FreeGPL-2.0 for compiled builds, some files under compatible licensesC

HandBrake

A video transcoder with presets for devices, the web and archiving

Alternative toWondershare UniConverterMovavi Video Converter

HandBrake converts video from almost any format to MP4, MKV or WebM, with presets for devices and the web and support for hardware encoders. It is the open source alternative to paid converters such as Wondershare UniConverter and Movavi Video Converter, under GPL-2.0.

Website Source Docs

Best for when

you need to shrink large recordings before uploading or sharing them
you convert many videos to the same format in one go
you want hardware encoding without paying for a converter

Watch out for

it does not edit, merge or record, it only converts
it does not handle copy protected discs
manual quality settings are easy to get wrong, so start from a preset

Shrink, convert and batch

The common job is simple: a huge screen recording or camera file needs to become a smaller MP4 that plays everywhere. HandBrake takes the file, applies a preset such as Fast 1080p30 or one of its web presets, and outputs H.264, H.265, AV1 or VP9 at the quality you choose.

It can crop, scale, deinterlace and denoise, add or burn subtitles, keep several audio tracks, and queue many files at once. It uses NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD and Apple encoders where available, which makes conversion much faster than software encoding.

What switching really costs

HandBrake converts, it does not edit. There is no timeline beyond choosing start and end points, no merging of clips and no screen recorder, all of which some paid converters bundle. Pair it with a real editor if you need those.

It will not rip copy protected discs out of the box, and that is deliberate. The many settings can also be overwhelming: the presets are good, and changing quality and encoder settings without understanding them is the usual way to get a worse file than you started with.

Last checked: 2026-10-25.md