MP4 vs MOV
Comparing MPEG-4 Part 14 and Apple QuickTime Movie — which format should you use?
| MP4 | MOV | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | MPEG-4 Part 14 | Apple QuickTime Movie |
| Extension | .mp4 | .mov |
| MIME Type | video/mp4 | video/quicktime |
| Category | video | video |
MP4 Pros
- +Universal playback support
- +Efficient H.264/H.265 compression
- +Supports subtitles and multiple audio tracks
- +Standard for web and mobile video
MP4 Cons
- -H.265 has patent licensing issues
- -Editing requires re-encoding
- -Not ideal for lossless archival
- -Large files for high-quality long content
MOV Pros
- +High quality video support
- +Multiple tracks (video, audio, subtitles)
- +ProRes support for professional editing
- +Native Apple ecosystem support
MOV Cons
- -Large file sizes
- -Limited compatibility on non-Apple platforms
- -Not ideal for web streaming
- -Can be slow to load
Use MP4 when...
- -Web video (YouTube, social media)
- -Mobile video recording
- -Streaming services
- -Video downloads and distribution
Use MOV when...
- -iPhone video recordings
- -Professional video editing (ProRes)
- -QuickTime playback
- -Video production workflows