The best free video converters will let you change a video's format without costing you a dime. And there are quite a few options at your fingertips so whatever you need a video converter for, you'll find one that's ideal for you. In fact, there’s one for just about every use, whether you’re trying to keep your entire video collection in one format, change a video’s format to something more shareable, or shrink the size of your file to something a little more manageable.
Just because it's free though, We've tested and used quite a few of them, and we know which ones are the best. The one that rises above the rest in our opinion is the Any Video Converter Free, which can convert videos from your laptop or desktop to whatever format you need as well as let you to save videos from the most in-demand video hosting sites.
Keep in mind when using the latter feature though that downloading anything from YouTube is against its terms of service as well as potential copyright infringement. So be sure to check first that the video you're downloading and converting is public domain or you have the expressed permission from the copyright holder.
If Any Video Converter isn't what you're looking for, there are other options as well. We found the best free video converters and gathered them all below for your convenience so you'll spend less time looking and get right to converting.
Also take a look at our YouTube downloader for PC list for help. And, if you’re looking to get audio files, consider the best free YouTube to MP3 converters.
The best free video converters 2024
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For something with an excellent selection of supported file formats, Any Video Converter Free certainly doesn't disappoint.
Hands down the best free video converter right now, it handles online as well as offline files, meaning that if you like the look of some videos on YouTube, you can quickly and easily convert them into a format suitable for offline viewing on your mobile without worrying about your data allowance.
It’s not just for YouTube, either; you can also download and convert videos from Facebook, Vimeo, Metacafe and more, and Any Video Converter Free also features the option to rip audio from CDs and DVDs.
You'll find support for all of the video formats you can shake a stick at, including ready made profiles for different devices, and editing options such as trimming, cropping and rotating allow for basic cleanup tasks. If you want to get creative, you can experiment with video effects to achieve a unique look as well.
If you need more options, Developer Anvsoft also offers a premium video converter, Any Video Converter Ultimate, which can remove DRM protection, convert videos in batches and burn videos to disc.
- Read our full review: Any Video Converter Free.
Freemake has built up something of a name for itself for producing powerful yet easy to use software, and making it available free of charge. Freemake Video Converter is no exception, continuing the company's enviable track record.
The free video converter can not only convert files from your hard drive to almost any format, it can also be used to download and convert online videos from the likes of YouTube.
With simple editing tools to trim unwanted footage, the ability to add subtitles, and convert to and from DVD, Freemake Video Converter has all of your everyday conversion needs covered – and more.
When you first install Freemake Video Converter, some features (including converting YouTube videos) will be locked. After three days you'll receive a free Web Pack as a gift, which will lift this restriction. Look out for a notification in the System Tray telling you when the Web Pack is available.
- Read our full review: Freemake Video Converter.
Free HD Video Converter Factory prides itself on being so easy to use that its website features a 10-second guide to getting started. This might seem like an exaggeration, but it's actually true. You can drag and drop a video onto the program interface, or use the selection menu, select the format or destination device and hit the Run button. That really is all there is to it.
This is the best free video converter for you, if you value simplicity and seamlessness. And, you'll be pleased to know that the software's convenience doesn't come at the expense of features. While you can start the conversion process in a matter of seconds, you may wish to spend a little more time customizing the output.
Cutting, cropping and impressive special effects are all on hand to give your videos the look you want, and the way destination formats are presented is highly intuitive.
Beginners can select a profile tailored to a specific playback device, while more advanced users can make a manual selection and customize things further.
- Read our full review: Free HD Video Converter Factory.
HandBrake is a free video converter that's well known to Mac users, but less famous in the world of Windows. It is worth noting that this is still something of an experimental program and it hasn't even reached version 1.0 in its Windows incarnation, but that doesn't mean it should be overlooked.
Available for Mac, Windows and Linux, Handbrake is a great choice for anyone who works on multiple platforms, but is also great for anyone who is dedicated to Windows.
A slight word of warning: the other programs featured in this roundup have very approachable interfaces, but the same cannot really be said of HandBrake. The program is powerful, but utilitarian.
There are a lot of features that allow for precise control of video conversion, including cropping, advanced filtering and frame rate adjustment, as well as presets for those who just want quick results. Handbrake may take a while to get used to, but the output is worth it.
- Read our full review: HandBrake.
DVDVideoSoft is known for its superb free media software that performs exactly as advertised, and Free Video Converter is no exception. Among the best free video converters with an interface that’s clean and uncluttered, it can convert batches of videos with ease.
Free Video Converter has a small set of output options (MP4, AVI, MPEG and MP3 are available, plus an option optimized for iOS devices), but that might be plenty if you're not used to working with video files, and the likes of Handbrake or MediaCoder look excessively complicated.
There's a choice of quality settings, and you can merge several clips into a single file while they're converted.
It's a shame that videos converted with Free Video Converter are watermarked. The mark isn't terribly intrusive, but it prevents this otherwise excellent software ranking higher in this list.
- Read our full review: Free Video Converter.
- Find out our list of the best free YouTube downloaders
