video converter · HandBrake Team

HandBrake

Free, open-source video transcoder for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a queue, a command-line version and NVIDIA, Intel and AMD hardware encoders.

87/100

#2 of 11 video converters
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

HandBrake is free and open source under the GNU GPL version 2^1,13.
Official downloads cover Windows 10 and later (x64 and ARM64), macOS and Linux, plus a command-line version².
Hardware encoding is documented for NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync and AMD VCN on Windows 10 or later^3,4,5.
It writes H.265 and AV1 video, and the command-line reference lists ProRes encoders^6,9.
The documentation does not describe a target-file-size setting or audio-only output^9,14.

HandBrake suits anyone who wants a free, open-source converter with a job queue, device presets and a command-line version^1,7,9,10. It writes H.265 and AV1, keeps HDR10 metadata and has hardware encoders for all three GPU makers^3,4,5,6,8. The catch: its pages do not describe a target-file-size option or audio-only output^9,14.

Best for: People who want a free converter with no watermark and a command-line option.

Where the points come from

Systems6 of 6

Formats20 of 23

Speed12 of 12

Batch and tools19 of 23

Price and licence30 of 36

Systems 6 of 6 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Also runs on	macOS, LinuxDownloads page lists a macOS disk image and a Linux Flatpak package².	6 / 6

Formats 20 of 23 points

Rule	What is published	Points
H.265 (HEVC) output	YesVideo codecs page lists H.265 (HEVC) encoding with x265 and hardware encoders⁶.	4 / 4
AV1 output	YesVideo codecs page lists AV1 encoding with SVT-AV1, plus Intel, NVIDIA and AMD hardware options⁶.	6 / 6
Editing codecs	YesCommand-line reference, generated by the Windows version, lists ff_prores and dnxhr encoders⁹.	3 / 3
HDR kept or tone-mapped	YesHDR page says mastering display and content light metadata pass through to the encode⁸.	4 / 4
Audio-only conversion	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's audio documentation, which covers tracks inside video files, not audio-only output¹⁴.	0 / 3
Subtitles	YesSubtitles page says SRT files can be imported from the Subtitles tab, as soft tracks or burned in¹².	3 / 3

Speed 12 of 12 points

Rule	What is published	Points
GPU encoding	NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD AMF/VCNSeparate pages describe the NVENC, Quick Sync and VCN encoders, each requiring Windows 10 or later^3,4,5.	12 / 12

Batch and tools 19 of 23 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Batch queue	YesDocs say you can set up multiple encodes at once by adding them to the Queue¹⁰.	5 / 5
Device presets	YesOfficial presets include Devices (Android, Apple, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation) and Web groups⁷.	3 / 3
Command line or watch folder	YesThe documentation describes HandBrakeCLI and its command-line reference⁹.	5 / 5
Compress to a set file size	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's command-line reference, which lists a video bitrate option but no target file size⁹.	0 / 4
Trim, crop and rotate	YesCommand-line reference lists --crop, --rotate and --start-at/--stop-at options for crop, rotate and trim⁹.	3 / 3
Reads DVD or Blu-ray	YesSource formats page says HandBrake opens DVD and Blu-ray discs and folders, without defeating copy protection¹¹.	3 / 3

Price and licence 30 of 36 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free version without a watermark	YesHome page says it is free; no vendor page lists a watermark or limit¹.	12 / 12
Open source	YesGitHub README says HandBrake is licensed under the GNU GPL version 2¹³.	6 / 6
Pay once, keep it	NoNot sold; the product is entirely free¹. Free products are not counted here by the rule.	0 / 6
Cheapest full version	$0Entirely free, so $0¹.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score video converters.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free1 PC	Free^1,2	$0	Open source; Windows, macOS and Linux downloads

Strengths

Free, with no price on the download page and the source under GPL-2.0^1,13.
Hardware encoder pages exist for NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync and AMD VCN^3,4,5.
HandBrakeCLI runs encodes from the command line, with crop, rotate, start and stop options⁹.
Opens DVD and Blu-ray discs and folders, though it does not defeat copy protection¹¹.
Passes HDR10 mastering display and content light metadata through to the encode⁸.

Limits

The command-line reference lists no option for a target file size, only a video bitrate⁹.
The audio documentation covers tracks in video files and does not describe audio-only output¹⁴.
NVENC and AMD VCN write HDR10 metadata only in the container, not in the video stream⁸.

What HandBrake Team says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

HandBrake says it can convert video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs¹.

Sources

HandBrake: Open Source Video Transcoder, HandBrake. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
HandBrake downloads, HandBrake. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
NVEnc video encoder, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Intel QuickSync video encoder, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
AMD VCN video encoder, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Video codecs, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Official presets, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
HDR encoding, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Command line reference, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Using the queue, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Supported source formats, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Adding subtitles, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
HandBrake/HandBrake, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Audio quality, HandBrake documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: handbrake.fr · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with HandBrake Team.