A Blu-ray ripper is a program that takes the information from a Blu-ray disc and converts it into a file on your computer.

Most Blu-ray rippers come with a fairly high price tag, but some free options will do the job if you’re willing to put in a little extra work. We’ve compiled a list of the best free and paid options to help you choose the best Blu-ray ripper for you.

VLC is a great media player that can also rip DVDs and Blu-rays. It is open-source software that is free, so there is no barrier to entry. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be your favorite Blu-ray ripper, it is still a very competent video player that can handle most video and audio formats.

The biggest problem with VLC is that, as open-source software, it doesn't have the ability to play encrypted Blu-ray discs, let alone rip them. You'll have to jump through some hoops to add the ability to play encrypted Blu-ray discs, and even then you'll find that the ripping process is quite slow and that VLC can't handle some Blu-ray menus.