Why Rip a DVD on Mac? 

It is time to find a Mac DVD Ripper and convert DVD to digital formats compatible with your devices. Here are the reasons why you need a Mac DVD Ripping software.

  • DVDs are susceptible to damage, scratches, or loss. Ripping DVDs on Mac helps create backup copies
  • Easier to enjoy DVD content on smartphones, tablets, laptops, or smart TVs 
  • Users can trim, crop, add subtitles, adjust video quality, or extract specific segments from the DVD

free dvd ripper for mac

Simply put, DVD ripping Mac freeware helps you save more room, access your DVDs more easily, and keep your disc longer without any scratches. So, if you've got stacks of DVD movies and other 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 help you rip DVD to MP4. But it is hard to believe that they can meet all your demands. So we list the below points for your reference to pick out the best Mac DVD ripper.

  • DVD ripping speed: Good Mac DVD ripper software can save time by offering a fast ripping speed.
  • DVD output quality: You will enjoy yourself a lot if you are watching a high-quality video.
  • DVD output formats: Good Mac DVD ripper should offer as many output formats as possible so that you can play your video on different devices.
  • Customize your video: If the DVD Ripper for Mac has editing function, you will get a video with your own style.

When selecting the best DVD Mac ripping software, take these factors into consideration. 

Top 6 Free DVD Ripper Software for Mac

In this section, we will discuss the top 6 best DVD ripping software for Macs, detail their features and functions, and compare their pros and cons, so that you can get the best DVD converter Mac programs.

DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac

When it comes to ripping copy-protected DVDs on Mac or Windows for free, DVDFab DVD Ripper Mac is the best choice for you.

DVDFab dvd ripper for mac

DVDFab DVD Ripper

Designed with a rich profile library, this best DVD Ripping software for Mac can rip and convert any DVD/ISO/folder to video/audio formats like MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, MPEG, etc. If you have multiple DVDs to rip, this Mac freeware DVD ripper also supports batch downloads.   
Win Download
100% safe&clean
Mac Download
100% safe&clean
Free Version: HD Decrypter  Paid Version
Support MKV/MP4 profile Support all formats, CUDA Acceleration
Output 480p video Output lossless video quality, 5.1 multi-channel audio
Output 2.0 audio channels Convert video to 1080P
Support CPU encoding (No GPU acceleration) Support AMD Acceleration, IQS Acceleration, 
  Support Adult DVDs, Latest Protections

Pros of DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac:

  • Auto-detect and decrypt the latest DVD Copy Protection
  • Output lossless quality: MKV. Forwarding video and 5.1 AC3 audio
  • Rip audio from DVD in the highest quality
  • Rip subtitles from a DVD and add subtitles to video
  • 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

Cons of DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac:

  • Enlarger AI is sold separately

HandBrake

HandBrake is one of the most welcomed free DVD converters 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. It can convert MP4 to WMV. Also, HandBrake can queue up multiple DVDs or video files to rip or convert.

But this free DVD ripper Mac Edition does have some shortcomings. First, can HandBrake rip copy-protected DVDs, like DRM? No. Second, its ripping speed is slow when a DVD video is large. Third, you can only convert DVD to MP4 and MKV formats with this MacOS X DVD ripper. Fourth, this DVD ripper software works well but is not easy to use. And if there is a copy-protected DVD, you have to download and install another tool, such as Passkey for DVD, to bypass copy protection.

free dvd ripper for mac: HandBrake

Pros of HandBrake DVD Ripper Mac:

  • It's not only a Mac DVD ripping freeware but also a DVD Ripper for Windows 10
  • HandBrake is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, ensuring cross-platform access
  • It allows you to convert DVDs to formats compatible with various devices and platforms

Cons of HandBrake DVD Ripper Mac:

  • HandBrake does not handle DRM-protected DVDs
  • The ripping process can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with large DVDs
  • Some users have reported occasional compatibility issues with certain DVD
  • It lacks a built-in DVD burning feature to write the files back onto a blank DVD

MakeMKV

With this Mac DVD ripping software in hand, it will never be a problem to rip a protected DVD. Besides, you can also preserve all video/audio tracks and subtitles with meta-information. Another remarkable advantage of this Mac ripper software is the ripping process is pretty fast with good quality. What is even better, it is available as a free DVD ripping tool. 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 DVD ripper Mac software 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.

free dvd ripper for mac: MakeMKV

Pros:

  • MakeMKV can rip protected DVD on Mac
  • The software offers relatively fast conversion speeds
  • Convert DVDs to a wide range of formats, including MKV, AVI, MP4, et
  • Preserve the original video and audio quality of the DVD during the ripping process

Cons:

  • Lack advanced video editing features
  • It primarily focuses on converting DVDs to MKV format on Mac
  • Output large video size, taking up considerable storage space on your Mac

MacX DVD Ripper

MacX DVD Ripper is a functional DVD ripper for MacOS. As a professional DVD copier and converter, it can rip DVDs to Mac-specific formats like MOV, M4V, H.264. Besides, this free ripper for Mac has the capability of dealing with most commercial DVDs with encryption schemes. In other words, it can help you copy protected DVD Mac. Importantly, all most all DVD formats are supported by it. 

But most people are stunned by its unfriendly interface when they tried it for the first time. Though you are allowed to change the resolution and do other settings, you can not re-size its interface window.

free dvd ripper for mac: MacX DVD Ripper

Pros of MacX DVD Ripper for Mac:

  • MacX DVD Ripper supports a wide range of output formats
  • This Mac DVD Ripping software provides various customization options
  • The software offers additional features like the ability to bypass DVD encryption

Cons of MacX DVD Ripper for Mac:

  • Free version comes with limitations and restricted functionality
  • May encounter difficulties in ripping older or damaged DVDs

Mac DVD Ripper Pro

This Mac DVDRipper Pro is one of the best DVD Ripping software for Mac. You can use it to rip a DVD in case a DVD disc is scratched, broken or lost. The main movie of DVD except the ads and trailers will be extracted from a DVD for your offline enjoyment. Which format this Mac ripper supports? You can convert DVD to M4V with this DVD ripping software. There is also AI-supported support to help improve video resolution, but it is paid.

free dvd ripper for mac: Mac DVD Ripper Pro

Pros of Mac DVDRipper Pro:

  • It supports a wide range of output formats, like MP4, MOV, and M4V
  • Mac DVDRipper Pro allows you to select specific chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles
  • It can bypass various copy protection mechanisms, such as CSS

Cons of Mac DVDRipper Pro:

  • Mac DVDRipper Pro is only available for macOS
  • Rip the main movie from a DVD only
  • The ripping speed may vary depending on your Mac's hardware

WinX DVD Ripper

WinX DVD Ripper for Mac is a comprehensive DVD ripping solution that provides high-quality and efficient conversion of DVDs to digital formats. You can rip DVDs to popular video formats like MP4, H.264, MOV, M4V, AVI, and many others.  You can also adjust parameters like video/audio codec, bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, and more for customized output. For more information, just check out this WinX DVD Ripper review.

free dvd ripper for mac: WinX DVD Ripper

Pros:

  • Rip copy-protected DVDs by some protections
  • WinX DVD Ripper for Mac supports a wide range of output formats
  • The software utilizes level-3 hardware acceleration
  • The software ensures high-quality video and audio output

Cons:

  • Lack of Linux backup client
  • Not support DVD to MPEG in a free version

Among all the 6 best DVD ripping software for Mac, the last one - DVDFab DVD Ripper is what we highly recommend due to its powerful and considerate functions. Next, we are glad to show you a tutorial on how to rip protected/unprotected DVDs with it. If you aim to rip DVD to iPad for offline playback, click here.

How to Rip Protected DVD on Mac with DVDFab 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 this best free DVD ripper on Mac

To use this best free Mac DVD ripper, download it on Mac or Windows. Is DVDFab safe? Yes, it is virus-free. 

Step 2: Select the 'Ripper' module and load your DVD

When you launch this Macx ripper DVD, select the “Ripper” tab since DVDFab 12 includes many modules which cannot only rip a DVD, but copy DVD to computer or hard drive, convert MKV to MP4, burn video to DVD, etc.

How to rip dvd on mac with DVDFab DVD Ripper?

Step 3: Set the output video format & Edit DVD on Mac

Convert DVD to digital by clicking the option 'Choose Other Profile' in this best ripper for Mac. Then, you choose to convert your DVD to MP4, AVI, FLV, M2TS, MKV, WMV, etc.

how to rip dvd on mac with DVDFab DVD Ripper

Besides settings the parameters of Video, Audio, and Subtitle, there is also a 'Video Edit' button in this best 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

How to rip dvd using free dvd ripper for mac

Step 4: Set the output destination and start to rip DVD(s) on Mac

Where are you going to save the ripped DVD, Mobile Device, Folder, or YouTube? Set the options below based on your needs. DVDFab DVD Ripper for Mac supports all the destination output.

Click the button 'Start' and DVDFab DVD Ripper Mac will strive to rip DVD to digital based on which format you have selected before. 

how to rip dvd on mac with DVDFab DVD Ripper

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 high quality with this Mac DVD Ripper. It works fast to convert DVD/ISO to MKV without any quality loss. You can upload DVD to YouTube, or USB, or save it on your computer.  Start a pleasant DVD rip experience.