Downloading a whole series from Rutube is what you want before a trip with no internet. Rutube, Russia's largest domestic video platform, keeps series in playlists and on channel pages, but neither turns into files with one button. Skachok does not expand such a link either, but it takes the addresses of individual videos in a batch. Below: where to get the episode links, how many fit in one batch on each plan, how much a season weighs, and how to keep the episodes in order. Link formats and the downloads folder are covered in the guide for computers.
A Rutube playlist cannot be pasted as one link
A Rutube playlist address looks like rutube.ru/plst/<number>/, a channel address like rutube.ru/channel/<number>/. Paste either into Skachok and it finds no video and asks for a link to a specific one. YouTube is different: a playlist link there is expanded into a list of videos, as described in the article on YouTube playlists. Rutube, like Dzen or Pinterest, gets no such expansion, so downloading a Rutube playlist is two steps: collect the episode links, then paste them as a list.
Where to get the links to every episode
An episode link always contains /video/ and a 32-character ID. The tail after the question mark can stay.
On a computer. Open the playlist or channel page. Right-click an episode, choose "Copy link address" and paste it into a text editor on a new line. If that does nothing on the thumbnail, open the episode in a new tab and copy the address bar. A 12-episode season takes two or three minutes.
On a phone. In the Rutube app open the episode, tap "Share" and "Copy link", then paste it into Notes. In a mobile browser press and hold the episode in the list and choose "Copy link address".
Check the list before pasting: every line starts with https://rutube.ru/video/, nothing is repeated, and the order matches the playlist, so the daily limit is not spent on duplicates.
How to download all episodes from Rutube: step by step
- Open the Rutube page on Skachok and paste the whole list into the field: Ctrl+V on a computer or the "Paste" button on a phone. One link per line.
- Press "Find". Cards for the episodes appear with titles and durations, plus a "recognized N of M" counter. An unrecognized link carries a note with the reason.
- Press "Download all videos". Skachok picks the best quality available on your plan for each episode; a different option for one episode can be chosen in its card.
- Allow the browser to download multiple files when it asks, otherwise it stops after the first file. On the free plan an 8-second timer counts down before the start.
- Keep the tab open until every card finishes. The files land in the Downloads folder, each named after the episode.
A short version for one video is on the how to download Rutube videos page; phone specifics are in the article about Android and iPhone.
How many episodes fit in a batch: plans, size and runs
Downloading several Rutube videos at once works on any plan; the difference is the batch size and the daily limit. Each episode is a separate download, and the table shows what that means for a season of 12 episodes, 45 minutes each. Action and sport push the size toward the upper bound, talk shows toward the lower. Rutube serves nothing above 1080p, so Pro and Max give the same file as Lite but need fewer runs.
| Plan | Max from Rutube | Season size | Links per batch | Batches per season | Days by limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free, no account | 720p | 4.5–8 GB | 3 | 4 | 4 (3 per day) |
| Free, with account | 720p | 4.5–8 GB | 3 | 4 | 3 (5 per day) |
| Lite, $1.99/mo (99 ₽ in Russia) | 1080p | 8–16 GB | 5 | 3 | 1 (limit 20) |
| Pro, $3.99/mo (249 ₽ in Russia) | 1080p | 8–16 GB | 10 | 2 | 1 (limit 50) |
| Max, $5.99/mo (399 ₽ in Russia) | 1080p | 8–16 GB | 50 | 1 | 1 (limit 100) |
720p instead of Full HD on a paid plan roughly halves the size; 480p brings a season down to 2.5–4.5 GB, enough for a phone.
In practice: you can download a series from Rutube for free, but a season stretches over several days. Signing up gives 2 days of Pro at no cost, enough for a 12-episode season in two runs of 10 links. All episodes in a single run is a Max feature with its 50-link batch, the option for shows of 30–50 episodes. Plans are compared on the pricing page.
How to keep the episodes in order
Skachok names the file after the video title on Rutube. If the author labeled the episodes "Episode 1", "Episode 2" and so on, the folder is in order up to episode nine, then the surprises begin: many players in TVs and cars sort strictly by character, and "Episode 10" lands right after "Episode 1". Windows Explorer and Finder sort numbers the human way; a TV may not.
Three fixes:
- rename the files with a leading zero: "01 Title", "02 Title"; such names sort the same everywhere;
- paste the links into Skachok in episode order, so the cards follow the right sequence;
- if the Rutube titles contain no episode number, add it right after downloading, while you remember which is which. For 12 files it takes a minute with F2 (Enter on a Mac).
A season on a USB stick, tablet or laptop
The finished files are ordinary MP4s with H.264 video and AAC audio, readable by any TV, tablet or car stereo.
USB stick and TV. Create a folder on the stick named after the show and put all the episodes inside: most Smart TV players start the next file from the same folder when one ends, which is why the numbering matters. A 720p season fits on an 8–16 GB stick; a 1080p season needs 32 GB. A single episode rarely exceeds 4 GB, so even a FAT32 stick usually works.
Tablet. On Android copy the folder over a cable or the cloud and open it in VLC: it lists the episodes and switches to the next one by itself. On an iPad keep the files in the Files app; the built-in player opens MP4.
If you only need the season for listening, a talk show for example, choose MP3 in the "Audio" block: available from Lite, a 45-minute episode weighs about 60–75 MB.
Which episodes will not download
Paid series and films behind a Rutube subscription cannot be downloaded: they have no open stream, and no service will get one. A live broadcast is unavailable until its recording appears. Hidden or deleted episodes are skipped: the card shows the reason, the rest of the batch downloads. A playlist or channel link is not expanded, and quality above 1080p does not exist on Rutube.
FAQ
How do I download a whole series from Rutube with one link?
One link will not do it: Skachok does not expand Rutube playlists. Copy the episode addresses, paste them one per line on the Rutube page and press "Download all videos". A batch holds 3 links free and up to 50 on Max.
Can I download a Rutube playlist in full, like on YouTube?
No. A YouTube playlist link is expanded into a list of videos; a rutube.ru/plst/… link is not. For Rutube, collect the episode addresses and paste them as a list.
How many Rutube episodes can I download at once for free?
3 per request, and per day 3 without an account or 5 with a free account. A 12-episode season takes three or four days for free, or one day on the 2 days of Pro after signing up.
How do I download several Rutube videos at once on a phone?
Collect the links through "Share" and "Copy link" in Notes, copy the whole list, paste it with the "Paste" button, press "Find" and then "Download all videos". On an iPhone, Safari asks once for permission to download multiple files.
In what order are the episodes downloaded?
The cards follow the order in which you pasted the links, and the files are named after the episode titles. So that a TV player does not put "Episode 10" after "Episode 1", add numbers with a leading zero.
Why is one episode in the batch not recognized?
Usually the link leads to a playlist or channel rather than a video, or the episode is paid, hidden or deleted. Open it on Rutube, copy a rutube.ru/video/… address and paste it as a separate request.