As our world becomes increasingly digital, physical media is now outdated and eliminated in favor of digitization. We often need to turn the DVD into digital videos and make the videos easier to view and preserve. This is what DVD rippers do.
This article identifies and reviews the top 9 best DVD rippers for Mac and Windows users to digitalize their optical discs.
Can I Legally Make a Digital Copy of a DVD?
Ripping your own DVD and storing the digital files in your computer is absolutely legal. But if you want to make a digital copy of a DVD you brought, the situations vary across different regions. Generally, it is illegal to rip a claimed copyright-protected DVD, even if you have purchased it, because bypassing DRM is usually illegal. However, ripping those DVDs for your personal use, viewing and preserving them discreetly won't lead to severe consequences.
Top 1. AVAide DVD Ripper
Price: Free trial is available, starting from $25.60 for purchasing
System: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS 10.12 or above (highly support macOS Sequoia)
As one of the best DVD ripper software, AVAide DVD Ripper for Mac is highly flexible and available to both beginners and advanced users. The essential reason you can choose AVAide DVD Ripper is that it specializes in bulk ripping. Therefore, even if you process a large DVD, the speed could also be fast. Moreover, the concise interface enables beginners to find what they want quickly. The bonus features can help advanced users to produce the desired effects.
TRY IT FREE For Windows 7 or later
Secure Download
TRY IT FREE For Mac OS X 10.13 or later
Secure Download- Pros
- Rip both homemade and commercial DVDs.
- Enhance video resolution up to 4K.
- Extract audio tracks from DVDs flawlessly.
- Support a wide range of video output formats.
- Bypass copyright protection.
- Include lots of bonus features.
- Cons
- After the free trial, you need to purchase a license.
Here are the basic steps to rip a DVD (you can also read the detailed guide on AVAide DVD Ripper's Guide page):
Step 1Load a DVD
Put a video DVD into your device. Go to the Load DVD > Load DVD Disc, and choose your disc. Next, click the Full Title List button, and select the desired titles; otherwise, the software will rip all titles.
Step 2Set the output format
Click the Rip All to menu at the top right corner > head to the Video tab, select a proper output format, and pick a preset.
Step 3Rip the DVD
Specify a destination folder by hitting the Folder button. At last, click on the Rip All button to begin ripping the DVD.
Top 2. HandBrake
Price: Free
System: Windows 10/11, Mac OS X 10.13 and higher, Linux
HandBrake is a free DVD ripper, Blu-ray converter and video converter. As an open-source program, it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Handbrake is a powerful video tool, but beginners may be confused about the using steps since the interface is a little bit complex.
- Pros
- Rip homemade DVDs quickly.
- Preview movies with the built-in media player.
- Rip DVDs for portable devices.
- Offer lots of custom options.
- Cons
- It cannot handle encrypted DVDs.
- The setup is a bit complex.
Top 3: WinX DVD Ripper
Price: Free usage available, purchase Platinum version starting with $34.95
System: Windows 10/11, Mac OS X 10.13 and higher, Linux
WinX DVD Ripper is one of the best DVD ripping software only for Windows. You can rip DVDs for free with the limit of 5 minutes. More importantly, you can embed the subtitle file into your converted digital video. The only and most essential disadvantage is that this program only supports high version of Windows.
- Pros
- Bypass encryption and protection on DVDs.
- Offer more than 350 presets.
- Speed up the process with GPU acceleration.
- Remove DRM.
- Cons
- It does not support 2FA.
- The built-in video editor is pretty basic.
Top 4: MakeMKV
Price: Free in Beta
System: Windows XP and higher, Mac OS X 10.7 and higher, Linux
MakeMKV is one of the best DVD rippers that is easy to use because it allows you to rip individual chapters you want. You can use the beta version for free, but the beta version may be unstable. The disadvantage is that it can't edit or cut digital videos like AVAide DVD Ripper, which may cause inconvenience.
- Pros
- Rip any DVDs including encrypted ones.
- Free to download and use.
- Offer three ways to load a DVD.
- Support for 4K BDAV discs.
- Cons
- It can only convert DVDs to MKV files.
- It lacks preview functionality.
Top 5: DVDFab DVD Ripper
Price: Free usage available, purchase starting from $97.99
System: Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11, Mac 10.10 – 14x
DVDFab DVD Ripper is widely supported on Windows. In addition to ripping optical discs, it also integrates plentiful features, such as video conversion and editing. Therefore, it is popular among vloggers. However, it only allows users to rip the whole disc at a time, so it doesn't meet the needs of those users who only want to rip some chapters.
- Pros
- Rip DVDs in HD videos.
- Batch process multiple videos.
- Upload videos to social media.
- Integrate hardware acceleration.
- Cons
- You have to pay $64.99 per year to buy the whole software.
Top 6: VLC Media Player
Price: Free
System: Windows, Mac OS 10.7.5 and later, Android
VLC Media Player is one of the most popular media players around the world. It comes with a lot of bonus features including ripping DVDs on PCs and Mac. It is completely free and supports lots of video formats.
- Pros
- Support excellent file formats.
- Expandable with plugins.
- Convert DVD movies to digital videos.
- It can help you record online videos.
- Cons
- The interface is not customizable.
- Some features are not easy to use.
Top 7: WonderFox DVD Ripper
Price: Free usage available, purchase starting from $29.95
System: Windows 7/8/10/11
WonderFox DVD Ripper is a professional DVD ripper for PCs. It offers useful features, such as managing file sizes, ripping DVDs, multiple modes, and more. Moreover, the price, $29.95, is not very high.
- Pros
- Rip DVDs quickly.
- Produce impeccable video quality.
- Support numerous formats.
- Offer advanced tools.
- Cons
- It is not available on Mac.
- The free trial has limitations.
Top 8: Freemake Video Converter
Price: Free
System: Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11
Freemake Video Converter is a free video converter and DVD ripper for PCs. The simple design and interface make it popular among beginners. Besides, it integrates some useful features, like trimming videos.
- Pros
- Rip DVDs for portable devices.
- Add subtitles to digital videos.
- Support many output formats.
- Offer plentiful presets.
- Cons
- It has not been updated for years.
- The free version can handle one disc.
Top 9: MediaCoder
Price: Free
System: XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10
As its name indicated, MediaCoder is not only a DVD ripper but also a media transcoding program. It means that you can use it to convert any video or audio files to another format.
- Pros
- Open source and free to use.
- Convert between popular video and audio formats.
- Include numerous custom options.
- Preview DVD videos.
- Cons
- It is only available to limited devices.
- The interface looks messy.
Now, you should learn the top 9 best DVD ripping software available on Mac and Windows. Some of them are free to use, like MakeMKV. Others require a license. You can get an appropriate tool according to your situation. AVAide DVD Ripper is the best option for average people since it is versatile and easy-to-use simultaneously.
Best tool for ripping and converting DVD Disc/Folder/ISO image file into over various formats.
