7 Best DVD Converters for Windows & Mac [2025]

• After a week of running my old DVD collection through different converters, I can tell you there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Movavi Video Converter was the one that felt like my safety net – polished, fast, and surprisingly smart with its AI tools. HandBrake, on the other hand, is the kind of program you need to wrestle with before you love it, but once you get it, it’s insanely powerful. Freemake stood out for being easy right out of the gate, even if that watermark in the free version annoyed me. WinX DVD Ripper Platinum impressed me with its speed – it chewed through scratched discs better than anything else I tried. And then there’s VLC and ImgBurn, the open-source stalwarts: not the prettiest, but they’re reliable and free, which counts for a lot. There is also a nice online option: Kapwing, and if you need something on-the-go, Video Converter, Compressor for mobile phones is your choice.
• What I noticed across the board: free programs almost always come with trade-offs – whether it’s limits on file size, slower performance, or a sneaky watermark stamped on your video. The premium options don’t just save time; they feel more like proper tools instead of workarounds. That said, if you’re only ripping a couple of discs once in a blue moon, the free ones can absolutely hold their own.
• The real choice comes down to personality and priorities. Do you want to click a button and move on with your day (that’s Freemake)? Do you want surgical control over every setting, bitrate, and filter (that’s HandBrake)? Or do you want something that feels modern and polished, with extra perks like subtitle search and compression that actually works (that’s Movavi)? Once I figured out what mattered most for a given job, it was easy to grab the right program instead of overthinking it.
• A couple of things I learned the hard way: always double-check your output settings before hitting convert. I once exported a whole movie in the wrong resolution and had to sit through the process all over again. Also, don’t ignore compression – it’s tempting to skip, but trimming a file down from 6GB to 1.5GB without killing the quality is one of those small victories that makes the whole process feel worth it.

Back in the early 2000s, I was the guy with a shoebox full of scratched DVDs, trying to convince my friends that my “director’s cut” copies were worth sitting through. Fast-forward to now, and those same discs are basically coasters unless you’ve got the right software. That’s where DVD converters come in – they can turn clunky old discs into sleek digital files you can actually use.

Over the past couple of weeks, I put several different converters through their paces. Some were smooth as butter, others felt like relics from the dial-up era, but every single one had its quirks. After plenty of late nights and a few botched exports (including one movie that somehow wound up in grayscale – my bad), I’ve pulled together a list of the best apps worth your time. Whether you want speed, control, or just something dead simple, you’ll find a pick here that fits.

• Best overall: Movavi Video Converter
  This one’s the workhorse – fast and loaded with just enough extras (like AI upscaling) to make me feel like I’m getting more than just a converter.
• Best free option: HandBrake
  It’s not exactly friendly at first glance, but once I got comfortable, I realized no free tool gave me more control over formats, filters, and file size.
• Best for beginners: Freemake
  The interface felt approachable right out of the gate, and it handled the basics without me digging through endless menus – though yes, the watermark in the free version is a little annoying.
• Best for power users: WinX DVD Ripper Platinum
  This is the one I fire up when I’ve got a stack of scratched discs or giant files – it chews through them quickly and has more advanced settings than I’ll ever realistically need.
• Best mobile pick: Video Converter, Compressor
  I was surprised by how much it could handle on my phone – perfect for quick conversions on the go, especially when I don’t feel like booting up my laptop.

Why I picked it: It felt like the most polished option – fast, easy, and with useful extra tools

OS: Windows, Mac

Like Free DVD Video Converter, Movavi Video Converter is a part of a larger suite of products. This time, instead of various uploaders and downloaders, the software suite focuses on creating video and other media projects. Movavi Video Converter simplifies the conversion process thanks to its ready-to-use presets and compression feature. You can also tweak the conversion settings manually, which allows you to get the exact result you are hoping to get. I tried this with some older, grainy footage, and I was honestly surprised at how much cleaner it looked. I also liked that I could just stick to presets when I didn’t feel like fiddling with the details, but the manual options gave me plenty of control when I wanted it. Movavi Video Converter also boasts its AI-powered upscaling feature that can help you improve the quality of your videos significantly.

Why I picked it: I liked how simple it was – a couple clicks and I was done

OS: Windows

Free DVD Video Converter is a part of a larger suite of free programs called Free Studio by DVD Video Soft. It is a very simple program that will be easy for anyone to use. Converting a DVD is as simple as selecting your DVD drive from a dropdown list, selecting an output location and preset, and pressing the Convert button. Even among free DVD conversion software, the program is lacking in features, however. Part of the reason the interface is so simple to understand is that you don't have many options to customize your output. For very basic needs, this program is worth a try. Users may find they outgrow it quickly, though. Other products in Free Studio include various video downloaders, uploaders, and other converters. All products are highly specialized and downloaded individually, so Free DVD Video Converter is a small download. When I tested it, I liked how quickly I could get started, but I did feel a bit boxed in – after a couple of conversions, I already wanted more options than it gave me.

Why I picked it: It stood out because I could trim, add subs, and even burn DVDs without juggling other apps

OS: Windows

Freemake is the next free DVD conversion software on our list. This software has some features that aren't in some of the other products we'll look at today. For example, the software lets you trim videos and add subtitles. It even has built-in uploaders and downloaders for YouTube and other popular video sites. Another feature of Freemake, a DVD burner, allows you to not only convert video from DVD but convert it to DVD as well. It even allows you to create your own DVD menu, making it a good solution to burn DVDs and an excellent all-around video conversion product. I liked how it felt more like an all-in-one tool – being able to trim and add subtitles without jumping into another app made things much easier for me. The downside? The free version’s watermark was a little annoying.

Why I picked it: It blew me away with how fast it chewed through even scratched discs

OS: Windows, Mac

WinX DVD Ripper has over 80 million users and has been around for over 19 years. It’s easily one of the most popular DVD ripping programs available today. The software can convert DVD files into viewable formats on any number of devices. It features acceleration technology that helps to quickly convert DVDs with ease. You can even try it with scratched or damaged DVDs as the Platinum version has some code to help read and fill in the blanks. This is one of the best DVD converters you can buy. When I threw a scratched old concert DVD at it, I didn’t expect much – but it handled it better than I thought. I liked that it didn’t choke on big files either, which made it feel really dependable.

Why I picked it: Once I got over the clunky menus, I loved how much control it gave me

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

While Handbrake has focused more on its core video conversion functionality in recent years, it was initially created for ripping DVDs and has long been the go-to choice for users looking for a quality free DVD converter. The program has plenty of presets to help you get your settings tuned in quickly, or you can take manual control over many different options. The program doesn't hold your hand while you are navigating through these settings, though, so be sure to understand the basics of how video formats work before you start trying to customize presets. Buried in the user interface, you'll find the option to apply basic video filters, such as deinterlacing and denoising, to the output. Because it was designed with DVDs in mind, you get great features like the ability to extract subtitles and chapters as well. I liked the level of control here, but I’ll be honest: the interface took me a while to get used to. Once I figured it out, though, the filters and subtitle extraction really felt like bonuses you don’t always get for free.

Why I picked it: It made backing up DVDs into clean ISO files surprisingly painless

OS: Windows

Another free video to DVD converter and burner is ImgBurn. This software is primarily meant as a DVD and Blu-ray maker that you can use to burn disks. Unlike Freemake, the focus of ImgBurn isn't the conversion between different video files and DVDs. But it does serve a useful purpose for someone who wants to backup a DVD onto their computer. The software allows you to read a DVD and copy an ISO version of that disk to your computer. ISO files “fake” physical carriers and can be mounted as DVD images. You can watch ISO images in programs like VLC with all the same functionality that the original DVD had. When I tested it, I liked how straightforward it was to back up a disk, but since it’s not really focused on conversion, it felt more like a niche tool for archiving than an everyday converter.

Why I picked it: I liked that a player I already use could also handle ripping and converting

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

VLC is well-known as a versatile media player that offers a built-in conversion feature. No wonder it can also rip DVDs! With this open-source you can convert ISO images and VIDEO_TS folders to MP4 (or other video format, as VLC offers a wide array of output options). Setting up a conversion session can be challenging, but the result is worth it, and the process itself is pretty quick. Of course you can also use the basic video-editing tools to polish the resulting video. I’ve always liked VLC for playing just about anything, so I was curious about it as a MP4 to DVD converter. It worked better than I expected, though I didn’t love how clunky the setup felt. Still, for a free player doubling as a converter, it impressed me.

Why I picked it: I could just drag a file into the browser, hit convert, and move on with my day

OS: Any browser

I’ve used Kapwing before as a meme maker, so trying its online video converter felt like checking in on an old friend with new tricks. The process is dead simple: upload your file, pick the format, and let the tool do its thing in the cloud. It handled MP4s, MOVs, and even GIFs without breaking a sweat, and I didn’t have to download a single thing. What I liked most was that it doubled as an editor, so I could trim or resize before exporting – no bouncing between apps. The only catch is you need a stable connection, and some features are locked behind the paid plan.

Why I picked it: It was perfect when I needed a quick fix on my phone without firing up my laptop

OS: Android

I put this video converter through its paces on my phone, and honestly, I was surprised by how capable it was for something so lightweight. I could switch videos into different formats, shrink big files so they were easier to share, and even pull out the audio without jumping through hoops. The layout felt simple enough that I didn’t need a guide to figure it out, which I appreciated. For quick conversions on the go, it got the job done without keeping me waiting. The downsides? The ads can get a little annoying, and I noticed it lagged when I threw really large files at it.

When it comes to DVD converters, I’ve learned that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution – it’s more about matching the tool to the way you actually use it. Some people just want presets that do the heavy lifting without needing a crash course in video formats, others want to tinker with every last bitrate and filter, and a few just want something that works quickly on the fly. After testing all of these, here’s how I’d break it down.

If you’re looking for something that feels professional but doesn’t overcomplicate things, Movavi Video Converter really stood out to me. It’s fast, reliable, and packed with extras, and I kept going back to it because it just works.

On the flip side, if you love having full control and don’t mind a learning curve, HandBrake is a solid pick. I could mess with everything from filters to frame rates, and even big, awkward files didn’t make it flinch. It’s not “plug and play,” but for control freaks, it’s the holy grail.

For anyone who just wants something approachable, Freemake is the friendliest of the bunch. I liked that I could trim, add subtitles (in the paid version), and even burn DVDs with menus without diving into confusing menus. The catch is the watermark in the free version – a reminder that nothing’s ever truly free.

If speed is your priority, especially with scratched or stubborn discs, WinX DVD Ripper Platinum surprised me with how fast it powered through. It’s not free, but if you’ve got a big library to back up, it might be worth the investment.

And for quick, casual jobs, the online and mobile options are surprisingly handy. Kapwing made it easy to drop a file in and convert it straight from the browser, and Video Converter, Compressor got me out of a pinch when I needed to shrink a file on my phone in a matter of minutes. They’re not built for bulk jobs, but for one-offs, they’re lifesavers.

The bottom line? The trick is knowing your own priorities. Once you do, the right choice pretty much picks itself.

A DVD is an optical disc acting as a physical carrier of digital information. A DVD can store media content of all sorts. You are most likely to find .vob and .ifo files on your disc. Below we explain what .vob items are for.