MOV vs MP4/MP4 vs MOV: What are Differences between the Two?

Updated on July 14, 2022

Perhaps you have found that most of our videos are .mov or .mp4 extensions. As two common video formats, what are the similarities and differences between the two formats? In the campaign of MOV vs MP4, which is better? Follow this article to learn about these two formats. In addition, there is a versatile video converter that helps us perform almost all popular format conversions including MOV and MP4.

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Part 1. The Issue of MOV vs MP4 on Forums

Part 2. MOV vs MP4: Which is Better MP4 or MOV?

The Issue of MOV vs MP4 on Forums

Q1: I'm looking for opinions on any quality differences between .mov vs .mp4. Any difference in compression artifacts, bit rates, etc.? – from forum.dji

Q2: I'm compressing broadcast videos from PR422 QuickTime to an intermediate quality/size movie (for ease of transfer by internet). My associate is using Sorenson Squeeze to compress this intermediate file to a smaller FLASH FLV file for web delivery. Is there any difference or advantage in the intermediate file (H.264 Codec) being rendered into QuickTime MOV or MP4? – from forums.adobe

A: The world of video formats is very confusing. While MP4 and MOV are two common container formats for hosting lossy video data, what is the difference between MOV and MP4? Read on to find out more.

Hot search: XAVC S VS AVCHD | AVCHD VS MP4 | H.265 VS H.264 | Converting MOV to MP4 and Vice Versa

MOV vs MP4: Which is Better MP4 or MOV?

File Extension	MOV	MP4
File Type	Apple QuickTime Movie	MPEG-4 Video File
Developer	Apple	International Standard
Description	MOV, or Apple QuickTime Movie, is an audio, video file format developed by Apple for storing common digital media types. It uses advanced algorithms specially developed by Apple and can be compatible with different versions of the Mac and Windows operating systems. It contains several tracks for storing various media data and each track is responsible for the storage of each type of data, including video, audio, and text, etc.	The MP4 file format was later developed as an industry standard, and its development was largely based on the MOV file format, so that they were originally identical. Files with .mp4 file extension are short for MPEG-4 video files and are commonly used to share video over the Internet. This is a compressed file format that can contain not only video, but also audio and subtitles.
Pros	Excellent quality, fast data flow, and suitable for video editing; high compression ratio and perfect video clarity; cross-platform operation, small storage space requirements, support for multiple audio and video compression algorithms.	Different encoding algorithms can be used for different files to further improve compression ration; allows users to operate on a single file, providing unprecedented interactivity; smooth playback on any media player with its good compatibility.
Cons	Since MOV is designed specifically for Quick Time, it may encounter incompatibilities with many other devices.	The lossy compression of MP4 is unrecoverable and may result in poor quality.

It can be seen from the above MP4 vs MOV table that one cannot simsple say which one is better, it all depends on the different requirements of users for videos. So, if someone asks is MOV better than MP4, there is no right answer. Depending on the media player or video editor you have, if you want to play or edit videos on your Apple device, you should definitely choose MOV. If you want to use non-Apple devices including Samsung, Sony, Huawei, etc. MP4 will be your first choice.

In addition, HD Video Converter Factory Pro, an easy-to-use and reliable fast video converter is a better choice to achieve MOV to MP4 or MP4 to MOV and other video conversions with GPU acceleration.

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MOV vs MP4/MP4 vs MOV: What are Differences between the Two?

The Issue of MOV vs MP4 on Forums

MOV vs MP4: Which is Better MP4 or MOV?