6 Free & Best DVD Rippers for Mac: Review & How to [2024]
Summary: We've compiled a list of the best free DVD ripper for Mac to effortlessly digitize your disc collections. Covering detailed instructions and features, we aim to provide a practical solution for you to preserve your DVDs and enjoy movies without physical constraints. Delve into and find a suitable tool to rip DVD on Mac.
- • Rip/Convert DVDs to mainstream video/audio formats
- • Enable you to enjoy DVD files on mobile devices or in a home theater
- • Customize DVD video with the built-in video editor
- • Support batch conversion at GPU-accelerated speed
Table of Contents
Necessity & Tips for Using Mac DVD Ripper
- Easier to enjoy DVD content on iPhone, iPad, MacOS, or smart TVs.
- DVDS are easily damaged or scratched. Ripping DVDs on Mac helps create backup copies.
- You can crop DVD video, adjust video quality, or extract specific segments from the DVD.
It is time to find a Mac DVD Ripper and convert DVD to digital formats compatible with your mac devices. DVD ripping software helps you save more room, access your DVDs more easily, and keep your disc longer. So, if you've got stacks of DVD movies discs that you want to watch on your MacBook, looking for the best free DVD ripper for Mac is what you need to do.
How to Choose the Best Mac DVD Ripper?
Almost all free DVD ripper for Mac on the market claim that they can rip DVD to MP4 fast. But it is hard to believe that they can meet all your demands. When selecting the best MacOS DVD ripper, take these factors into consideration.
- Remove copy protection: Best Mac DVD Ripper can decrypt any type of DVD copy protection.
- DVD ripping speed: DVD ripping software macintosh can save time by offering a fast ripping speed.
- DVD output quality & formats: Best Mac DVD ripper should offer various output formats, keeping original quality.
- Customize your video: If DVD ripping freeware for Mac has editing function, you will get a video with your own style.
- Based on these factors, we spent some time testing DVD Rippers for Macs on the market, and finally picked out several DVD Ripping software with fast conversion speed and good quality, all of them are free or have free version.
Top 6 Free DVD Ripper Software for Mac
In this section, we will discuss the top 6 best DVD ripping software for Macintosh, detail their features and functions, and compare their pros and cons, so that you can pick the best MacOS DVD converter.
DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac
When it comes to ripping copy-protected DVDs on Mac for free, DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac is the best choice for you. It supports new and old DVDs protected by region code, CSS, Sony DADC, Disney X-project, ARccOS, and more.
- Auto-detect and decrypt any DVD Copy Protection in 5-10 seconds
- Output 1:1 lossless quality like MKV.Passthrough video and 5.1 AC3 audio
- Rip subtitles from a DVD and add subtitles to video
- Supports batch downloads if you have multiple DVDs to rip
- Give you full control of your video via the built-in video editor
- Work with Enlarger AI to upscale video resolution
- Large library of conversion presets for all portable and mobile devices
- DVDFab DVD Ripper provides a free trial for 30 days, after which it seamlessly transitions to its entirely free, however somewhat restricted version, DVDFab HD Decrypter. This free version also works as the best DVD ripping software for Mac, allowing conversion of most encrypted DVDs and Blu-rays into MP4 or MKV formats exclusively. Both versions are in one package, DVDFab 13, for your convenience.
- Completely free DVD Converter for Mac.
- It offers a Built-in video editor.
- Remove nearly all DVD/Blu-ray protections from discs released one year ago.
- Convert DVD/Blu-ray disc, ISO file or Folder to MKV & MP4 formats.
- Copy DVD/Blu-ray to disc, ISO file or Folder for flawless playback.
- Multitasking Mode and Meta Info generation.
HandBrake DVD Ripper Mac
HandBrake is an open-source video transcoder for Mac, Windows. and Linux. It is not only a Mac DVD ripping software, like converting DVD video to AVI, MP4, WMV, etc, but also a video converter. Moreover, HandBrake supports queuing up multiple DVDs for ripping and has presets for quality, speed, devices, hardware and web.
This free Mac DVD ripper supports a wide range of DVD types, including video_ts folders, DVD images, physical DVDs, and unencrypted DVDs. However, it does not support DRM-protected DVDs. And its ripping speed is slow when a DVD video is large. If there is a copy-protected DVD, you have to download and install another tool, such as Passkey for DVD, to bypass copy protection.
How to rip DVD on Mac with HandBrake?
Step 1: Begin by downloading and installing HandBrake. You can access the latest version of HandBrake if you are using macOS 10.13 or later.
Step 2: Insert the DVD you want to copy into your Mac’s disc drive. In the Source Selection menu, choose the DVD you inserted. HandBrake will then scan the DVD for available titles.
Step 3: Once the scanning is complete, select the title and chapters. You can also customize settings such as choosing a preset and format. Adjusting video and audio parameters if needed.
Step 4: Click on the Browse button to select the destination folder and name the output file. Then simply click on the Start button.
MakeMKV
MakeMKV is regarded as one of the top free DVD ripper for Windows 10, MacOS, and Linux. As a free DVD ripping tool, you can preserve all video/audio tracks and subtitles with meta-information. It also supports to rip blu-ray to MKV format. Putting all these advantages together, it may be your first choice for backup or storing your movie contents on Mac.
But as you can tell from its name, this free DVD ripper for Mac only offers one format - DVD to MKV only. Another thing that should be noted is that only a little compression happens during the DVD to MKV converting process, so the output file size can be very large, which means you will have trouble importing the DVD movie into your iPhone or iPad.
How to rip a DVD with MakeMKV DVD Ripper Mac?
Step 1: To use MakeMKV 1.17.6 on Mac OS X, you need an x64 or ARM64 Mac with OS X 10.7 or newer. Please be aware that MakeMKV is not authorized by Apple, so you may have to modify the gatekeeper settings to successfully install the software.
Step 2: Click on the File menu, then select Open Disc from the drop-down menu. MakeMKV will scan the DVD and display a list of all the titles available on the disc. Check the boxes next to the titles you want to rip.
Step 3: Click on the “Make MKV” button to start ripping the selected titles. MakeMKV will convert DVD to MKV on Mac.
MacX DVD Ripper
As the name implies, MacX DVD Ripper is a functional DVD ripping software for Macintosh. As a professional DVD converter, it can rip DVDs to Mac-specific formats like MOV, M4V, H.264 as well as formats optimized for specific devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, and more. Besides, this free DVD ripper Mac has the capability of dealing with most commercial DVDs with encryption schemes.
However, the free versison allows users to test out the software with limited features and functionality. You need to purchase a full license for access to all features.
How to rip DVD Mac with MacX DVD Ripper?
Step 1: Begin by launching MacX DVD Ripper. Insert the DVD on your Mac and then click on the “DVD Disc” button to import the DVD.
Step 2: Select the output format you want for the ripped DVD from the profiles list. You can also customize the video, such as cropping, merging, rotating, and adjusting parameters.
Step 3: Choose the destination folder where you want the ripped DVD file to be saved. Finally, click on the “RUN” button to start ripping DVD on Macintosh.
Mac DVDRipper Pro
Mac DVDRipper Pro is another professional DVD Ripper Mac that allows users to easily convert DVD movies into various digital formats compatible with your MacOS, iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, such as MP4, M4V, WMV, MKV. It supports ripping homemade DVDs and most commercial DVDs. This tool also allows you to back up Full disc image or Main Movie to a blank DVD, ignoring trailers and annoying ads.
The latest version 12.x of Mac DVDRipper Pro has introduced new features. It offers hardware video encoding capabilities, which can significantly improve the efficiency of the ripping process. Users with capable Macs can also benefit from ocr subtitles for non-dvd sources. Mac users on macOS 10.15 and above can access new super resolution modes for enhanced image quality.
How to rip DVD Mac with MacX DVD Ripper?
Since Mac DVDRipper Pro lacks some advanced customization options, the entire process of ripping DVDs is simple.
To use it, insert the DVD you want to rip into your Mac’s DVD drive. Open Mac DVDRipper Pro and select the DVD source from the drop-down menu. Then choose the destination where you want to save the ripped files and select the output format. Finally, click on the Rip button and let the software do its job.
Aimersoft DVD Ripper for Mac
As one of the best DVD ripping software for Macs, Aimersoft DVD Ripper is a designed to rip and convert DVDs into flash video, SD and HD video, or other common audio and video formats. It supports over 100 portable devices, tablets, and mobile phones and can even handle copy-protected or encrypted DVDs. This mac DVD ripping program also includes features for editing DVD movies.
The conversion process takes place on NVIDIA's GPU, which means that Aimersoft DVD Ripper for Mac has a fast ripping speed. Moreover, it gives you access to easily manage DVD movies in iTunes. Next look at the strengths and weaknesses of this ripper.
How to rip DVD to Mac with Aimersoft DVD Ripper?
Step 1: First install and open this dvd ripping software for macs. Then navigate to the Files tab and select Load DVD Files to bring in the specific DVD movies you desire.
Step 2: Once the files have been imported, you can preview them as desired. Additionally, you can customize the movie further by utilizing the Edit or Trim button, which offers editing features.
Step 3: Next, you can choose the format and destination folder for the output. Options for video formats include M4V, MP4, and MOV. If you don’t have a designated folder yet, go ahead and create one for easy access.
Comparison of the best DVD ripper for Mac
| Copy Decryption | Output Quality | Output Format | Editing Features | Supported OS | Free_or_Paid | |
| DVDFab DVD Ripper | √ | Lossless quality | 1000+ Video/Audio | √ | macOS 10.10 and later | 30 Days Free Trial & Free Version |
| Aimersoft | √ | Good | MP4, ASF, MKV, WMV, etc | √ | macOS 10.7-10.15 | 5 minute Free Trial |
| HandBrake | × | Fair | MP4,MKV, WebM | × | macOS 10.13 and later | Free |
| MakeMKV | × | Good | MKV | × | macOS 10.7 and later | Free |
| MacX DVD Ripper | √ | Original | 120+ | √ | macOS 10.6 and later | Free Version |
| Mac DVDRipper Pro | × | Good | 20+ | × | macOS 10.13 and later | Rip first 5 DVDs for free |
We can't determine which one is the best MacOS DVD ripper software without a specific need. If you're more concerned about ripping speed and wish to preserve the original quality, the one we highly recommend is DVDFab DVD Ripper and Mac DVDRipper Pro. If you are looking for a tool capable of decrypting various DVDs, DVDFab and MakeMKV are the ones that work best.
Next, we are glad to show you a tutorial on how to rip copyrighted DVDs on Mac with it. If you aim to rip DVD to iPad for offline playback, click here.
How to Rip DVD on Mac with the best Mac DVD Ripper?
Now, I will take DVDFab DVD Ripper as an example to show you how to rip a DVD on Mac even if a DVD is copy-protected.
Step 1: Download and install this free DVD ripper for Mac
Step 2: Select the 'Ripper' module and load your DVD
Insert the DVD you want to rip into your computer’s optical drive, or use the Add button on the main page. If you have an ISO file or a folder instead, you can easily drag and drop it onto the main page.
Step 3: Set the output format & Edit DVD on Mac
Convert DVD to digital by clicking the option 'Choose Other Profile' in this best DVD Ripper for Mac. For example, you can convert your DVD to MP4, AVI, FLV, M2TS, MKV, WMV, etc.
Besides settings the parameters of Video, Audio, and Subtitle, there is also a 'Video Edit' button in this Mac DVD ripper. Then, you can add text, image, and subtitles to your DVD video; crop, trim, rotate, speed up or down; adjust video properties and preview the source and the out in this panel. If you want to convert Blu-ray to digital and edit it in this way, ask for DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper.
Step 4: Set the output destination and start to rip DVD on Mac
You are given the choice to either store your video on your hard drive or mobile device. Click the 'Start' button and DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac will convert DVD to MP4 on Mac free and fast.
FAQs
It is generally considered legal to make backup copies of your belonged DVDs for personal use. However, making copies of commercial DVDs may be illegal in some places. Please use any free DVD rippers mentioned responsibly and in accordance with your local laws.
Here are many freeware programs that help you rip a protected DVD for free. For example, DVDFab HD Decrypter is a totally free DVD decrypter that can help you rip any protected DVDs released one year ago to MP4 or MKV formats for free, and Handbrake can work with libdvdcss to remove region code for free. However, if you want to rip newly released encrypted DVDs, the advanced DVDFab DVD Ripper is still your top choice.
MP4 is widely used on all kinds of portable devices like PS4, Xbox One, etc. MKV is well-known for its container format to keep multiple videos, audios, images and subtitles. And AVI is also be frequently used when converting DVD to digital.
How to rip DVD on Mac with VLC?
You can rip a DVD on Mac using VLC media player. Though it offers transcoding function, the process can be complicated and may result in quality degradation. As we all know, VLC is not solely dedicated to ripping DVDs and may not work well with DVD folders, or DRM-protected DVDs. Here’s how you can rip a DVD using VLC on your Mac:
- Open VLC media player on your Mac. Go to the “File” menu and select “Open Disc”.
- In the “Open Media” window, select the “Disc” tab.
- Check the box next to “DVD” and select the DVD drive from the dropdown menu.
- The DVD menu option doesn't work well on VLC. But you can choose audio and subtitles.
- While the DVD is playing, go to the “Playback” menu and select “Convert/Save”.
- In the “Convert” window, under the “Profile” dropdown menu, select the format you want to convert the DVD to (e.g. MP4).
- Choose the destination folder where you want the ripped files to be saved. Click on the “Start” button to begin ripping the DVD.
Final Words
Have you had a full picture of how to rip DVDs on Mac? DVDFab is the best free DVD ripper for Mac and Windows. With the help of it, you can convert DVDs to any mainstream video formats like MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, MPEG, etc. You can also rip DVD audio in 1:1 original quality and convert DVD to USB with this Mac DVD Ripper. It works fast to convert DVD or ISO to MKV without any quality loss. Start a pleasant DVD rip experience.
