How to convert MOV to MP4 on your Mac
Convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac: why QuickTime can't, how to do it in iMovie, and how Koi does it in one drag without encoding the picture again. Nothing uploaded.
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What Permute does, and who should replace it
Permute by Charlie Monroe converts video, audio, images and PDFs on your Mac. You drop files on it, pick a preset, and it converts them, one or many. It also trims, crops, resizes, rotates and flips, individually or in bulk, and stitches several files into one. It writes WebM, ProRes and AV1 video, WebP, HEIC and AVIF images, and turns PDF pages into PNG, JPEG, TIFF or WebP, per its page and its Mac App Store listing.
It's $14.99 once, and it's on Setapp. The catch most people hit: Permute 4 needs macOS 26 and an Apple silicon Mac. Permute 3 is still there for macOS 11 to 15 and Intel Macs.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Permute is a good app at a fair price, and Koi only covers part of its job: converting and editing one picture or one video at a time, from a drag. It doesn't convert audio files or work in batches. That's why it isn't first. Every fact about another app comes from its own site or its Mac App Store page, checked October 21, 2026. We didn't run tests or benchmarks.
Why switch
Why people look for a Permute alternative
- Your Mac can't run Permute 4. It needs macOS 26 and Apple silicon.
- You want it free. Permute is $14.99, and there are free converters.
- You need deeper control of codecs and quality than presets give.
- You want to edit, not only convert: crop a screenshot, blur a face, cut a clip.
- You'd rather drag a file onto a target than open a converter window.
The picks
The best Permute alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. HandBrake
Best for: Free video conversion with a queue and real control
HandBrake is free and open source. It converts video to MP4, MKV or WebM with H.264, H.265, AV1 or VP9, uses Apple's VideoToolbox for hardware encoding, has device presets and a queue, and keeps, adds or removes subtitles, per its docs. Version 1.11.2 supports macOS 14 and later.
Weakness: video only. No audio files, no images, no GIFs, and no joining clips, which Permute does. More in our HandBrake alternatives.
2. Shutter Encoder
Best for: Free conversion of almost anything, for people who know codecs
Shutter Encoder converts, compresses and cuts video, handles almost every codec, can cut without encoding again, and has a render queue. It uses FFmpeg and is free with no limits or ads. It runs on macOS 10.14 or later, with Intel and Apple silicon builds, so it covers the Macs Permute 4 leaves out.
Weakness: a lot of settings. It's not a drop-and-go app.
3. Koi
Best for: Converting and editing one picture or video from a drag
Start dragging a picture and hold Shift, and a wheel of nine tools opens round your pointer. Convert saves it as PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF, BMP or PDF. Compress makes it smaller, down to a file size you type. The same wheel crops, edits light and colour, annotates, redacts, puts it on a background, makes a collage, and shows or removes its metadata.
Drag a video and the wheel has Trim, Crop, Compress, Mute, Speed, Snapshot, More and Edit. Convert, under More, makes an MP4, MOV, GIF or M4A, the sound alone. Edit opens an editor with a timeline. Every tool runs on your Mac, nothing is uploaded, and a copy lands beside the original. The Shift wheel also converts PDFs, Word files, slides, spreadsheets, EPUBs and archives.
Koi needs a plan: Pro is $20 a month or $192 a year after a 3-day trial that needs a card, or Lifetime, paid once, from $59. It runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel. Weakness: one picture or video at a time, no presets, no audio file conversion, and no WebP, MKV, WebM, AVI or WMV out. The Mac can read WebP but can't write it.
4. Tangerine
Best for: A drag-and-Shift file converter, audio and subtitles included
Tangerine works the way Koi's wheel does: drag a file, press Shift, drop it on a format. It converts images, video, audio and subtitles, writes WebP, MKV and WebM, which Koi can't, and has a free allowance before a $29.99 one-time unlock. It runs on macOS 13 or later. We compared the two closely in Tangerine alternatives.
Weakness: it's a converter only, and it costs twice Permute.
5. Compresto
Best for: Making files smaller in batches, not converting formats
Compresto compresses videos, images (JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF), GIFs and PDFs on your Mac in batches, with a drop zone, folder watching and video to GIF. Personal is $49 once for one Mac, on its pricing. It needs macOS 13. Weakness: if you mostly change formats, that's a lot to pay for compression.
6. Smart Converter
Best for: A free, simple video converter from the App Store
Smart Converter by ShedWorx is free on the Mac App Store, reads hundreds of file types including MKV and AVI, and converts only the parts of a file that need it. It runs on macOS 10.15 or later. Weakness: the free version's last update listed was February 2025.
7. FFmpeg
Best for: Scripting conversions from Terminal
FFmpeg is the free, open source engine under many of these apps. It records, converts and streams audio and video, and version 8.1 came out in March 2026. Weakness: it's a command-line tool, so you type every conversion.
With Koi
Convert a picture or a video with Koi
- Start dragging the file in Finder, on your desktop or from another app.
- While you hold it, press Shift. The wheel for that kind of file opens round your pointer.
- For a picture, drop it on Convert, then click PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF, BMP or PDF.
- For a video, drop it on More, click Convert, then MP4, MOV, GIF or M4A.
- The copy is saved beside the original and shows in Finder.
JPEG and BMP get white behind see-through parts. A GIF from a video is 10 frames a second, 480 pixels wide, at most 300 frames; for a longer or sharper GIF, use Edit and export a GIF there. More on the Shift wheel.
Comparison
Permute vs the alternatives
From each app's own site or Mac App Store page.
| Video | Audio files | Images | Batch | Price | macOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permute 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes, incl. WebP | Yes | $14.99 once | 26, Apple silicon |
| Koi | MP4, MOV, GIF, M4A | No | PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF, BMP, PDF | No | $20 a month, or Lifetime, $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199 | 14 or later |
| HandBrake | MP4, MKV, WebM | No | No | Queue | Free | 14 or later |
| Shutter Encoder | Almost every codec | Not listed | Not listed | Queue | Free | 10.14 or later |
| Tangerine | Yes, incl. MKV, WebM | Yes | Yes, incl. WebP | Not listed | $29.99 once | 13 or later |
| Compresto | Compress, GIF | No | Compress | Yes | $49 once | 13 or later |
| Smart Converter | Yes | Not listed | No | Not listed | Free | 10.15 or later |
Head to head
Permute vs Koi
Permute is the better converter. It does audio, batches, presets, merging and formats Koi can't write, and it's $14.99. If converting files is the whole job, buy Permute, or use HandBrake or Shutter Encoder for free.
Koi is better when the conversion is one step of something else. You crop the screenshot, blur a name, then save it as a JPEG. You trim the clip, mute it, then make a GIF. You turn a PDF into Word, a deck into a PDF, or unzip a RAR, with the same drag. And Koi is more than files: it types what you say in any app with dictation, records calls, and transcribes audio and video on your Mac.
Stay on Permute if
- You convert audio files, or many files at once.
- You use presets for devices or ProRes for editing.
- You need WebP, WebM or MKV out. Koi can't write them.
- You want to stitch several files into one.
- You want one purchase of $14.99 and nothing else.
Formats
Which formats can Koi write, and which can't it?
Koi uses what macOS can do on its own, so it writes the formats the Mac writes. For pictures that's PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF, BMP and PDF. A picture the Mac reads but can't write, like WebP or RAW, is saved as PNG. For video it's MP4, MOV, GIF and M4A; MKV, WebM, AVI and WMV are shown as empty wedges, because the Mac can't write them without a converter Koi doesn't ship.
Compress encodes with HEVC; the other tools use H.264 when they encode again, and cutting, splitting, muting and MP4 or MOV copies keep the picture as it is. If your job ends in WebP, WebM or MKV, Permute, Tangerine or HandBrake is the right tool.
Choosing
Which Permute alternative should you pick?
- Free video conversion with a queue? HandBrake.
- Free, almost any codec, on older Macs too? Shutter Encoder.
- Convert and edit one picture or video from a drag, on your Mac? Koi.
- The same drag-and-Shift idea with audio and subtitles? Tangerine.
- Batch compression, not conversion? Compresto.
Also see ImageOptim alternatives for images, and Koi's plans.
Keep exploring
The best simple HandBrake alternatives for Mac
Simpler HandBrake alternatives for Mac: Koi, QuickTime Player, Permute, Compresto, Shutter Encoder and iMovie. Compress, trim or convert a video, with prices.
How to convert HEIC to JPG on your Mac
Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac with Preview, a Finder quick action or Photos, one photo or a whole folder, plus the one-drag way with Koi's Shift wheel. All local.
Drag a file. Hold Shift.
Drag any file on your Mac and hold Shift: crop a photo, edit a video, merge or compress a PDF, convert files or unzip. Tap Shift on the desktop for dark mode.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Permute is $14.99 once on Charlie Monroe's site and the Mac App Store, and it's on Setapp. Permute 4 needs macOS 26 and Apple silicon; Permute 3 runs on macOS 11 to 15.
Yes. HandBrake and Shutter Encoder are free video converters, and Smart Converter is free on the Mac App Store. FFmpeg is free if you're happy in Terminal.
No. Koi can save a video's sound as an M4A, but it doesn't convert audio files from one format to another. Permute and Tangerine do.
No. The Mac reads WebP but can't write it, so Koi's Convert offers PNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF, BMP and PDF. Permute and Tangerine write WebP.
Permute 4 needs Apple silicon and macOS 26. Permute 3 is still available for macOS 11 to 15 and Intel Macs.