Top 11 Best Video Encoder Software (Updated)

Video encoder software is a program that can encode videos from one encoding to another. It's very useful in improving video compatibility, compressing video file size, and enhancing video quality.

Below, I’ve compiled 11 video encoding programs you can use today, including free options. These can help you encode MP4, MKV, MOV with popular formats like H264 and HEVC. Some also provides the new AV1 option as well as legacy encoders. Whatever your encoding needs, you’re likely to find the best video encoding software for you.

Supported OS: Windows

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a simple yet professional video converter that can help you quickly encode videos into a variety of formats, resolutions, and sizes.

It provides a rich pool of encoders for your option, from modern standards such as H.264, HEVC, AV1, and VP9 to legacy formats like DivX and FLV. To build up efficiency, it also supports direct encoding to specific target devices. At the same time, it remains flexible, allowing you to adjust video settings such as bitrate, frame rate, and aspect ratio.

The program can process high-definition videos up to 8K and export with high final clarity. And with support for GPU acceleration, it can make the encoding faster than those without.

Beyond conversion, it features additional tools including a batch file compressor, a video downloader, a screen recorder, and a GIF maker. It’s my first choice when it comes to an all-in-one video processor.

Pros:

• Simple and high-quality
• Support a wide range of formats and encoders
• Fast encoding with GPU acceleration
• Many useful tools

Cons:

• Restricted feature access in the unregistered version

→ Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro

Supported OS: Windows

Free HD Video Converter Factory is the free version of the first software featured on this list. But it operates as a standalone program and is completely free to use. The greatest advantage of this free tool is its extensive format support, which is the same as the first tool. Its drawbacks, on the other hand, are obvious. They include the inability to freely adjust video resolution and, due to a lack of GPU acceleration support, a relatively slower processing speed.

That said, for users who simply need to reliably change video encodings, it remains one of the best free video encoding tools currently available.

Pros:

• Free
• Extensive encoding options
• Clean interface

Cons:

• Relatively slow speed

→ Download Free HD Video Converter Factory Download Free HD Video Converter Factory

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

Prism by NCH Software is a straightforward video converter that supports all popular video formats. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to encode videos even if you have zero experience. Simply drag-and-drop videos, select the desired format, and start converting. You can also experiment with the export settings to personalize your conversion. Like the first program, Prism also supports batch processing and it's ideal for compressing videos.

Prism offers a two-week free trial. After the trial, you need to purchase it to continue using the full features. Please also note that the unlicensed version is for non-commercial home use only.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Supports all popular video formats
• Good for compressing videos
• Supports batch encoding

Cons:

• Requires purchase after a two-week trial

→ Download Prism by NCH Software

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

DivX Converter is part of DivX Software, which also includes a video player and media server. During installation, you can choose to install just the converter for the conversion functionality.

The converter allows you to easily create DivX, H.264, and HEVC videos. While the formats are limited, it offers multiple profiles that can help you convert video to a specific program or device (e.g. PS4, iPhone, iPad, home theater).

DivX Converter is free but ad-supported. You can pay to remove ads and unlock advanced features like faster encoding, DVD digitizing, converting videos to/from the cloud, advanced editing and more.

Pros:

• Supports high-quality formats like DivX, H.264, and HEVC
• Offers device-specific profiles
• Free version available

Cons:

• Limited formats compared to others
• Ad-supported unless you pay to remove ads

→ Download DivX Converter

Supported OS: Windows

Freemake Video Converter is a free encoder software that converts videos to popular formats and devices. It supports local videos, DVDs and URLs (paid feature), and it helps you convert them to high quality and small size.

However, Freemake does not support newer formats like HEVC, VP9 and AV1. Also note that unregistered versions leave a Freemake logo on exported videos.

Pros:

• Supports popular formats and devices
• Simple and reliable

Cons:

• Lacks newer formats like HEVC, VP9, and AV1
• Freemake logo on videos in the free version

→ Download Freemake Video Converter

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

HandBrake is an open source video transcoder widely used to transcode video and DVD files. It supports a wide range of formats and encodes them to MPEG-4, H.264, H.265, and AV1 hassle-free. Additionally, it provides ready-made presets to help you export videos compatible with various devices and platforms.

HandBrake is also an ideal video encoder software for advanced users who need professional encoding settings that they can experiment on their videos. It is also liked due to its hardware acceleration support.

HandBrake can also transcode DVDs into digital files. But keep in mind that HandBrake can only work with non-protected media files.

Pros:

• Open source and free
• Excellent format support
• Professional-grade encoding settings
• Supports hardware acceleration

Cons:

• Can only convert non-protected DVDs and videos

→ Download HandBrake

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

VLC is not just a media player, but a multipurpose program that can also help you encode video formats effectively.

Based on the FFmpeg library, VLC has the ability to decode and encode a large number of video files out of the box. It includes everything from the most popular video formats such as H.264 and H.265 to the lesser-known types like H.263 and VP8. With a few steps, you can quickly encode video to your desired format.

Similar to HandBrake, you are also free to modify encoding settings according to your needs. Also, as an open source video encoder software, VLC is completely safe and free to use.

Pros:

• Free and open-source
• Supports a wide range of formats
• Customizable encoding settings

Cons:

• Limited to basic encoding tasks
• User interface is not optimized for encoding

→ Download VLC media player

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

FFmpeg is the most powerful program to handle the decoding and encoding of video files. It supports all video encoders you can think of, from ancient formats to the most advanced, and it allows you to encode video from raw data or other encodings, preserving the best quality.

With FFmpeg, you can also mux, demux, stream, filter and play any video you want. However, its command-line-based nature makes it most challenging for beginners. That said, you can try an FFmpeg GUI, which gives you controls and buttons to perform tasks.

FFmpeg is free, open source and cross-platform. If you are going to use FFmpeg, make sure you download the correct version of FFmpeg as there are many download options.

Pros:

• Extremely powerful and versatile
• Supports all video encoders
• Can handle complex tasks like muxing and streaming

Cons:

• Command-line interface is challenging for beginners

→ Download FFmpeg

Supported OS: Windows

XMedia Recode is FFmpeg under the hood. It also provides the best free video encoders that can help you convert video to anything you want. In terms of usability, XMedia Recode is very similar to HandBrake, except that XMedia Recode allows you to export video to more formats and profiles.

Encoding video files with XMedia Recode is simple. You just need to add one or more videos to the program and select the desired format to start the process. Apart from videos, you can also convert network streams and DVD discs into digital videos.

This free video encoder software is only compatible with Windows.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface similar to HandBrake
• Supports numerous formats and profiles
• Free to use

Cons:

• Limited to Windows

→ Download XMedia Recode

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux

Shutter Encoder is a fantastic encoder program. It supports a variety of video codecs, including editing codecs, output codecs, broadcast codecs, old codecs, and archiving codec, making choosing the correct encoding a lot easier if you don’t know much about encoding.

Furthermore, Shutter Encoder provides a streamlined array of settings to let you flexibly adjust the encoding settings, such as bitrate, quality, display, and others. It has very fast speed and high-quality output, so it is also one of the best free video encoding software.

While offering many features, Shutter Encoder is easy to use and free of charge.

Pros:

• Supports a variety of codecs
• Fast encoding speed
• High-quality output

Cons:

• Interface can be overwhelming for beginners

→ Download Shutter Encoder

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

Adobe Media Encoder is the encoding engine for Premiere Pro, After Effects, Animation, and Character Animation. But it can also be used as a stand-alone application to render video files for different devices and video-sharing websites. It has many high-quality editing encoders built in, such as Apple ProRres, DNxHD, and UYVY, but it also allows you to export video with distribution formats like H.264 and H.265. In addition, it provides output options for direct publishing to YouTube and Vimeo.

Media Encoder has a straightforward workspace to work on your video. If you are familiar with Premiere Pro or After Effects, you will find Media Encoder most comfortable to use. As an HD video encoder, Media Encoder allows you to export 4K video.

You don’t need to download Media Encoder separately as it is already included with Premiere Pro and After Effects.

Pros:

• High-quality encoders for editing and distribution
• Seamless integration with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects
• Direct publishing to YouTube and Vimeo

Cons:

• Expensive as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud
• Steeper learning curve for beginners

→ Download Adobe Media Encoder

1. Know what you want to encode the videos for.

Due to different encoding technology and compatibility, video encoders are used for different purposes. When you want to share video with your friends, H.264 is the best choice. But if you want to share the video on websites like YouTube and Facebook, VP9 and AV1 are also good optiona. You will have other choices, such as MPEG-2 for burning DVDs and H.265/HEVC for 4K video. Check out the best codecs for video.

2. Pay attention to the functions.

The best encoder software should at least support the encoder you want to use. In addition, it can have extra features to facilitate the encoding process, such as universal format support, hardware acceleration, cross-platform, etc.

3. Start with an easy video encoder software.

If you are a beginner who does not have much knowledge about encoding, you should start with a simple program such as WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory. It has a user-friendly interface and allows you to process video files with only 3~4 steps. Check out how to encode videos.

You can use one of the video encoding software in this article to encode an MP4 video with various MP4 encoders, such as MPEG-4, H.264, H.265, AV1, and so on. To encode MP4 for the best compatibility, you are recommended to encode MP4 with H.264 codec so it can be played on all devices. Follow the steps at the beginning of this article to start encoding MP4 now.

A video encoder is a program to encode or compress video data, it is mainly used in productivity products for video creation, such as cameras and editing software. However, a video decoder is to decode or decompress video data and is often used in media players and processors.

In most cases, yes, encoding will reduce quality because most encoding formats are lossy, which will lead to quality loss inevitably. But with lossless format, there will be no impact on the video quality. However, keep in mind that lossless video format also comes with a big file size.

The best open source and free encoding software includes HandBrake, FFmpeg, XMedia Recode, Shutter Encoder, and VLC media player.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is the overall best video encoding software for Windows for its simplicity, functionality, and price. It can help you encode video to any format you want. At the same time, it allows you to record and edit videos with incredible speed and high quality. But the whole program remains easy to use. Download the program to have a try!

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