15 Best Free and Premium Video Converters Based on Testing
A video converter software program is essential for ensuring compatibility and optimizing quality when viewing videos across devices and uploading clips to social media, such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more. However, most video converting software can only change the file extension but not transcode between codecs. Therefore, this article identifies and reviews the top list based on our professional lab testing and millions of users’ reports.
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Key Takeaways
HandBrake is a great free video converter software for students, vloggers, and other people who have a limited budget. While it is difficult to set up, the built-in presets can help users convert video formats quickly.
Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate is a one-stop solution to convert video formats, make movies, create video collages, and post-produce your videos without losing quality.
Adobe Express Video Converter is a good option if it is not convenient to install video converter software on your desktop. It allows you to transcode between video formats online with an Adobe account.
Part 1: Methodology
When testing the best video converter software, we focused on measurable, repeatable performance. The rigorous evaluation framework typically combines subjective assessments for real-world usability. To ensure fair comparisons, all video converters must be tested under identical conditions. This means using the same hardware, OS, and video files for every tool.
Baseline Test Environment
- OS: Windows 11 64-bit and the latest version of macOS
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 40-series
- RAM: 32GB
Test Video File Sources
| Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Video 4 | |
| Format | MP4(H.265) | MP4 | MOV | MKV |
| Length | 5 minutes | 8 minutes | 10 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Resolution | 4K | 1080p | 1080p | 4K |
Part 2: Test Video Converter Software and Version
| Software | Version | Release Date | Supported OS |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | 2.3.62 | May, 2026 | Windows 11 to Vista and macOS 10.12 or above |
| HandBrake | 1.11.2 | June, 2026 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| FFmpeg | 9.0 | August, 2026 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Freemake Video Converter | 6.0.1 | October, 2025 | Windows |
| Format Factory | 5.22.0 | February, 2026 | Windows |
| Any Video Converter | 9.2.6 | September, 2026 | Windows |
| MediaCoder | 0.8.68 | July, 2026 | Windows |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Web | ||
| VLC Video Converter | 3.0.24 | September, 2026 | Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile |
| Wondershare UniConverter | 17.6.0 | August, 2026 | Windows, macOS |
| Movavi Video Converter | 24.5.0 | August, 2026 | Windows, macOS |
| VideoProc Converter AI | 8.12 | September, 2026 | Windows, macOS |
| Prism Video Converter | 13.05 | April, 2026 | Windows, macOS |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | 28.9 | April, 2026 | Windows |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | v10.9.26 | June, 2025 | Windows, macOS |
Part 3. Top 15 Video Converter Software Test
Video Conversion Speed Benchmark
| 1080p(8 min) | 4K(5 min) | Long video(30 min) | Batch conversion(4 videos) | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | 3-5 sec | 5-9 sec | 1-5 min | 2-9 min |
| HandBrake | 16-30 sec | 2-4 min | 10-15 min | 10-18 min |
| FFmpeg | 3-20 sec | 1-3 min | 2-15 min | 5-20 min |
| Freemake Video Converter | 10-11 min | 5-8 min | 30-40 min | 30-60 min |
| Format Factory | 20-28 sec | 1-2 min | 2-4 min | 3-8 min |
| Any Video Converter | 1-2 min | 3-6 min | 4-7 min | 4-9 min |
| MediaCoder | 50-57 sec | 3-8 min | 5-7 min | 5-18 min |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Depend on internet | Difficulty handling 4K video | Slow for long videos | No |
| VLC Video Converter | 5-6 min | 10-20 min | 20-30 min | No |
| Wondershare UniConverter | 3-10 sec | 30-45 sec | 1-3 min | 5-9 min |
| Movavi Video Converter | 10-15 sec | 30-32 sec | 3-5 min | 3-6 min |
| VideoProc Converter AI | 5-18 min | 5-7 min | 18-20 min | 18-24 min |
| Prism Video Converter | Highly variable | No | Hours | Hours |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | 30-45 sec | 40-55 sec | 3-4 min | 3-5 min |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | 15-20 sec | 35-45 sec | 2-4 min | 3-5 min |
Key Findings:
- The fastest MP4 video converter software is usually a premium program, partly because of the built-in hardware acceleration and multi-thread technology.
- If you intend to convert multiple long videos, use a video converter computer software instead of online apps, such as VideoProc Converter AI.
- HandBrake video converter and FFmpeg are the best free options to convert video files across platforms.
- Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate is a good option if you have multiple large video files and need to transcode video codecs frequently.
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Format Compatibility Benchmark
| Support Input Formats | Support Output Formats | Support Video Codecs | Support Portable Devices | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | Over 1,000 | Over 1,000 | H.265, H.264, AVC, DivX, VP8/9, MPEG-1/2/4, ProRes | iPhones, iPad, Android phones, and game console |
| HandBrake | Popular video formats | MP4, MKV, WebM | H.265, H.264, MPEG-2/4, VP8/9, AV1 | iPhone, Sony PSP, and more |
| FFmpeg | Almost all formats | Almost all formats | All codecs | No presets |
| Freemake Video Converter | Over 500 | AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, 3GP, SWF, DVD, Blu-ray, MP3 | H.265, H.264, MPEG4, AAC, AV1 | iPhone, iPad, Android, PSP, PS3, Xbox, BlackBerry |
| Format Factory | Almost all formats | MP4, 3GP, MPG, AVI, MKV, FLV, SWF, MKV, MOV, etc. | Sony PSP, BlackBerry, Apple devices | |
| Any Video Converter | Popular video formats | MP4, MOV, MKV, M2TS, M4V, MPEG, AVI, WMV, ASF, OGV, WebM | H.264, DivX, XviD, MPEG-4 | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Samsung, Huawei, Sony PSP/PS3 |
| MediaCoder | AVI, MKV, MP4, ASF, MOV, etc. | AVI, MKV, MP4, ASF, MOV, etc. | H.264, XviD, DivX, MPEG-1/2/4 | |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M2TS, 3GP, MPG, F4V | MP4 | H.265, H.264 | |
| VLC Video Converter | AVI, FLV, MOV, MKV, MP4, OGG, WMV, DivX | MP4, TS, MPEG, OGG | H.265, H.264, MPEG-1/2/4, DivX, VP8/9 | iPod |
| Wondershare UniConverter | Over 400 | MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, WebM, FLV, M4V, 3GP, TS, VOB | H.265, H.264, AV1 | |
| Movavi Video Converter | MP4, 3GP, AVI, ASF, DVD, DivX, FLV, MKV, MTS, TS, M2TS, MOV, MXF, MPG, etc. | Over 180 | H.265, H.264 | iPhone, iPad, Android phone, PSP |
| VideoProc Converter AI | Over 370 | MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WebM, WMV, FLV, MPEG, TS, VOB | AV1, H.264, MPEG-4, AVC, H.265, ProRes | |
| Prism Video Converter | Popular video formats | ASF, AVI, DivX, F4V, FLV, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTS, OGV, WMV, XviD, WebM | H.265, H.264 | |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | Over 500 | AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV, MPG, MOV, M4V, VOB, ASF, TS, MTS, M2TS, 3GP, DivX, XviD | H.265, H.264, VP9, MPEG-4, AV1 | Over 500 phone and portable devices |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | Over 1,000 | MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WMV, FLV, WebM, MXF | H.265, H.264, VP8/9, MPEG, XviD |
Key Findings:
- Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate, FFmpeg, and Aiseesoft Video Converter v10.9.26 claim the largest package of formats and codecs.
- If you need a video converter to transcode videos for portable devices, HandBrake, Movavi Video Converter, and Any Video Converter provide explicit device presets.
- The best 4K video converters for Windows and macOS support modern codecs, such as AV1 and H.265.
Hardware Acceleration Benchmark
| Hardware Acceleration | Hardware Acceleration Types | Batch Conversion Support | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | Yes | NVIDIA, Intel, AMD GPUs | Yes |
| HandBrake | Yes | Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE, Apple VideoToolbox, Microsoft Media Foundation | Yes |
| FFmpeg | Yes | NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV, VA-API, AMD AMF, Apple VideoToolbox, Vulkan | Yes |
| Freemake Video Converter | Yes | NVIDIA CUDA, DXVA | Yes |
| Format Factory | Yes | NVIDIA NVENC, Intel QSV, AMD AMF, VA-API, Apple VideoToolbox | Yes |
| Any Video Converter | Yes | NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel QSV | Yes |
| MediaCoder | Yes | NVIDIA CUDA, NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel QSV | Yes |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Yes | NVIDIA, AMD, Intel GPUs | Yes, up to 50 files per time |
| VLC Video Converter | Yes | VideoToolbox, VA-API, D3D11 | Yes, in VLC 3.0.0 and above |
| Wondershare UniConverter | Yes | NVIDIA, AMD, Intel GPUs, Apple Metal framework, AV1 | Yes, up to 20 files per time |
| Movavi Video Converter | Yes | NVIDIA NVENC, Intel HD Graphics, AMD | Yes |
| VideoProc Converter AI | Yes | Intel QSV, NVIDIA CUDA, NVENC, AMD GPU, Apple M-series chips | Yes |
| Prism Video Converter | No | NVENC, QSV, AMF | Yes |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | Yes | Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC | Yes |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | Yes | NVIDIA, Intel, AMD GPUs | Yes |
Key Findings:
1. The fastest video converter software integrates hardware acceleration and batch conversion capacity.
2. Adobe Express Video Converter’s batch conversion capability is ambiguous since it works in a web browser. Therefore, the batch conversion can be difficult, depending on your browser.
3. Wondershare UniConverter is a great GPU accelerated video converter.
Advanced Video Processing Benchmark
| Video Editor | Video Compressor | Video Enhancement | AI Support | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | Trim, crop, rotate, watermark, filter, etc. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HandBrake | Limited | No | No | No |
| FFmpeg | Basic | No | No | No |
| Freemake Video Converter | Basic | No | No | No |
| Format Factory | Crop, merge, rotate, watermark | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Any Video Converter | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MediaCoder | Limited | No | Yes | No |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VLC Video Converter | Basic | No | No | No |
| Wondershare UniConverter | Full video editor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Movavi Video Converter | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VideoProc Converter AI | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Prism Video Converter | Limited | Yes | No | No |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | Basic | Yes | Yes | No |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | Trim, crop, merge, rotate, watermark | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Key Findings:
1. Free video converter software usually doesn’t include advanced video processing capabilities. HandBrake and VLC, for example, are non-AI tools.
2. Tools with genuine AI-powered features include Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate and other premium video converter software.
3. Format Factory and Freemake provides basic video editing tools, although they are free.
Output Quality Benchmark
| Lossless Video Conversion | Audio Sync | Note | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | Yes, with the Fast Remux mode | Yes | Manually sync audio and enhance video quality |
| HandBrake | Compress video | Yes | No |
| FFmpeg | Yes | Lossless conversion can break sync | No |
| Freemake Video Converter | No | Sync problem | Audio sync is inconsistent |
| Format Factory | No | Sync problem | No |
| Any Video Converter | Yes | Yes | No |
| MediaCoder | Yes | Yes | Configurable for sync correction |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Yes | Lack advanced sync tools | |
| VLC Video Converter | No | Audio sync issue | No |
| Wondershare UniConverter | Yes | Master Audio Sync | No |
| Movavi Video Converter | No | Mixed | Audio sync is not reliable |
| VideoProc Converter AI | Yes | Force A/V sync | No |
| Prism Video Converter | Yes | Mixed | No |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | Yes | Intelligent timeline repair | No |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | Yes | Yes | No |
Key Findings:
1. True lossless video conversion is rare as a one-click feature. Only Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate and Any Video Converter support it as a core capability.
2. Audio sync is the more fragile dimension. Movavi Video Converter and MediaCoder, for example, have user reports of severe desync on specific source types.
Ease of Use Benchmark
| Clear Interface | One-Click Support | Ease of Use(5-score) | |
| Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | Clear | Yes | 4.8 |
| HandBrake | Intimidate | Yes | 3.5 |
| FFmpeg | Lack | No, require commands | 2.0 |
| Freemake Video Converter | Ads | Yes | 4.0 |
| Format Factory | Outdated | Yes | 4.0 |
| Any Video Converter | Clear | Yes | 4.0 |
| MediaCoder | Complex | No | 2.5 |
| Adobe Express Video Converter | Clear | Yes | 4.5 |
| VLC Video Converter | Not intuitive | Partial | 3.5 |
| Wondershare UniConverter | Clear | Yes | 4.5 |
| Movavi Video Converter | Clear | Yes | 4.6 |
| VideoProc Converter AI | Clear | Partial | 4.0 |
| Prism Video Converter | Simple | Yes | 4.0 |
| WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | Clear | Yes | 4.5 |
| Aiseesoft Video Converter | Simple | Yes | 4.5 |
Key Findings:
1. The highest ease-of-use scores cluster around 4.5 to 4.9, shared by the best video converters for Mac and Windows, such as Adobe Express, Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate, WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory, and more.
2. One-click video conversion is implemented differently across tools. Wondershare UniConverter and Prism Video Converter, for example, achieve it through rich device presets.
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Further Reading
Part 4: Final Verdict
Benchmark Category Weight Distribution
| Category | Weight | Source Benchmark |
| Conversion Speed | 15% | Video Conversion Speed Benchmark |
| Compatibility | 30% | Format Compatibility Benchmark |
| Performance | 20% | Hardware Acceleration Benchmark |
| Video Quality | 20% | Output Quality Benchmark |
| Interface | 15% | Ease of Use Benchmark |
Top 15 Best Video Converters Quantitative Master Scoreboard(on a scale of 1.0-10.0)
| Rank | Software | Speed | Compatibility | Performance | Output Quality | Interface | Score |
| 1 | Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate | 9.7 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 10 | 9.9 | 9.7 |
| 2 | Wondershare UniConverter | 8.5 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 8.7 |
| 3 | WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory | 7.6 | 9 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 8.7 |
| 4 | Aiseesoft Video Converter | 8.2 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 8.5 |
| 5 | Any Video Converter | 5.7 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 | 7.9 |
| 6 | VideoProc Converter AI | 5.6 | 6.3 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| 7 | MediaCoder | 5.3 | 5.8 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| 8 | Movavi Video Converter | 8.1 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 5.3 | 9.7 | 7.3 |
| 9 | FFmpeg | 6.7 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 5.2 | 7.2 |
| 10 | Freemake Video Converter | 4.4 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| 11 | HandBrake | 5.1 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 7.0 |
| 12 | Adobe Express Video Converter | 5.1 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 9.7 | 6.9 |
| 13 | Format Factory | 7.4 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 6.7 |
| 14 | Prism Video Converter | 4.7 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 9.3 | 6.4 |
| 15 | VLC Video Converter | 4.5 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.1 |
Disclaimer
The ranking, scores, and video converter comparisons presented are for general informational purposes only. The result should not be treated as definitive or universal judgments.
Part 5:FAQs of Best Video Converters
What is the best video converter on Reddit?
FFmpeg is the most popular video converter software on Reddit.
What is the best video converter for Windows 11?
The answer is different, depending on your situation. For beginners, HandBrake is worth trying.
Is video converter legal?
Copyrighted videos are illegal to convert or download.
Conclusion
This article reviewed the top 15 best video converting software and shared a comparison of video converters. Some of them are completely free of charge. Others require a license or subscription. You can discover an appropriate one based on your needs. Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate, for example, is a good option for beginners.
Apeaksoft Video Converter Ultimate Convert, edit video and audio files in more than 1,000 formats.
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