Video and audio tools for Mac
macOS ships with almost nothing for media conversion. These are the apps that handle playback, transcoding and screen recording without an Adobe subscription.
ffmpegPlay, record, convert, and stream select audio and video codecsVLC media playerMultimedia playerIINAFree and open-source media playermpvMedia player based on MPlayer and mplayer2OBSOpen-source software for live streaming and screen recordingAudacityMulti-track audio editor and recorderHandBrakeOpen-source video transcoderLosslessCutTrims video and audio files losslesslyShotcutVideo editorKdenliveFree and Open Source Video EditorDownieDownloads videos from different websitesPermuteConverts and edits video, audio or image files
Install the whole list
One command per app. Paste them as a block to set up a new Mac:
How this list was chosen
Each collection is curated by hand, then filtered against the live Homebrew catalogue so removed or deprecated apps drop out automatically. Ordering follows 30-day install counts, not paid placement. Data updated 2026-10-26.