We know what you’re thinking: what’s the point of writing an article about the best DVD burning software? I mean, who even uses DVDs in this day and age? You know, we live in the finest possible universe, i.e. in the digital age, where AI is omnipresent, SSDs (not to mention thumb drives) are stupidly inexpensive, and the fact is that DVDs are an antique technology, something from another period, pre-internetz and all that millennial nonsense.
The snarky diatribe above contains some truth, but DVDs are not as horrible as you would imagine. The fundamental benefit of keeping data on a DVD rather than a magnetic medium such as a hard disk drive/SSD or a thumb drive is that DVDs are considerably safer in terms of data integrity, as data stored on a DVD has a significantly longer shelf life than the alternative. Essentially, you can create a sort of archive (encrypted, of course) on a DVD, store it in a closet, and forget about it until 2050.
After thirty years (and change) have passed (yeah, big LOTR fan here), assuming you don’t have rats or dogs, it’s extremely likely that your valuable data will still be available, assuming the world doesn’t end by 2050 and you can locate anything in your closet. SSDs, HDDs, and other magnetic storage technologies, on the other hand, suffer from what is known as data perishability; as a result, SSDs and HDDs cannot be utilized (and are not used) for archival purposes. The data on a DVD or CD is laser printed (think paper archives and old libraries) on a microscopic sheet of metal, which means that if properly stored, the information may persist for hundreds of years.
If you’re already convinced that saving your cat images on DVDs for eternity is a good idea, here’s the meat of the article: the best DVD burning software money can buy. Don’t worry, most of today’s article is about freeware, so dust off your DVD player and let’s get started.
Best DVD Burning Software
BurnAware, as the name implies, is a full-featured DVD burning software for fashion-conscious DVD fans. Aside from that, we think BurnAware is quite cool because it has a ton of settings and, best of all, it’s completely free.
But don’t worry: if you’re the picky sort, this DVD burning software comes in three versions or editions, including a commercial one with extra tools.
To make a long story short, BurnAware is excellent for both home users and “professionals” alike, as long as burning DVDs for profit is still a thing, and it will assist you in any type of endeavor that involves DVDs and CDs, ranging from burning tasks such as image creation, backup, basic disc burning, erasing, copying, and audio track extraction to data recovery. Basically, this baby will cover all of your bases, and if you’re also utilizing video editing software for YouTube, you’ll find BurnAware to be fairly great owing to its audio track extraction ability.
Nero Burning ROM
Nero Burning ROM is the grandfather of dvd burning software, has been around for what seems like an eternity. Needless to say, Nero is the world’s most popular and number-one burning software, and if you don’t believe us, just ask your father. Aside from that, as far as DVD burning software goes, Nero is undoubtedly one of the best (or at least one of the most well-known, just kidding), and despite its age, its latest edition has some life left in it, i.e. it’s still kicking.
However, there is one minor caveat to this success story: Nero isn’t free, which is most likely due to its incredibly advanced capabilities. Despite the lack of a free version, Nero is a decent choice, especially for non-technical users, because it has an easy-to-use interface and supports a wide range of disc types, if not all of them. Furthermore, Nero provides a plethora of choices, such as a plethora of settings to control all parts of the burning process. You can also burn as many compilations as you want at the same time, and file selection is done using drag-and-drop.
When it comes to ease of use and an intuitive UI, Nero remains the undisputed ruler. Nero has a SecureDisk feature that is password/digital signature protected, and it also integrates with third-party software to increase security even further (Check Point Endpoint Security Media Encryption). Finally, Nero includes a DiscSpan feature that allows you to spread enormous file content across many discs.
Next, we have WinX DVD Author, which is one of the best dvd burning software for Windows, as it allows you to easily burn MP4, MKV, AVI, VOB, FLV, MOV, ISO formats on DVD discs, while also providing a plethora of useful features that transform your video files into professional-looking DVDs. That sounds fantastic, and the greatest part is that WinX DVD Author is completely free.
To make a long and boring story short and sweet, WinX DVD Author is the ideal solution for home users looking for an easy fix to their dvd burning software problems, and even though it has a few quirks (this is not a bug, but a feature of freeware), it makes for more than adequate free DVD burning software, provided you are not the demanding type.
Ashampoo Burning Studio Free
We’re not sure why the developers titled their software Ashampoo, but as far as freeware goes, this one is a work of art, and we mean that in the best possible way. Ashampoo (what’s in a name, right?) Burning Studio will allow you to burn, copy, rip, and loot nearly anything you can get your hands on, making it a hassle-free and rather a quick DVD burning software if ever there was one.
Even though it’s gratis, Ashampoo delivers where it counts: it’s dependable, feature-rich, and simple to use, and it’s meant to make burning/backing up data a breeze. With Ashampoo, anything is possible: ripping music discs, burning existing videos/movies on DVDs, producing audio discs, burning MP4s and photographs on Blu-rays, copying/burning movies, and so forth.
CDBurnerXP
The best things in life are free, and CDBurnerXP is no exception. If you’re looking for a straightforward application to burn DVDs and CDs, go no further, since you’ve found it. Since we’re in the “present year,” it’s pretty evident that CDBurnerXP works just as well with Blu-ray discs and HD-DVDs, and it also lets you burn and produce ISOs.
And, yeah, everything is completely free, even for commercial usage, not to mention that you won’t need a PhD in IT to use it. It’s true that CDBurnerXP lacks some of the features found in other software bundles, but we’re talking about freeware here. However, this baby has all of the bells and whistles you’ll ever need to produce DVDs/all types of discs for all kinds of needs, so quit whining, okay?
Wondershare DVD Creator, our next competitor for the best free DVD burning software, is a comprehensive and simple-to-use DVD toolkit designed to help you solve all of your DVD-related problems. Surprisingly, you may use Wondershare DVD Creator for free, as there is a free download version available on the official website, or as a paid-for package. Another unique feature for Apple users is the ability to get your own personalized DVD toolkit for Mac.
So, what’s the deal with Wondershare? The most crucial aspect of this DvD maker is that it supports a large number of formats, more than 150 in total. You can accomplish a variety of things with the vast array of accessible formats, including DVD, DVD folder, Blu-ray DVD folder, ISO, Blu-ray disc, MP4 to DVD, MKV to DVD, AVI to DVD, and many, many more. DVD-9, DVD-5, and DVD-R/RW are all supported, as well as BD-R, BD-RE, BD-25, BD-25, BD-50, and BD-100.
The user interface is simple and easy to use, and you may burn a DVD with a single click. There’s also a video editor built in, and you can produce photo slideshows and DVD menus if you’re so inclined.
DVD MovieFactory Pro
Corel’s DVD MovieFactory Pro, now in its sixth iteration, is as serious as it sounds. Corel is a well-known software company, and their latest MovieFactory Pro is a professional-grade (read: not free) all-in-one HD disc authoring and DVD burning software. And, no, it’s not cheap, either, though you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck if you can afford it and put it to good use.
In that regard, DVD MovieFactory Pro is an excellent tool for converting your home videos and photographs into professional-quality DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, or AVCHD. Because we’re talking about professional-grade software, Corel’s professionally developed templates will allow you to create fantastic Hollywood-style motion menus and cutting-edge effects. We know it sounds complicated and pricey, and it is, but if you want the best DVD burning software and then some, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Oh, and there is a free trial, but if you’re serious about making quality DVDs, just go for the paid option and thank us later.
AnyBurn
Featuring cutting-edge effects made possible by Corel’s pro When it comes to inspired branding/marketing, AnyBurn comes to mind. As the name implies, AnyBurn is a lightweight free solution for DVD/CD/Blu-ray burning and imaging. Despite having few resources and being completely free to use, AnyBurn has a lot to offer, including some professional capabilities that are difficult to find in shareware.
What can AnyBurn be used for? You can burn files and folders to any type of disc, burn image files on discs, burn Audio CDs from digital sources like MP3, APE, FLAC, WAV, or WMA, or create image file from disc, clean a rewritable disc, copy a disc, create image file from folders/files, convert image files, or view disc/drive information with a single click.
DVDStyler
DVDStyler is another intriguing DVD burning software toolbox that can be defined as a cross-platform DVD authoring app; the best thing about DVDStyler is that it is completely free to use and is aimed at video enthusiasts who want to create their own professional-looking DVDs for their movie collection or whatever.
DVDStyler is not only free, but it is also open-source, as it is offered under the GNU General Public License. If you are concerned about privacy and security, DVDStyler is one of the best alternatives available.
ImgBurn
ImgBurn comes to mind when I think of simplicity, and that’s because its beauty is in its simplicity, like a Swiss watch. Because ImgBurn is the last (but not least) DVD burning software on our list, it should come as no surprise that it is one of the easiest to use, allowing you to accomplish practically any fundamental burning activity you can think of without drama and in record time.
ImgBurn is compatible with practically every version of Windows and supports almost every image format known to man, including BIN, CCD, CDI, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG, and PDI. Audio support is also excellent, with the ability to make audio CDs from practically any source, including AAC, APE, FLAC, M4A, MP3, MP4, MPC, OGG, PCM, WAV, WMA, and WV. Obviously, Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs are also supported, as they can be used to create your own DVD. Basically, ImgBurn covers all of your bases, and it’s completely free.