5 Free Blu-ray Ripper for Windows and Mac (No Quality Loss)

Physical discs are great, until they get scratched or you just want to watch a movie on your iPad during a fight. Streaming services lose your favorite shows all the time. That's why ripping your old Blu-ray collection to your hard drive or NAS makes total sense. In this guide, we gather the top 5 free Blu-ray ripper software after weeks' testing out dozens of tools, so that you can back up your Blu-ray movies safely.

Part 1. How to Choose the Best Free Blu-ray Ripper

Choosing the best free software to rip Blu-ray discs involves considering several key features. This is to ensure a smooth and customized ripping experience. In this section, we will break down each feature and provide a detailed explanation. If you want the best blu-ray ripper experience, this is to help you decide on picking the software that meets your preferences:

Handling Copy Protection

A good Blu-ray ripper should be capable of bypassing copy protection. These protection measures are commonly found on Blu-ray discs. Copy protection is implemented to prevent unauthorized copying of the content. An effective ripper can decrypt and navigate through these protections. It ensures that you can successfully extract the data from the Blu-ray disc.

Removing Region Codes

Blu-ray discs often come with region codes, restricting playback to specific regions. This includes Regions A, B, and C. A top-notch free Blu-ray ripping software should have the ability to eliminate these region codes. By doing so, you gain the flexibility to play the ripped content on any device, regardless of its region code compatibility.

Adding External Audio/Subtitle Tracks

A versatile Blu-ray ripper should allow users to add external audio and subtitle tracks to the ripped content. This feature is essential for customizing your viewing experience. For example, you might want to include a different language audio track or add subtitles for better understanding. Integrating external tracks provides greater control over the content.

Keeping Blu-ray Menu

Blu-ray menus provide an interactive and user-friendly interface for navigating through the disc's content. The best free Blu-ray ripper should preserve these menus during the ripping process. This ensures that you retain the original structure and navigation options. It enhances the overall viewing experience when you play the ripped content.

Configuring Video and Audio Quality

The option to configure video and audio quality is essential for tailoring the ripped content to your preferences and device specifications. A good Blu-ray ripper should offer settings for adjusting parameters such as resolution, bitrate, and codec. It ensures that you can achieve the preferred file size and audio/video quality, optimizing playback on different devices.

Hidden Costs of "Free" Blu-ray Rippers

Before you download free software, watch out for a few common catches:

• • Watermarks: A lot of free apps will permanently stamp their logo right onto your finished video.
• • Slow Speeds: Free versions usually lock you out of hardware acceleration, which makes the conversion process take much longer.
• • Outdated Decryption: Free tools rarely update their copy-protection databases, meaning they will fail on brand-new movie releases.
• • Bundled Adware: Some installers try to sneak unwanted third-party software onto your computer.

Open-source options like HandBrake and beta tools like MakeMKV avoid most of these traps, but they do require a bit more manual setup to get running.

Part 2. Top 5 Free Blu-ray Ripper Software

1. Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Ripper - Best Free All-Rounder with Menu Retention

Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Ripper is a free Blu-ray ripping tool for Windows and Mac. It extracts movie data from discs and converts it to common formats like MP4, MOV, or MKV at 4K or 1080p HD. The software also includes basic editing features, letting you trim clips, crop frames, add effects, and adjust your export settings.

2. MakeMKV - Best for Lossless 1:1 Blu-ray Backup

MakeMKV is an easy-to-use free Blu-ray ripper for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It specializes in converting Blu-ray discs and DVDs into MKV format. It excels in reading copy-protected Blu-rays, retaining all video and audio tracks, and maintaining chapter information. It ensures minimal loss of quality from the ripped Blu-rays and DVDs. (Current version 1.18.x fully supports Apple Silicon macOS).

3. DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper - Best Big-Brand Option for Older Discs

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper for free is a comprehensive and feature-rich Blu-ray ripping software. It can handle common copy protection and convert Blu-ray into countless digital formats. In addition, this Blu-ray ripper goes beyond basic ripping functionalities by providing customization options. It allows users to crop, trim, merge, and add watermarks, and external subtitles.

However, it should be noted that DVDFab is not entirely free. It just provides a free version in addition to the paid version, and this free version has many limitations (DVDFab 13 series). For example, it only supports Blu-ray or DVD released one year ago instead of the latest, so it can't remove the latest Blu-ray protection. It also has limited output digital formats, only including MKV and MP4.

4. HandBrake - Best Free & Open-Source Transcoder

HandBrake is a well-known and open-source Blu-ray ripper for free. It can effortlessly convert Blu-ray discs into MP4, MKV, and WebM formats with modern H.264/HEVC hardware encoding. In addition, it allows users to configure video and audio settings for enhanced output. But here's a small catch. It requires additional tools to bypass copy protection and handle region codes effectively.

Check this guide to rip Blu-ray in HandBrake.

5. VLC - The All-in-One Free Player & Ripper

VLC is widely recognized for its multimedia functionality. Many users didn't know that it can also function as a free Blu-ray ripper on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It can play Blu-ray discs and convert them into various formats. Not to mention, VLC supports several multimedia formats and offers basic ripping functionality, though conversion can be slow for 4K content.

Part 3. How to Combine MakeMKV and HandBrake for Ripping Blu-ray Free

If you want a totally free way to rip discs without hitting paywalls, many experienced users team up with two open-source tools: MakeMKV and HandBrake. MakeMKV handles copy protection and pulls the raw movie right off the disc, while HandBrake shrinks that massive file down into a smaller, device-friendly MP4.

1. Download and Install

Free download both MakeMKV (remember to grab the monthly beta key from their forum) and HandBrake.

2. Rip Losslessly with MakeMKV

Put your disc in the drive, open MakeMKV, pick the main movie title, and save it to your computer hard drive. This gives you a large, uncompressed MKV file (usually 20 to 40 GB).

3. Transcode with HandBrake

Drag your newly ripped MKV file right into HandBrake, choose the "Fast 1080p30" preset, and pick either the H.265 or H.264 video encoder.

4. Fine-Tune and Export

Move the RF quality slider to between 20 and 22. This gives you the best balance between file size and picture quality, shrinking your file down to a neat 4 to 10 GB.

Finally, click the Start Encode button to turn your ripped Blu-ray into a playable MP4 for your phone, tablet, or Plex server.

Part 4. Which Free Blu-ray Ripper Should You Choose? (Windows vs. Mac Use Cases)

Depending on whether you use a Windows PC or an Apple Silicon Mac, your best choice varies:

Part 5. Best Professional Blu-ray Ripper

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper is a professional-grade free Blu-ray Ripper software. It is intended for users looking for an advanced Blu-ray ripping solution. Its primary function is to extract content from Blu-ray and convert it into a 500+ selection of formats. It can handle the newest copy protection and removes region codes from Blu-ray discs. For good measure, it can process multiple files at 50× ultra-fast conversion speed.

Moreover, AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper goes beyond Blu-ray ripping functionality. It offers straightforward tools for customizing the content before conversion. It lets you configure the video and audio output settings, add audio tracks, external subtitle tracks, and more. What's more, it preserves Blu-ray menus, chapters, titles, etc.

Conclusion

In conclusion, backing up your physical media library doesn't have to cost a fortune, but a free Blu-ray ripper. Whether you choose the lossless 1:1 power of MakeMKV, the flexible compression of HandBrake, or a user-friendly app like Blu-ray Master, there are plenty of great options available.

If you have time to learn a two-step workflow, MakeMKV paired with HandBrake gives you an unbeatable $0 setup. But if you want speed, convenience, and guaranteed support for brand-new movie releases without headaches, investing in a professional tool like AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper will save you countless hours of troubleshooting. Grab your favorite disc, pop it into your drive, and start building your digital movie library today!