Best MakeMKV Alternatives: Rip, Convert & Shrink Your Discs (2026)
If you've ever ripped a Blu-ray or DVD, you've almost certainly used MakeMKV. It's the gold standard for one thing: pulling every track off a disc and wrapping it in an MKV file without touching the quality. Video, every audio language, subtitles, chapters — all copied bit-for-bit, exactly as they sat on the disc. That's its whole job, and it does it brilliantly. But it's also why so many people end up searching for a MakeMKV alternative: a single movie rip can land anywhere from 8GB to 40GB+, because MakeMKV never compresses or re-encodes a thing.
There are two reasons people look elsewhere. The first is ripping itself — maybe you want copy-protection handling MakeMKV doesn't offer, a different interface, or a tool that rips and encodes in one pass. The second, and honestly the more common one, is the aftermath: you've got a folder full of 30GB MKV files and no idea how to make them a sane size for your laptop, phone, or Plex server. This guide covers both halves. We'll walk through the genuine ripping alternatives, then show you the tool built for the part MakeMKV deliberately skips — converting and shrinking that giant rip down to something you can actually live with.
What MakeMKV Does Well (and Where It Stops)
Let's be fair to MakeMKV, because it earns its reputation. It reads a physical disc — DVD, Blu-ray, even 4K UHD with the right drive — and produces a lossless MKV that's an exact copy of the original streams. No quality loss, no guesswork about settings, and it handles the disc decryption that trips up other tools. For archiving a pristine master copy, nothing beats it.
The catch is that "lossless" and "huge" are the same coin. MakeMKV does zero re-encoding, so the output is as big as the source. It also doesn't convert formats — you get MKV, take it or leave it, which is a problem if your TV, phone, or editing software wants MP4. And the free version runs on a beta key that expires every couple of months, so you're periodically hunting the forum for the latest code or paying $50 for the full license. None of this makes MakeMKV bad. It just means MakeMKV is a ripper, not a converter or compressor — and most people need all three. That gap is exactly why a MakeMKV alternative (or a companion tool) is worth having.
Best MakeMKV Alternatives
Here are the tools worth considering, depending on whether you want to rip, convert, compress, or all of the above.
1. HandBrake
HandBrake is the obvious free alternative, and the one most people reach for first. Unlike MakeMKV, it both rips and encodes — so it can read a disc and spit out a compressed MP4 or MKV in a single pass, complete with HEVC or H.264 encoding, presets for every device, and granular control over quality and bitrate. That's a genuine advantage if your goal is a watchable, space-saving file rather than a perfect archive.
The limitation is decryption. HandBrake can handle DVDs with basic CSS protection (via libdvdcss) but it cannot crack AACS, AACS 2.0, or the other modern Blu-ray protections on its own. The common workaround is to rip the disc with MakeMKV first, then feed that MKV into HandBrake — which tells you something about how these tools really fit together. If you want a deeper look, we've written a full best alternative to HandBrake comparison.
Best for: Free, all-in-one ripping plus encoding on unprotected or CSS-protected discs. Honest limit: Can't decrypt modern Blu-ray protection, and its interface has a steep learning curve.
2. DVDFab
DVDFab is the heavyweight commercial option. Its Blu-ray Ripper module handles the encryption MakeMKV and HandBrake struggle with — including AACS 2.0 on 4K UHD discs — and outputs a wide range of formats (MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI) with GPU-accelerated encoding. It can preserve HDR10 and Dolby Vision metadata while still shrinking files, which makes it popular with serious 4K collectors.
The trade-off is cost and bloat. DVDFab is a paid suite with separate modules you buy individually, and the upsells add up fast. It's also Windows-first, with a heavier footprint than a lean single-purpose tool.
Best for: Collectors ripping encrypted 4K UHD discs who want format conversion built in. Honest limit: Expensive, modular pricing, and a heavy Windows-centric app.
3. AnyDVD HD
AnyDVD HD takes a different approach: instead of being a ripper you launch, it sits in the background and transparently strips copy protection and region locks from any disc you insert. Any other program — including MakeMKV or HandBrake — then sees the disc as unprotected. It's elegant if decryption is your only sticking point.
But AnyDVD is Windows-only, paid (subscription or lifetime), and it doesn't actually rip or convert anything itself. It's a decryption layer, not a complete solution, so you still need a separate tool to produce a file.
Best for: Windows users who want automatic, background disc decryption to pair with another ripper. Honest limit: Windows-only, paid, and doesn't rip or convert on its own.
4. dvd::rip / Linux Tools
If you're on Linux, the open-source world has options like dvd::rip, which wraps transcode and provides a GUI for ripping and encoding DVDs. It's free, scriptable, and fits naturally into a tinkerer's workflow.
The reality is that these tools are dated, DVD-focused (Blu-ray support is patchy at best), and demand patience — dependency wrangling and command-line comfort are basically required. Most Linux users today just run HandBrake instead.
Best for: Linux purists who want a fully open-source DVD ripping pipeline. Honest limit: DVD-only in practice, aging, and fiddly to set up.
5. Compresto (for the Convert & Compress Step)
Here's the honest part: Compresto does not rip or decrypt discs. It can't read a Blu-ray, it won't crack AACS, and it's not trying to replace MakeMKV's core job. So why is it on this list? Because once you have that MKV — whether MakeMKV, HandBrake, or DVDFab produced it — Compresto handles everything MakeMKV refuses to do.
Compresto is a native macOS app built for exactly the second half of the workflow: converting your giant MKV to MP4 so it plays everywhere, and compressing that multi-gigabyte rip down to a fraction of its size. It uses VideoToolbox hardware acceleration to re-encode fast, runs entirely offline (your rips never leave your Mac), and batch-processes a whole season of episodes in one go. A 30GB lossless rip can become a crisp 3–5GB MP4 that looks nearly identical on a normal screen — which is the difference between a movie you can sync to your phone and one that eats your whole drive.
If your real problem is "I ripped my discs and now they're enormous," this is the tool you've actually been looking for. It pairs perfectly with the best video converter for Mac workflows and supports the same hardware-accelerated MOV to MP4 and other conversions you'll inevitably need.
Best for: Converting MKV rips to MP4 and shrinking multi-GB disc rips on a Mac. Honest limit: Does not rip or decrypt discs — it's the compress/convert half of the workflow, not the ripper.
MakeMKV Alternatives Compared
| Tool | Rips discs? | Decrypts protection | Compresses/converts | Platform | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MakeMKV | Yes | Yes (incl. 4K UHD) | No (lossless only) | Mac/Win/Linux | Free beta / $50 |
| HandBrake | Yes | DVD CSS only | Yes (HEVC/H.264) | Mac/Win/Linux | Free |
| DVDFab | Yes | Yes (incl. AACS 2.0) | Yes | Win (Mac ltd.) | Paid suite |
| AnyDVD HD | No (decrypt layer) | Yes | No | Windows | Paid |
| dvd::rip | Yes (DVD) | DVD CSS only | Yes | Linux | Free |
| Compresto | No | No | Yes (convert + compress) | macOS | One-time, free trial |
The pattern is clear: no single tool does everything cleanly. The rippers don't shrink well, and the shrinkers don't rip. That's why most people end up running a two-step workflow.
The Two-Step Workflow: Rip, Then Compress
This is the setup that actually works, and it's worth understanding because it explains why you might want two tools instead of forcing one to do everything.
Step 1 — Rip to MKV. Use MakeMKV (or HandBrake for unprotected discs) to pull a clean, lossless MKV off the disc. Don't fight it on file size here — let it produce the pristine copy it's good at. If you're new to disc ripping on a Mac, our guide on how to rip DVDs to a Mac walks through the whole process.
Step 2 — Convert and compress. Now hand that MKV to Compresto. Convert MKV to MP4 for universal playback, pick a sensible quality target, and let VideoToolbox re-encode it down to a fraction of its original size. This is where a 35GB rip becomes a 4GB file you can stream, sync, or stash without thinking. If you ripped a DVD specifically, the DVD to MP4 converter workflow is the same idea.
The encoding choices in step 2 are where the magic happens. Choosing HEVC vs H.264 makes a real difference to your final size-versus-quality balance — HEVC (H.265) can cut file size roughly in half at the same visual quality, which is exactly what you want for a hefty Blu-ray rip. If codecs are a mystery to you, our explainer on what is a video codec clears it up in plain language. Get the codec right and your two-step pipeline produces files that look great and barely dent your storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free MakeMKV alternative? Yes — HandBrake is the best free alternative, and unlike MakeMKV it both rips and compresses. The catch is that it can only decrypt basic DVD CSS protection, not modern Blu-ray encryption. For protected discs, the free route is usually MakeMKV to rip, then a free tool to compress the result.
Does any MakeMKV alternative actually compress the files? MakeMKV intentionally never compresses — its rips are lossless and huge. HandBrake and DVDFab compress during ripping, but if you've already got an MKV, Compresto is purpose-built to convert and shrink it on a Mac without re-ripping the disc. You don't have to choose your compression at rip time.
Can Compresto rip my Blu-ray or DVD discs? No, and we won't pretend otherwise. Compresto does not read, rip, or decrypt physical discs. It's the tool for after ripping — converting your MKV to MP4 and compressing the multi-gigabyte file down to a manageable size. Rip with MakeMKV or HandBrake first, then bring the file to Compresto.
Why are my MakeMKV rips so large? Because MakeMKV does a perfect 1:1 copy with zero re-encoding — a Blu-ray rip is genuinely 20–40GB because that's how big the disc's streams are. To get a normal file size, you re-encode it afterward (for example with Compresto), which is exactly the two-step workflow described above.
What's the best way to convert MKV rips to MP4 on a Mac? A native Mac app with hardware acceleration is your fastest, cleanest option. Compresto converts MKV to MP4 using VideoToolbox, runs offline, and batch-processes whole folders — ideal for a season of ripped episodes. See our broader best video converter for Mac roundup for context.
Bottom Line
There's no single perfect MakeMKV alternative, because MakeMKV does one narrow thing extremely well and deliberately stops there. If you need a different ripper, HandBrake is the free all-rounder, DVDFab is the paid powerhouse for encrypted 4K discs, and AnyDVD is the background decryption layer for Windows. But for most people, the frustration isn't ripping at all — it's the mountain of 30GB files left behind.
That's the half MakeMKV was never built for, and it's exactly where Compresto fits. Rip your discs with the tool that's best at ripping, then convert and compress the result into MP4 files you can actually use — fast, offline, and on your Mac. You can try Compresto free and shrink your first rip in minutes; no disc-ripping required, just the cleanup MakeMKV leaves to you. And if you're also wrangling oversized images alongside your video, our Optimizilla alternative guide covers the same shrink-it-locally philosophy for photos.