MKV and MP4 are two popular video formats. You can easily download and get video in MP4 or MKV format. So you may wonder what is the difference between MKV and MP4 ? Is MKV better than MP4 ? Which format offers better video quality? Here in this post we will give some basic information about MKV vs MP4. You can learn more about the comparison, and then better handle video files.

MKV and MP4
MKV (Matroska) is a popular video format created in 2002 by an independent programmer. This is a free and open container format.

MKV can transfer an infinite amount of video, audio, image, subtitles and more in one file. The MKV file can store FLAC audio and ASS subtitles.



The MKV file regularly has the extension of .mkv for video, .mka for audio, .mks for subtitles and .mk3d for stereoscopic / 3D video. MKV is also the foundation of WebM video.

In fact, MKV was mainly developed to replace the MP4 format as a free and open alternative. So the MKV creator gives his beginning as an open standard.

Now MKV is mainly used to support Google codecs such as VP8 and VP9 as well as Opus and Vorbis.

MP4 (MPEG4, MPEG-4 part 14) is one of the most popular video formats.

It is also a container format such as MKV. MP4 is mainly used for dynamic adaptive streaming via HTTP and HLS from Apple.

You should know that the MP4 format is actually based on the QuickTime file format. The MP4 format is compatible with almost all media players and devices.



In addition, it highly supports a wide range of codecs such as H.264, H.265, AAC and others.

Pros & Cons
Both of MKV and MP4 are video containers. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Here are the references you may be interested in:

The Advantages of MP4 (Including Disadvantages of MKV Relatively)

The MP4 file has broad support in browsers, operating systems, and media software. It can provide high-quality videos for almost all operating systems. While if you want to stream video to a Web browser, MKV is not viable.
An MP4 file is smaller than an equivalent MKV file. This means that it will not take you a while to upload or download an MP4 file. Besides, it will not take much space on your data storage device.


The MP4 format has got support from the industry association and passed the scrutiny to make it to be an ISO standard. While even the MKV format has been used for many years, the Matroska's specifications are still in development.
The video player that is pre-installed in the mobile device is more likely to support MP4 files.
The Advantages of MKV (Including Disadvantages of MP4 Relatively)

The MKV format is an open format that doesn’t need license requirements. Thus, the MKV files are widely supported in much free software.
The MKV format supports almost all kinds of codecs. While if you are using MP4, you will need to get the codecs from a third party.
The MKV format supports more features like multiple tracks and subtitles. It is better than the MP4 format in this respect.


The MKV format can be a better choice for long-term retention due to its fully open nature counts in its favor and files self-documenting feature. But if you want to use a video container format for long-term archives, well-known codecs and attachment formats should be used.
Platform Compatibility
For both video editing software and playback devices, MP4 has better compatibility than MKV. If you want to upload videos to your YouTube, MP4 should be the best choice.

Besides, due to its small size and versatility, MP4 is also your best choice for videos optimized for mobile devices. Perhaps, the pre-installed media player on a mobile device doesn’t allow you to play an MKV file.

You can install a third-party tool to do the job.

Supported Videos/Audios
The typical combination of MP4 is H.264 (x264) / Xvid / MPEG4 videos mixed with AAC / MP3 Audio. As to MKV, it supports the lossless FLAC audio.

But the MP4 format doesn’t support it.

The MKV file supports selectable SSA subtitles and audio tracks. But MP4 doesn’t support them.

Quality
Due to the compatibility with additional functions, numerous audio tracks and subtitle tracks, MKV has a larger size than MP4. But, this doesn’t mean that MP4 has lower quality than MKV.

Both MKV and MP4 are container formats that can encapsulate the same video and audio.

Which One Is Better?
Each video format has its advantages for special cases but not as good for other situations. For example, MP4 is widely used to play videos on a web browser and it has less file overhead.

While MKV is more suitable for converting DVDs and Blu-Ray discs to video files.



The most important factor for video quality in MP4 vs. MKV is the codec. MKV supports more codecs, making more options available.

However, you need to make sure that the codec you choose is reliable and available for the software you are using. For example, if you prefer to use Google's cutting-edge codec VP9, you’d better go with MKV rather than MP4.

Convert MKV to MP4 or Vice Versa
Here comes another topic: conversions between MKV and MP4. For your special use, you may need to convert MKV to MP4 or vice versa.

You need to use special video converters to do the job.

Online Conversion
Cloudconvert
Online-Convert
Desktop Conversion
MiniTool MovieMaker for Windows
MiniTool MovieMaker is a tool special for Windows 10/8/7. You can use it to do a lot of things like video compositing, video conversions, video clip, and more.

It is a free tool. You can just refer to the post or the following steps to practice MKV and MP4 convertings.

1. Open MiniTool MovieMaker.

2. Click Import Media Files to continue.

3. Select the MKV video you want to convert from your computer.

4. Move the mouse cursor to the imported video and then click the Plus symbol to add the video to the left player on the software.

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5. Click the Export button that is on the top toolbar.

6. There will be a pop-up interface where you can type a name for the video, select MP4 as the output video format, choose a location to save the file, and make some other settings.

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7. When everything is prepared, you can click the Export button that is on the pop-up interface to start the conversion process.

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