ouch
Focus: zip, archive and terminal. Shares compression and open source with HandBrake. Rated 4.5 (HandBrake: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
Desktop App
HandBrake
A free, open-source video converter with ready-made presets.
Rating
4.7 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is HandBrake?
HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoder that converts almost any video into modern formats such as MP4 and MKV. Presets for phones, web and streaming make it simple to shrink file sizes, while advanced options cover cropping, subtitles, filters and batch queues.
Pros: what HandBrake does well
- Converts nearly any video format
- Helpful device presets
- Batch queue for many files
Cons: where it falls short
- Advanced settings can overwhelm beginners
- Not a video editor
Who HandBrake is for
Creators and everyday users who need to shrink or convert video files.
Who can skip it
People who need to cut and edit footage rather than convert it.
HandBrake alternatives
Not sold on HandBrake? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Shares open source with HandBrake. Rated 4.8 (HandBrake: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
bat
Focus: file viewer, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
OCRmyPDF
Focus: ocr, scanned pdf and command line. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
rclone
Focus: cloud sync, backup and file transfer. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
scrcpy
Focus: android, screen mirroring and phone control. Shares open source with HandBrake. Adds Android. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to HandBrake
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Subtitle Edit
Focus: subtitles, captions and video editing. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.7Visit
Ventoy
Focus: bootable usb, iso and operating systems. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.7Visit
Yazi
Focus: file manager, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
zoxide
Focus: terminal, navigation and command line. Shares open source with HandBrake. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
superfile
Focus: file manager, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with HandBrake. Rated 4.6 (HandBrake: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
aria2
Focus: downloads, bittorrent and command line. Shares open source with HandBrake. Rated 4.5 (HandBrake: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
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