Posted by Chris Ellison - Sep. 04, 2020 | Contact Author
Best 5 Alternatives to MakeMKV for Blu-ray & DVD Ripping on Mac/Windows
MakeMKV does a good job when it comes to handling copy-protected Blu-ray and DVD discs. But there are still many people are looking for an alternative to MakeMKV to handle DVD or Blu-ray discs. Why? Maybe we can find out some reasons from some questions about MakeMKV alternative asked online:
"I tired accessing the website and it site is suspended. Anyone had good experience with other alternative software to makemkv for a windows desktop.“
"Does anybody have a recommendation for an alternative to makemkv on Mac if a movie isn't ripping on there? I'm trying to use MakeMKV to rip a Disney movie DVD, but it's failed."
"I'm looking for best alternative to MakeMKV to rip commercial Blu-ray discs to not only MKV, but also to other popular video formats like MP4, MOV, etc. so that I can watch my favorite movies on my iPhone 11. Any suggestions?"
Many users have experienced MakeMKV not working, MakeMKV down and other common MakeMKV issues. Beyond that, MakeMKV enables you to only rip encrypted discs to MKV format, which is somewhat frustrated for those who want to play the DVD movie video on iPhone iPad Android or other mobiles on the move. According to our analytics, a lot of users look for MakeMKV alternative owing to several limitations and drawbacks listed below:
- 1. The output format can only be MKV
- 2. The output file is always in large size
- 3. Can't customize the video and audio codec
- 4. No ready-made preset profiles for portable devices
- 5. Can't preview the video
- 6. No basic editing function
- 7. The output quality is not very good
- 8. May get error messages like no disc found; forced subtitle won't show up; RPC protection cannot be bypassed, etc.
Above is the major reasons why people try to find out other best free alternative to MakeMKV software. If you're looking for a better Blu-ray or DVD ripping tools that have variety of features and tools that allow you to rip and convert discss, as well as edit the resulting files, then you can through this guide and sure you will get help in finding the right softwre as per your requirement. We've got you covered with the top 5 MakeMKV alternatives that are available for both Mac and Windows users.
If you don't want to read the entire post, here's an at-a-glance look at our top picks. You can click the links below to jump to the part you are most interested in:
There are lots of MakeMKV alternatives out there, including free, paid, and freemium options. These differ in various aspects, including ease of use and features. Before we jump into our list, let's take a look at the criteria we used to choose the best alternatives to MakeMKV. Those that made it to the list meet most, if not all, of the following criteria:
- • Intuitive and easy for beginners to handle
- • Large selection of output formats and conversion choices
- • High-quality video output and a manageable size
- • Advanced customization tools
- • Reasonably priced
- • Timely customer service (help and support)
Here is the lists of the best MakeMKV Alternatives for Blu-ray or DVD ripping on Mac/Windows:
1. DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper
DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper is a lightweight tool by DumboFab studio, and it tops our list of the best MakeMKV alternatives for Mac or Windows PCs. You can download a free trial version of this software, but you'll have to pay an annual subscription fee to use it for ripping Blu-ray or DVD discs longer than three minutes.
Having to pay for Blu-ray ripping software isn't all bad though. It means you don't have to contend with in-app ads and upsells, and you get advanced features you wouldn't find in free Blu-ray rippers. Plus, DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper's price tag is fairly low, and we definitely think it's worth it.
Although DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper is lightweight, it doesn't hold back on performance. It can read all kinds of Blu-ray and DVD sources: protected and unprotected Blu-ray Disc, BDMV folder, BD ISO, physical DVD discs, VIDEO_TS folder, DVD ISO and IFO file. As the best MakeMKV alternative, it can also help you re-encode or remux Blu-ray and DVD to lossless/uncompressed MKV converter keeping all the audio and subtitle tracks, chapter markers. And it can also rip BD/DVD movies to MP4 and MOV with multiple audio streams. This is an unique feature that most Mac Blu-ray ripper softwares that don't provide.
There really isn't much more to it. As a professional and powerful all-in-one Blu-ray/DVD disc handling tool, DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper integrates DVD/Blu-ray ripping, conversion, and backup in one place. Using it is as simple as loading the disk, selecting the output folder, and pressing the big, blue 'Convert' button. The straightforward navigation makes it suitable for beginners and advanced users.
Besides the multi-track outputs, DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper also has the avility to convert Blu-rays into virtually any popular video and audio format such as H.265, H.264, MP4, MOV, MKV and AVI. If you don't know what settings to use, not to worry, as there are more than 400 pre-configured device profiles to choose from. Additional tools include split, trim, slip, merge, adding audio and subtitles, and snapshot, among others.
What's more, DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper provides two methods to help your backup your Blu-ray discs. Using the "Full Disc Copy" feature, you can copy Blu-ray/DVD's original file structure to BDMV/Video_TS folder with all subs tracks, audio streams and chapter information included. Besides, you can also save 100% intact M2TS main movie from your Blu-ray Disc without any quality loss to get perfect backup from BD 50 to BD 50 or BD 25 to BD 25.
With DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper, you will instantly experience the latest and most advanced technologies, including but not limited to Passthrough, HEVC, 4K, etc., and it will always keep updating to support the newest releases and devices. DumboFab Blu-ray Ripper comes with tutorials, FAQs and a knowledgebase on its official website. And DumboFab provides timely and excellent customer support service, including lifetime free upgrade of product and technical support.
Pros:+ Very fast rips |
Cons:- Although the interface is easy to understand, it need to be improved. |
2. Handbrake
Handbrake is another great alternative to MakeMKV for multi-platform. It's an open source application for the purpose of converting MPEG video/DVD-Video to MP4 and MKV container format. Moreover, it has presets for iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Android. What makes users disappointed is that it can only rip unencrypted DVDs. If you want to use Handbrake to rip encrypted DVDs, you need to download and install libdvdcss or VLC. But even with libdvdcss being installed, HandBrake only decrypts and rips some certain DVDs with CSS. To rip any copy protected DVD freely, you need a more powerful alternative.installed.
When it comes to the Blu-ray discs, Handbrake converts neither encrypted physical Blu-ray Disc nor decrypted commercial Blu-ray movies in BDMV file structure. That means you can also use Handbrake to convert unprotected Blu-rays to MP4 videos or smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, etc. with customized settings.
Pros:+ Support a large number of output formats. |
Cons:- Only rip some certain DVDs with CSS |
3. Leawo Blu-ray Ripper
Like the above professional Blu-ray ripping solutions, Leawo Blu-ray Ripper can be also used as a MakeMKV alternative to handle Blu-ray dics. It has the same full ripping features to copy Blu-ray disc or the Blu-ray folders into any video formats with no quality loss. Powered by its excellent decryption technology, it easily removes common Blu-ray copy protections and region codes that block the copy of the disc. Multiple additional ripping functions are easy in touch, including subtitle and audio tracks selecting, 2D to 3D converting and practical video editing. It is suitable for Windows users while providing a counterpart for Mac users. You can use to replace MakeMKV for ripping Blu-ray dics but it doesn't offer the lossless MKV file as the output.
Moreover, to use the full version on one Mac for one year, you'll pay $44.95 and for lifetime licence, you'll pay $99.95 which is much more expensive than other Blu-ray ripping tools on the market.
Pros:+ Easy to use in a straightforward program interface. |
Cons:- Unable to recognize ISO file (Windows version) or forced subtitles (if there is). |
4. VLC Media Player
While there are loads of video playback apps, VLC remains one of the most popular and feature-rich media players. VLC Player rightfully earned its reputation for being able to play virtually any video format you want to watch. Although it’s commonly considered the go-to for media playback, you can also use VLC to rip a DVD.
But be aware, VLC might fail for some special DVD without extensions or plug-ins installed. Most of the time, it will work for common DVDs.
As a player-focused tool, VLC might fall short at times for conversion tasks. Errors such as VLC ripped DVD are out of order, content cannot be ripped, non-UDF mastered DVD not supported by VLC, software crashing during ripping process crop up every now and then. Besides, the converted files sometimes endure serious quality loss, unbearable for 4k Blu-ray movie lovers.
Pros:+ Support a large number of output formats. |
Cons:- Only rip some certain DVDs. |
5. Freemake Video Converter
Freemake Video Converter is a multi-functional yet free Handbrake alternative for Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8 and Windows 10. It is able to convert videos among a wide range of video formats, rip unprotected DVDs to common formats/devices as well as burn DVDs. That's really a pity that Freemake doesn't accompany with a Mac version, thus people have to seek for a Freemake alternative for Mac. In addition, most users complained on CNET saying that Freemake Video Converter is full of adware and possible malware. Be careful if you want to use it.
The basic version with branding is free. To remove branding, it's $5 per week, $10 per month, or $299 for unlimited access. These prices sound very steep, but you get 80% off your first payment, which is a clear driver to go with the unlimited option ($59.95 with the discount).
Pros:+ 4K possible |
Cons:- Free version is unusable |
Final Words:
We've evaluated the best five feature-packed MakeMKV alternatives program based on functionalities and features that each software owns. Of course, which program utility you employ to rip and convert your Blu-ray/ DVD movies is best determined by your actual needs, the platform of your machine and basically your budget. With these factors in mind, you should get the suitable ripper as well as converter in hand.
