Side by side
FFmpeg vs HandBrake
Both stand on video converter software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
FFmpeg provides broad media conversion and streaming capabilities across desktop platforms, with hardware acceleration options. Its command-line format and workload-dependent parallel performance are worth considering before choosing it.
Visit FFmpeg
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
HandBrake offers broad video format and codec support without a listed charge. Its scope is video transcoding, so audio extraction is not included.
Visit HandBrakeThe facts
| FFmpeg | HandBrake | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | HandBrake |
| Website | ffmpeg.org | handbrake.fr |
| On video converter software | #1 of 75 | #4 of 75 |
FFmpeg: what it does well
- Free and open source
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Converts media through a command-line tool
- Supports hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding
- Offers multiple streaming output protocols
What to know first
- Vulkan compute applies only to parallelizable codecs
- Parallel processing may not help every workload
- Version 7.0 removed APIs deprecated before version 6.0
HandBrake: what it does well
- Free and open source.
- Supports batch conversion and hardware acceleration.
- Outputs video up to 4K resolution.
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
What to know first
- Does not support audio extraction.
- macOS 10.13 or later is required.
Alternatives to FFmpeg Alternatives to HandBrake The whole list