A dBpoweramp Alternative That Converts More Than Audio

The short version

Pricing checked in August 2026. Illustrate runs promotions, so check their page before you buy anything.

Do not read that format row as a score. Every vendor counts differently: some count formats they can open, some count formats they can write, and some count both as one number. dBpoweramp's figure is its own claim in its own units. The row worth comparing is the one above it, because dBpoweramp's list is audio codecs, so however long it runs it is still only audio.

What dBpoweramp is

dBpoweramp from Illustrate handles audio conversion and CD ripping. It runs on Windows and Mac. It is around $40 as a one-time purchase. The trial runs 21 days and then reverts to a reduced free edition.

For format coverage it advertises audio codecs, with more available from Codec Central.

Where dBpoweramp is the better buy

dBpoweramp's AccurateRip verification is the reason people buy it, and How to Convert does not rip CDs at all. If you are archiving a CD collection, dBpoweramp is the right tool and this is not a replacement.

Why people go looking for something else

The usual reason is that you need to convert things that are not audio and do not want a second app for everything else.

How to Convert (I built this one)

How to Convert does 5,438 conversion pairs across 124 file types, covering audio, video, images, documents, ebooks and email. It costs $29 once. There is no subscription, no renewal, and no separate licence for each operating system. One purchase covers Mac, Windows and Linux on up to 5 devices.

Everything runs on your own machine. Files are never uploaded to a server, which matters more than it used to: in March 2025 the FBI's Denver field office warned that free online converters were being used to deliver malware and to scrape uploaded files for passwords and financial details.

Converting as many files as you like in one go

This is the job most converters make you do one file at a time. Select as many files as you want, drag them in, pick the output format once, and walk away. There is no queue limit and no per-file confirmation, and because it runs on your own machine the speed depends on your CPU rather than someone else's upload queue.

Where it wins against dBpoweramp

• It covers video, images, documents and email as well as audio.
• It is cheaper as a one-time purchase, and it runs on Linux too.
• 5,438 conversion pairs across 124 file types, so whatever you need to convert next is probably already covered.
• Nothing is uploaded, so private documents, client work and personal photos never leave your computer.

What dBpoweramp cannot do

dBpoweramp handles audio conversion and CD ripping, and advertises audio codecs, with more available from Codec Central. This does 5,438 conversion pairs across 124 file types, so the gap is not a slightly longer list, it is whole categories of file. All of the below runs in the same app, on the same one-time licence.

Video between containers

Swapping between MP4, MOV, MKV and the rest is usually a container change rather than a genuine re-encode, so it should be quick and lossless. You get control over the codec and quality when you need it, and sensible defaults when you do not.

Cropping and trimming during conversion

Converting is rarely the whole job. Trimming the dead air off the front of a recording or cropping a video to a different aspect ratio normally means opening an editor first. Doing it in the same pass saves the round trip through a second application.

Where it does not win

It does not rip CDs and has no AccurateRip verification. If you are archiving a CD collection, dBpoweramp is the right tool and this is not a substitute for it.

Should you switch?

Switch if you convert more than one type of file, work across more than one operating system, or object to paying again for something you use occasionally. At $29 once against around $40, it is cheaper outright and covers four more kinds of file.

Stay with dBpoweramp if the specific thing it does better is the thing you bought it for. dBpoweramp's AccurateRip verification is the reason people buy it, and How to Convert does not rip CDs at all. If you are archiving a CD collection, dBpoweramp is the right tool and this is not a replacement.

You can try most conversions in the browser first, free, before buying anything. Drag a file onto the converter on the home page and see whether it handles your files properly.