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 the 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 as the digital files onto your computer. This article provides you with different kinds of DVD digitizing software programs to help you achieve this goal.
Here are some of our recommended DVD software tools:
Usually we called the DVD digitizing programs as DVD Ripper. Some of the rippers are free while others need to pay to fully utilize the software. Each product has its special characteristics, strong and weak points.
Ripping CD Audio to MP3 on Mac Using Wavepad for Mac. Wavepad is a powerful music and mp3 editor tool developed by NCH Software Company. It’s a free CD ripper tool which can easily help you rip CD audio tracks to common-use music file formats, like MP3, WAV, WMA, AU, M4A, OGG etc. For playing on iPod, PSP and other mobile devices. Cd ripper for mac free download - Express Burn Free CD and DVD Burner for Mac, Mac CD DVD Label Maker, 4Media DVD Ripper Ultimate SE, and many more programs.
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.
Warning: It is illegal to give away or resell the ripped DVD files through the internet, so please keep them for your personal use only!
Top 3 Free DVD Ripper for Mac Reviews
The following are our top recommendations as people still prefer free software compare to the shareware alternative.
1. HandBrake for Mac
Handbrake for Mac is one of the widely used free DVD ripper or video converter in the market. If you just need to rip home-made 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 program also comes with some advanced features like adding subtitles, adjust frame rates and video codec settings, etc.
However, the downside of Handbrake is that they can’t rip the commercial DVDs with copy protection. Also, many of the output video file formats are not supported (limited to .MP4 or .M4V and .MKV.).
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 only available on 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
Free Dvd Ripper For Mac
The second ripper on our list is the MacX DVD ripper from Digiarty. There are 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 all the program features but with few 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 (discount coupon: MACXOBON2014): http://www.macxdvd.com/special-discount/
MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition: http://www.macxdvd.com/download/converter_ripper_org/macx-dvd-ripper-free-edition.dmg
3. 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 to 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 dealing with the licensing scheme (since the latest version is no longer free).
Forum page:http://www.mtrforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2284
The Features of a Good DVD Ripper
The best DVD ripping software which lets you digitize your legally purchased DVDs for backup purpose, or transfer to portable devices for on-the-go viewing! You can expect a great DVD ripping tool comes with the following features (the more, the better):
- The interface is simple and user friendly.
- Decrypt & backup different DVD (and Blu-ray) discs to 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 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 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 its lack of development/updates and some company 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 is 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 the 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 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 like 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 gotten nothing to lose! Trying before buying is always a good idea and will never hurt you.
Though Blu-ray has appeared for more than 10 years, DVD still takes up the dominant position in optical disc storage medium. Believe it or not, in Amazon, about 584 thousand DVDs are available, which are almost 26 times as many as Blu-ray Discs (22 thousand). Now, DVD is still the King. However, DVDs can only be played with DVD players or some Blu-ray Disc players on TV or computer. If you are out of home and office, it may be unlikely to enjoy your DVD movies on a TV or PC. Nowadays, tablets, mobile phones or media players will be the best choices to enjoy movies when you are out. So many people want to rip and convert their DVD movies to videos for playing on Apple iPad, Amazon Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Microsoft Surface, Huawei MatePad, Lenovo Tab, iPhone, cell phones from Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo or iPod touch.
Usually, I see a lot of discussions about looking for a free DVD ripper in forums or various questions on best free DVD ripping software in Yahoo! Answers:
'I'm looking for a good DVD Ripper (freeware) so i can convert video files to my MP4, can anyone recommend ?'
'Can anybody aware me of a free DVD ripper (not an imaging program) that I will not have to pay for, can download and isnt full of viruses?'
'Anyone know of any good free dvd ripping software that doesn't leave a watermark? I'm trying to put my dvds on my computer so I can watch them whenever I want and not have to carry them all around.'
'What's a user friendly free DVD to iPad converter? Im trying t transfer DVDs to my iPad but I haven't been able to find any easy converters that are free.'
'Is there a completely free dvd to ipod converter?'
'I only wanna get a FREE dvd to iphone 4 converter for mac? Be quick!?'
Actually, there are lots of good free DVD rippers available. In this article, I have collected almost all the free DVD rippers for you to convert DVD movies to videos for free.
Best free DVD ripper #1: WinX DVD Ripper
OS Platform: Windows & Mac
Mac The Ripper 4
Editor Rating:WinX DVD Ripper, developed by Digiarty Software, may be the most excellent but totally free DVD ripping software available to remove DVD CSS, UOP, RCE, region code and even Sony ARccOS. However, it doesn't support DVDs encrypted by Disney X-project DRM adopted by Disney, Paramount and Warner as its paid version does. The free DVD ripper also has other restrictions like Multi-core CPU nonsupport, poorer image quality and limitations of outputs, inputs & advanced features which force the users to buy their Platinum version. In addition, WinX DVD Ripper has a free Mac version called WinX DVD Ripper Mac Free. Just as the other free Mac DVD ripper, MacX DVD Ripper Mac Free Edition, under a different brand of the same company, it has even more limitations. These 3 free DVD rippers are up-to-date and the latest versions are available on the corresponding pages.
Best free DVD ripper #2: DVDFab HD Decrypter
OS Platform: Windows & Mac
Editor Rating:DVDFab HD Decrypter is a powerful but free DVD ripper. It not only decrypt nearly any DVD movies by removing all known DVD protections, and can copy any DVD to your hard drive, but also moves part of AACS, BD+, RC, UOPS and BD-Live Blu-ray protections to copy the unprotected Blu-ray to hard drive. In addition, users are able to customize copies with 2 copy modes and advanced settings. It's a pity that this powerful DVD ripper doesn't support video encoding, so you may have to use a third party video converter. Latest version is available at http://www.dvdfab.cn/hd-decrypter.htm.
Best free DVD ripper #3: BDlot DVD ISO Master
OS Platform: Windows
Editor Rating:The official site of BDlot has been down for months.
BDlot DVD ISO Master is a free DVD ripper for users to backup any DVD to ISO and burn any ISO to DVD/CD/Blu-ray Disc. It can rip common and encrypted DVD to ISO without support from a third party DVD decrypting software, as it has the ability to remove both DVD region codes and other DVD protections like CSS, CPRM, CPPM, APS, UOPs, ARccOS, Rip-Guard, and Disney X protection. Though it's equipped with the most powerful DVD decryption technology, its output is limited to ISO. Thus, a third-party DVD to video converter is still necessary for converting ISO files to videos playable on portable devices. It's was last updated on February 8, 2012. Click here to download the newest version of this free DVD ripper directly.
Best free DVD ripper #4: DVD43
OS Platform: Windows
Editor Rating:DVD43 and DVD43 Plug-in are free DVD rippers that work on 32 bit and 64 bit Windows respectively. It assists in the creation of backup copies of DVDs one legally owns and the use of DVDs outside of the original region of release. DVD43 runs in the system tray, detects when you've inserted a new DVD, and automatically removes most copy protections schemes (the smiley face turns green when it succeeds). The latest stable version of this free DVD ripping software is 4.6.0 published on October 23, 2009. Go its website to download it.
Best free DVD ripper #5: DVD Shrink
OS Platform: Windows 9x/2000/XP
Editor Rating:Note:
Some malware may also be installed when you are installing the free DVD ripper on your computer. See the details in the malware scan report of DVD Shrink. If you care about such issues, please download other free DVD ripping software.
DVD Shrink is a piece of freeware for Windows users, acts as a DVD copy to back up DVD discs and save as DVD folder or ISO image file to hard drive. With the built-in decryption algorithms, copying copy-protected commercial DVD titles becomes possible. Working in conjunction with DVD burning software, it can easily burn the output files to DVD disc. To convert the output DVD files to other videos for portable devices, you may also need a third-party video converter. As its name suggest, this free DVD ripping software can also compress or shrink the data from DVD and re-author DVD. The latest official version of DVD Shrink is 3.2.0.15 released 25 July 2004. Since it has not been has not been for years, it might not be able to decrypt some DVDs with newer copy-protection. To download it, please use the download link on its official download page.
Best free DVD ripper #6: DVD Decrypter
OS Platform: Windows 32bit
Editor Rating:Note:
Some malware may also be installed when you are installing the free DVD ripping software on your computer. See the details in the malware scan report of DVD Decrypter. If you care about such issues, please download other alternatives to free DVD rippers.
The development of DVD Decrypter halted and DVDDecrypter.com was shut down. However, it is still one of the most popular free solution for folks to rip DVDs to hard drive by tearing through pesky copy protection. As the technology of copy protection develops, DVD Decrypter may not deal with latest DVDs with new copy restrictions. The final version of DVD shrink is 3.5.4.0 and it's downloadable here.
Best free DVD ripper #7: MakeMKV
OS Platform: Windows & Mac
Editor Rating:MakeMKV is a combination of both freeware and shareware. The functionality to rip DVD discs is free and will always stay free. However, the features of Blu-ray decryption and processing are only free for 30 days. After the 30-day trial, you may have to pay USD $50 to purchase a registration key to continue using its function of converting and streaming Blu-ray discs. It cannot rip DVDs with the latest copy restrictions protected. The latest version of MakeMKV is v1.7.5 put out on June 20, 2012 and downloadable here.
Best free DVD ripper #8: Handbrake
OS Platform: Windows, Mac & Linux
Editor Rating:HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. It supports any DVD or Bluray-like source which is NOT copy-protected as input. (It is apparent that removal of copy protection is not supported.) It outputs MKV and MP4 videos with H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2 codecs and has preset profiles optimized for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and Apple TV. The latest version of this open-source DVD ripper is 0.9.6, which was released on Feb 28, 2012. To download different HandBrake versions for different OS, please visit http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php.
Best free DVD ripper #9: Format Factory
OS Platform: Windows
Editor Rating:Format Factory is an ad-supported freeware multimedia converter with 60 languages supported that can convert video, audio, and picture files. It is also capable of ripping DVDs and CDs to other file formats, as well as creating .iso and .cso file. However, DVD copy protection removal is not supported. The newest version of Format Factory is 2.95 becoming available on April 11, 2012. Download it here, if you like this DVD ripping tool.
Best free DVD ripper #10: VidCoder
OS Platform: Windows
Editor Rating:VidCoder is a free DVD/Blu-ray ripping and video transcoding application for Windows with batch encoding and multiple threads supported. It uses HandBrake as its encoding engine. Compared with HandBrake, it has a relatively rich UI. The same as HandBrake, it does not defeat the CSS encryption found in most commercial DVDs. The latest version of VidCoder is 1.3.2 announced on April 1, 2012. To download this free DVD ripper, check its download page.
Best free DVD ripper #11: MediaCoder
OS Platform: Windows
Editor Rating:MediaCoder is a free video/audio transcoding program for Microsoft Windows to compress, convert files and extract audios from video files. A wide range of popular video & audio formats are supported by MediaCoder, including MP3, AAC, AVC, AVI, MP4, FLV, MOV, AVI, etc. As a universal media transcoder, it also is able to rip DVDs, but only limited to early version CSS-protected DVDs. In addition, MediaCoder uses OpenCandy (a bundling software recommendation service) in its installer. Also, there are annoying text ads in the software GUI, web page containing ads loading every startup, even hardhanded donation. The latest version 0.8.13.5260 was released on June 19, 2012 and can be downloaded at http://www.mediacoderhq.com/dlfull.htm.
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