Today’s movies and television shows are available in a wide variety of media including DVDs, Blu-rays, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, P2P Networks, etc. Let’s say you prefer DVD discs because they are inexpensive, but the disadvantage of the DVDs is that they are easy-to-scratched and have poor portability.

If you want to overcome this disadvantage, the best solution will be to extract the video/audio contents from DVD discs and save as the digital files onto your computer. This article provides you with different kinds of DVD digitizing software programs to help you achieve this goal.

MacTheRipper, officially abbreviated as MTR, is a free DVD ripper application for Mac OS X. It helps you copy your DVD movies to your Mac without any protections and quality loss. This is very helpful if you don't want to play the original DVD disc, or making DVD copies for your car (a DVD burner is required). More than Just A Free Mac DVD Converter To deliver world-class free DVD rip experience, MacX goes a lot further than a DVD ripping freeware with a full set of exceptional bonus features tailored to support a variety of advanced DVD conversion. MacX is proud to offer users full control over the encoding process and takes a step further for the output content, all in the ripping task.

Free Dvd Ripping Software

Here are some of our recommended DVD software tools:

Usually we called the DVD digitizing programs as DVD Ripper. Some of the rippers are free while others need to pay to fully utilize the software. Each product has its special characteristics, strong and weak points.

In this article, we will examine some of the best free DVD rippers for Mac. If you are looking for the best DVD ripping software for Mac, click here.

Warning: It is illegal to give away or resell the ripped DVD files through the internet, so please keep them for your personal use only!

Top 3 Free DVD Ripper for Mac Reviews

The following are our top recommendations as people still prefer free software compare to the shareware alternative.

1. HandBrake for Mac

Handbrake for Mac is one of the widely used free DVD ripper or video converter in the market. If you just need to rip home-made DVDs, this is the best choice. This is an open-source program that you can use to convert the video including DVDs into popular output formats.

The program also comes with some advanced features like adding subtitles, adjust frame rates and video codec settings, etc.

However, the downside of Handbrake is that they can’t rip the commercial DVDs with copy protection. Also, many of the output video file formats are not supported (limited to .MP4 or .M4V and .MKV.).

Pros: A cross-platform application, presets for iOS and Android for quick video conversions, support batch conversions.

Cons: Cannot rip copy-protected DVDs and editing video is unavailable. Live preview only available on the first four minutes, the settings required some time to do it correctly.

Website: https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

The following table shows the comparison between the Handbrake and MacX DVD ripper pro to let you know why we prefer the paid ripper:

2. MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition

The second ripper on our list is the MacX DVD ripper from Digiarty. There are available in two versions – Pro and free edition. The MacX DVD Ripper Pro was rated as the best Mac DVD ripper by our editor. The free version also has all the program features but with few limitations.

The following table shows the comparisons between the two versions:

Pros: Rip and backup DVDs

Cons: See the table above.

Website:

MacX DVD Ripper Pro (discount coupon: MACXOBON2014): http://www.macxdvd.com/special-discount/

MacX DVD Ripper Free Edition: http://www.macxdvd.com/download/converter_ripper_org/macx-dvd-ripper-free-edition.dmg

Free Dvd Ripper For Mac Os X

3. MacTheRipper (MTR)

This is another excellent DVD ripper (extractor) for Mac. This application was in the market since 2003 and it was free until v2.6.6. As the version keeps updating, it’s no longer free. You can extract the DVDs to four different modes – ISO Image, Rip & Rebuild (RnR), Main Feature, and Batch Title Extraction.

Besides this, the MTR is capable of removing different types of copyright protections to let you rip the discs successfully. The ability to edit bad cells before the ripping process begins is another great feature of this free tool.

This freeware application also allows multiple extractions (with chained DVD drives) and each extraction can have its own setting, mode, and saving location.

Pros: All the features listed above.

Cons: The user interface is a bit complicated and also dealing with the licensing scheme (since the latest version is no longer free).

Forum page:http://www.mtrforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2284

The Features of a Good DVD Ripper

The best DVD ripping software which lets you digitize your legally purchased DVDs for backup purpose, or transfer to portable devices for on-the-go viewing! You can expect a great DVD ripping tool comes with the following features (the more, the better):

• The interface is simple and user friendly.
• Decrypt & backup different DVD (and Blu-ray) discs to local computer hard drive.
• Built-in device presets such as for iOS and Android. Usually it comes with 100+ preconfigured profiles for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, etc.
• Rip video contents off DVDs, and convert the ripped files to 50+ digital video/audio formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, MP3, etc.
• The software offers a live preview of the video converted.
• Come with a basic movie or video editing tool as well as audio encoders including MP3, AAC, etc.
• Ability to transform 2D DVD movies to 3D form.
• Fast conversion speed, with excellent quality output.

Special note:

Through our editor observation, almost all the DVD rippers can do the conversion jobs pretty equally, with the exception that some are faster and better in output quality. The paid software often delivers more reliable jobs with more features compared to free alternatives.

The most obvious free DVD rippers for Mac is that its lack of development/updates and some company offer free versions because they also have the paid version. Besides the open-source software, most of the free rippers also cannot rip the commercial/copy-protected discs.

Conclusion: While the Free DVD Rippers were Good, Paid Alternatives is Greater!

Well, there are many software available that can do pretty decent jobs. Price is one of the most important factors when we are comparing the products with similar capabilities. In our screening, we found that MacX DVD Ripper Pro is offering the best DVD ripper for mac for an excellent price.

For Windows users, the Wonderfox DVD Ripper Pro is a winner. This software offers all the features you want to see in a DVD Ripper for PC. It can rip your DVDs to the computer and almost every other format you might want. You can rip the dvds and save them to your hard disk and It works like wonders.

Well, a freeware DVD ripper for Mac OS X is always a preferred choice for most users. If you are unsure, you can freely download any of the programs recommended above and try out to see how the ripper can help you to save & secure all your DVD content.

P/s: You are also free to try out other products. Wondershare Video Converter is my recommendation to you (the next great DVD ripper and video converter). Download the free trial of the products, you’ve gotten nothing to lose! Trying before buying is always a good idea and will never hurt you.

Are you looking for a reliable Mac DVD ripper? There are still quite a lot of DVD rippers for Windows in the market but for Mac, your choice is limited.

MacTheRipper (MTR) old version is a free DVD Extractor for Mac users to rip DVD. It’s one of the oldest dvd ripping tools for Mac OS. However, the latest version of MTR is no longer free and if you want to get, you have to pay for it.

Well, because it’s a very popular software since last time so many people still wanted to use it. The main reason is that it’s able to rip the commercial or copy-protected DVDs like Macrovision protection, CSS encryption, and remove region code to make it region-free. It also extracts discs with the new ARccOS protection, as well as DVDs that have been damaged or improperly mastered.

The Pros and Cons of Mac The Ripper (MTR) Software

Every program have its own strength and weaknesses, so let see why many people are looking for this MTR software by discovering their pros and cons.

Pros:

• The last free version (updated until v2.6.6) that can do the ripping jobs pretty nice but the latest v5.3 is not free.
• Ability to rip commercial or discs with various types of copy-protections.
• 4 modes of extractions – ISO image, Rip & Rebuild (RnR), Batch extraction, and Main feature.
• Include a stand-alone DVDProbe application to help you analyst the disc before extraction.
• To get the latest version, just make a donation or some sites you have to pay for it.

Cons:

• A tricky user interface, not for newbie
• The latest version is supported through a forum, you need to pay for the upgrade fee and it can cost up to $40 (depend on the current version that you have).
• The converted video output file format is limited.
• The free version only supports Mac OS X 10.6 Leopard and older.

Official Download site: http://www.ripdifferent.com/mtr/

How to Rip DVD Using Free Mac The Ripper v2.6.6?

Following we’ll show you the step by step guide on how to use MactheRipper free version to convert rip DVD on Mac for free. Before we begin, here are the explanations of MTR interface:

Step 1: Download and install MacTheRipper (MTR)

Download MactheRipper on your Mac, install it for ripping DVD on Mac.

Free download Mac The Ripper: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/14414/mactheripper

Step 2: Rip the DVD for Free on Mac

1) Insert your DVD disc into your Mac and launch the Mac The Ripper application. You will see the screen below:

2) Set the RCE options if applicable. Set the ‘RCE Region’ to ‘OFF’ when it says that RCE is ‘-CLEAR-‘. If MTR displays ‘DISC RCE: -CLEAR-‘ after scanning your DVD, you can leave the ‘RCE Region’ popup menu ‘OFF’ (by default).

3) Now you can go back to the ‘Disc’ tab and click the ‘GO!‘ button to start the extraction process. It will take some time depending on the length of the DVD.

Step 3: Finish extracting movie from DVD

A few minutes later, you’ll finish the whole process of ripping DVD with Mac the Ripper. After that, you can find the file (.VOB format) in the save location (folder) that you choose.

Note: The output VOB files are unplayable on portable devices like iPad, iPhone, iPod, HTC, or other tablets. So if you want to enjoy your DVD files on your portable devices, you need a third-party video converter software to convert the output VOB files to the formats that compatible with your device.

That’s to say, you need two converters (Mac the Ripper, and another video converter) for doing that. Also, unless you still want to use the old version of MTR, which is having a very classic interface and also facing compatibility issues. We strongly recommend you upgrade to the latest version or even can choose some other MTR alternatives.

To make it simple, here we recommend you a more powerful DVD Ripper for Mac.

Mac The Ripper Alternative – MacX DVD Ripper Pro

You can read our editor’s full review on some of the top dvd rippers for Mac. One of the most promising programs we recommend is the MacX DVD ripper pro.

With this powerful Mac DVD Ripper program, you can:

• Rip DVDs with just 3-easy steps and the user interface is so simple.
• Ability to rip almost all the DVDs including copy-protected and region code issues.
• The fast speed DVD ripper as you just need few minutes to rip a disc.
• Support or convert any video/audio formats including the popular WMV, AVI, MP4, MKV, etc. Also, you can extract audio or images from the movie.
• Enjoy any DVD & videos on portable devices like iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Samsung, Huawei, PSP, HTC, etc.
• Convert videos and share them on video sharing sites such as YouTube, Google, Vimeo, etc.
• Edit the video like trim any DVD, video, or audio file into several clips and merge media files into one for making your own movie.

Can’t believe it? Just download or buy it via the link below to have a try now!

We highly recommend this program as not just because it’s reliable and stable software, you will also see the software having a discount from time to time. Check out whether MacX is having a discount or not now.

Those that are still not convincing, you can read the full review by our editor’s. Don’t forget that all the purchase comes with a 30-day money refund guarantee.

Conclusion

The MTR is a great application for ripping a DVD on Mac OS X. However, since the latest version required you to pay only you can use the full features, it’s out to you to get it or not. We believe that you won’t regret it if you get the software.

Alternatively, we also recommend you to get a more professional software called MacX DVD Ripper Pro. Many users had no complaint about this software and we also rated it as the best paid DVD ripper for Mac that is constantly updated to rip the latest commercial discs.