MOV vs MP4
MOV and MP4 are cousins. The difference that matters is the codec inside and whether you are delivering or editing.
Use MOV for camera originals and ProRes edits. Use MP4 for delivery. If a browser cannot inspect your MOV, it is probably an edit codec, not a website bug.
Family
MOV. QuickTime / ISO BMFF cousin.
MP4. ISO BMFF delivery default.
ProRes
MOV. Common.
MP4. Unusual for web delivery.
Phones and social
MOV. Often transcoded on upload.
MP4. What you should upload when you can.
Browser inspect
MOV. Hits and misses.
MP4. Usually fine for H.264.
Related tools
- Video compressor
Auto-compress a short clip locally to MP4 or WebM, using this browser’s encoder.
- Video file inspector
Read duration and resolution from a video without uploading it.
- Social video export settings
Use researched starting points for social exports, with the re-encode caveat attached.
Related formats
Last reviewed 16 August 2026.