6 Best DVD Authoring Software for Mac & Windows in 2026 (Free & Paid)

DVD authoring remains a great way for archiving and sharing videos. It turns digital files into physical discs you can play on any DVD player and TV, while also freeing up valuable space on your computer's hard drive.

Creating a polished DVD with interactive menus and chapters requires the right tool. In this article, I've made a round-up for the best DVD authoring software for Mac or Windows, which can help you to pack your multiple videos into a disc easily.

 Cisdem DVD Burner

The Best DVD Authoring Software

• Easy to use with the step-by-step workflow
• Author DVDs from multiple large videos in popular formats
• Include 8 essential editing features, including Crop, Trim, Effects, and more
• Split videos into multiple chapters
• Add external subtitle files or burn videos with embedded subtitles
• Add DVD menus to better define the structure and navigation
• Customize menus with multiple free templates, background, text, music, etc.
• Choose from 4 DVD playback modes, including 3 looping modes

Free Download macOS 10.15 or later Free Download Windows 10 or later

How I Tested the Top DVD Authoring Software

I tested 6 popular DVD authoring programs to see how they handle the same video. I used Exit Strategy as the test video. It's 1:19:09 (duration), 903 MB (size), and 1920 × 1080 (original resolution). I create NTSC DVDs from the movie on a Windows 11 PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H.

Test Results

Notes

• The 1080p source was converted to standard NTSC DVD-Video resolution during authoring.
• I used each program's automatic bitrate setting, as some programs, such as Express Burn, don't offer manual bitrate or quality controls. The authoring times reflect the actual time taken with each program's default settings.
• The authoring times above are from my Windows tests. Mac performance may differ.

6 Best DVD Authoring Software for Mac or Windows

#1 Cisdem DVD Burner

Support OS: macOS 10.15 or later; Windows 10, Windows 11

Based on test results, Cisdem DVD Burner is my top choice for DVD authoring software on Mac and Windows. It brings you a great user experience that lets you burn any video to DVD with menus, chapters, subtitles, and background music.

All the SD/HD videos to DVD authoring are supported, including files from Internet downloaded, camcorder recorded, iPhone, iTunes, and more. You can do some fine-tune works for the loaded videos, such as Trim, Crop, add Watermark, etc. Also, you can preset your output quality and create as DVD disc, VIDEO_TS folder, or ISO image.

Learn more about Cisdem DVD authoring software →

Free Download macOS 10.15 or later Free Download Windows 10 or later

How to use:

Step 1. Load video files to the software

Drag-n-drop all video files into the DVD authoring software on Mac or Windows. At the bottom, select the TV standard and quality preset.

Step 2. Make edition (optional)

Once all video files are loaded, you can get down to works of editing and enhancing your video.

Click under the video thumbnail and enter into the video editing window. You are able to fine-tune the video visual effects, like crop/rotate video footage, create special effects, add watermarks, divide chapters, and add SRT or ASS subtitles.

Step 3. Choose DVD menu templates

When editing is done, you can make a DVD menu for your disc. This professional DVD authoring software has a DVD menu creator built-in.

Click the "Menu" tab to open the design window. From there, pick a template, then customize backgrounds, buttons, and frames. You can also edit text (font, size, color), and add background music from your local folder.

Tips: Click the tab to preview your works. You can check if all needs are met, it’s convenient for you to go back to modify if something is not satisfying.

Step 4. Start DVD authoring on Mac or PC

Insert a blank DVD into your optical drive.

Click , choose an output type as DVD disc, DVD folder or ISO files. Put a name for the disc and adjust the DVD settings to improve the output viewing experience.

Click the “Burn” button to burn DVD quickly with the best DVD authoring software.

#2 DVDStyler

Support OS: macOS 10.15 Catalina+; 32-bit and 64-bit Windows

DVDStyler is a piece of DVD authoring software free on multiple platforms. You are able to burn multiple video files into a disc and make a simple DVD menu with some ready-made templates, buttons. You can also load the external image file and set it as a background.

Although it is one of the most comprehensive tools for DVD authoring, as a freeware, it has its own shortcomings compared to some peer DVD authoring software, you can’t expect it works fast or 100% original output quality.

How to use:

1. Run the free, open-source DVD authoring software on Mac or Windows. (A “Welcome” dialog will come up by default. You can name the DVD and modify the project settings via disc capacity, bitrate, format, ratio, etc. Or just select the option to have it not to appear again.)
2. Add your video files to the software and drag them to the customizing area.
3. Double-click the videos to bring up the “Properties”, which let you change the “Action” and “Look” of your videos.
4. Choose a template for the DVD menu or upload other background picture.
5. Click on the burn icon to start DVD authoring on Mac/PC.

#3 TMPGEnc Authoring Works 7

Support OS: Windows 10, 11 (64-bit only)

TMPGEnc Authoring Works 7 is a piece of well-designed DVD authoring software for Windows. It follows a simple 5-step process, from adding your videos to creating the final disc. It supports up to 4 audio streams and 8 subtitle streams per project, offers 30+ menu templates. Its Smart Rendering feature saves your time, as it just re-encodes the parts that have to change and skips everything else.

TMPGEnc Authoring Works 7 is great for creating DVDs, Blu-rays, and AVCHD discs, also gives me many options to customize them. However, it requires enough free disk space to install and process projects. When disk space was insufficient during installation, the setup stopped with an “Aborted” message. Meawhile, its price is high, makes it better suited to users who need advanced authoring features.

How to use:

1. Launch the software, choose the output format as DVD VIDEO and TV standard, then click “Start New Project”.
2. Import your videos in "Source". Use Cut-edit to trim clips, add chapter points, and manage audio and subtitle streams.
3. Go to "Menu", choose templates and edit it.
4. Open "Simulation" to test the project with the virtual remote.
5. Finish output settings and begin the authoring process.

#4 Wondershare DVD Creator

Support OS: Mac OS X 10.10+; Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP

Wondershare DVD Creator is industry standard DVD authoring software with support for all kinds of formats and discs. What makes it extraordinary lies in that there are 136 free menu templates for memory, holiday, sport, movie, and more. You can further decorate the DVD menu by changing the any element in it. And when you edit your videos, you can choose from trendy effects with sample images provided.

Its interface and features are similar to Cisdem DVD Burner, but it ranks lower due to slower installation and authoring, plus bugs after years without updates.

How to use:

1. Click “DVD Video Disc” to get the primary interface of DVD disc authoring.
2. Hit the “+” sign to browse and add video files from your local folder.
3. Click the pencil-like icon in the bottom right corner of the thumbnail, and start editing your footage.
4. Move to “Menu”. Select a DVD menu design from the right column.
5. Preview the created DVD.
6. Go to “Burn” and hit the “Burn” button.

#5 Express Burn

Support OS: macOS 10.5 or higher; Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Express Burn offers a free version (limited functions) to burn audio, video, and data to DVD. It supports adding menus and chapters, and also lets you create DVD folders and ISO images. It is a simple case of drag and drop to click and burn. But it loads files with slow speed, and doesn’t provide more advanced features, like video editing.

There are 3 Pro versions of this DVD authoring software for Mac and Windows. The “Express Burn Plus CD + DVD Authoring” version is available at a discounted price of $34.99/year. For video and audio editing, you need to pay extra for the VideoPad Video Editor or WavePad Sound Editor bundles, with plans starting at $39.95.

How to use:

1. Go to "Video" tab and choose "Video DVD" as the disc compilation.
2. Click on “Add File(s)” or “Add Folder” button to upload local videos.
3. Click on the "Create Menu" button, in the new opening window, pick a template like Birdies or Butterflies from left panel. Also edit the title/subtitle, and set a custom background image.
4. Optionally, click "Manage Chapters" to add chapter points at specific times.
5. In the "Video Settings" window, configure TV System and output quality.
6. Burn a video DVD with Express Burn.

#6 WinX DVD Author

Support OS: Windows 11/10 and lower

WinX DVD Author is a free DVD authoring software for Windows for making DVD from video files with menus and chapters. It includes 4 modules that helps you either handle the entire DVD authoring process in one go or complete each step separately. It's got some editing tools and the interface is pretty straightforward, so you can pick it up fast. Encoding is a little slow though, taking about 30 to 40 minutes for an hour-long movie.

How to use:

1. Click "Video DVD Author" to start a new DVD project.
2. Click "+" to import your video files, then choose an aspect ratio.
3. Click the "Next Step" icon to open the menu designer, customize DVD menu and chapter menu.
4. Go to the "DVD Builder" panel, set the write speed and encoder engine. Finally, perform DVD authoring on Windows.

Summary

What makes the best DVD authoring software?

Here’s how good DVD authoring tool answers these questions.

Is it easy to use? You shouldn’t take hours to learn and need a tutorial to get started.

Does it give you enough control? Useful options include custom menus, chapters, subtitles, video editing, preview, and different output choices.

Does it run without issues? A pretty interface doesn't mean much if it keeps crashing or failing mid-project.

How fast? DVD authoring requires waiting, especially when processing large video files, so speed is crucial.

Is it worth the price? Free tools can handle basic DVD authoring. But if you want more features and better experience, consider paid ones.

What is the best DVD authoring software in this review?

Of the 6 programs I tested, I recommend Cisdem DVD Burner overall. As a well-established DVD authoring tool with a broad set of features, it works for both Mac and Windows users and makes the authoring process smoother and more efficient. TMPGEnc Authoring Works 7 is the stronger choice for more detailed control over editing, authoring features, and DVD structure, but it only for Windows.

What’s the best free DVD authoring software?

DVDStyler, especially for Windows users. It offers solid features and still actively updated. On newer Macs, however, compatibility can be an issue. The program may crash when dragging a video into the it.

Any Blu-ray authoring software?

Yes. If you need to author Blu-ray discs, you can use TMPGEnc Authoring Works 7, Wondershare DVD Creator (Windows version), and Express Burn.