AppGrabbit vs Shutter Encoder
One is free and outputs everything. The other fetches the video from the link.
Updated: October 2026 · 6 min read
Shutter Encoder is free, runs on your PC and outputs every ProRes and DNxHR variant: for converting files you already have, it is hard to beat. AppGrabbit outputs only the two master variants (ProRes 422 HQ and DNxHR HQ), but it fetches the video from the link and converts it in the same queue, with a screen of three shortcuts. If your footage lives on your disk, Shutter; if it comes from YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, AppGrabbit.
Feature comparison
| AppGrabbit | Shutter Encoder | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 1 credit per file, 5 free a month; Pro USD 8.99 | Free (donations) |
| ProRes 422 HQ and DNxHR HQ | Yes, with a shortcut | Yes |
| The other variants (Proxy, LT, 4444, HQX, 444…) | No | All |
| Fetches the video from a link | Yes: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Twitch… | No |
| Transcribe and subtitle with AI in the same program | Yes | No |
| Trim, change resolution, LUTs, normalize audio | No | Yes |
| Interface | Three shortcuts and a list | Very complete, dense |
| Queue of several files | Yes | Yes |
| Watermark | Never | Never |
| Systems | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Runs on your PC | Yes | Yes |
Sources: shutterencoder.com. Read in October 2026; Shutter Encoder's features grow with every version and are worth confirming.
The same encoder, two ideas of a program
Both convert with FFmpeg. Shutter Encoder exposes almost everything FFmpeg knows how to do: that is why it has hundreds of options and why an editor who knows what they want loves it. AppGrabbit hides FFmpeg behind three shortcuts built for the most common request ("can you send it to me in ProRes?") and puts the Download tab right next to it, which is what Shutter doesn't have.
What decides it: where the video comes from
If it is already on your disk, Shutter Encoder does more and costs nothing. If it is in a link, with Shutter you need another program to download it first; in AppGrabbit it is the tab next door and the same queue. For anyone who edits footage from social media, references or their own channel, that is the difference between two steps and one.
- 1Install AppGrabbit. 109 MB, Windows 10 and 11, no account. Windows will say it protected your PC because the installer is not code-signed: More info › Run anyway.
- 2Paste the link in Download. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, Twitch or SoundCloud. Leave Format on "Video with audio" and Quality on "Best": the app downloads the best track there is, up to 4K.
- 3Open Convert and drag the file in. The video lands in your Downloads folder. In the Convert tab, drag it in or pick it with "Choose files".
- 4Click the editor shortcut. At the top you'll see "Editing the video? Shortcuts for Premiere, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut": ProRes 422 HQ, DNxHR HQ or WAV for editing. The shortcut applies to the videos already in the list and to the ones you drop afterwards.
- 5Convert. Out comes a .mov with 10-bit video (ProRes) or 8-bit video (DNxHR) and 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz, which is what Premiere, Resolve, Avid and Final Cut expect. It is saved in the folder shown under "Saved to".
Exactly what AppGrabbit outputs
- ProRes 422 HQ in .mov: 10-bit 4:2:2 video (prores_ks profile 3, with the vendor tag Final Cut recognizes) and 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- DNxHR HQ in .mov: 8-bit 4:2:2 video and the same 24-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz.
- WAV for editing: the audio uncompressed, for Audition, Audacity or the mix.
- What it does not output: the other variants (Proxy, LT, 4444, HQX, 444). If your delivery calls for them, use the FFmpeg command or Shutter Encoder; both are below.
- Where it runs: on your PC, with the FFmpeg that ships inside the installer. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
Price
Shutter Encoder: free, with donations. AppGrabbit: 1 credit per converted file, 5 free a month. Pro, USD 8.99 a month, no cap and no yearly plan; 7-day pass for USD 3.99.
When to use Shutter Encoder
When you need a specific variant (LT, Proxy, 4444, HQX), to trim or scale while converting, to apply a LUT, normalize audio, or convert on Mac or Linux. And when you don't want to pay anything: it is a serious program and free.
When AppGrabbit is the better choice
When the footage comes from a link and you want it in ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQ without going through two programs; when you also transcribe or subtitle that footage; and when you prefer a simple screen to a console of options.
Files you already have and variants à la carte: Shutter Encoder, free. Footage that comes from YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, converted in the same queue: AppGrabbit, 1 credit per file with 5 free a month, or Pro for USD 8.99 a month with no cap. Many editors use both.
From the link to ProRes, in a single app
Windows 10 and 11 · 109 MB · 1 credit per file, 5 free a month
Frequently asked questions
Yes, with an optional donation. Windows, macOS and Linux. It is an interface on top of FFmpeg made by an editor for editors.
Yes: the whole ProRes family (Proxy to 4444 XQ), every DNxHR and DNxHD level, and dozens more formats. AppGrabbit only outputs ProRes 422 HQ and DNxHR HQ, the master variants.
When the footage comes from a link (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram…): AppGrabbit downloads it and converts it in the same queue. And when you prefer a screen with three shortcuts to one with two hundred options.
Both use FFmpeg's prores_ks encoder; a ProRes 422 HQ from one and from the other is the same kind of file. AppGrabbit fixes the audio at 24-bit PCM, 48 kHz; in Shutter Encoder you choose.
Neither one adds a watermark or a size limit. Shutter Encoder has no credits; AppGrabbit charges 1 credit per file with 5 free a month, or Pro with no cap.
It is the most sensible thing: AppGrabbit to fetch and convert what comes from a link; Shutter Encoder when you need a variant the app doesn't output.