By Eva Williams 23 days ago, Software reviews
Are you looking for a free video converter for Windows to transform your smartphone videos into regular MP4 files or to restore sound to a clip? Don’t have enough memory to store several multi-GB video clips on your device?
I’ve collected the Top 11 free video converters for Windows, which are capable of converting videos in 5 minutes while preserving their high quality. Thanks to these programs, you can change the format of the files and compress clips to the needed size.
Verdict: You can use Wondershare UniConverter to convert 35 video formats, including MP4, MOV and MPEG. Even if you’re not sure what format you need, you can simply choose one of over 150 preconfigured device profiles.
The program also has tools for converting 4K videos and uploading clips to YouTube, while offering a conversion speed that is 30 times faster compared with other free video conversion options on this list.
Users can extract and copy media files from physical (CD and DVD) and online sources, and even copy files to removable drives. The Wondershare Free Video Converter is the best free file converter for users who are looking for an all-in-one program. It's capable of not only converting files but also recording and editing videos, as well as screen and voice capture.
Verdict: By downloading Any Converter Ultimate, you receive over 150 preinstalled device profiles, 17 supported export formats (including MP4, AVI, and MOV), several main video editing parameters, and disk burning functionality.
One of the most interesting features is downloading and converting videos straight from YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion. You simply need to copy the URL link and paste it in AVC. The video will be downloaded in a couple of minutes.
In the free version, you can work with 4K videos. Moreover, the export quality remains quite good. But the conversion speed is inferior to Wondershare UniConverter. Converting a 1-hour video took about 30 minutes.
Verdict: HD Video Converter Factory Pro supports 21 formats, including AVI, MOV, MP4 and MPG. You can also choose from a variety of device profiles, which makes this free video format converter a great option for beginners.
You can use the program to enhance images, convert several video and audio files simultaneously, and change the file size while maintaining its original resolution.
After the conversion, you receive a high-quality video, and the converter even supports 4K resolution. The program converted a 3-minute video in less than a minute.
Verdict: This is another free video converter that supports 4K videos. Other than conversion, the program has screen capture, video playback, resize, cropping, and download features. The converter supports 370+ import and 420+ export devices and sources, including drone and action cam videos.
It’s also a good YouTube converter as it supports over 1000 video streaming sites. Users have access to batch uploading and saving of online videos, movies, TV shows, playlists, etc.
Developers promise an increase in conversion speed of up to 47 times without a loss in quality. Since the free version has a max video length restriction, I’ve tested the program on a 3-minute video. As a result, converting it from MP4 to AVI took a little over a minute.
Verdict: Total Video Converter converts popular video formats, including AVI, FLV, MOV, MKV, and MP4. It has a function for writing converted videos to DVD / SVCD / VCD, as well as extracting audio from videos and converting all types of audio (mp3, ac3, ogg, wav, aac). Additionally, the user can combine several audio and video files into a single file.
Converting a 1-hour video in Total Video Converter took only 15 minutes. However, the quality of the exported clip was average, as the video had noticeable pixelation, compression artifacts, and blur.
Verdict: With DivX, you receive a free video conversion software that supports all the video formats, including MP4, MOV, AVI. Besides, you get a tool for creating and playing videos with audio, as well as the ability to change the parameters for resolution, bitrate, etc.
The software is quite quick at converting files, as it took only about 12 minutes to transform a 1-hour video, while the quality of the footage remained top-notch.
By the way, users also have access to the 4K option. You can adjust the file by yourself, choose the resolution, aspect ratio, and data transfer speed.
Verdict: Being one of the best free video converters, Freemake supports 500+ formats and devices. Other than converting files from a hard drive, the program also has tools for downloading and converting YouTube videos.
You can also edit your video clips, cut unneeded frames, add subtitles, and convert videos to/from DVDs.
I’ve enjoyed the export quality, especially since you can choose 4K resolution. The conversion took slightly over 5 minutes, but the watermark addition and export time slowed down the process, which is why the conversion took about 30 minutes overall.
Verdict: FastVideoConverter by FastPcTools is a simple and free video converter software for Windows PCs. Being a regular user of conversion software in general, this converter attracted me by its simplicity and affordability. Its simplicity in use may be explained by the fact that this tool is very clear even to an amateur user with no necessity of any specific explanations. Certainly, the limited compatibility with modern devices and rudimentary set of options for conversions mean not every user will be satisfied with this software, but it is still worth a try for everyone seeking an unassuming yet inexpensive solution squarely aimed at Windows.
Its streamlined 3-step process – launch, select, and convert – makes video conversion a breeze even for people with bare minimum technical expertise. On the whole, FastPcTools Video Converter offers an agreeable experience to users who are looking for a simple and free-to-use video conversion solution on their Windows devices.
Verdict: This free video converter for Windows from DVDVideoSoft is useful when you need to convert such popular file formats as MP4, MP3, AVI, MOV, MPEG. The program has a very simple interface, includes quality settings and the ability to combine several clips into a single file during the conversion.
Converting a 1-hour video took about 10 minutes, while its quality remained unchanged. As for downsides, the converted videos have watermarks, which is why this option isn’t on the top of the list.
Verdict: HandBrake is a free video converter for Windows with an open-source code. It supports over 10 output formats, including MP4, M4V, MOV, and MPEG, as well as many preset device profiles. The highest available resolution is 2160p.
Among the additional functions, the user has access to subtitles, video coding with a constant quality or medium speed, VFR and CFR support, Live Static and Video Preview, as well as video filters. For a completely free program, HandBrake offers good video quality.
Verdict: Your acquaintance with NCH Prism starts with an intuitive UI. The program offers quick conversion and high-quality output, but the resolution is limited to 1080p. You can get this video converter software free and enjoy 30 supported video formats, including MPEG, MP4, MOV, and AVI. It also has a limited amount of preinstalled profiles, but, thankfully, the most popular devices are included.
The program supports batch video conversion and has a function for changing the size of the video. During testing, the program showed decent results. Converting a 1-hour video took 15 minutes, while its quality remained high.
Verdict: AVS Media Converter supports 17 formats, which include both the most popular ones and formats for advanced users. The program also has 90+ pre-programmed optimization profiles. You can use the command line mode to convert as many video files as you need, be it a single output file or an array of separate videos.
Considering the number of supported formats, this program could be called the best video converter free. However, the test result lowered this option to the bottom of the list. Converting a 1-hour video took about 40 minutes, while the image quality dropped due to compression artifacts.
