MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is the most widely used video container format in the world. Standardized in 2001, it is supported by virtually every device, browser, platform, and media player - from iPhones and Android phones to Smart TVs, YouTube, and Windows.
Like MOV and MKV, MP4 is a container format. It holds video, audio, subtitles, and metadata in a single file. The video inside is most commonly encoded with H.264 or H.265 (HEVC), and the audio with AAC.
MP4 strikes the best balance between compatibility, quality, and file size of any video format available today. H.264-encoded MP4 files are small enough to share easily, high enough quality for most uses, and play back without issues on any modern device. That combination is why it became the default format for streaming, social media, and video sharing.
Compared to MOV, MP4 is more universally compatible - MOV is optimized for Apple devices and can have playback issues on Windows or Android. Compared to MKV, MP4 has broader support in consumer devices and streaming platforms, even though MKV can hold more codec types. Compared to WebM, MP4 is better supported outside of web browsers.
MP4 is the format of choice for uploading to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and most other platforms. It's also the standard output format for video editing software when exporting for web or general distribution.
MP4 files with H.264 encoding are significantly smaller than uncompressed formats like AVI or WAV-based video, with minimal visible quality loss at typical settings. H.265 (HEVC) MP4 files are roughly half the size of H.264 at equivalent quality, but require more processing power to encode and decode.
You can convert MOV to MP4 - and convert from MKV, AVI, WebM, and more - directly in your browser. No software to install, no upload required.