We’re all guilty of having loads of devices, be it phones, laptops, tables and even desktops. When we have this much technology watching the same movie or video across all devices can be difficult, especially if they are all a different operating system that supports different types of video files. This is where video convertors come in, they aren’t a new tool, but some are better than others at converting video into readable formats for our devices.
The most popular ones out there are Wondershare Uniconvertor and Handbreak, but which one is better?
Handbreak
Handbreak is available across windows, OSx and Linux. It has been around since video conversion first became a requirement, so it really is a tried and tested tool that has been refined over the last 17 years. What makes Handbreak stand out is that it is free, you don’t have to pay to use it and you can convert most video into MKV or MP4 format. For most users, these two formats will be enough, but for others it won’t be. It is a very basic software, but that is due to the limited actions it needs to perform. It is also quite slow, you could be waiting a long time for it to convert your video, so if you are in a desperate rush don’t rely on it!
Wondershare Uniconvertor
The Wondershare Uniconvertorsoftware has become some people’s favorites converting software due to the variety of features that it has. Unlike Handbreak, Wondershare can convert copyright protected DVD’s to an array of formats, so you can access it on your tablet and phone, which is ideal for a long journey. Another stand out feature of Wondershare is their customer service. If you have a problem with the software, you can speak to one of their customer service representatives who will help you via phone and remotely if necessary, we have had nothing but positive interactions with their customer service on the rare occasions that we have needed it. The reason that Wondershare has customer service, is because it is a paid for service. You can access a free download, but the options within the software are limited, so it is worth upgrading to the paid for version.
Pricing
Handbreak is free of charge to download and Wondershare offer a free package for their users, but you do get what you pay for. The paid for software from Wondershare gives you over a thousand formats for audio, video and images and access to their online support system. Handbreak is an open source platform, which has resulted in its security being called into question more than once and because it is free, you don’t get the same level of support as you do with Wondershare.
Security
If you are concerned about security, it will always be worth paying the small fee to upgrade to Wondershare pro. This way you have the software installed on your device rather than relying on a web-based application, like Handbreak or Wondershare’s free version.
Features
Handbreak will convert videos to MKV and MP4 format and that is it. If you are looking for a basic conversion, this will do it for you, but for more complex or higher resolution conversion, Wondershare can provide you with far more options. You also don’t suffer video quality loss with Wondershare, which is something that happens when you use Handbreak. This is due to how told the Handbreak programme is and due to its lack of funding and updates, it will remain this way. Wondershare is estimated to be 30 times faster and there is no reduction in the picture quality from format A to format B. This means that you can make sure the high definition video you are converting, stays as such. The paid for Wondershare software even comes with its own video editing software, so if you are creating a video project or want to touch up some content before posting it to Instagram or your blog, you can do it all inhouse.
Final Thoughts
Wondershare not only provides users with a vast array of formats to change their videos into, the software also does it very very quickly. Even the web-based software will convert up to 30 times faster than Handbreak with no reduction in quality. If you are concerned about security, it will always be worth paying a little bit more to own the software and have access to the customer service team in case something does go wrong. Handbreak provide a web-based service for MP4 and MKV only, but the web-based application is now outdated and slow when compared to Wondershare Uniconvertor, there have also been issues arising from its security. There is a reason that Wondershare Uniconvertor has become a firm favourite with users, paid and unpaid.