5 Best MakeMKV Alternatives for Windows and Mac [2025 Updated]

"Does anybody have a recommendation for an alternative to makemkv if a movie isn't ripping on there? About 5% of my collection didn't work on makemkv." - from reddit forum

"I'm trying to use MakeMKV to rip a Disney movie DVD, but it's failed. Then I checked out the free MakeMKV alternative, Handbrake, it can't decrypt protected DVD. Are there any alternative programs like MakeMKV out there?" - from reddit forum

MakeMKV is a program for Windows, macOS, and Linux that can rip DVD and Blu-ray discs into the versatile MKV video format. It's popular among geeks and Reddit frequenters since it can handle encrypted discs and it's entirely free to use. However, it has some limitations and drawbacks, thus leading many guys to search the best MakeMKV alternative.

In this article, we will discuss some major limitations and drawbacks associated with the MakeMKV. We'll also share you with 5 best alternatives to MakeMKV for Blu-ray/DVD ripping on Windows and Mac. Please keep reading and choose the one that suits you best as per your needs.

Part 1. What's MakeMKV and What are its Limitations & Drawbacks?

MakeMKV is ideal for users who need to rip some CSS-protected DVD and Blu-ray discs protected with the latest AACS and BD+ versions. It is totally free to use and available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It doesn't re-encode anything and can remux your DVD and Blu-ray discs into the MKV format, which can preserve the chapter information as well as meta information. Additionally, the software can also stream the decrypted videos to an array of players without any need for immediate conversion.

Overall, MakeMKV is the the gold standard for ripping Blu-rays and DVDs. However, several limitations and drawbacks associated with the software leads many users to look ofr an alternative to MakeMKV. Below are some of the major ones.

• The output is only in MKV format.
• It lacks the ability to preview video so that I can't see what the various titles are and decide which to rip and which to ignore.
• MKV files are large or huge (A generated MKV file from Blu-ray can be as large as 41GB or so) and thus not suitable for playback on portable devices like, iPhone, Android mobiles, etc.
• No option to for file editing.
• It takes a long time to copy DVDs. While ripping DVD with MakeMKV, you may encounter errors like DVD failed to open, backup option greyed out for DVD, A/V out of sync, crashes, missing beginning, etc. This is because MakeMKV doesn't support some copy protections.
• DVD audio cannot be ripped using the software.

Besides the aforementioned, MakeMKV has other flaws. If you've fed up with MakeMKV, you can try the following MakeMKV alternatives out, and see what you think.

Part 2. Best 5 MakeMKV Alternatives to Rip Blu-ray/DVD on Mac/Windows

No.1 EaseFab LosslessCopy - Overall Best MakeMKV Alternative

No matter whether you want to replace MakeMKV outright, or prepare an alternative to MakeMKV in case of specific situations, EaseFab LosslessCopy is the overall best choice. It's available for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and so on. And its Mac version is compatible with OS X 10.6 and later, covering macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS Sonoma, and macOS Ventura.

Equipped with leading decryption algorithm, LosslessCopy allows you to load any 2D, 3D, UHD 4K Blu-ray discs and DVD discs regardless of copy protections and region codes. It will list the detailed information of each title after parsing and it can automatically detect and select the correct title, so you don't have to worry about issues about MakeMKV angle 1 angle 2. It also supports drag-and-drop, which is much more interactive.

Similar to MakeMKV, LosslessCopy can also remux your DVD/Blu-ray to MKV with lossless quality. And simultaneously, LosslessCopy can convert Blu-ray/DVD to MP4 (H.264/HEVC), AVI, MOV, and other formats compatible with various devices. Novices can directly benefit from the rich presets. Tech-savvy users can customize the parameters of these presets, such as codec, bitrate, frame rate, audio/subtitle tracks, etc.

The built-in editor of LosslessCopy facilitates video customization with features like trimming, cropping, cutting, adding effects, and others. Even better, LosslessCopy provides faster parse and processing speed than MakeMKV, thanks to the GPU acceleration technology.

No.2 DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper is another top alternative to MakeMKV. Just like EaseFab LossslessCopy, it is able to remove Blu-ray/DVD protection, and rip regular and encrypted Blu-ray/DVD discs/ISO files/DVD folders to popular media file formats and prevailing devices. But according to the DVDFab reviews on TopTenREVIEWS, it is not a fast DVD ripper. It needs about 1h to finish a full rip of a movie, while other competitors only cost about half that time when ripping the same movie. Moreover, this program comes with lots of complicated options and the price is expensive (Upscaling feature requires separate purchase).

No.3 Handbrake

HandBrake would be the best free alternative to MakeMKV. This video transcoder can serve as a DVD ripper as well. Just like MakeMKV, HandBrake can process DVD and Blu-ray discs. It provides a bunch of output options, quick settings for specific formats and devices, and it's completely free.

The catch with Handbrake is that it can't handle encryption. That means it doesn't work with most commercial Blu-ray discs. You can still use it to compress or change the format of movies or shows you've ripped with another app, but Handbrake itself can only rip unencrypted Blu-rays. For copy-protected DVDs, you have download install libdvdcss for HandBrake to bypass copy protections. Libdvdcss has been removed since HandBrake 0.9.2, which requires you to download libdvdcss by yourself for ripping copy protected DVDs using Handbrake on Windows and Mac.

No.4 VLC Media Player

VLC is a great media player that also has the ability to rip DVDs and Blu-Rays. It's open source software that's totally free, so there's no barrier to entry. Even if it doesn't end up being your Blu-ray ripper of choice, it's still a highly competent video player that can handle most video and audio formats.

The biggest issue with VLC is that, as open source software, it doesn't come with the ability to play encrypted Blu-ray discs, let alone rip them. You need to jump through some hoops to add the ability to play encrypted Blu-ray discs, and even then you'll find that the ripping process is pretty slow, and that VLC can't handle some Blu-ray menus.

If you're willing to put in the work to get this free app up and running, it doubles as a great way to use VLC to play Blu-rays.

No.5 CloneBD

CloneBD is a simple Blu-ray ripping app that's easy to use, yet offers a bunch of output options. The catch is that it can't handle encrypted Blu-ray discs, so it's only useful if you're trying to rip unprotected Blu-rays. This MakeMKV alternative is a bit on the pricey side for lacking decryption functionality, but it's a decent option if you're looking to clone unprotected discs.

Part 3. Comparison Chart of The 5 Best MakeMKV Alternatives

Software	LosslessCopy	DVDFab	Handbrake	VLC	CloneBD
Price	$44.95 (Lifetime)	$124.99 (Lifetime)	Free	Free	€69
Input File Formats
2D/3D/UHD 4K Blu-ray Disc	√	√	Only unencrypted	Only unencrypted	Only unencrypted
DVD Disc	√	√	Can rip some encrypted DVD didscs with libdvdcss installed	Can rip some encrypted DVD didscs	–
BDMV Folder/ISO Image/Video_TS Folder	√	√	√	√	–
Remove Copy Protection	√	√	–	–	–
Remove Region Code	√	√	–	–	–
Output File Formats
Lossless MKV with All or Multiple subtitle and audio tracks	√	–	–	–	–
AVI/WMV/MP4/MOV/FLV/VOB/3GP/WebM/H.264	√	√		√	√
HD AVI/HD WMV/HD MP4/HD MPEG-2/HD MOV	√	√		√	√
ISO File	–	√	–	–	√
H.265 MP4/MKV	√	√	√	–	√
3D SBS Video	√	√	–	–	–
3D TAB/Anaglyph Video	√	–			–
Copy Features
1:1 Full Disc Copy	√	√	–	–	√
Main Movie Copy	√	√	–	C	√
Subtitle Functions
Select Desired Internal Subtitle Language	√	–	√	–	√
Enable Force Subtitle Option	√	–	√	–	–
Add External SRT/ASS/SSA Subtitle	√	–	√	–	–
Extract SRT Subtitle	√	–	–	–	–
Audio Functions
Keep 5.1 Dolby Digtial Audio	√	–	√	–	–
Keep 7.1 Dolby Digtial Plus or DTS Audio	√	–	–	–	–
Preview Video	√	√	–	–	√
Video Editing Features (trim/crop/merge/split/crop/watermark/effect)	√	–	–	–	–
Adjust resolution, bit rate, frame rate,sample rate, channels	√	–	–	√	–
Supported OS
Windows	√	√	√	√	√
Mac	√	√	√	√	–

The Final Verdict:

There are many other programs out there that can be used as an alternative to MakeMKV. We've evaluated the best five feature-packed Blu-ray and DVD ripping program based on functionalities and features that each software owns. Of course, which utility you employ to rip and convert your Blu-ray/ DVD movies is best determined by your actual needs, the platform of your machine and basically your budget. With these factors in mind, you should get the suitable ripper as well as converter in hand.

Overall, EaseFab LosslessCopy is an excellent Blu-ray/DVD ripping & copying tool, and it tops our list of the best MakeMKV alternatives. With LosslessCopy, you will instantly experience the latest and most advanced technologies, including but not limited to Passthrough, HEVC, 4K, etc., and it will always keep updating to support the newest releases and devices. LosslessCopy comes with tutorials, FAQs and a knowledgebase on its official website. And EaseFab provides timely and excellent customer support service, including lifetime free upgrade of product and technical support.

You can download a free trial version of this software, but you'll have to pay an annual subscription fee to use it for ripping Blu-ray or DVD discs longer than three minutes. Having to pay for Blu-ray/DVD ripping software isn't all bad though. It means you don't have to contend with in-app ads and upsells, and you get advanced features you wouldn't find in free Blu-ray rippers. Plus, LosslessCopy's price tag is fairly low, and we definitely think it's worth it.