MOV vs MP4

MOV vs MP4: how they compare, and when to use each.

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MOV vs MP4, side by side

	MOV	MP4
Full name	QuickTime Movie	MPEG-4 (H.264)
Type	Video	Video
Compression	Lossy	Lossy
Best for	editing on Apple devices; converted to MP4 for distribution	sharing and publishing video anywhere

Choose MOV if…

…you need editing on Apple devices; converted to MP4 for distribution.

Choose MP4 if…

…you need sharing and publishing video anywhere.

Convert between them

MOV → MP4 MP4 → MOV

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between MOV and MP4?

QuickTime Movie (MOV) is lossy and best for editing on Apple devices; converted to MP4 for distribution. MPEG-4 (H.264) (MP4) is lossy and best for sharing and publishing video anywhere.

Is MOV better than MP4?

Neither is universally better — it depends on your use case. Choose MOV for editing on Apple devices; choose MP4 for sharing and publishing video anywhere.

Should I use MOV or MP4?

Use MOV when you need editing on Apple devices. Use MP4 when you need sharing and publishing video anywhere.

Can I convert MOV to MP4?

Yes — you can convert MOV to MP4 (and back) for free, in seconds, right here.

Last updated July 2026