HandBrake vs Movavi Video Converter

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

HandBrake

Free, open-source video transcoder for converting video into modern, widely supported formats.

Open source

Visit HandBrake HandBrake profile

Movavi Video Converter

Paid desktop converter for video, audio and images with basic editing and upscaling.

Paid

Visit Movavi Video Converter Movavi Video Converter profile

The short answer

HandBrake is the pick for most people who simply need to convert or shrink video: it is free, open source, needs no account and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Movavi Video Converter suits home users who prefer a paid point-and-click app with 180+ presets, basic trimming and AI upscaling. The core difference is price and depth: HandBrake is free with more encoder control; Movavi trades money for simpler, broader tools.

HandBrake or Movavi Video Converter: our take

Both apps convert video, but they come from different places. HandBrake is a volunteer-built, GPL-licensed transcoder that turns nearly any input into H.264, H.265 or AV1 in MP4, MKV or WebM. It has device and web presets for quick jobs, deep control over bitrate, filters, subtitles and audio tracks, a batch queue, a command-line version for scripting, and hardware encoding on Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Apple and Qualcomm chips. Movavi Video Converter is a commercial desktop app that handles video, audio and images across more than 180 formats and device presets, including DVD and GIF, and aims to spare home users from codec settings.

Movavi goes further outside pure conversion. It includes trimming, cropping, rotating, colour adjustments, subtitles and an AI upscaler that goes up to 8x, while HandBrake is not an editor and offers little beyond basic cropping and filters. On the other hand, HandBrake gives more advanced encoder settings, which can confuse newcomers but matter if you care about file size and quality.

Cost and platforms are the clearest split. HandBrake is free with no account and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (via Flatpak on Flathub). Movavi runs on Windows 10/11 64-bit and macOS only, and its download is a 7-day trial that watermarks output, so in practice it is paid software, sold alone or in a bundle with Movavi's other video apps. Neither can decrypt copy-protected discs on its own.

Choose HandBrake if you want free, reliable conversion and compression, batch jobs or scripting, or you use Linux. Choose Movavi if you want one simple paid app that also trims and upscales clips and covers unusual formats like GIF, and you don't want to learn encoder settings.

Choose HandBrake if…

Anyone who needs to shrink, convert or batch-encode video files for free
You want open-source software
You want a free option (Movavi Video Converter is paid only)
You need Linux, which Movavi Video Converter doesn't list
Free, open source and needs no account

Choose Movavi Video Converter if…

Home users who want a simple paid converter with quick edits and presets
180+ formats and device presets
Basic trimming, cropping and colour tools built in

What is 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.

What is Movavi Video Converter?

Movavi Video Converter is a point-and-click desktop app for changing video, audio and image files between more than 180 formats and device presets, including MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, DVD and GIF. It also compresses files, batch-converts folders, adds subtitles, and offers basic edits such as trimming, cropping, rotating and colour adjustments, plus an AI-based upscaler. It's made by Movavi, which sells a family of consumer video tools, and targets home users who want fast conversions without codec settings. It runs on Windows and macOS. The download is a trial version that adds a watermark to output and only lasts seven days, so in practice it's paid software; Movavi sells it on its own and as part of a bundle with its other video apps.

Side by side

Attribute	HandBrake	Movavi Video Converter
Pricing	Open source	Paid
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS
Best for	Anyone who needs to shrink, convert or batch-encode video files for free	Home users who want a simple paid converter with quick edits and presets
Status	Active	Active