Last updated on April 13th, 2024
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If you are looking for the best free DVD ripper for Linux then you hasve come to the right place. We have researched and found some free DVD rippers for Linux. Among those DVD ripping software, our favorites are HandBrake, VLC Media Player, and MakeMKV.
We used all of these rippers and all of them worked great for no cost at all! We also ensured every ripper below is free, and can rip most of the homemade DVDs but mostly cannot on commercial DVDs.
So, let’s dig deeper to know more about the Linux DVD rippers and at the end, we also introduced a ripper for Windows and MacOS as well. Â
The Best Free DVD Ripper for Linux Compared
The DVD rippers for Linux may be less popular but if you come closer to it; you will notice that the software below also can be used for Windows and Mac OS X. Let’s have a look at the detail of these rippers.
#1: HandBrake
HandBrake is among the few open-source DVD rippers for Linux. It’s a tool that not only supports ripping DVDs or Blu-ray discs to a file but also converting video from one file to another as well as some other functionalities.
The built-in presets on HandBrake make things easier for ripping videos from a DVD to any format compatible with computers and portable devices such as Android or iOS smartphones and gadgets.
There are other developed features available on Handbrake, such as video filtering, video previewing, and custom subtitles. You can decide to rip any title from your source disc and certain chapters, specific audio tracks, and a custom crop & quality using this tool.
While there are numerous custom features, it is not really easy to use the tool plus they also have some advanced features to make it more complex.
Handbrake is directly available from the Ubuntu base repository. You can download it from Ubuntu using the APT package manager.
Who Can Use: Linux, macOS 10.13 & later, and Windows 7/8/10/11 users. For older operating systems, you can download the older version from their official site.
Official page: https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php
The Great Features of HandBrake
Here are some of the top-notch features you can expect from HandBrake:
- Can read any Blu-ray and DVD discs and convert them.
- Convert DVD or any video files to MKV, MP4, and WebM formats.
- It has various settings to make the output files of better quality.
- Ability to adjust the audio volume for some audio types.
- Embedded some editing tools: denoise, deinterlace, crop, resize, crop, and more.
#2: VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is an open-source and free media player that you can use on all platforms. VLC for Ubuntu as well as several other distributions of Linux is packaged utilizing Snapcraft. It distributes the greatest and latest VLC versions straight to end users, with critical bug fixes and security, visual media support, and full codec.
With this VLC software, you’re open to every needed codec such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, WMV, MKV, WebM, and H.264, among others. Thus you do not need to have extra codec packs and this is not just a media player, but also can use for DVD and video converter, and other functions.
VLC tried to provide a reliable video & audio converter accommodated in a fully-fledged media player. And the output you will receive is quite adequate (various formats supported).
In case you want to install its traditional deb package, it’s available via APT as usual, with all critical bug fixes and security. Nevertheless, there won’t be any major VLC updates in versions until the following Ubuntu release.
Who Can Use: Linux, Windows 7/8/10/Vista/XP, Mac, Android, iOS, Unix, and so many more, without any restrictions.
Official page: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-ubuntu.html
The Main Features of VLC Player
The following are the notable features of the VLC media player:
- Serve as a cool media player and converter (the sources can be the hard drive, DVD, websites, etc.)
- Convert DVDs to digital format with region code removal.
- Digitize DVDs to formats such as MP4s, M4As, WEBMs, OGGs, and MP3s without losing quality.
- You can do custom settings to control the output like codec, resolutions, frame rates, etc.
- Support Windows, Mac, and Linux as well as apps for iOS and Android devices.
#3: MakeMKV Beta
MakeMKV is a one-click, easy solution to convert your videos into a free and also patent-unencumbered format. This format converter is also known as a “transcoder”.
This tool converts your videos from the proprietary (and often encrypted) discs into MKV files, keeping most data but not modifying it at all. An MKV format is capable of storing multiple audio/video tracks with all preserving chapters and meta-information.
Numerous players allow you to play MKV files almost on any platform, and there are also tools that can convert MKV files to other formats, such as Blu-ray and DVDs.
Moreover, MakeMKV can immediately stream decoded video without medium conversion to a wide variety of players. Thus, you may watch DVDs and Blu-ray discs with your preferred player on your preferred OS or any other device as per your preference.
Who Can Use: Linux, Windows 7/8/10/XP, and Mac OS X users.
Official site: https://www.makemkv.com/
The Key Features of MakeMKV Beta
Here are the features you can expect from MakeMKV:
- Can read & convert Blu-ray and DVD discs, DVD Folder, and ISO Image.
- Decrypt BD+ and AACS copy protections.
- Keep ripping files unchanged from the original sources.
- Preserves metadata or chapter info (track audio type, language) in the MKV file.
- Free and fast conversion speed.
Also, check out the MakeMKV alternatives.
The Best DVD Rippers for Windows and Mac
We already have known the top free DVD ripper for Linux (Ubuntu) that you can use. However, the free versions are not offering all that you need for fair conversion. So, here we are listing down 2 paid DVD rippers that will work perfectly on Windows and Mac respectively.
# For Windows: WinX DVD Ripper Platinum
The best DVD ripper for Windows is the WinX DVD Ripper Platinum. If you are a pro at DVD ripping then no doubt you are already familiar with the brand name. However, if you are new to this ripping world then continue reading to know more about this DVD ripper.
WinX DVD Ripper Platinum has set the standard high for DVD ripping. Using a special consistent CSS mechanism of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum, it decrypts Sony ARccOS Protection, Disney X-project DRM, user operation prohibition, and DVD region lock.
Another thing that makes this tool a strong ripper is the technology of hyper-threading as well as multi-core hardware acceleration, which allows you to rip DVDs to MP4 and H.264 in a shorter time.
This ripping tool can rip DVDs to MP4, AVI, MPEG, M2TS, and any other format accepted by hard drives, TVs, laptops, and also mobile devices. Moreover, this tool backs up nearly all content in a DVD including subtitle tracks, and all chapters. And if required, you can perform some edits before you rip, like say, cropping, trimming, or even adjusting the volume of your audio.
The Great Features of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum
Here are some of the main features of this ripper:
- It can convert commercials and homemade DVDs.
- The ripping speed is quite fast.
- It comes with many built-in presets so to digitize the DVDs to be playable on PC, and smartphones.
- Lossless 1:1 output quality as it offers High-quality Engine along with de-interlacing.
- Offer various customization options to produce better quality outputs.
# For Mac OS X: MacX DVD Ripper Pro
MacX DVD Ripper Pro is a great Mac DVD ripping software for extracting video and audio from commercial or homemade DVDs, DVD Folder, or ISO Image. This tool can rip or convert even old, 99-title, unplayable, or scratched DVDs and then save them to your preferred video format.
It is 100% safe to use and clean from any virus or malware. You can easily use this software on your latest Mac OS X. Just download & install the MacX DVD Ripper Pro and you are ready to rip the DVDs. The 3-step ripping process is easy and almost all the newbies can do it.
The Main Features of MacX DVD Ripper Pro
Here are the features to expect from this program:
- Convert DVDs to MP4, MOV, MPEG, M4V, and many other formats. Support DVD playbacks on iPhone, iTunes, iPod, Apple TV, and iPad.
- Removes copy protections from DVDs like Sony ARccOS, CSS, APS, UOPs, Disney+, etc. (including region code) and rips them.
- Flexibly set the parameter settings like video codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrates, etc.
- Fast ripping speed with unbeatable 1:1 output quality.
- Let you watch DVDs through QuickTime as well as edit videos with iMovie (crop, trim, merge, add also external subtitles)
Bottom Line
HandBrake is one of the most recommended free DVD rippers for Linux (Ubuntu) because it is reliable, has wide support inputs & outputs, and has rich settings. This tool supports copy-protected discs if you know the steps.
On the other hand, the VLC media player cum DVD ripper is more universal but is restricted to ripping DVDs that do not have encryption. It’s a great alternative DVD ripper for Ubuntu.
Finally, MakeMKV offers a convenient way to convert DVDs to MKV format. However, it shows up errors while ripping DVDs with encryption.