Last updated on April 21st, 2024
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Today’s movies and television shows are available in a wide variety of media including DVDs, Blu-rays, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, P2P Networks, etc. Let’s say you prefer DVD discs because they are inexpensive, but the disadvantage of DVDs is that they are easy-to-scratched and have poor portability.
If you want to overcome this disadvantage, the best solution will be to extract the video/audio contents from DVD discs and save them as digital files onto your computer. This article provides you with different kinds of DVD digitizing programs to help you achieve this goal.
Usually, we call the DVD digitizing programs DVD Ripper. Some of the rippers are free while others need to pay to fully utilize the software. Each product has its special characteristics and strong and weak points.
In this article, we will examine some of the best free DVD rippers for Mac. If you are looking for the best DVD ripping software for Mac, click here.
Our team is always on the lookout for the latest, useful and best software on the market. With that in mind, we try our best to provide the most accurate information and reviews to help you make the most concise decision.
We also firmly believe that when it comes to exposing the pros and cons of the specific software, the truth must always prevail.
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
THE BEST CHOICE  | HandBrake for Mac
| TRY THIS FOR FREE → |
BEST FREE RIPPER  | MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition
| TRY THIS FOR FREE → |
EXCELLENT RIPPER  | MacTheRipper (MTR)
| TRY THIS FOR FREE → |
Warning: It is illegal to give away or resell ripped DVD files through the internet, so please keep them for your personal use only!
5 Free Mac DVD Rippers Compared
The following is our recommended software to convert DVD to digital format as people still prefer free software compared to the shareware alternative. Also, you even can upload a DVD to Youtube.
1. HandBrake for Mac
Handbrake is one of the widely used free DVD rippers and video converters in the market. If you just need to rip homemade DVDs, this is the best choice. This is an open-source program that you can use to convert the video including DVDs into popular output formats.
The HandBrake program also comes with some advanced features like adding subtitles, adjusting frame rates and video codec settings, etc.
However, the downside of Handbrake is that they can’t rip the commercial DVDs with copy protection unless you know how to install libdvdcss for HandBrake. Also, many of the output video file formats are not supported (limited to .MP4 or .MKV and .WebM).
Pros: A cross-platform application, presets for iOS and Android for quick video conversions, support batch conversions.
Cons: Cannot rip copy-protected DVDs and editing video is unavailable. Live preview is only available in the first four minutes, the settings required some time to do it correctly.
Website: https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php
The following table shows the comparison between the Handbrake and MacX DVD Ripper Pro to let you know why we prefer the paid ripper:
| Features | Handbrake for Mac | MacX DVD Ripper Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Easy user-interface | Yes | Yes |
| Input DVD disc and DVD folder | Yes | Yes |
| Supported input file formats | 23+ formats | 120+ formats |
| Supported output file formats like MP4, HEVC/H.265, H.264, FLV, MOV, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MKV, MP3, etc | MP4, MKV, M4V only | Yes |
| Rip homemade/normal DVDs | Yes | Yes |
| Rip copy-protected & damaged DVDs | No | Yes |
| Choose subtitle and audio track | No | Yes |
| Edit video before rip like crop, trim, apply effect and watermark, etc | No | Yes |
| Change decoder/encoder parameter settings | Very limited | Yes |
| Take screenshot, extract audio from DVD | No | Yes |
| Price | Free | Check discount prices |
2. MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition
The second ripper on our list is the MacX DVD ripper from Digiarty Software. They’re available in two versions – Pro and free edition. The MacX DVD Ripper Pro was rated as the best Mac DVD ripper by our editor. The free version also has many great program features but with some limitations.
The following table shows the comparisons between the two versions:
| Feature Comparison | Free Edition | Pro Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Rip DVD to Mainstream Videos Rip DVD Movie to MP4, MOV, M4V, MP3, AAC, and AC3 | Yes | Yes |
| Support All Protected DVDs Support all types of DRM (CSS, region code, Disney X-project DRM, etc); Update constantly to rip all the latest encrypted DVDs | No | Yes |
| Convert DVD to Hot Devices Built-in 300+ profiles for popular devices; Convert DVD to the new iPhone XS, XR, iPad, Android devices | No | Yes |
| DVD Copy Modes Clone DVD to ISO image at 1:1 ratio. Copy full title/main content to MPEG2/MKV at fast speed. | No | Yes |
| Free Update Service Free Lifetime Upgrade and 30-day Money Back Guarantee | No | Yes |
Pros: Rip and backup DVDs
Cons: See the table above.
Website:
MacX DVD Ripper Pro: https://www.macxdvd.com/special-offer/
MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition: https://www.macxdvd.com/dvd-rip-copy-for-mac-free/
3. MakeMKV for Mac
MakeMKV is a powerful and free DVD and Blu-ray ripping software that is known for its simplicity and effectiveness in ripping DVDs into MKV format (only). You can use their DVD and AVCHD converting or streaming feature for free (forever) while ripping or streaming the Blu-ray discs is limited to a 30-day free trial.
Some of the notable features of this program include:
- Standalone software with a user-friendly interface.
- Lossless conversion to MKV format only.
- Fast conversion.
- Preserves all video and audio tracks, chapters & metadata information.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Windows, Mac & Linux.
Pros: Free forever for DVD ripping, cross-platform application, and support batch conversion.
Cons: Cannot rip copy-protected DVDs and rip output files to MKV format only.
Website:
MakeMKV beta (free download link): https://www.makemkv.com/download/
MakeMKV (purchase link): https://www.makemkv.com/buy/
4. VLC Media Player
VLC is a versatile media player that also comes with DVD ripping capabilities. While it might not have the most intuitive interface for ripping, it’s a reliable option for basic DVD conversion tasks.
The software also supports downloading, recording, and converting DVD & Blu-ray discs. However, DVD & Bly-ray discs are limited to unprotected or homemade DVDs.
Pros: A free, versatile media player that can handle most video file formats and codecs. The output video & audio quality is good and every platform from computers and smartphones to tablets is supported.
Cons: It cannot rip encrypted DVDs. The presets for mobile devices are limited and conversion speed still has room for improvement.
Website: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Also read: HandBrake Vs. VLC Comparison
5. MacTheRipper (MTR)
This is another excellent DVD ripper (extractor) for Mac. This application was in the market since 2003 and it was free until v2.6.6. As the version keeps updating, it’s no longer free. You can extract the DVDs into four different modes – ISO Image, Rip & Rebuild (RnR), Main Feature, and Batch Title Extraction.
Besides this, the MTR is capable of removing different types of copyright protections to let you rip the discs successfully. The ability to edit bad cells before the ripping process begins is another great feature of this free tool.
This freeware application also allows multiple extractions (with chained DVD drives) and each extraction can have its own setting, mode, and saving location.
Pros: All the features listed above.
Cons: The user interface is a bit complicated and also deals with the licensing scheme (since the latest version is no longer free).
Forum page: https://www.mtrforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2284
The Features of a Good DVD Ripper
The best DVD ripping software lets you digitize your legally purchased DVDs for backup purposes, or transfer them to portable devices for on-the-go viewing! You can expect a great DVD ripping tool come with the following features (the more, the better):
- The program interface is simple and user-friendly.
- Decrypt & backup different DVD (and Blu-ray) discs to a local computer hard drive.
- Built-in device presets such as for iOS and Android. Usually, it comes with 100+ preconfigured profiles for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, etc.
- Rip video contents off DVDs, and convert the ripped files to 50+ digital video/audio formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, MP3, etc.
- The Mac decrypter software offers a live preview of the video converted.
- Come with a basic movie or video editing tool as well as audio encoders including MP3, AAC, etc.
- Ability to transform 2D DVD movies to 3D form.
- Fast conversion speed, with excellent quality output.
Special note:
Through our editor’s observation, almost all the DVD rippers can do the conversion jobs pretty equally, with the exception that some are faster and better in output quality. The paid software often delivers more reliable jobs with more features compared to free alternatives.
The most obvious free DVD rippers for Mac is that it lacks development/updates and some companies offer free versions because they also have the paid version. Besides the open-source software, most of the free rippers also cannot rip the commercial/copy-protected discs.
Conclusion: While the Free DVD Rippers were Good, Paid Alternatives are Greater!
Well, there are many software available that can do pretty decent jobs. Price is one of the most important factors when we are comparing products with similar capabilities. In our screening, we found that MacX DVD Ripper Pro is offering the best DVD ripper for Mac for an excellent price.
For Windows users, the Wonderfox DVD Ripper Pro is a winner. This software offers all the features you want to see in a DVD Ripper for a PC. It can rip your DVDs to the computer and almost every other format you might want. You can rip the DVDs and save them to your hard disk and it works wonders.
Well, a freeware DVD ripper for Mac OS X is always a preferred choice for most users. If you are unsure, you can freely download any of the programs recommended above and try out to see how the ripper can help you to save & secure all your DVD content.
P/s: You are also free to try out other products. Wondershare Video Converter is my recommendation to you (the next great DVD ripper and video converter). Download the free trial of the products, you’ve got nothing to lose! Trying before buying is always a good idea and will never hurt you.