (Leawo's guide, Windows version).
Benefits
- NHK on a MacBook, anywhere. Programs saved at home play on a plane or abroad with no stream involved.
- Programs on your terms. Catch-up programs expire on NHK's site. A file on your drive stays until you delete it.
- Not tied to NHK's player. MP4 files open in QuickTime and copy to an iPad or iPhone through the Finder.
- Native on Apple Silicon and Intel. One app covers an older Intel iMac and a new M-series MacBook.
Real-World Uses
- Business trips: save the week's morning drama episodes before flying out, and keep up in the hotel.
- Japanese study: keep a news program with its Japanese subtitles as an SRT file to replay and read line by line.
- Documentary nights: queue an NHK documentary series overnight and watch it on the big screen the next evening.
- Commuting: copy a few programs to an iPhone and watch on the train without using mobile data.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac is for NHK ONE or NHK On Demand users who watch on a Mac and want offline copies of what they already have access to, especially travellers, commuters and Japanese learners.
Skip it if you don't have an NHK account, since it can't download anything you can't play. Skip it if you're on Windows, which needs the Windows license. And if you only want NHK's free clips on YouTube, CleverGet's general Video Downloader module covers YouTube instead.
Usage Guide
- Install: download the CleverGet for Mac disk image (about 808 MB), open it and run the installer package, which puts CleverGet in Applications. The NHK module is built in.
- Choose where videos go: click the three-dot icon, open Settings, and under General set the "Save Video To" folder. You can also change the interface language and run up to 5 downloads at once.
- Log in and play: open NHK's site inside CleverGet, sign in, and start playing the program you want.
- Parse the video: click the blue download icon at the bottom right. CleverGet shows the Download window with the available streams.
- Pick and download: choose a quality, MP4 or MKV, the audio track and the subtitle, then click Download. Finished videos appear in the Library and your output folder.
Where it falls short
- NHK On Demand allows one login at a time. Leawo's guide warns that parsing or downloading nhk-ondemand.jp videos fails if you're also logged in on another browser, and you'll be asked to log in again inside CleverGet.
- NHK On Demand tops out at 720p. Only plus.nhk.jp programs reach 1080p, and only when NHK streams them at that quality.
- A very large install. The installed app takes about 1.8 GB because it carries every CleverGet module, much more than Leawo's "1 GB free disk space".
- Breaks when the site changes. CleverGet customers on Trustpilot say a streaming site's update can stop a module until Leawo ships a fix, and NHK's move to NHK ONE is exactly that kind of change.
What Users Say
Testimonials on Leawo's NHK+ page
Leawo's product page carries two short testimonials about the NHK module. They're the vendor's own selection, so read them as such:
"For a long time, I have been using this NHK Plus video downloader. I am a lifetime license holder because it is a wonderful and easy-to-use program. It works reliably to be able to download any videos from NHK+." Jamie Kelly
"I was attempting to download NHK+ episodes from YouTube through some web browsers before. But it is limited and does not work for me anymore. Fortunately, I got CleverGet NHK+ Downloader. Super great software for downloads!" Lane Jansen
Trustpilot reviews of CleverGet
We found no independent reviews of the NHK module itself. CleverGet as a whole has a TrustScore of 4.7 from 66 reviews on Trustpilot (79% five-star, 6% one-star). None of the reviews mention NHK. The ones that describe real use:
"I've been using the app for a few months now, and it works very well for my needs. I did encounter a problem, but the technical team was very responsive and resolved it. Despite a significant time difference. I recommend it." Florian, 5 stars
"I have had this product for years. It is a great product! What makes it even better is the tech support team. They are extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and timely." Pops, 5 stars
"Now, I can tell you, sometimes updates of the software or the update from the streaming platform can wreak havoc when trying to get to the videos you want to get. I found the tech support folks were very good and helpful with getting to the bottom of it." Satori Agape-Economo, 5 stars
The critical side
The less happy reviews are about modules that broke after an update. Alberto gave 4 stars after "The Crunchyroll module stopped downloading subtitles after the last update," adding that support fixed it two days later, and that subtitles "only download in .SRT format and not .ASS." Mike reported an HBO problem where the "downloaded video was systematically quite shorter than the original," patched within 24 hours.
The pattern
Reviewers like CleverGet's download quality, its ease of use and, most of all, a support team that answers within a day and sends fixes. The recurring complaint is that a module stops working for a while when a streaming site changes. Use the free downloads to confirm it works with the NHK programs you watch before you pay.
Comparisons
NHK module vs other CleverGet modules
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac is one of the cheaper CleverGet modules: its one-year price is $10 lower than the $59.95 Leawo charges for modules like U-NEXT, DMM or Hulu. If you also watch TVer, ABEMA or U-NEXT, buy the modules together, since CleverGet gives a bigger discount the more modules you buy.
Mac version vs Windows version
The Mac and Windows versions cost the same and download the same NHK streams. The Mac app needs macOS 11 or later, the Windows version 64-bit Windows 7 to 11. Licenses don't transfer between the two.
Editions and Pricing
| License | Price | Term | After that |
|---|
| Free trial | $0 | 3 successful downloads | Buy a license |
| One year (Mac) | $49.95 | 1 Mac, 12 months | Renews at $29.97 a year |
| Lifetime (Mac) | $79.95 | 1 Mac, one-time payment | Nothing more to pay |
Prices are from the order page on October 23, 2026. The license code arrives by email right after purchase.
FAQs
Does Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac still work now that NHK+ became NHK ONE?
Yes, according to Leawo. Its product status page listed NHK ONE as "Working" at 1080p and 720p on October 23, 2026. Use the free downloads to confirm it with your own account.
Do failed downloads use up the Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac free trial?
No. Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac's trial only counts successful downloads. A failed or cancelled download doesn't count toward the 3-video limit.
Does Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac run on M1, M2 and later Macs?
Yes. The CleverGet for Mac installer supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 11 or later.
Is the lifetime license of Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac worth it?
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac's lifetime license costs $30 more than the first year. With renewals at $29.97 a year, it pays for itself in the second year.
Do downloaded NHK programs stop playing when the license ends?
No. When a Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac license expires, CleverGet stops downloading new videos, but the MP4 and MKV files you already saved keep playing.
Can I get a refund on Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac?
Leawo offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, but under its refund policy a refund is granted only when the problem is confirmed by both sides after you've worked with support, and you pay the processing fee. Use the 3 free downloads first.
System Requirements
- macOS 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 26 or 27
- 1 GHz or faster Intel processor, or Apple Silicon
- 512 MB RAM (1024 MB or more recommended)
- 1 GB or more of free disk space by Leawo's figure (the installed app takes about 1.8 GB), plus room for your videos
- Internet connection and an NHK ONE or NHK On Demand account
Conclusion
Leawo NHKD Downloader for Mac is worth it if you watch NHK on a Mac and want programs you can keep and play offline: it saves the best stream NHK offers with your choice of subtitles, handles whole seasons, runs natively on Apple Silicon, and is one of the cheaper CleverGet modules. The main reason to hesitate is that it depends on NHK's site staying compatible, which matters more since the switch to NHK ONE. Try the 3 free downloads, and if they work, the $79.95 lifetime license beats a plan that renews every year.
Download Free TrialBuy Now