Alternatives to HandBrake
A video converter that turns files and unprotected discs into MP4, MKV or WebM with presets for common devices. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
HandBrake
A video converter that turns files and unprotected discs into MP4, MKV or WebM with presets for common devices.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as HandBrake.
Shutter Encoder
A professional transcoding and media processing front end for FFmpeg, with batch queues, presets and genuinely lossless operations.
Shutter Encoder is a free GPL-3.0 FFmpeg front end that adds professional codecs like ProRes and DNxHR and lossless remux, but its interface exposes a lot at once.
FFmpeg
The command that converts, cuts, streams and inspects essentially any audio or video file in existence.
FFmpeg handles practically every codec and container and can remux without re-encoding, but it is command line only and has no device presets.
Avidemux
A simple video editor for cutting, filtering and encoding, aimed at trimming and converting rather than full editing.
Avidemux can cut, filter and encode with a job queue and lossless copy mode, but its interface is dated and the last stable release is from 2022.
CloudConvert
An online file converter for more than 200 document, image, audio, video, archive and CAD formats.
CloudConvert converts video and many other formats in the browser with an API for automation, but files are uploaded to a third-party server and it needs an internet connection.
Convertio
A browser-based file converter that handles documents, images, audio, video, ebooks and archives in over 300 formats.
Convertio converts video and over 300 formats in the browser with nothing to install, but uploads files to a third-party server and limits files to 1 GB.
Zamzar
A long-running online file converter supporting over 1100 formats, with no account needed for small files.
Zamzar is an online converter supporting over 1100 formats without an account for small files, but its free tier limits files to 50 MB and uploads them to a server.
Also worth comparing
These listings name HandBrake as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
MakeMKV
Turns a DVD or Blu-ray you own into an MKV file, keeping every track and chapter exactly as it was.
HandBrake is free and open source and can convert unprotected discs to smaller MP4, MKV or WebM files, but it cannot read copy-protected discs and always re-encodes.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
LosslessCut
Trims and joins video and audio without re-encoding, so a cut takes seconds instead of an hour.
Shotcut
A free cross-platform video editor with a multi-track timeline that edits most formats without importing them first.
MediaInfo
Tells you exactly what is inside a video or audio file: codecs, bitrates, resolution, frame rate, subtitle and audio tracks.
MKVToolNix
Builds, inspects and edits MKV files: add subtitles, drop a track, fix chapters, all without re-encoding.
