Discover our top ten recommended free software for ripping DVDs
Summary: By converting your beloved DVDs into digital files, you can conveniently enjoy them on your smartphone or any portable device, without concerns of damaging or misplacing the physical CD or DVD. This article aims to present a selection of popular free software options for DVD ripping, such as DVDFab HD Decrypter and Winx DVD Ripper 5 min. Additionally, there are premium DVD ripping tools available, offering extensive features that you can explore at no cost. Simply pick the software that suits your requirements.
DVD ripping (DVD rip, DVD Ripping) is the process of converting digital data recorded on a CD or DVD into data by importing it into a computer as an image file or converting it into a video or audio format that is easy to handle on a computer. DVD ripping software is used to rip DVD content to a hard disk.
There are many DVD ripping software available today, including free DVD ripping and paid DVD ripping software, and you may be confused about which ripping tool to choose. In this article, we will introduce the best DVD ripping software that is easy to use, free and unlimited DVD ripping software, and easy-to-use ripping software for beginners.
Table of Contents
DVD Ripper Free Software 1~ DVDFab HD Decrypter
| Recommendation | ★★★★ |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit) macOS 10.10 - 13 |
| Supported DVD copy protections | RC, RCE, APS, UOPS, RC, BD-Live and UOP, etc. |
| Input Formats | Self-made, rental, and commercial DVD discs, DVD folders, ISO files |
| Output Format | DVD and Blu-ray disc, folder, ISO file, MKV, MP4 |
| Main Functions |
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| Disadvantages |
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DVDFab HD Decrypter is a permanent free DVD/Blu-ray ripper and video converter from DVDFab. It offers two copy modes, "Full Disc" and "Main Movie", to backup DVDs and Blu-rays without any degradation. You can freely select the title and chapters to copy, output size, audio track and subtitle language.
You can also convert DVD, Blu-ray, and any video to MKV, MP4. You can customize the output video with advanced settings and video editing features such as video trimming, watermarking, subtitling, etc.
Click the button below to free download DVDFab HD Decrypter.
DVD Ripper Free Software 2~ DVDFab DVD Ripper
| Recommended | ★★★★★ |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit) macOS 10.10 - 13 |
| Supported DVD copy protections | RC, RCA, CSS, APS, AACS, RipGuard, RCE, UOPs, ARcc OS, etc. |
| Input Formats | Self-made, rental, and commercial DVD discs, DVD folders, ISO files |
| Output Formats |
Over 1000 video, audio, and device formats MKV(H.265), 3D MP4(H.265), 3D 4K MP4, 3D AVI, 3D MP4, 3D WMV, 3D MKV, 3D M2TS, 3DTS, H.265, 4K MP4, 4K MKV, MPEG-4, MP4 pass-through, MKV pass-through, MP4, FLV, MKV, AVI, WMV M2TS, TS, MP3, MP4, M4A, WMA/WMA10, AAC, DTS, PCM/AC-3/E-AC-3 5.1, etc. |
| Main Features |
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| Disadvantages |
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DVDFab DVD Ripper is a highly functional DVD ripping software that can convert DVDs to a total of over 1000 different formats (e.g. popular video formats such as MP4, audio formats such as MP3, AAC or device-optimized video formats). It is the best software for those who want to watch DVD videos on other portable devices (iPhone / iPad / Android devices / PSVita, etc.).
Using hardware acceleration features such as NVIDIA CUDA, QuickSync, and CPU multi-core, it can run very fast, completing a fast conversion of a 2-hour disc in 5 minutes. During processing, tasks can be paused or canceled.
It is by far the strongest in terms of functionality, allowing you to experience all the features for free in 30 days and perform DVD ripping for free and without limitations.
How to use DVDFab DVD Ripper
DVD Ripping Free Software 3~ WinX DVD Ripper Platinum
| Recommendation | Rip DVD to DVD |
| Japanese Support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit) macOS 10.10 - 13 |
| Supported DVD Copy Guards | RC, RCA, CSS, RCE, UOPs, ARcc OS, etc. |
| Input format | DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO file |
| Output Formats | Over 300 video, audio, and device formats |
| Main Features |
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| Disadvantages |
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WinX DVD Ripper can convert DVD to MP4, AVI, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MOV videos or videos optimized for iPhone, iPad and Android devices WinX DVD Ripper Platinum has been distributed for free since 2019.
WinX DVD Ripper Platinum has some functional limitations compared to WinX DVD Ripper paid version, but it can rip DVD to MP4 for free. The paid version can convert DVDs to generic video files/audio files/ISO/DVD folders. While converting, you can edit DVD videos, but cannot extract chapters or create DVDs from ISO files or DVD folders.
This DVD Ripper free software is worth a try, but the overall rating is moderate, some people like it, some don't. The software interface can be noted older software bundled with Windows 98.
It supports conversion to popular video formats like AVI and MP4. When processing large files, use bitragis instead of using the full power of your hardware.
Trivia: Compare WinX DVD Ripper and DVDFab DVD Ripper
| Comparison | WinX DVD Ripper | DVDFab DVD Ripper |
| Free Version Availability | Yes, 5 minutes limit | Permanent free version available, unlimited video length, and can convert DVD/BD to MP4/MKV/ISO/folder, and general purpose video conversion. Paid version has a 30-day free trial period |
| Supported copy protections | RC, CSS, Sony ARccOS, UOPs, APS, RCE, etc. | RC, RCA, CSS, APS, RipGuard, RCE, UOPs, ARcc OS, etc. |
| Latest copy protection | Supported | Supported |
| Output Video | MP4, AVI, MPEG, WMV, FLV, MOV, ISO, DVD folder | MP4, FLV, MKV, AVI, WMV, M2TS, TS, 3D/4K MP4, 3D/4K MKV, MPEG-4, MP4/ MKV pass-through, 3D WMV, 3D M2TS, 3DTS, etc. |
| Output Audio | MP3 | MP3, MP4, M4A, WMA, WMA10, WAV, AAC, DTS, OGG, PCM, AC-3, E-AC-3 5.1, etc. |
| Supported Devices | iPhone, iPad and Android devices | Amazon, Apple, Google, HuaWei, Microsoft, Box, PVP, Samsung, Sony, etc. |
| Editing Functions | Available | Available |
| Processing Speed | Normal | Fast |
| Ripping Limitations | 5-minute DVD ripping limit | Unlimited DVD ripping time, unlimited functions, free for 30 days, copy up to 3 DVDs |
DVD Ripper Free Software 4~ HandBrake
| Recommendation | ★★★★★ |
| Japanese Language Support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 10/8/7/XP (32/64 bit), Mac OS |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | UOPs, region code |
| Input format | DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image, Blu-ray |
| Output Format | MKV, MP4 |
| Main Functions |
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| Disadvantages |
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HandBrake is a free DVD ripping software that can convert DVD, Blu-ray and various videos to MP4, M4V, MKV formats for playback on media players, cell phones, PS3, Xbox, PSP, etc.
DVD Ripper Free Software 5~ MakeMKV
| Recommendation | Free DVD ripping software |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows XP or later, Mac OSX10.6 or later, Mac OS |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | AACS and BD+ only |
| Input format | DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image |
| Output Format | MKV |
| Main Features |
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| Disadvantages |
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MakeMKV is a software for converting and ripping Blu-ray and DVD to MKV. Since MP4 is a more versatile format than MKV, you may need to convert the format again if your device does not support MKV.
DVD Ripper Free Software 6~ Passkey for DVD
| Recommendation | ★★★★ |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit) |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | RC, RCE, APS, UOP, ARccOS, RipGuard, CPRM, etc. |
| Input Formats | Self-made, commercial, rental, and recorded DVD discs |
| Output Format | DVD folder, ISO image |
| Main Functions |
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| Disadvantages |
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Passkey for DVD, also a product of DVDFab, easily rips even CPRM-protected recorded DVDs, has excellent copy protection removal performance, and supports most recorded, commercial, and rental Blu-rays.
It can also be used with the latest Blu-ray and adult discs; DVDs with Cinavia require a separate tool.
If you don't want to duplicate DVDs to save space and just watch them on your PC, Passkey is also a good choice, and you can play encrypted DVDs with a player like VLC without leaving Passkey open.
Click the button below to download Passkey for free.
DVD Ripper Free Software 7~ DVD Shrink
| Recommendation | Japanese |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 8.1/ 7/ XP/ 2000/ Me/98 |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | DVD region code, UOPs, APS, CSS |
| Input format | DVD-video (including self-made DVDs), DVD files, image files (ISO, NRG, IMG) |
| Output format | ISO image, DVD file (VIDEO_TS, AUDIO_TS folder) |
| Main functions |
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| Disadvantages |
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DVD Shrink is the strongest DVD ripping software among completely free software, Windows-only, with excellent unprotection performance. However, it can remove many copy protections but cannot remove the latest copy protections. It also has a compression function that can compress a single-sided dual-layer disc (8.5 GB) down to a single-sided single layer (4.7 GB), which can be burned to VD-R with no degradation.
However, it is currently in a state of development termination and will not be able to support the latest copy protection. In addition, it can rip DVDs to ISO and DVD files, but cannot convert to general video and audio formats such as MP4.
Currently, the version you get for free is almost unusable, and a $5 donation is required to download the DVD Shrink software from the official website. Note that "DVD Shrink 2010/2011" or "DVD Shrink 2001" are both fake, and if you want to download the software, it is better to do it from the official site.
DVD Ripping Free Software 8~ DVD Decrypter
| Recommendation | Japanese |
| Japanese language support | ✖ (Japanese only) |
| Supported OS | Windows 98/2000/2003/XP/Vista/7 |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | DVD region code, APS, UOPs, CSS, etc. (does not support the latest copy protection) |
| Input format | DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image |
| Output format | DVD folder, ISO image |
| Main Features |
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| Disadvantages |
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DVD Decrypter (official website closed) is a free DVD ripping software developed by the same developer of ImgBurn, which was once a free software to rip commercial and rental DVDs to ISO image files and folders with support for copy protection such as CSS. It has been in development for some time. Since development has now stopped, it does not support the latest copy protection. If you only want to decrypt and rip older DVD discs, this is a recommended DVD ripping free software.
The language of this ripping software is English, but you can download a Japaneseized version of DVD Decrypter from the Japanese Localization Studio.
DVD Ripper Free Software 9~ XMedia Recode
| Recommendation | Highly recommended |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows |
| DVD Copy Guard | No |
| Input format |
DVD discs without copy protection, normal video and audio formats |
| Output Formats | Dozens of video and audio formats |
| Main Features |
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| Disadvantages |
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XMedia Recode supports conversion of various video and audio formats, including DVD and Blu-ray, and it is free of charge. Completely free and strong in functionality, it is highly recommended when converting DVD to MP4 or MP3.
The disadvantages are that it does not support encrypted DVDs and is a bit complicated for beginners to use. Some users have reported occasional problems with the software, such as not starting or force-closing.
DVD Ripping Free Software 10~ VidCoder
| Recommendation | VidCoder |
| Japanese language support | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Vista |
| Supported DVD Copy Guard | not (verb-negating suffix; may indicate question or invitation with rising intonation) |
| Input format | Homemade DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image, Blu-ray |
| Output Format | MP4, M4V, MKV |
| Main features |
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| Disadvantages |
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VidCoder is based on the encoding engine of HandBrake, a completely free software that converts DVD / Blu-ray / various other video files to MP4 and MKV files, so its UI and usage are almost identical to Handbrake.
While converting, you can set up editing settings such as chapter extraction, noise removal, etc. Many languages are supported, including English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Compare DVD Ripper Free Software
| Product Name | DVDFab HD Decrypter | DVDFab DVD Ripper | WinX DVD Ripper Platinum | HandBrake | MakeMKV | Passkey for DVD | DVD Shrink | DVD Decrypter | XMedia Recode | VidCoder |
| Ease of use | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Japanese Language Support | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat |
| Supported OS | Windows, Mac | Windows, Mac | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows |
| Windows 10 Compatible | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | ×Fat | ×Fat | Fat | Fat |
| Copy Guard Support | Some DVD and Blu-ray copy protections | Almost all DVD copy guards | Some DVD copy guards | Some DVD and Blu-ray copy guards | AACS and BD+ only | Almost all DVD copy guards | Some DVD copy guards | Some DVD copy guards | ×x | ×x |
| Input Format | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray, Popular Video Formats | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray | DVD, Blu-ray, Popular Video Formats | DVD, Blu-ray, Popular Video Formats |
| Output Formats | Undegraded DVD disc/ISO/folder, MP4, MKV | Over 1000 video and audio formats and devices | MP4, H.264, HEVC, AVI, WMV, MPEG, MOV, FLV, 3GP, WebM, etc. | MP4, MKV, AVI, M4V, MOV, WebM, etc. | MKV | Non-degraded ISO, DVD folder | ISO, VOB, VIDEO_TS, etc. | ISO, VOB, VIDEO_TS, etc. | MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MOV, TS, 3GP, etc. | MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MOV, M4V, etc. |
| Video Editing | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | ×Video editing | ×Fat | ×Fat | ×Fat | Fat | Fat |
| Video compression | x | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat | Fat |
Frequently asked questions about DVD ripping
DVD Copy and Ripping are different concepts in the usage of DVD discs.
DVD Copy: DVD copying refers to the complete duplication of the contents of the original DVD disc onto another disc. In other words, the contents of the source and destination discs are identical, as are the discs themselves. This method involves a complete copy of the data from the original disc.
DVD Ripping: DVD ripping refers to converting the video and audio from a DVD disc to a digital format. Ripping converts the DVD content into a new file format (e.g., MP4, MKV, AVI) that can be played or stored on a computer or portable device. Ripping converts the video and audio of a DVD and also allows for compression and editing if necessary.
Whether or not DVD ripping is illegal depends on the laws of your country or region. In general, DVD ripping may run afoul of issues related to copyright laws.
In many countries and regions, under copyright laws, it is legal to rip copyrighted content (movies, music, TV shows, etc.) for personal use. However, activities such as sharing it with others, using it for commercial purposes, or ripping it without permission from the copyright owner are illegal.
Some countries and regions have strict copyright laws and DVD ripping in general may be illegal. Therefore, before ripping DVDs, it is important to check the laws in your country or region of residence and to do so in a legal manner.
The following are some of the criteria for selecting DVD ripping software
Supported formats: It is important that the DVD ripping software can convert DVDs in any format. In addition to common formats (MP4, MKV, AVI, etc.), check if it can convert to formats that can be played on specific devices and players.
Remove copy protection: DVDs may be protected by a protection technology called copy protection. Make sure the DVD ripping software you choose can remove the copy protection.
User-friendly interface: Ease of use of the software is also an important factor. Check for an intuitive interface and easy-to-use operating procedures.
Conversion speed and quality: The speed and quality of DVD ripping depends on the software you use. It is best to choose software that offers both fast conversion and high quality output.
Additional features: DVD ripping software offers a variety of additional features. For example, check to see if there are video editing features or the ability to add subtitles, and choose the software with features that best suit your needs.
Support and Updates: It is also important that the software manufacturer provides adequate support and regular updates. It is recommended that you choose a manufacturer that offers reliable support in case problems or questions arise.
With these criteria in mind, you should choose the DVD ripping software that best suits your needs and intended use.
If a DVD cannot be ripped or copied, there are several possible causes
Copy Protection: DVDs may be protected by a protective technology called copy protection. This is employed to prevent unauthorized copying of DVDs. If copy protection is present, some ripping and copying software may not be able to process the DVD properly.
Special formats or encryption: Some DVDs may have special formats or encryption. This may prevent general ripping and copying software from properly parsing and converting them.
Physical damage: If a DVD is physically damaged, it may be difficult to rip or copy. Read errors or missing data may occur, and normal processing may not be possible.
For these reasons, some DVDs may have limited ripping and copying capabilities. However, due to advances in technology, some software may be able to remove copy protection or support special formats, but care should be taken to ensure that the use is legal and within the scope of personal use.
If the DVD rip fails, you can try restarting the software or computer, cleaning the DVD, or trying to fix the problem with the disc itself.
Conclusion
In this present article, we have discussed the fundamental aspects of extracting data from DVDs, the characteristics and functionalities of freely available DVD ripping software, and commonly asked questions regarding the process. DVD ripping plays a pivotal role in our contemporary era, where digitization demands are growing rapidly. The emergence of DVD ripping software likeDVDFab HD Decrypter, DVDFab HD Decrypter has simplified the conversion of DVDs into digital formats. Nevertheless, it is crucial to exercise caution as DVD ripping is governed by copyright legislation. When used responsibly, DVD ripping can serve as a valuable tool for unrestricted enjoyment of movies and music.