Is there a HandBrake alternative for Android or the web?

HandBrake and the alternatives side by side

The big differences are where each one runs and how you aim at a size. Checked on 1 November 2026.

"No limit stated" means HandBrake's pages give no file-size cap, not that any file will work on any computer. HandBrake facts are linked in each cell; OctoZip's come from its code and the compressor page.

What does HandBrake do better?

Almost everything that needs control. If you have a Windows, Mac or Linux computer and a few minutes to learn it, HandBrake is the more capable tool:

• Codecs and containers. It writes MP4, MKV and WebM, with H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9 and others, and can use the graphics hardware in many computers. Our online compressor makes H.264 MP4 only.
• Batches. HandBrake has a queue and a batch scan for a whole folder. Our online compressor does one video at a time, and batch in the app is part of OctoZip Pro.
• Fine control. Filters, cropping, subtitles, chapters and audio passthrough, plus a command-line version.
• No size cap stated and no cost at all. It's open source under the GPL, made by volunteers, with no paid tier.
• Old and unusual files. It opens whatever FFmpeg can, including professional formats, where our online compressor reads MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM and MKV.

When is a HandBrake alternative the better choice?

When the video is on your phone, when you can't install software, or when you need to land under an exact size quickly.

• On an Android phone. HandBrake's documentation lists official builds for Linux, Mac and Windows, and its download page names the only official sources: handbrake.fr, its GitHub project and Flathub. On a phone, use the online compressor in Chrome or the OctoZip app.
• On a work or school computer where you can't install apps. The online compressor is a web page.
• On an older or smaller computer. HandBrake's documentation gives 16 GB of memory as its supported minimum for HD video and 32 GB for 4K, and marks Windows 10 and macOS 13 and older as deprecated. It may still run on less; that is simply what it supports.
• For an exact size. HandBrake has no target-size box: its documentation says it recommends against aiming for a target file size and suggests constant quality, whose output size "is unpredictable". Its Social presets are the exception: they're built to come in under 25 MB for a set length. Our online compressor takes the size you type and works backwards.

How do I compress a video in HandBrake?

Open the video, pick a preset, choose where to save it, and start. These steps follow HandBrake's quick start:

1. Install HandBrake from handbrake.fr and open it.
2. Select Open Source on the toolbar, or drag the video onto the window.
3. Pick a preset. Fast 1080p30 is the default; to land under 25 MB, pick the Social 25 MB preset that matches your video's length.
4. Set the file name in Save As and the folder in To (or Browse…).
5. Select Start on the toolbar.

For quality-first encodes, HandBrake's guide suggests RF 20–24 for 1080p and RF 22–28 for 4K with its H.264 and H.265 encoders; a lower RF means higher quality and a bigger file.

Which Social preset fits my video?

The one whose length is at least as long as your video. HandBrake's preset list has four, each built to keep a video up to that length under 25 MB:

*The compressor's own plan for a 1080p phone video at 30 fps and 17 Mbps with stereo sound, worked out by its code before compressing: it aims about 5% under the size you type and picks the resolution that budget can carry. Real results vary with what's in the picture. Both tools end up at much the same resolutions, because 25 MB only holds so much: a 3-minute video at 25 MB has about 25 × 8 ÷ 180 = 1.1 Mbps for picture and sound together.

How do I get the same result without installing anything?

Use our free online video compressor. It works in recent Chrome or Edge, on a phone or a computer, and the video never leaves your device.

Compress for email in your browser

1. Open the online video compressor and tap Choose a video.
2. Pick Target size and type the size you need, or tap 20 MB (Discord) or 25 MB (email). Each setting shows an estimate before you start.
3. Leave Resolution on Automatic, or choose 1080p, 720p or 480p yourself.
4. Tap Compress video, play the result, then Download it.

Worked example: a 3-minute 1080p phone video of about 387 MB (17 Mbps for the picture plus 192 kbps of sound, × 180 seconds ÷ 8). With Target size 25 MB, the compressor plans 640 × 360 at about 0.86 Mbps with the sound kept, about 24 MB. HandBrake's Social 25 MB 5 Minutes 360p60 lands at the same 360p. The button above opens the compressor set to 18 MB, which leaves room for the extra third that email adds to attachments (why 18 MB for email).

What about videos on an Android phone?

Use the OctoZip app. It compresses on the phone, works without an internet connection, and lets you compare the copy with the original before you save it.

1. Install OctoZip from Google Play and tap Pick a video.
2. Choose Small file (easy share), Medium file or Best Quality. Small file uses about a third of the resolution, Medium file half, and Best Quality keeps it.
3. Tap Start Compression, then Compare, then Save compressed video or Replace the original.

The app has no target size in MB and no trim; batch compression, files over 3 GB and 8K sources need OctoZip Pro. Free users see a full-screen Pro offer after every second saved video. It runs on Android 7.0 or later. Full steps: how to compress a video on Android.

GET IT ONGoogle Play

Questions people ask

Is HandBrake free?

Yes. HandBrake's download page says it "is free and does not require an account", and it's open source under the GPL. Our online compressor is free too, with no sign-up and no watermark.

Can HandBrake compress a video to a specific size?

Not by typing a size. Its Social presets keep videos up to a set length under 25 MB, and its average-bitrate mode controls size at the cost of quality control, which its documentation recommends against unless you really need it. For any other size, work out the bitrate (size in MB × 8 ÷ seconds) or use a tool with a target size, such as our online compressor. See compressing to a specific size.

Does HandBrake upload my video?

No. It encodes on your computer, and its privacy page says its update check doesn't send your source or encoded files. Our online compressor and the OctoZip app also keep the video on your device.

Is there an online version of HandBrake?

HandBrake's pages describe desktop builds only and name handbrake.fr, GitHub and Flathub as its official sources. Online compressors are other companies' tools; check whether a site uploads your video before you use it. Ours doesn't.

What this page doesn't cover

• We didn't time HandBrake or compare picture quality frame by frame. The sizes for our compressor are its own estimates; HandBrake's are what its presets are designed to achieve.
• HandBrake changes between versions. These facts are for 1.11.2, released on 7 June 2026.
• Our online compressor does one video at a time, up to about 1–2 GB, and is made for recent Chrome and Edge. The OctoZip app has no size-in-MB option.

Sources

Checked on 1 November 2026.

• HandBrake: home page, downloads, features, news and privacy.
• HandBrake documentation: quick start, official presets, constant quality vs average bit rate, adjusting quality, system requirements, source formats and where to get HandBrake.
• OctoZip: the app's code and the online compressor's planning code, which gave the estimates above.

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