HandBrake
Free, open-source video transcoder for converting video into modern, widely supported formats.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 4
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About HandBrake
HandBrake is a long-running open-source video transcoder, built by volunteers, that converts video from nearly any format into modern codecs such as H.264, H.265 and AV1 in MP4, MKV or WebM files. It is the go-to free tool for shrinking large recordings, making files play on phones and TVs, or ripping unprotected DVDs and Blu-rays. Ready-made presets for devices and web platforms cover common needs, while advanced users can tune bitrate, filters, subtitles and audio tracks and queue batch jobs. It supports hardware encoders from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Apple and Qualcomm, and a command-line version is available for scripting. It is completely free with no account, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and is GPL-licensed. It does not edit or trim much beyond basic cropping, and it cannot decrypt copy-protected discs on its own.
Best for: Anyone who needs to shrink, convert or batch-encode video files for free.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free, open source and needs no account
- Device and web presets for quick conversions
- Hardware-accelerated encoding on most GPUs
- Batch queue and command-line version
Why people leave
- Not an editor: only basic cropping and filters
- Cannot rip copy-protected discs by itself
- Many encoder settings can confuse newcomers
Top HandBrake alternatives
See all 4- 1
Avidemux54.5Free and open source, combining simple cutting and filtering with re-encoding in one window.
- 2
LosslessCut52.2Trims and remuxes video without re-encoding, so it's much faster when you don't need a new codec.
- 3
VLC media player50.3Already installed for many people and has a basic Convert/Save option for quick format changes.
- 4
Shotcut48.9Free open-source editor that also exports to many formats if you need to edit before converting.
Why people left HandBrake
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from HandBrake, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of HandBrake
HandBrake: common questions
Is HandBrake free?
Yes. HandBrake is free, open-source software.
Is HandBrake open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at HandBrake/HandBrake.
What platforms does HandBrake run on?
HandBrake is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
What are the best alternatives to HandBrake?
The highest-ranked HandBrake alternatives right now are Avidemux, LosslessCut and VLC media player. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.